1. I Fellowship with God
The initial purpose of our study of First, Second, and Third John is to fill in the pages of The Jesus Secret II. This purpose enables us to limit our scope. Inside that primary purpose, we are looking at John’s letters through two perspectives. The first perspective is an expansion of our understanding of the ministry of God through us and the second is to provide a bridge, including many key definitions that we need, to go from John’s Gospel of LIFE to the Apocalypse. More than that, inside our initial purpose and our two perspectives, we are focused on the sending of Firstfruits.
Our Purpose. This first lesson begins our study with only four verses, 1 John 1:1-4 and the statement, “I Fellowship with God.”
Now, it is certainly true that we are free to know of our redemption out from the verses of John’s epistles. Yet that is not what we will do in this study. Our purpose, rather, is to place ourselves as the Firstfruits of Christ in this time of the Church’s greatest need, to place ourselves in Jesus’ sending of us as His visible form, His Body, and to know our ministry to the Church. We have NO ministry to the world in this present season. Even evangelism is only to call out those who are brethren.
The Statements of Faith. Our fellowship with God and with one another is the constant source of our ministry as Firstfruits to the Church. But before we can develop what that might mean, we must provide a box of explanation and perspective right at the beginning of this first “John’s Letters” page. And before we do that, let’s list the statements of faith for all three letters.
I Fellowship With God.
I Walk Just As Jesus Walked.
I Do Not Love The World.
The Anointing Teaches Me.
I Am Just Like Jesus.
I Set Forth My Soul. (I Know Love.)
For the Sake of My Brothers and Sisters. (And We Also).
I Ask For All Word Fulfilled.
I Love Out From God.
As He Is, So Am I.
I Overcome The World.
I Know Him Who Is The True.
I Walk Inside Of The Truth.
I Prosper In All Things.
Again, we consider all of these as Firstfruits ministry.
The Rule of Our Study. This study is ruled entirely by 1 John 3:16. I think it should be on the first page as part of the perspective.
~ By this we have known love, because He set forth his soul, His story of self, for us, for our sakes; and we also are committed to setting forth our souls for the sake of our brothers and sisters. ~
Jesus – And we also. As He is, so are we. Jesus is – And we also are. Jesus does – And we also do. This is the plain meaning of what God says. Let all that would challenge the completion of Christ in His Church be cast down. That also is part of our ministry for the Church.
We, Us, and Our. Now, John does use the word “I” occasionally in these letters, and he often speaks of “the one who” or “those.” Yet it is the words “we,” “us,” and “our” that are the primary weave joining everything together.
Since Firstfruits is always together, we will use the words “We” and “Our” quite often on the Jesus Secret pages. Then, since this study is also a bridge to our authority in the Apocalypse, we include that authority in our introduction.
So, our perspective comes out from the points of “Our Sending,” is centered on “and we also” as firstfruits, and goes towards our authority in this end of the age.
The Points of Our Sending. Let’s list the points of our sending as drawn from the last lesson on John’s gospel. We will merge the two lists into one and place a shorter list in a reasonable order. As we create our list, we will also consider the major headings from this study of John’s letters. We want this study to be an expansion of each one of these things.
1. Jesus sends us out from divine fellowship. We share the same relationship with the Father and we come out from that Fellowship every step of our way. (The present lesson.)
2. Jesus sends us inside His own purity and devotion to God so that we might walk as He walks. Jesus causes us to be and to do.
Anointed and Carried.
3. We are sent with great purpose and drive. We are devoted in our sending to the Father’s purposes, and we are never distracted by the non-issues of this world.
4. We are anointed to accomplish our sending right from the start. The Spirit of God is sufficient upon us and flowing out from us to fulfill all God sent us to accomplish.
5. We are carried inside of Jesus in our sending and we carry Jesus inside of us. We are never alone. We are always together as His Body; yet we are each unique in our task.
6. We are the message as well as the messenger. We ask for Word fulfilled and receive all abundance. We give the words that are Jesus to all as the Bread of Life.
God Instructing Us.
7. As the message itself, we share the travail of God for the sake of His Church. As He is, so are we. We set forth our souls for the sake of our brothers and sisters.
8. Jesus sends us as His revelation, as Father made known. We know Him who is the True; we love out from God. God our Father is made known to all as Love among us.
The main headings of each speaking of word do not follow this order, but every one of them fits into this layout. This study is God instructing us, not so much in the specifics of our ministry, but rather, in our source, our stand, and our every step forward, that is, in confidence.
Our Prayers. I also want to position our prayers, both for this study and for Studies in John’s Vision as pertinent to the focus. In this study, we will pray for the Church. Each prayer will come, as usual, out from the flow of each page/lesson. Yet every one of our prayers will be inside of “And we Also.” In Studies in John’s Vision, our prayers will be against the beast, against the evil one, and against death – for the sake of the Church in her hour of greatest need; that is, centered on “carried into her place” and “nourish her there.”
Then, we will also place the enflowing of word for these first four verses on the next slide.
Focusing John’s Letters. ~ We set John’s letters in-between his gospel and his vision. Thus we limit ourselves to two things. First, we want to know our sending and ministry to the Church, and second, we want a bridge between John’s gospel of Life and the Apocalypse, including key definitions. We want to know our sending as firstfruits; we want to be part of Christ revealed. ~
~ The Word of Life, the Lord Jesus, always reciprocating with the Father, is made visible to me. I see and comprehend that Word of Life. Inside of Him, I fellowship with God. My fellowship is companionship with and among the Father and the Son. Inside of that fellowship, I have fellowship with all who believe into Jesus. My joy is made full and complete. ~
The Rest of the Page. We have two more boxes to complete this first page. Those boxes are – “Fellowship (from Webster’s 1926, etc.),” and “The Source of Our Ministry.” In our defining of “fellowship,” we want to narrow things down to that Fellowship taking place between Father and Son separate from anything created, a Fellowship in which we share always.
More than that, we grab hold of John’s now obvious intention. What is he doing? John takes the most “out there” paragraph in his gospel and in the Bible, John 17:20-23, and begins his letter with the burning need to place us THERE!
1 John 1:1-4. That which was from the beginning or source; that which we have heard; that which we have seen with our eyes; that which we have gazed upon to comprehend, and our hands have touched and handled encompassing the Word of life; and the life was made visible, and we have seen and bear witness and proclaim to you the life that unfolds the ages, which is reciprocating with the Father and was made visible to us; that which we have seen and heard, we proclaim also to you, so that you also might have fellowship with us, and truly our fellowship is companionship with and among the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. And these things we write, that our joy and delight might be made full and complete.
A Burning Connection. And suddenly we realize that 1 John is those things stirred deeply inside of John by his writing of John 14-17, and especially by Jesus’ prayer that birthed the Kingdom. John’s gospel – the prayer that births the Kingdom. John’s letters – our sending and ministry, our role. John’s vision – the Kingdom going from substance to appearance.
The introduction to our interpretation of Revelation is already burning in me now.
Let’s pull a few specifics out from our four verses. First, John makes this fellowship personal to himself, “hands have handled,” yet he says “we” all the way through.
Word of Life Made Visible. The “Word of Life” is the center of this paragraph; it is tangible and real. It is “made visible” to us. Our task, then, is “to bear witness” and “to proclaim.” “Bear witness” means we are the message. “Proclaim” means we are the messenger. “Bear witness” comes first; “proclaim” only follows after.
Jesus is “made visible” as He continuously reciprocates with the Father. – And we also! The fellowship we enjoy together inside of Divine Fellowship is the source out from which all this comes. Finally, the end result is the COMPLETION of our JOY!
Our List of Definitions. Now, in defining “fellowship,” I want to draw points from Webster’s 1926, from Webster’s 1828, from Strong’s and from the Calvinist definers. (I will try not to let my anger at their unbelief come through.) And – I will draw from the definitions of “fellowship,” “communion,” and “koinonia.”
I will not follow any order, therefore the numbering is mine and serves only to give us a list. Most of these definitions are found here: “Fellowship and Union” in Musings on Union. And – I will use only those points that fit divine fellowship.
Defining Fellowship, etc. 1. Companionship; mutual association of persons on equal and friendly terms; familiar conversation; friendliness. – Describing Father and Son, each one of us with Father and Son, and us towards each other inside Father and Son.
2. Participation; joint interest; sharing in common; what is shared in common as the basis of fellowship; partnership.
3. The act of sharing; intimate and spiritual intercourse; interchange of thoughts and purposes; joint and common action.
4. (verb) To acknowledge; to receive others; to unite; to accompany; to join together.
As Well As Koinonia & Communion. 5. In Greek thinking, the practical interplay of the integrity of personal property and respect for the individual together with that which is shared in common as a society together. This is God’s principle of the completion of personal and social together, that is, Love. It places the utmost importance of the integrity of the individual with the interests and property shared together. This is not 50-50, but all and all.
6. The sacrament of the Eucharist, giving thanks inside of and for the sake of all, the act of remembering Jesus, bringing Him into our minds as our all-connection, putting Jesus upon ourselves individually and together.
Fellowship. ~ The Father and Son invite me into Their divine Fellowship together. Father and Son associate on equal and friendly terms as companions, with familiar conversation and friendliness. I share fully in Their companionship. Father and Son participate in all together, with joint interest. They act together, with intimate and spiritual intercourse and the continuous interchange of thoughts and purposes. Father and Son acknowledge me and receive me into Their joint and common action, even as I acknowledge that I share all things in common with Them. Inside this Fellowship, this Source of all my way, I fellowship in the same ways with my brothers and sisters in Christ. We fellowship together inside of God. ~
Jesus’ Part and Our Part. You see, there is no Symmorphy without two or three together as one. Thus the Persons of Father and Son are real inside of us, that is, Fellowship.
This Divine Fellowship that is our Source is continuously active, living and energeoing. Yet for ourselves, we use the term, “constant” or “continual.” Continuous is always; that’s Jesus’ part. Constant or continual are intermittent; that’s our part. Our job is to bring Jesus into our minds. That means that when we “forget,” busying ourselves with things of the day, we never imagine that Fellowship is broken. Rather, the moment we remember, we pick up right where we left off.
Personal and Social. Then, we see the interplay of personal and social, individually and together, members in particular and members of one another.
Looking through these definitions causes me to realize that the framework of society as it will exist in the Age of Tabernacles will come out from the fellowship we enjoy together inside of the Fellowship of Father and Son. Inside that society there will be no “state,” that is, “the beast,” that is, NO compulsion by violence. And suddenly, the parts of John’s vision come into an arrangement we have never fully seen.
What Is This Fellowship? The fellowship we enjoy together inside of the Fellowship of Father and Son is the source of everything inside each local Christ Community and flowing out to all human society. I enjoy and participate in the Fellowship taking place between Father and Son all by myself – AND – I always share that same Fellowship together with you.
But what is this Fellowship between Father and Son taking place utterly separate from the concept of “creation?” And what is our companionship with and among this very non-creation Fellowship? We have never looked at anything more profound.
The Personalness of Covenant. The Father and the Son are companions, that is, They break bread together. They share with one another on friendly and equal terms. Father and Son engage in familiar conversation together, in intimate and spiritual intercourse. Everything that belongs to the Father belongs to the Son. Everything that belongs to the Son belongs to the Father. Nonetheless, They treat One another as distinct and with the highest respect. – The Father is greater and mightier than I. – I have exalted the Son, My Word, above all.
Fellowship is the personalness of Covenant.
Sharing Christ with God. Here, then, is the essence of my own participation inside this wondrous Fellowship. – I share Christ with God. The same Jesus who shares all with me also shares all with God. And the same Jesus who shares all with God also shares all with me.
“To share” is the essential action of Koinonia. Isn’t that what Paul said? Christ lives in our hearts through faith, that we together, being rooted and grounded in love, might be able to comprehend the beyond-knowing love of Christ, that we, individually and together, might be filled with all the fulness of God!
Synergeoing Together. Yet there is even more, for fellowship also means shared purpose and joint action. We are not engaged in our Father’s business on our own. Rather, the Father’s business is a joint endeavor that God Himself engages in utterly together with us.
It’s called synergeia, God and us synergeoing together, making all things good. When I think of my deepest moments of fellowship, they are found in working together, moments of heart with heart in the midst of a great task. This is the Fellowship Jesus enables us to share with Father.
The Source of Our Ministry. ~ Every step I take as I share life with God, I turn, together with the Father, into blessing and life for the sake of others. And every step forward that I take for the sake of others, I step out from the wondrous Fellowship I enjoy as a full companion with and among the Father and the Son. My ministry to God’s people comes out from my fellowship with God. I hear the Father and the Son sharing intimate conversation together. I speak and They turn and listen to me. They speak to me even as They converse intimately with each other. We laugh together; we weep together. ~
~ My giving of thanks is my welcoming invitation to Father and Son to partake of all that I am, even as They first welcome me to be part of all They do together. I act always together with Father and Son and They with me. And together, we carry the deepest concern for all whom the Father has given to Jesus who are alive now upon the earth. I am not by myself in this companionship of full sharing with and among Father and Son, for all who believe in Jesus, and especially those who also acknowledge this intimate fellowship and participation together, all are here with me inside this wondrous and Divine Fellowship. We fellowship together in the same way that the Father and the Son fellowship together. This also is the source of our ministry through every step for the sake of the Church, of all who love Jesus.~
Sharing Glory. Here is what I wrote that changed my life forever. ~ Living inside of Jesus is my Way to connect with the Father sharing my life with me. Jesus living inside of me is the Father’s Way to connect with me sharing His life with Him, that God might enter creation through me. Life itself is my Way, moment by moment and step by step, not ‘to’ something, but rather life-unfolding, the living and dynamic expression of God-with-me unveiled new every morning forever. ~
The Source is Fellowship with Father; the Way is sharing Jesus together; and the unfolding is glory, the sharing of Father revealed.
Reading for Next Time. The next lesson is titled “I Walk Just As Jesus Walked.” This is the largest block of verses of any of our topics in John’s letters, John 1:5 through 2:11. I had thought to split it into two, but then I realized that my two headings meant the same thing. So, read all of 1 John Chapters 1 & 2 for next time.
The one who says, “I live and remain inside of Him,” is committed to walk in exactly the same way He Himself walked. This is not a weight of obligation, but the joy of our lives. Yet there is one requirement, and that is full HONESTY.
Let’s Pray Together. In our prayer this time, we will apply the meaning of our Source, coming out from Divine Fellowship every moment, to our intercession for the Church in all heaven-earth.
“Our Father, Lord Jesus, You fellowship together in intimate closeness and in friendly conversation inside our hearts. And You together have brought us into Your divine intimacy, each of us personally as well as the fellowship we enjoy together. Our Father, Lord Jesus, we share with You as equals and as friends, every element of Your reciprocity together. And You share with us as equals and as friends, every element of our reciprocity together.
“Our Father and Lord Jesus, we share with You and You with us the deepest levels of Your heart in Your great compassion for Your Church, our fellow believers all across the earth, in every tribe, sect, and nation. We are caught in the fierceness of Your collaboration together for the sake of our brothers and sisters.
“Father, we know their fear and loneliness, their unbelief and dishonesty, for we walked in those dark places as well. Lord Jesus, cause us to know and to see ourselves always as companions with You and Father, and as companions together, that we are always coming out from Your divine interchange of thoughts and purposes, out from Your joint action with our Father and with us.
“Our Father and Lord Jesus, even as Your divine intimacy is our Source every moment, so the same intimacy is the completion we give to our brothers and sisters. We cause them to know what You have caused us to know.
“Oh God, let this wondrous fellowship we share with You, be the same fellowship known and shared by all who love Jesus. Let our Devoted Spirit prevail in their hearts, inside of the name of Jesus, and for Your sake, Father, that You might be known by all as the same Divine Fellowship throughout Your entire Church.
“Let it be so; it is so.”