Experiencing Fellowship

Read 1John 1: 1-4

“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 (NIV)

            In legal terminology there is a term that attorneys use in defense of their client-hearsay. Simply stated a person has to see or be present when an event has transpired in order to give credible testimony-his or her witness. If a person passes on a thought about something he or she has not seen or was not present for, that person can not testify to that event.

            One Thursday night, in the mid 1980s, my son and I returned home from church. We stopped at the neighborhood convenience store for soft drinks. We sat in the kitchen drinking them when we heard a loud noise coming from the street. We got to the front door in time to see a car pulling away from where I had parked our car. What we had heard was the sound of impact of the two vehicles. I reacted in a strange way for me—I ran after that car, saying words I shouldn’t the whole half block to the railroad track.

            When the police came, a young neighbor drove up and waited until they were through taking the information from me. He had seen the accident. The police found the car abandoned at the junior high a few blocks away. My dad and stepmother advised me to not count on seeing my deductible returned to me. (In order to get it back, the driver of the other car had to be found guilty or confess to hitting my car and leaving the scene.)

            My son and I went to city court when the case came up. A while before it was time for our case, we got called out into a hallway. Some man dressed in a suit asked me “Did you see this man behind the wheel of the car that hit you?” I was furious. The policeman who worked the case stood off to my left and shook his head. Because, I didn’t SEE this man behind the wheel, the case was dismissed.

            As I write this, I wonder if I had thought to see if the young neighbor had been summoned to court, if it would have made a difference in how the court handled my case.

            John was present with Jesus as He ministered to the people of Israel. He saw the healings, heard the teachings-both those for the people and the ones the disciples were privy to. This member of the Master’s inner circle was present at Calvary and witnessed the carnage of the crucifixion.

            John reminds his readers of the eternal Word—Jesus lived among us; how He lived and walked among the people. His message is simple. This close follower of Jesus, possibly the last surviving one who walked with the Savior, chose to take a stand against the false teachers that had infiltrated the churches.

            John speaks of fellowship with other believers. “Fellowship must be grounded in God’s Word.” (1.) If this undergirding is removed, there would be no unity. “It is mutual.” (2.) For fellowship to be real there must be an exchange of thought. “It is renewed daily through the Holy Spirit.” (3.) This principle is the basis for daily devotions, prayer, and Bible reading.

            In order to grow spiritually, we have to experience fellowship with one another and with God.