Nate Bridges

4/21/13 – “True Fellowship”

  • 1 John 1:3-4

Imagine for a minute that you were homeless, cold, and hungry. The only food you ate was the remnants of food in a dumpster. One day out of the blue, the Presidential limousine came by and picked you up. You were then escorted to the White House, where you were given a room to stay, food to eat, and servants to meet all your needs. You opened your heart to the President, and he did the same to you. You realize there are others in the house that share your story and also have a room there and all their needs met… Sound too good to be true? It’s not! Transform this picture to Christ and His acceptance of you into His kingdom after your life of sin. If you have accepted Christ into your life, you have experienced a variation of this story. Much like everyone at house having similar story, everyone in Heaven was once lost but became found by God!

As we all know, relationships with humans can be great and can also have their downfalls. A relationship with Christ has no downfalls! We can have fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ, but without a relationship with Christ and Him being in the center, we can not have TRUE fellowship. In 1 John 1, John is saying that true joy exists in the experience of true fellowship. If you don’t have true fellowship with Christ, you can’t have true joy. Fellowship with one another without fellowship with God is not a true Christian fellowship. Christ must be the center of the fellowship and the sharing of the treasure of His Word.

We were there we they crucified Christ… We were the first to put the nails in his hands and his feet. When Christ rose from the dead, He took the keys to Heaven and Hell… That is one reason WHY we can have true fellowship with God. When we come to church, the One who we are trying to impress should not be one another, but should be God…and He said COME AS YOU ARE! Thank God in the good times and the bad… praise Him through the storm, as well as after the storm has ceased. As in any relationship, it requires work. Work on your relationship with God! Don’t find yourself in a distant relationship/fellowship with God, but instead have a close one with Him and it will become closer.