Fellowship Matters

April 15, 2018 Fellowship Matters 1 John 1:3 Synopsis: Today I am launching into a sermon series in the Epistle of 1 John. I want to tell you up front where I am going, but you and I will have to work through the rest of the letter before we get there. 1 John 5:13, NIV “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” I want each and every one of you to know that you have eternal live. The rest of the letter forms the critical context for that assurance. Too often I hear people jumping to the assurance without doing the work on which the assurance is built. Let’s start where we must start in the journey of assurance and that is with the fellowship (1 John). The first lesson is simple. The assurance of “eternal life” is not made in absentia of the fellowship. We use that word in a lot of different ways. In fact some congregations have chosen to use the word “fellowship” instead of “church” in their name. I have even seen some congregations that use both. Baptist have always been good at using the term “fellowship” when it comes to food. That is why we have a “Fellowship Hall.” Now, let’s talk about “fellowship” in matters of eternal consequence, because “Fellowship Matters.” In verse three John launches us into the types of fellowship that matters. There is the fellowship of believers and the fellowship with God. In both cases fellowship is more than what you say. Text (NIV): 1 John 1:1-10; Acts 2:42-43; 1 Corinthians 1:9; 1 John 4:7-11 Scripture Reading: Psalms 4:6-8,