All For One, One For All!

“what we have seen and heard we also declare to you, so that you may also have fellowship with us” 1 John 1:3a 

Many are familiar with The Three Musketeers (the book, not the candy). If you’re not, it tells the story of highly trained soldiers sworn to protect the French king. They were an elite and powerful fighting force. But what made them truly strong wasn’t just their skill with a sword, it was their dedication to one another.

The Lord Jesus desires that His church be united and strong. He calls us to look out for one another, serve one another, and love one another. When John uses the word fellowship in his letter to the churches at the end of the first century, he means something much deeper than a simple hangout or social group. The Greek word is koinonia, means an intimate partnership. John says that he and the other apostles are writing these letters so the church will grow strong through unity, and intimately. This intimate partnership, this unity, is found only in Jesus Christ and in our shared life together. The letters of the New Testament, along with the Gospels, serve as our playbook for how we conduct our life and participation in the body of Christ. And in that playbook (the Bible), everything is centered on Jesus Christ and how we are to live in light of His finished work on Calvary.

John says that what they witnessed and heard, they now declare to the church so that we may have fellowship, koinonia, with them and with one another. When we walk in active, intimate participation together, we become strong and effective for the Kingdom of Heaven, just like the Three Musketeers. All for one and one for all! John is inviting you into a dynamic, intimate, mighty relationship with Jesus Christ and His church. When you do you will find as John has at the end of VS 4 … “that our joy may be complete.” You will find joy, meaning satisfaction in your life! 

Agape, 
Frank