Fellowship

3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 1 John 1:3

Yesterday we talked about the importance of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with others. What is John’s reason for sharing the good news? In verse 3, John explains that it is “so that you too may have fellowship with us.”
People tend to gather with others with whom they have something in common. For example, people who like to play the same kinds of sports often hang out together. People who like the same music or practice the same religion often spend a lot of time with each other. Do you and your best friends have a lot in common? Are you joined together by similar interests? Faith in Jesus Christ is the most powerful way to be joined together with other people!
In fact, that is exactly what church is for. The bible’s original word for church is an “assembly” or gathering of Christians. Even if we are very different from other Christians in many ways, when people believe and love Jesus Christ, they enter into an assembly or fellowship of believers all over the world. It’s like one big club we are a part of with Christians worldwide, whether we know them or not. And this club is nicknamed “the Body of Christ” by the Bible with Jesus as the head of that body.
In verse 3, John reminds us that not only does faith in Jesus give us a special connection to other Christians, and not only are we supposed to tell everyone about Jesus so that they can join this special club of believers, but also it allows us to enter into a relationship with both God and Jesus, who are the source of our connections with fellow believers.

Questions for discussion and reflection
1. Who are we connected with through the gospel of Christ?
2. How do you personally form connections in your local church?

Dear God, we ask that You would give us a desire to invite all people into Your “Body of Christ”-so that it would not be an exclusive gathering. We pray that our common love for You and Jesus would bring the entire Church worldwide into closer fellowship so that we may bring glory to Your name. Amen.