1 John 1:3-“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.”

As I’ve been reading and studying the Bible over the past few years, a simple truth keeps coming up: fellowship. I have had a lopsided view of fellowship my entire Christian life. I have thought that fellowship was a shared meal. Don’t get me wrong; food is a part of fellowship, but it isn’t everything. Fellowship simply means to have in common. But what does that mean? I have many “things” in common with others: reading, the Huskers, a shared dislike for cats, and, of course, I am part of God’s family. But is there more? 

Of course!

The original word for fellowship is koinonia and carries an idea of participation or common beliefs, values, goals, and agenda. So, when I walk into a gathering of Husker fans, we have a shared value and goal—we want our team to win. I often lament that I feel more like a family when watching sports with someone than when I gather with other followers of Jesus. This shouldn’t be! You see, we first have fellowship with God, and then we have fellowship with other believers. This should be a great unifier for us! And it is. 

But why doesn’t it feel that way? Has something been lost? 

I think so. 

We don’t know how to fellowship with other followers of Jesus anymore. We have forgotten what it means to follow Jesus in a community. 

I believe that is what God is calling the church to in 2024. 

We need to recapture what it means to live a communal life, how we must share resources and responsibility. This means that I need to trust God for my provision and trust others—a daunting task for affluent folks. But I believe it will be worth it. We must be able to proclaim Christ (v. 1) and community (v. 3). 

To proclaim it, we must see and hear it. We must LIVE it. 

This will be fun!

#MinuteWithMaxon #123John

Photo by Jack Cohen on Unsplash