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.
The Arnold Journey 