That which we have seen and heard we proclaim to you too, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with His son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete. (1 John 1:3-4)Fellowship is a greatly confused word among many Christian circles. Most times it is reduced to a bunch of people hanging out and doing activities together. Though there is an element of truth in this perspective, it does not necessarily mean that people are speaking of the same kind of fellowship that John had in mind. The kind of fellowship that John spoke of was when people walked together in communion with God. The Greek word for fellowship comes from the idea of sharing something in common. At times, this sharing can refer to a financial burden (2 Corinthians 9:13, Romans 15:26). In other cases, it may refer to the sharing of a common work (Philippians 1:4-5, Philemon 1:17). Nevertheless, the word most often refers to communion and a sharing of experience. Paul demonstrates this usage when he writes, “God, who has called you into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful” (1 Corinthians 1:9). And elsewhere he writes, “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Corinthians 13:14). It is this usage that John adheres to when he writes, “And our fellowship is with the Father and with His son, Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3). John is saying that he has communion and shares his experience of life with the Father and His son, Jesus Christ.
When many Christians think of fellowship they often associate it with building friendships and sharing experiences with other believers. They think that going to a football game together or watching a movie with others is Christian fellowship. Never-the less, in most cases it really isn’t Christian fellowship at all. Rather, it is fellowship with football or a movie. The fellowship that John described was with God. John was already experiencing fellowship with God, but he desired that other people would enter into the fellowship he was already having. Therefore he writes, “that which we have seen and heard we proclaim to you too, so that you also may have fellowship with us” (1 John 1:3). The key word here is also. John already walked sharing the experience of communion with God with other people, but he desired that those he wrote to would also come to know this fellowship. What kind of fellowship do you have with other Christians? We rally around all sorts of different practices and topics. Some of us have fellowship in specific forms of dress, others in a particular doctrinal knowledge, and still others in fun activities. All these kinds of fellowship are frequently dead works that often distract us from drawing near to God. Though it is not wrong for us to have fellowship in many different ways, our primary fellowship must be rooted in experientially knowing God. If knowing God is not at the center of your fellowship with other Christians, you need to repent. Change your mind and perspective about how and why you spend time with other believers. When we walk together in proper fellowship with God, all of our joy will be truly made complete (1 John 1:4).
(Taken from Day 2 of the book, "Finding Life; a Journey through 1 John ~ by Peter John Schrock You can read the rest of the book by scrolling my side bar and clicking on the picture of the book)
