God's Mission
1 John 1:1-10
The Incarnation of the Word of Life
1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We write this to make our joy complete.
Light and Darkness, Sin and Forgiveness
5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
John, in describing Jesus as the Word of life, writes: "We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ" (1 John 1:3).
This is a great time to remind ourselves of the role of fellowship in the life of the church. The mission focus John learned revolves around fellowship with the Father, a life of not just knowing about the Father, but being intimately connected with Him and His Son Jesus. And then not stopping there but having that fellowship extend to include other people, other sons and daughters of God. That completes the fellowship: sharing it with each other.
The term fellowship has taken on a “churchy” feel nowadays, so let’s bring the word friendship into the mix. Jesus called his disciples friends. I love friendships where God is welcome and even central to the relationship. Maybe that's behind Jesus’ comment of “two or three gathered in His name” (Matt 18:20): Gathered without dissension, with sins forgiven and offenses resolved, just as He has forgiven us and allowing for a full, flavorful, joy-filled friendship/fellowship.
Prayer Prompt
Ask yourself (and God) with whom you share a deep, godly, friendly fellowship. Thank God for that. Then ask yourself (and God) whom you have an affiliation with in which both of you are children of God and yet something between you is stifling the joy and friendship, robbing you of a deeper version of life that God desires for you. Ask for ways to bring joy and even forgiveness to bear in the situation.
Micro-Meditation
Psalm 146:5-6
- Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob
whose hope is in the LORD their God.
6 He is the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them— he remains faithful forever.
Teaching or Command of God:
Isaiah 41:10
10 So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Pondering Point
Which of your friends and family do you consider most dependable? Are they followers of God? Could they be considered extensions of God as helpers?