It’s All About Fellowship…
One of the greatest things about entering into a life with Christ is that it is the surest way to gain a family. The Apostle John in talking to the second generation of believers had this to say:
3 ..what we have seen and heard we also proclaim to you, so that you too may have fellowship [as partners] with us. And indeed our fellowship [which is a distinguishing mark of born-again believers] is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4 We are writing these things to you so that our joy [in seeing you included] may be made complete [by having you share in the joy of salvation]. 1John 1:3-4 (AMP)
As much as our lives become complete when we enter into the joy of the Lord, God has fixed it so that our joy increases even the more when we share it with others. It is indeed a "distinguishing mark of born-again believers"; we keep adding to the Family of God.
This is just the beginning of the book of 1 John. Throughout this short book the love Apostle reiterates the importance of loving one another. This week we are going to look at a few of these scriptures, for if there was ever a time when our world needs love, it is now.
Right off the bat, John defines what fellowship with the Father and HIs Son really is:
6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness [of sin], we lie and do not practice the truth; 7 but if we [really] walk in the Light [that is, live each and every day in conformity with the precepts of God], as He Himself is in the Light, we have [true, unbroken] fellowship with one another [He with us, and we with Him], and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin [by erasing the stain of sin, keeping us cleansed from sin in all its forms and manifestations]. 1 John 1:6-7 (AMP)
Here we see an important component of true fellowship with our Father is being open and honest with each other. When it comes to the Father we need to walk in conformity with His precepts, according to the light that has been given to us. When there is darkness in our life due to sin, it causes a ripple in that fellowship. Fortunately, Jesus paid the price that when we sin, His blood will cleanse us, if we repent. This is the way that God has established for us to maintain an open and honest fellowship with Him. It’s that way with our brothers and sisters as well. In order to maintain fellowship with each other, our love has to stem from a heart that is inhabited by the Holy Spirit. It will keep us on track, not just with God but the Holy Spirit will keep us in tune with how we are doing with others. We’ll find a nudge when we’ve insensitive or offensive. He helps us to discern the way to communicate with others so that we understand them and they understand us. When our heart is motivated by love, when we falter or fail in communicating effectively, the Holy Spirit helps us to communicate our sorrow and helps us to ask forgiveness.
When the Apostle John says that "our joy (in seeing you included) may be made complete (by having you share in the joy of salvation) – that means in our relationships with each other as well – nothing missing, nothing broken – we are complete in Him.
Maria