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

Identity Crisis

“Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ”  2 Peter 1:1a

In February 2015, a woman was found semi-conscious on a street corner in Carlsbad, California. She had no memory of who she was, spoke with an accent (thought to be British or Australian), and claimed to have vivid memories/dreams that suggested she had lived in Australia and Hawaii. She was hospitalized and diagnosed with ovarian cancer; doctors suggested that antibodies from a large tumor may have triggered “retrograde amnesia” in her case. She became known publicly as “Sam” and appealed via social media for help identifying her past and family. A nephew of hers saw a televised news story/photos of “Sam”, recognized his aunt, contacted his mother, and the family was reunited with her. It was confirmed that the woman was 53-year-old Ashley Menatta, born in Pennsylvania, who had lived in Arizona and later Southern California.

Peter’s second address to the church begins with him identifying who he is—a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ. Peter’s whole identity was wrapped up in the person and calling of Jesus Christ. Identity is something the world desperately seeks, often taking on bizarre and heartbreaking false identities. Many of the problems within the church today also stem from men and women who do not realize their true identity—like Peter, it is found in Christ.

Your identity is not in your life prior to believing in Jesus. It is not found in your past sins. It is not in your career or your relationships. The old hymn by Edward Mote declares: “On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand.” If our identity is built on anything other than the one Christ gives us, we will find ourselves sinking, searching, and will be confused souls like Ashely Menatta.

The Lord Jesus desires that your identity be wrapped up in Him. When that happens, you will experience a freedom you have never known before but have always yearned for. You will find your purpose and calling, just like Peter.
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.” Ephesians 3:20

Agape, 

Pastor Frank