Invited to Fellowship

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. 1 John 1:3

The apostle John doesn’t want anyone to be in any doubt of who Jesus is, so he lays the facts out right from the start of his letter. He doesn’t want any misunderstanding about the man who lived in Capernaum, the carpenter’s son, the brother of James and Jude, healer, teacher, miracle worker… so, he doesn’t start with earthly credentials – that which was from Nazareth – he starts with an overwhelming truth: “That which was from the beginning.”

The message of Christ was not just a story or theory or philosophy that John came across. It was rooted in the tangible presence of the Messiah; in all that he and other apostles had seen and heard, and had touched with their own hands. And their testimony produces an invitation – an invitation into fellowship. Not simply friendship with other believers, but a shared life with the Father and the Son.

This fellowship is more than just attending church or agreeing with biblical ideas. It is a living, ongoing relationship with God Himself. We are invited into communion with Father, Son and Spirit – that which was from the beginning. This fellowship is the heartbeat of the Christian life.

Do we have the same drive and urgency of John? Are we sharing with others all that we have seen Jesus do in our own lives? It doesn’t need to be complicated. It can be simply put, like hymn writer, Rufus McDaniel:

What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought, since Jesus came into my heart; I have light in my soul for which long I have sought, since Jesus came into my heart.

The language may be old but the truth remains the same – Jesus changes lives, and people who are struggling through life in darkness, need to know that there is someone who cares deeply about them. Someone who cares deeply about their situation; who wants to bring them out of their darkness and into a relationship of hope and promise.

As children of God, we are evangelists of hope and promise. We don’t pretend to be perfect people with perfect lives – we share the goodness of God from a place of honesty, humility, and the truth of our dependence on His amazing grace.

I pray that we would not shy away from our witness of Jesus, but testify openly about all that we have seen and heard.