1 John 1:3-4
Have
you ever gone to a new restaurant because someone recommended it to you? A
friend or a relative told you about this great new place, and that you had to
try it. Their words and excitement convinced you to go. I hope you weren’t
disappointed. I hope it was everything they said it would be and more. Did you
recommend it to anyone else?
Word
of mouth is one of the most effective marketing tools. In the old days, back
before the internet, people used to actually tell other people about their
lives. Now we post, like, and comment on each other’s activities. We leave
reviews on a website, giving it the appropriate number of stars. We might even
Instagram or Tweet a selfie in front of the sign, to prove we were there, or at
least really good with Photoshop.
Jesus-followers
were never meant to be a private people. It was never enough to become a
believer. We were always, from the beginning, commanded to tell others about
the transforming power of the Gospel. That is why John says he proclaims what
he saw and heard. The reality of Jesus’ birth, spotless and totally earthly
life, His miraculous intrusions into the lives of ordinary people, His death
and resurrection all were part of what John saw and heard. This was real. So
John followed the order to go and tell and he did so.
I
think for some there has been too little transformation, and therefore nothing
to discuss, nothing to shout about, nothing to pass along. Jesus has painted a
happy face on the same old person. Paint does change a person, but only skin
deep. It tightens the skin and stiffens the expression. If you think smiling is
what Christians do, that is the face that gets shown when you turn on the “Christian”
switch. But nothing has penetrated too deeply.
What
I have found is that anywhere I go in the world, when I meet genuine
Jesus-followers there is an immediate connection. As John says, fellowship
happens, with each other and with the LORD. Our spirit vibrates on the same
frequency as theirs. And we are in tune with the frequency of heaven. That
doesn’t mean that there might not be a few discordant notes, but even those the
LORD manages to bring into the symphony He is writing in this world.
I
love that John says we have fellowship with both the Father and the Son. We are
not in fellowship with a generic god, a nameless god, a universal accept
everyone without knowledge of the truth god. We have fellowship with the God
who shows up in history with power and might, choosing and directing, revealing
His character and purposes for us. He messes with our comfortable lives and
calls us to live holy lives. He wants us to be different in this world. He
desires that we live a life that reflects His character because it is what is
best for us.
He
loves us enough to change us. He loves us in our sin, but then works the sin
out of our lives as we yield to Him over time. His holy character gets worked
into every fiber of our being. And this happens through fellowship, a vital
living connection. This fellowship is with the Father and the Son together,
through the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. And when we have this fellowship
we have joy. John’s joy is complete when he shares the message. And the message
is the person of Jesus.