Sermon Recap: Fellowship (1 John 1)

Disclaimer: Remember that while these are for the most part my own words, the ideas are the pastor's, not mine.

We hear all the time about Christianity being a relationship with God, fellowship with God, knowing God. Have you ever wondered how you know if you are actually in a relationship with God? What does it look like? And what is the purpose, anyway?

I. The Reality and Possibility of Fellowship
Fellowship is a shared relationship. We share our faith, authenticity, and friendship with those we have fellowship with. A Christian's highest joy is sharing in fellowship with God and others.

1 John 1:3b says, "...and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ."

Notice the tense there. John is writing in the present tense. Even though Christ has ascended into heaven, the relationship continues. Christians now, even though we have never seen Jesus in person, can still have the kind of relationship with Him that the disciples had! Isn't that amazing?

Sharing fellowship with God naturally leaves to fellowship with other Christians. It's a triangle: I with God, you with God, leads to you and I together.

The life-giving fellowship we often can have with other believers is a little taste of heaven. Maybe you've experienced this; maybe you haven't had fellowship like this. How can we improve our fellowship and make it the joyful life-giving interaction it should be?

II. Tests of Fellowship...
...with God:

• If we are living in disobedience, we are in darkness. We are only in fellowship with God if we are walking in light and obedience (see 1 John 1:5-7).
• We must be open to God about our sins to have true fellowship with Him. We must confess our sins to Him, not deny them, grieve over them, and ask God for purification and power over them.

...with other Christians:

• To have fellowship with other Christians, we must pursue intimacy and transparency, intentionally walking with others and making ourselves known to them.
• We must be humble and not deny our sins, willing to receive help from others and not too proud. True friendship includes both giving and receiving.

III. Practices of Fellowship...
...with God:

• Pay attention to God as he reveals Himself in the Word; read the Bible regularly and respond in prayer.
• Confess your specific sins to Him regularly, not just the general fact that you are a sinner.
• Trust Him to forgive your sins and wash you clean. Not trusting this, thinking you are just too bad to be saved, is a form of unbelief.

...with other Christians:

• Share our beliefs together. As Christians we have shared lives; we should encourage one another in our beliefs in church and in small groups.
• Be accountable to each other. Get close enough to each other to be comfortable confessing sins and seeking help.
• Be willing to forgive when sins are committed against us.

This kind of joyful fellowship is not easy! It takes time, commitment, and effort to have fellowship with others. But it is worth it; joy is the lasting fruit of this life-giving fellowship with God and one another.