An Eye Witness Account

Introduction

1 John 1:1–4“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—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. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.”

John in this text could have titled this “Public Service Announcement, I believe that is was the timeless poet and emcee Jay-Z also know as Shawn Corey Carter, born December 4th, 1969 that said “Allow me to reintroduce myself” The apostle John writes the first of three epistles to the Christians at that time. This timely letter was written to encourage and provide full assurance of the Salvation of Jesus Christ. Collectively we are the body of Christ, we are His church. Nonetheless we have to remember that there is a personal portion of salvation and a relationship with God that we must maintain even during the toughest of times. Fellowship with God and fellowship with the people of God can be the joy we need in times of trouble, it can be the power we need in effort to have victory over sin. Fellowship and development work hand in hand as well, the more we fellowship with one another, the more we study with one another it puts us in position to see what is true versus what is false. We live in a world that is filled with information and not all information is right.

John’s approach to this epistle is different because he has an eye witness point of view. Even the consistency of introductions between this epistle and the Gospel according to John brings a sense of surety and promise to us even today.

John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

1 John 1:1 “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—”

John had an eye witness account of what it meant to follow Jesus. John the apostle saw, felt, and experienced ministry from a first hand view. An eyewitness is a person who has firsthand knowledge of an event from seeing the event.  These people are often called into a court of law to give testimony about what they have seen. Generally, a person claiming to be an eyewitness must satisfy the court regarding their presence on the spot through some kind of circumstantial or corroborative evidence. In life we all have an eye witness account to the power of God but just like in a courtroom where the story must align with evidence, our life should be a walking example of what we have seen Jesus do in our lives. Furthermore, not only has God allowed us to be eye witnesses to his power of us, but we’ve seen God work in the lives of others. This is where fellowship makes all the sense, I rejoice when I seen my brother or sister come out of a storm stronger than they went in because I’ve seen God work in their lives. I rejoice in my life because I’ve seen the majesty of God, the grace of God move in a manner that changed the very fabric of my situation.

First Hand Knowledge

Many of us have knowledge about a number of things. We’ve studied various subjects, we have read plenty of books, we follow various forms of information. It’s one thing to have knowledge of something but it’s another thing to truly understand because I’ve experienced it.

John 21:24 “This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true.”

It’s good to have a friend that has not only experienced what you’ve been through but can speak to the truth of what you’ve been through. John understood Jesus, John gave up everything to follow Jesus. “So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him”. John informs us that this is not just something I’ve heard, but I’ve seen it, my hands have been in the ministry. It’s one thing to hear about Jesus but when you’ve truly experienced the power of Jesus there is nothing that will derail you from doing the will of God. When I’ve seen the power of God, when I’ve experienced his mercy I not only live like it but I bear witness to those who have who may not know Jesus and share with them that Jesus is God in human form and that eternal life is worth living for. Understand the persecution that many Christians faced at this time, it’s paramount that John add a sense of security for Christians. It’s truly a reflection of love, the whole goal is to strengthen the legitimacy of their faith and to warn them of false teachers and encourage them to keep fighting even when life gets tough.

The story of Jesus has power, understand that bearing witness, testifying about the power of Jesus can save someone’s life. Sometimes sharing with others about how good God has been in your life can be the best lesson you ever teach. I can only imagine what the testimony of John looks like. Jesus saw something in a fisherman that he probably did not see in himself. Isn’t it beautiful that God can see things in us that we do not always see in ourselves. We know that John and Jesus had a very close relationship according to John 20:2 “Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.””

John witnessed the anguish and pain

Matthew 26:36–38“Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.””

Life gets challenging sometimes, you are going to need some friends in those dark moments that you can call on that know Jesus just like you do. I need some people in my life that won’t just spectate but walk the through the valleys of sorrow with me when I feel like all hope is lost.

Fellowship Leads to Joy

1 John 1:3–4“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. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.”

John has this consistent tone throughout this epistle to refer to Christians as little children, almost to reinforce the relationship between us and God.

1 John 2:1–2“My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.”

Love is reflected in us, when I understand that even though I’m not perfect God sent his son to be reconciliation of mankind back to God. It shouldn’t just motivate me to have fellowship with God but to long for fellowship with one another, when we have true fellowship one with another it pushes our churches to be a collective space of refuge for those in need. I find joy in the challenging times because I not only have fellowship with God but I have fellowship with my brothers in sisters in Christ. John had been there since the beginning, he had holistically experienced Jesus and His ministry.

It’s one thing to know someone, but when you’ve been there. You’ve seen them at their good times and their not so good times. Regardless of what life looks like I can find joy because of who I’m connected to. Fellowship is deeper than wings during football season or a cup of coffee with a close friend. Fellowship is close mutual association, but it’s also a shared participation in life. Fellowship means I willingly contribute to your well being. Fellow or participant, with generosity in mind. When I can depend on the fact that I have fellowship with God and fellow believers that should bring joy to my heart regardless of the storm. The key to fellowship is the fact that the bond is a relationship of love, but here’s where grace enters the chat. Fellowship is so great because it’s the nature of sharing with someone in something that I did not have to take part in. This is the beauty of what Jesus did for us, he willingly took part in being the sacrifice for us. God loved us so much that He was willing to send His only begotten son to die for us so that we could have the opportunity at eternal fellowship with God.

Fellowship with God can save your life, fellowship with us with hold us up when life knocks us down.

1500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching Church Unity

For safety reasons, mountain climbers rope themselves together when climbing a mountain. That way, if one climber should slip and fall, he would not fall to his death. He would be held by the others until he could regain his footing.

The church ought to be like that. When one member slips and falls, the others should hold him up until he regains his footing. We are all roped together by the Holy Spirit.