TEXT:

‘That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ’ – 1 John 1:3.

THOUGHT:

If you are looking for a perfect church you are unlikely to find one, but if you did, do not join it. The moment you do, that perfection is destroyed because you are not perfect! A perfect church on earth is a myth because it is made up of imperfect people. The church Jesus is building is without spot, wrinkle or blemish. Scrutinise it carefully but you will not be able to find any defects on, in or under the surface. 1 John 1:1-3 reveals a wonderful revelation as to what Christianity really is.

• The Person – ‘The Word of Life’

I often remind people to whom I am witnessing, “You will notice that I have hardly mentioned my church or denomination but have talked to you about a person – Jesus Christ”. When Philip left Jerusalem to evangelise Samaria, the Bible says, ‘He went and preached Christ to them’ – Acts 8:5. We do not trust in our works to save ourselves, but in another person’s work – The Lord Jesus Christ.

• The Preaching

John wrote in his epistle, ‘We declare to you’; ‘We write to you’. There are three main ways to preach: speaking, writing (whether hand-written or electronic communication) and our lifestyle. The Bible speaks about our “walk” and “keeping His commandments”. All three ways to preach are equally important. Today’s media allows us to reach vast audiences through speaking and writing but it’s the living that gives true weight to our witnessing.

• The Purpose – ‘Fellowship’ v3,7

Fellowship with the Godhead

‘Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ’. Many church services  end with this blessing, ‘The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all’ – 2 Corinthians 13:14. Is your Christianity working for God or working with God? On earth, Jesus was “God with His disciples”. After He ascended He sent the Holy Spirit to continue “God with the disciples”. Do you think of the Holy Spirit as a power, presence or a person? Jesus said about the Holy Spirit, ‘He is with you and shall be in you’ – John 14:17. When you wake up why not say out loud, “Good morning Holy Spirit, what will you show me today and what will we do together?” It will revolutionise your Christianity.

Fellowship with other Believers

The church that commenced in the power of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost continued in the, ‘Apostles doctrine and fellowship, in the Breaking of Bread and in prayers’ – Acts 2:42. It’s such a shame when those who have had a dramatic conversion and could not stay away from church, become indifferent to the very thing that gave them life in the first place.

John wrote, ‘That you also may have fellowship with us’ v3 and ‘We have fellowship with one another’ v7. These two verses alone destroy the argument of any who claim to be a Christian and follow Christ, but do not want to fellowship regularly with other Christians. Something is wrong and they are being deceived, whilst at the same time robbing themselves of the benefit of other believers and robbing other believers of their company.

Jesus is building His church. It does not consist of scattered bricks, but bricks that become living stones joined together into a living body. This is why when unbelievers come into a church of believers they immediately notice a “Life” in the meeting. They know the service is “Alive” with the presence of God.

Jesus’ church is also likened to a body and Christians are members of one another. One member cannot say to another, “I have no need of you”. It cannot exist on its own but is dependent on others in order to function properly – see 1 Corinthians 12:12-27.

Christians who maintain that they are perfectly alright on their own and do not need other Christians have missed the whole point. It is supposed to be fellowship, Godward and Man-ward. What will they answer when they stand before God and He asks them why they disobeyed His clear command to meet together with other believers, and be submitted to godly leadership? I think that although many are now quick to vigorously and vocally defend such actions while on earth, they will be speechless when they stand before the Head of the church!

What would the impact be on society if every believer was in church this coming Sunday? Not only would the church leaders fall down in amazement, but most of the faithful congregation would too! We will do what Jesus wants us to do better when we do it together whether it is praise and worship, studying God’s word, praying or witnessing.

‘I was glad when they said to me “Let us go into the house of the Lord”’ – Psalm 122:2