Fellowship With Christ

Are You Pursuing God?

I think it has become a normal practice in Christianity today to “say THE prayer” or “get saved” and then keep moving on with life. The first few months after coming to accept and trust in Christ, we are usually really excited and “on fire” for Jesus. However, after a little while, the busy flow of life starts to kick back in and we keep moving forward in life. Maybe we show up to church on Sundays or Wednesday nights, but then there is little thought of Christ the rest of the week. We sit through the sermon and just can’t wait to get home so that you can get in some sweat pants and put on the football game or take a nap…etc. And not all of these things are bad, but our minds are preoccupied with them that we aren’t even focused on worshipping God together. Maybe you do have a daily time of prayer or time reading the bible, but after so many days, it feels like a routine or a checklist that you have to complete each day or else “you may lose God’s favor in your life”. Does any of this sound familiar? It has for me.

Before you know it, you have slipped into a familiar pattern and way of life that on the outside looks like you are a “good Christian” but on the inside, we are relationally distant from our savior. Chaos ensues. We have deadlines at work, doctor appointments we can’t miss. Gotta get the kids to school and back. Make sure we have food on the table.... The list goes on and on. We rush to and from places with little to no time to consider God during our day.

What was once the priority and greatest source of delight in your life has now been placed on the back burner and all but forgotten about in your life. And yet we wonder why we are constantly stressed out. We wonder why we are constantly anxious and “burnt out”. This all leads us to consider: have we forgotten our savior?

But we might object: “But we go to church on Sundays and worship God”....“We haven’t forgotten Him”

For those of you who are married, how would you feel if your spouse said something like this to you:

“Honey, I’m gonna be really busy this week. I won’t have time to talk, spend time with, or consider you. But, on Sunday morning from about 10:00-12:00pm, I’m all yours! After that, Ill have other things to do, so we will have to wait until next Sunday again”

If your spouse ever said something like that to you, there would be a serious problem. You would immediately feel unloved and unimportant. There would hardly be a relationship even existing between the two of you.

Well unfortunately that is whats happened today with the modern Christian. We did business with God a few years ago, so now I can keep on living like before.

NOOO!!!! This is not the Christian life. You should never walk away from an encounter with the living God of the universe and suddenly go back into your former ways. This is not what God had in store for His people.

Consider the rebuke that was spoken to the Church of Ephesus in Revelation 2:4:

“But I have this against you: you have abandoned your first love”

What would Jesus have to say if He spoke to Community Church. Would it be words of praise or would He rebuke us for abandoning Him. For getting caught up in religion and routine.

This is a serious matter that every follower of Jesus must keep in mind.

Please understand this clearly: Jesus did not only save you so that you could go to heaven. He also saved you that you can have joy and fellowship with Him right now. Let our time on earth be like practice for what we will get to spend eternity doing: worshipping and learning more of the greatness of God.

Eternal life starts at the moment of conversion and lasts forever. You are not waiting for eternal life…you have it! It may not be in this temporal body (praise God for that), but your soul is eternal and your course is determined when you are a follower of Christ. Live in light of eternity!

Fellowship With God

The apostle John has a lot to say about fellowship with God! This is a very important subject to Him! We can be saved but not be in fellowship with God. Our sin will not make us lose our salvation, but it can block and damage the fellowship that you have with God.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve experienced moments when my walk with God has not been close and I can sense this lack of fellowship. However, I can also tell you that I never want to distance myself relationally from God. Whatever is in the way must either be removed or put in its proper place.

We must repent and allow this fellowship to be restored. Let’s read 1 John 1:1-3

1 John 1:3 (ESV)

1 John 1:3 ESV

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.

John is saying here that Jesus (aka the Word of Life) was manifested to him and others. John shared these experiences and truths so that other Christians can also have fellowship with God.

Lets look at what Jesus says in John chapter 15

John 15:1 ESV

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.

Jesus is giving another example or analogy to help us understand what he is about to say. Here, Jesus is comparing our fellowship with Him to a grapevine.

Jesus = the True Vine

God = The gardener/vinedresser

John 15:4–5 ESV

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

Ok so lets get our roles clear:

God = Gardner (the one who prunes the plants)

Jesus = The vine

We = the branches extending from the vine

If the branches are not connected to the vine, they will shrivel up and die. They will not bear any fruit.

However, if the branches are connected to the vine, then they will produce fruit.

If we are not in fellowship/abiding in Jesus, then we will not be producing good fruit for God. We will not be experiencing much joy and will not be in obedience to Him.

However, when we are abiding in Jesus, then we will be able to obey Him and do the good works He desires us to do.

Let’s continue:

John 15:8–11 (ESV)

By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

Did you hear that? This is some pretty serious stuff here!

It is to God’s glory that we bear MUCH fruit and demonstrate that we are His followers

He reminds us again to abide in His love and be obedient.

Jesus spoke these things so that His joy would be IN US!!!! Jesus’ joy can be found in us? YES! We have the joy of Christ within us when we abide in Him and obey Him!

Jesus spoke these things so that our Joy would be FULL! Jesus wants the very best for us and that includes our life overflowing with joy. However this can only happen when we choose to abide in Him, pursue Him and obey Him. Then you will discover the joy that your soul longs for so greatly. Jesus did not come simply to save but to give us life to the fullest!

Upon your conversion, you probably experienced this joy because for the first time, you were in fellowship with God Almighty. You were excited to read the bible. You were excited to pray. And you were excited to tell people about Jesus! But then something happened remember? The business of life set in and you became distracted from what was most important. You started losing your fellowship with God.

Praise God, however, that He offers forgiveness and restoration: Lets jump back to 1 John 1:9

1 John 1:9 ESV

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Praise Him for that. And this is where we must start again if we are to pursue God and restore fellowship with Him!

Do you want to pursue God and let the the joy of your salvation be restored?

Psalm 51:12 ESV

Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.

Seeking First His Kingdom

Let’s see how to begin this journey of restoring/maintaining our fellowship with God. For many it will begin with seeking repentance of sins and turning to God and agreeing that we have sinned and want to obey Him.

This will then be followed by prioritizing our 1st love…God!

Matthew 6:25–34 (NASB95)

25 “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 “Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27 “And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? 28 “And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29 yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30 “But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! 31 “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ 32 “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

If we want to enjoy fellowship with God, then the walls and barriers must come down. We must seek Him first and foremost in our lives!

Watch Lighthouse production video.

Oh man! That was powerful! It was a wonderful illustration of the way that this woman was once enjoying fellowship with God. Everything that she did and everywhere she looked, God was on her mind and she was aware of His presence with her.

Then what happened? Life got in the way!

She was distracted by a romantic relationship, money, alcohol, self-image, and even self-harm.

Suddenly, by the grace of God, she realized what she was lacking. And just as the lyrics of the song were saying, “You are my everything”, so should that be with our heart towards God.

Like the prodigal son, she returned to the Father.

Will you also turn from your ways and seek Him with your whole heart once again?

One thing to notice, however, was that there was some difficulty letting go of all those things. Sometimes repentance is hard and it means cutting things out of our lives. Sometimes this takes time, but remember that she didn’t do this alone in the video. Jesus was pulling for Her, and He overcame the sins that were in her life.

Take to heart the words of Hebrews 12:1:

Hebrews 12:1 (ESV)

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

When she cut these things off and sought Jesus again, He overcame the sin in her life. Jesus will continue to do this for us every time we repent and turn back to Him!

Next, we see that Jesus tells us that we need to take up our cross daily and follow Him. Taking up a cross is not an easy thing.

I have been reading the book “The Pursuit of God” by A.W. Tozer and there has been some great insight into this concept of seeking first God’s Kingdom and pursuing our creator.

In his book, He tells us:

“Insist that the work be done in very truth and it will be done. The cross is rough, and it is deadly, but it is effective. It does not keep its victim hanging there forever. There comes a moment when its work is finished and the suffering victim dies”

We must die to ourselves and live for Jesus.

In the words of Paul: Galatians 2:20

Galatians 2:20 ESV

20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Another helpful quote that I found from Tozer was this:

“We need never shout across the spaces to an absent God. He is nearer than our own soul, closer than our most secret thoughts.”

God has and is still is pursuing you. He is never far. Rather He is closer to you than you can even imagine.

Will you turn to God with me and as John tells us: Abide in Him so that you may bear MUCH fruit and so that your joy may be full!

God wants the BEST for us right now; but that means putting Him first in our lives.

Psalm 37:4 ESV

4 Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

When our delight is God, then He will give us Himself and we will be content, with full joy and living a life to the fullest in light of eternity.

Cheese and Crackers

Let me share one last story with you before we close for today. It has been awhile since I have heard this story, so I will do my best to get all of the details right.

There was this man who saved up to go on a cruise ship. And he was enjoying himself. It was fun to be on board and see the many things he saw. However, he spent so much money to get onto the cruise that he couldn’t afford much food to eat. So he brought with him a pack of crackers and a block of cheese. This was his food provisions while on this cruise. Everyone else was going through these long buffet lines with luxurious and amazing foods. However, in his great hunger, he would slip away and nibble on his small reserve of cheese and crackers. This went on day after day.

Towards the end of the cruise, one of the other passengers on board had observed what the man was doing and finally stopped the man to ask him a question. “Why do you munch on cheese and crackers every time we have a meal?”. “I cannot afford it” replies the man. He then looks back to the poor man and informs him: “The food was included in your ticket. All passengers are welcome to the buffet of food at any time of the day.”

This story unfortunately relates to you and me. This man was so unaware of the feast of delightful food and activity around him. Instead he was eating his small reserve of cheese and crackers. Similarly, you and I don’t realize that God has designed our life to be overflowing with joy and contentment right here and now. To live free from worry, anxiety, stress, and all other kinds of sin. With this feast before us, we still choose to sit in great hunger when God offers a feast before us. Are you of tired of only living on cheese and crackers?

Personal Connection

I chose to share this topic with you all today because it has been something very personal and real to me recently. As many of you know, I recently just graduated college about a month ago. This is a whole new phase of life for me. For as long as I can really remember I always had school. Now that has changed. And so I look at my life and think about the coming stages that I look forward to. I want a job, a family, and you know… things like that. I am also a little bit of a perfectionist. I like things to be done well and in a timely manner. However this past month of looking for jobs and looking forward towards life has been quite long and at times very frustrating.

Why didn’t this work out?

Why can’t a find a job that I’m qualified for?

Why can’t I think of the perfect business idea that will provide me with the flexibility I desire?

But in the midst of all these questions and searching forward, God got ahold of my heart!

Oh Boy! I can just hear Him saying to me: “Nate! Look at me! SEEK ME FIRST and I’ll provide the rest.”

“Let me be your delight and I will make your joy full! Restore your fellowship with me and experience higher grounds in life”

“I will prepare your future, just pursue me”

I don’t like living on cheese and crackers! I enjoy feasting at the table which the Lord prepares for me!

What a crazy several weeks this has been, as God has realigned Himself as the priority of my heart. No longer just a concept that I was well aware of, but now a truth which has again become real in my life.

That is the difference between knowing about God and living in fellowship with Him!

Closing Prayer