Fellowship Precedes Mission

The revival speaker said the sons of Jacob were first sons, then brothers, then a nation, and then tribes. The fellowship, or in this case family, seems to precede the mission, or function.

Christians will quickly and enthusiastically come together for mission - to complete a project or task. This unity is usually short-lived, and too frequently it is questionable whether it is of any lasting value.

Is that because we have not built and experienced the fellowship which must precede the mission?

In Mark 3:14, we are told that Jesus "appointed twelve, so that they would be with Him [fellowship] and that He could send them out to preach [mission]..."

Jesus called His disciples to "be with Him". Yes, He called the fishermen with the promise that He would teach them to fish for men, but He did not commission them [call them into "co - mission" with himself] until three and a half years and a death, burial, and resurrection later.