Figuring Out Fellowship

Theme: Better Together

This month we explore themes of fellowhip, unity and togetherness. These are things that are connected to our relationship with God and each other

These are essential, as it seeks to give us advantage in growth and ministry

Being in the same place does not mean there is fellowship, it does not mean we are together (job, marriage, the church)

God wants fellowship with Him, and He wants it with each other

I am suggesting we are “better together” - there is no disadvantage to us being together, There is only advantage

Strength - a cord of three is not easily broken

Minsitry growth - (last week’s sermon)

We come the temple God envisioned (Eph 2:21)

Even the descriptive terms used of Christians suggest fellowship (church, body, house, temple, bride)

Text

1 John 1:1–9 NASB95

1 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life— 2 and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us— 3 what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4 These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete. 5 This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; 7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

John writes to Christians that are facing the threat of false teachings with early forms of Gnostic elements embedded into it.

They were advanced by a group of secessionist in 1 John 2:19 “19 They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.”

The content of the letter gives us clues to what John and his readers faced, though we cannot put a name to it.

The nature of the teachings threaten their way of life and this why John addresses it.

Cerinthian - Christ was a heavenly being who descended on Jesus at birth and left him at the crucifixion - The spirit is disconnected from the body - John counters this emp. that Jesus (God/The Logos) came in the flesh

Docetist - They denied the reality of the incarnation, saying it only “seemed” that way. John says, “we saw and handled”

Gnostic - Johns letter/warning included elements that were familiar to Gnosticism (light/dark, truth/falsehood, claims of special knowledge)

This is not a full development of Gnosticism but we get an idea of what the nature of the teaching was.

Why was this a problem?

By claiming that the spirit is disconnected from the body, it gave rise to a mindset that had no accountability to righteous living as long as the spirit/heart was right

This was founded (for them) on the reality that Jesus did not come in the flesh

John counters this 1 John 3:7–9 “7 Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; 8 the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.”

This gave room for people to live any way they wanted to, failing to demonstrate love, failing to act the truth and still having the mind that I am right with God.

Another aspect stated that God saved not only from the guilt of sin but the state of sin, meaning they could never sin again while they live

There folks walking around thinking they don’t sin - This mind affects your fellowship with God and with each other

APPL. Accountability scares a lot of people today. We rather develop a system that limits or eradicates our accountability than be accountable

In John’s mind, this teaching of denying Christ threatens the type of life a Christian lives

Christians live purely and righteously (1 Jn 3:3; 7; 2:1)

This type of life is founded on the nature and work of Jesus, This brings us to our text

APPL. How I think of Christ determines how I treat Christ

If He is a weekend meet-up that will show in my life (inconsistency and lack of growth)

If He is cornershop stop, I’ll only be serious when I need something

But, If He is Lord, there is nothing I would not do for Him

Our Text

1 John 1:1–3 “1 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life— 2 and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us— 3 what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.”

vs. 2 is a break in thought by John (read without vs. 2 for a better flow)

Firstly, John highlights the reality of Jesus coming in the flesh, this is what is called the Hypostatic Union of Jesus (Sharing two natures)

Secondly, this Word of Life was “manifested” made clear. This is confirmation that “the word became flesh and dwelt among us”.

Thirdly, John gives the reason for stating the previous. “So that” you too may have fellowship with us

Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son

In doing this, John draws a line of fellowship, that line is the denial of Jesus’ incarnation in the flesh. (Some had already withdrawn themselves)

1 John 5:10 “10 The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son.”

1 John 4:1–3 “1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.”

2 John 9–10 “9 Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting;”

What John also does here is show the primacy of my fellowship with God and how that impacts the fellowship with each other

We have drawn lines of fellowship where God did not draw any lines

Clapping, worhsipping with too much expressions or loudness, non-traditional Bible School, women too active, man has a man bun,

John is saying this is where the line is: Do you beleive Jesus came in the flesh? Do you beleive Jesus is God? Is this bringing trasnformation in your life?

That’s where the line is. We miss this, because we make fellowship about uniformity to ceremony and not conformity to Christ.

This has caused us to be too quick to divide/withdraw (1 Jn 2:19) rather than unite.

We always ready to separate and not sit down - many times is non-essentials (things that have nothing to do with core tenets of biblical doctrine)

What has contibuted to this is lack of understanding or knowledge of true fellowship.

Let’s Figure Out Fellowship

The word used here is “koinonia” this word indicates

participation with close bond, community where have things in common (sharing), partnership

conveys a sense of commonality, solidarity, and shared responsibility

COMMON - Christ, Salvation, Mission, Blessing

SOLIDARITY - Same Spirit, Sharing, God’s Purpose

RESPONSIBILITY - Holiness, Growth, Mission, Each Other

It’s an expression of a relationship guided by and existing by something in common (Christ) - we’ve made it so many things in addition to Christ)

We use the term “fellowshipping” as a verb to describe the activity of building fellowship

This is not limited to events (That’s what we’ve done)

This is not founded on events

These things may facilitate it, but they don’t necessarily fuel it

I need to engage in the word, the songs, the prayer, the supper - this is what feeds fellowship (spiritual connection with God)

APPL. Our traditional “fellowships”

My devotion to the fellowship starts with an understanding with acknowledging who Jesus is and the work that He did - we can’t have fellowship without this!

Am I connected to Christ? Else, what am I sharing with the fellowship?

My view of Christ affects how I treat Christ - Now we are seeing this in the context of each other.

Acts 2:42 “42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to (the) fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”

1 Corinthians 1:9 “9 God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Salvation is not simply obeying the plan of salvation - God calls you into partnership, relationship and participation with Jesus Christ

If that’s is central to fellowship, how can I have no prayer life, study habit, disengaged in the gatherings, then say “I have fellowship”

2 Corinthians 13:14 “14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.”

So He has a role to play in starting and sustaining fellowship as well

I submit to Him when I submit to His word

These are the things that important for fellowship

1 John 1:4 “4 These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.”

When this happen, joy can be made full

John goes further to show that fellowship has a connection to righteous living

1 John 1:5–6 “5 This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice [carry out/perform] the truth;”

Light - Hope, salvation, guidance, righteousness, God’s presence

1 Timothy 6:16 “16 who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.”

Proverbs 6:23 “23 For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light; And reproofs for discipline are the way of life”

Psalm 27:1 “1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread?”

In the sphere of God there is: Purity, life, righteousness, hope, confidence, love

Outside this we see: falsehood, lies, impurity, love for the world, sin, fear

These two spheres NEVER overlap! - This is what it means that to walk in light is to ensure these spheres never overlap

1 John 1:7–8 “7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.”

Notice how our walking in the Light, affects our fellowship with each other?

Purity, righteousness, confidence in God’s coming, love for each other (in deed) - when we walk in these, can you see how when we fail at these how it can ripple effects?

It preserves the unity

It perpetuates God’s purpose

There’s no telling what God would do when we all commit our ways to Him -

This speaks to a committment - Fellowship leads to deeper committments