My writer's creed:

My Writer's Creed:
Every writer’s work should be suitable to warm oneself by a fireplace on a cold day, either by the burning it produces in the heart and mind or by the blaze it stokes as its pages are cast on the coals! Both are useful. For those who are served in either sense, I resolve to write as much as I possibly can!

Tuesday, July 10, 2018

John's View of Fellowship

In his opening to his first letter to the churches, the Apostle John writes:
What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have observed and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—2 that life was revealed, and we have seen it and we testify and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us—3 what we have seen and heard we also declare to you, so that you may also have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
We church people have always talked a lot about fellowship. We like to hang out, bring (too much) food for a potluck, arrange activities or entertainment to enjoy together. Maybe we fellowship at our church facilities (we have a special room for it), or gather in a home, or even a restaurant or hip coffee shop. And this is appropriate, especially when our hang-outs are centered around gospel conversations and ministry.
But I think that understanding of fellowship is much smaller than John’s – and that of Jesus. John here (and the other apostles) declared the Eternal Son as the source for life. Why? So that OTHERS would by faith in the Son come into fellowship with God and his church. John states that bringing others into this fellowship is what brings joy to the church. And of course, the Son came to bring people into that fellowship. He not only made it possible, but he left those first believers with the mandate to CONTINUE to bring others into it (Mt 28:18-20).
Does your fellowship extend only to your favorite Christian friends? Is it mostly limited to Sundays, and maybe some potlucks? When do we ever move outside our walls – literal and figurative ones – and take joy in drawing new people into fellowship with God and his church? This is the mission with which Christ left us, to continually compel newcomers to the party (Mt 22:1-14, esp. v.9).
Until Christ returns, fellowship is as much about those not yet included as it is about us. Whom can you invite in today?
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)