eric bauman
Breaking Fellowship with God

There is only one way to be saved from an eternity in a burning hell. That is by putting your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. You get saved by believing that Jesus Christ paid for your sins when he died on the cross and rose from the dead. It is a free gift, you can do nothing to earn it and can do nothing to lose it. Jesus paid it all. I encourage anyone who has not trusted in Jesus Christ for their salvation, to do so now. Here are a few scriptures for reference.
II Timothy 1
9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
Ephesians 2
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Romans 3
22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Now that grace has been established as the only way to heaven, let's talk about fellowship. Fellowship is a relationship with God, where the saved person lives in obedience to God's law. Every person saved and unsaved has a free will. Many preachers and Christians say that as soon as you get saved your desire to sin goes away. This is not biblical at all. A saved person is very capable of committing sin, and they can and do commit sins. Some people get saved and give up on sin that same day, and live a life of obedience. Other people struggle with sins like addiction, or gambling, or fornication, or gossiping, it can be a wide range of things. This will cause a Christian to fall out of fellowship with God. Fellowship depends upon obedience. You can not be disobeying God and have fellowship with him. Great men of the Bible struggled with sin: Moses, Jacob, David, Samson, Saul, Peter, and many others. Even the great apostle Paul struggled with sin.
Romans 7
14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.
15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.
17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Paul did not condone sin, he preached against it (Romans 6:12-23), but he admitted that sin still dwelled in him. Paul had to fight just like the rest of us. He did a good job and never fell out of fellowship with God. Fellowship may take time to develop, it also takes time to lose. If a person does not recognize that they are disobeying God, over time fellowship will be broken. This is not a position anyone wants to find themselves in. You see, as soon as a person gets saved the devil learns their name and wants to kill them. God can protect them from the devil while they are in fellowship. Once fellowship is broken the hedge of protection is torn down and the devil can come into your life and destroy you. God will make sure that he does. God will tell him how far he can go with you. In some cases God may tell the devil to kill you. God does not bless disobedience.
I Corinthians 5
1 It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife.
2 And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.
3 For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed,
4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
In the above passage, their is a saved Christian man having an affair with his stepmother. The other Christians are looking down on him. Paul simply says that if he does not stop this, God will deliver him to Satan to kill him. His spirit will be saved and he will go to heaven. Fortunately, the man stops the affair and gets right with God and doesn't get killed. This is a clear cut example of what is known as the chastening of the Lord. God will punish his children when they disobey and fall out of fellowship. It is very serious.
Proverbs 3
11 My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction:
12 For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
The Old Testament is basically a story of the Christian life. Disobey God and he will punish you. He deals with Christians similar to how he dealt with Israel in the Old Testament. They would constantly break fellowship and be punished for it. Believers must resist the devil and his temptations.
James 4
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
If we want fellowship we must submit to God's authority and fight against our desire to sin. If someone has fallen out of fellowship it can be a long road back. It requires commitment. Everyday must be lived in obedience. This can be difficult, expect to stumble along the way. Seek the Lord in prayer often, all day if possible. This is easier said than done, prayer can be a chore. Prayer has to be done diligently. The Lord may seem distant, like your prayers are bouncing off the ceiling. Stay committed to it. The Lord in his time will begin to move in your life. You can not have fellowship, without reading your Bible. It is how God communicates with us. You should read the bible everyday, as well as study. You can do online or in person Bible studies. Going to church and listening to a prepared Pastor is a very good idea. Finding a church can be difficult, just make sure they preach salvation by grace. When gaining fellowship, the devil will set traps for you along the way, and you may fall into them. Just pick yourself back up and keep moving forward. Living steadfast walking with the Lord. In time you and God will be in fellowship and God can bless your life. Nothing is as good as God blessing your life. Ask God to reveal his will for your life. This is scary, but very worth it. Living for the will of God is the ultimate form of fellowship.
I am currently working on gaining fellowship with God. It has been a rough process. I fell very far from God, and it has been a long road back to him. I know that in time if I keep fighting I will overcome my struggles and get into fellowship with him. It is all I really want, yet my flesh is very strong and I feel so weak some times. I ask that you pray for me. God bless.