Sever Fellowship with the World

We humans are designed for fellowship. That's why we crave connection with others. However, let us remember that gazelles don't fellowship with lions for a very good reason - they will get eaten. Likewise we cannot fellowship with our enemy.
"Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common?
Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?
Breaking fellowship with the world doesn't mean we become hermits. It means that we break our close ties with the ways of the world. We stop living by its principles or relying on its methods. We stop agreeing with its values. We break our allegiance to it.

Fellowship with God
When we sever our fellowship with the world, then God will fellowship with us by calling us into a relationship with him - as our Father, our Saviour, and our Counselor (Father, Son, and Spirit).
As God has said:
“I will live with them and walk among them..., {ie fellowship with them}
I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters.” 2 Corinthians. 6:14-18

"Our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son" 1 John 1:3
: "being united with Christ" Phiippiansl 2:24
"the fellowship of the Holy Spirit" 2 Corinthians 13:1.
When we fellowship with God, he is our Head, and our source of life. It is our connection with him that brings us into connection with other believers. However, genuine fellowship as God designed it to be, is not possible without genuine repentance - breaking fellowship with the world.
“If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness,
we lie and do not live by the truth.” 1 John 1:6

Three years ago I was praying for someone who was straying from God. I didn't know how to help that person, so I asked God for direction. His response surprised me. He said, "The best thing you can do for that person is to give yourself to me". Wow! I wasn't expecting that answer. Since then I have been learning that my personal fellowship with God is the best gift I can give anyone. It is the best way that I can "spur another on". The apostle Paul said something similar:
"If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ,
if any comfort from his love,if any fellowship with the Spirit,
if any tenderness and compassion,then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose." Philippians. 2:2
Fellowship with one other

In a fellowshipping family, the members protect each other - especially the young, the weak, and the vulnerable. They receive the returning prodigals. The needy can be assured of adequate provision, and be free from exploitation. The members laugh and weep with each other, and build trust. They "greet one another with a holy kiss" 2 Corinthians. 13: 12 (or a holy hug).

In the context of healthy fellowship, the members can grow and mature. They bring others into fellowship with God and each other. The members agree to support each other in God's work. Perhaps their agreement is expressed by extending the "right hand of fellowship... They agreed..." ...Galatians. 2:9
In God's household, the various leaders are very serious about their responsibility to guard the authority of the Word in the hearts of the people. They feed the sheep and make disciples. They are vigilant, and sensitive to the activities of predators. They look for the lost and straying sheep, ie: those who are not fellowshipping with God.
In God's household the members band together, persevere together, pray together, and watch out for each other. They reinforce their identity as a household belonging to God and set apart from the world.

When fellowship includes the proper ingredients, the Church of Christ grows stronger, more mature, and more unified. This is a strong defense against predators!!!!