“That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye may also have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.”
This is truly an exciting and inspiring verse to me. John had walked and talked with Jesus for three years, and he had a lot to share about Him. John offered to share his personal experience with Jesus in fellowship with the recipients of his letter - including us. He used the word “fellowship” to describe his Christian relationships. Unfortunately, today one of the prevailing views of fellowship is something like: ”getting together after church.” As much as I enjoy this kind of fellowship, it is not New Testament fellowship. Fellowship is an important aspect of the Christian faith; therefore, we need to ask and answer “What Is Real Christian Fellowship?" The Greek word for fellowship means sharing, partaking, partnership and communicating. These definitions can vaguely mean “getting together,” but they mean much more than that. Real Christian fellowship begins with our fellowship with the triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. As John put it: “and surely our fellowship is with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ." After all, Jesus did promise to be with us until the end of the ages. Fellowship with God means that we have Him with us through the Holy Spirit all of the time. The song says: “My God is with me all the time…” How true this is. The wonderful thing is that even in the midst of your workday you can have fellowship with God through prayer. I don’t mean “get on your knees” prayer. I mean just think of things that you need to talk to God about and He will hear. You can do this any time, all day, every day. John knew this fellowship in a way that we never will, for he walked and talked with Jesus for three years, saw his crucifixion, took Jesus’ mother in at the cross, and saw Him and talked with Him after the resurrection. He longed for us to enjoy daily fellowship with Jesus, not as he did, in the flesh, but as we can by just reminding ourselves that He is with us. The fellowship that we have with God reaches over into the lives of our fellow Christians. In the text, John invited his readers to join him, and, ostensibly, each other. Notice in verse 3: “that you also may have fellowship with us," and in 1:7: “We have fellowship with each other.” The sharing of our lives with, “the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ,” draws us together to share life with each other. In doing this, we become partners with God and with each other. We manifest this fellowship by worshiping together,and, yes, by getting together. But I also want to add that our fellowship is just as real when we are not together. We do not just “have fellowship,” we are a fellowship and are connected by the Spirit of God, even when we are not together. We share Jesus both when we are together and when we are not together. Don’t make the mistake that a lot of people make in their church relationships. Fellowship is not the same as friendship. Friendship is a good thing, and I have many Christian friends, but in friendship we have a close relationship that can include others or not. But when we are a fellowship, we enjoy it so much that we want to invite other people into this fellowship with God and with us. We read in the Book of Acts that the first church had daily fellowship and worship. They ate together, and no doubt had fun together, but they were not establishing an exclusive club; rather, they were constantly inviting people into fellowship with them. Acts 2:47 tells that they were: "Praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” I believe that people saw this fellowship of love for God and people and were eager to become a part of it. Doesn’t this tell us what our fellowship should be? This is real fellowship. Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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September 2021
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