Topic: Fellowship with God
The month of February our focus will be in the three epistles of John. The theme of fellowship is seen in each of the letters.
How do we have fellowship with God and where does it come from?
Jesus opened the door that had blocked fellowship with God. In the Old Testament, obedience to God by sacrificing an animal restored that fellowship. In the New Testament, Jesus became that sacrifice. Why?Because God wanted to restore the fellowship but He knew that there was nothing man could do that would help. The animal sacrifices only lasted for a while. Something needed to be done that would last for all eternity. Jesus, God the Son, came down and took human form. He went through our trials and tribulations, yet He did not sin. He took our sin upon Himself. He laid down His life for us. It was not taken. He freely gave Himself to bridge that gap to restore our fellowship with God.
We have fellowship with God by trusting in Jesus. We have fellowship with other believers by our constant fellowship with the Lord. How do we have fellowship without salvation? We cannot. We cannot have fellowship with each other without first knowing Christ as our personal Savior.
Man is in constant darkness (sin). So, if we want fellowship with God, we must accept the Light (Jesus), and come out of the darkness (sin). Our carnal nature is to sin, to slip and to fall short; but Jesus is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. However, if we continually sin (live like the world), we lie and there is no light in us. How can we win souls to Christ if they hear one thing but see another within us? Other believers see how we are living, therefore not only is our fellowship with God broken, but our fellowship with other believers is also broken. If our fellowship is broken, there is no joy. If there is no joy, then there is no peace. If there is no peace, then there must be turmoil present. Sin has come into our hearts, and darkness has overcome us. How do we keep fellowship going?
We keep fellowship going by our continued fellowship with Jesus, by keeping our hearts clean through salvation and our daily repentance of any sins committed. We agree with God that our sin is Adamic in nature and Jesus’ death and resurrection is the only true remedy. Our fellowship with God the Father must be kept open and our fellowship with other believers is to be kept strong.
True Christian fellowship is based on three guiding principles. First and foremost, the testimony of the Bible (God’s Word) serves as its foundation. Unity is impossible without this fundamental strength. Second, it is reciprocal and dependent on a believers’ unity. Thirdly, the Holy Spirit constantly renews it. A living relationship with Christ is the only way to achieve true fellowship, which combines spiritual and social interaction.
See you Sunday,
Dr. Scott Kallem