Fellowship, a Forgotten Concept
The apostle John invited us to fellowship with the congregation. A call to unity with the body of Christ. He wants to share what they have seen and heard. 1 John 1:3 They were there when everything went down during the second temple period. And yet he has much more to tell us. He’s also telling us that this fellowship includes other significant persons including God the Father himself. God makes himself available in this fellowship, the koinonia. He’s part of the conversation we are engaged in. But that’s not all! John also tells us that Jesus Christ is part of the dialogue, this “creative dialogue.”
I have said for many years that God speaks to us through his word, spirit, and people. Rightly so. Think about it, you have experienced times when you came away from an encounter with another person and had a sense that you had been spoken to on some spiritual level. In the Psalms, David says, “Deep calls out to the deep in the roar of your waterfalls, all your waves and breakers have slept over me,” Psalms 42:7 In the gospel, the apostle John speaks to an expectation we can reasonably have that our relationships/fellowships can operate in “creative dialogue,” we can know that God is using these times to speak into our life through the circumstances and, the person sitting across the table from you. I’m not just suggesting you have specific words spoken necessarily, but the message is being transmitted, and you “hear” something! Sadly as mentioned in a previous post, the postmoderns don’t do well with the construct we get from John’s gospel. I'll remind you that they are neurologically impaired. Postmoderns are handicapped, so any attempt at creative dialogue just isn’t an option for them.
So let's say you are a believer and part of a congregation. You are newly married, and you love your mate very much. She means a lot to you; you want to have a family soon and a good life together. Soon into the relationship, things start to get “wonky” with your mate. Something isn’t right, and there seems to be a problem. You seek out a staff member of the congregation that surely could help the two of you. Unfortunately, you find yourself in no man's land, and the help you were looking for isn’t there. I've found that the clergy and or staff of most congregations have had seminary training and are very specialized in their knowledge base. They are very good at quoting scripture about your condition but have a challenge connecting the dots when it comes to the marriage relationship or other family drama issues. Another manifestation of our postmodern culture, people have become very specialized and have great difficulty connecting the dots. Specialization, is a problem we have in the contemporary church and society as well.
Now what? Where is a guy to go? Spend a lot of money to find a counselor with the same problem connecting the dots enough to help you with, say, the narcissist that you still are clueless about and don’t realize they have been terrorizing your life for years. That's not a great option.
Take a hard look at your family of origin. (Yes, we are a fallen people and likely very dysfunctional.) If you suspect something awry, seek clarity. Seek out experts on family dynamics. Pray and ask God to lead you to the parties and information you seek. Surely you have heard someone that’s spoken about these things before. Pray for “wisdom and understanding” Colossians 3:3. Look for an Al-Anon group to visit, or seek out a 12-step group if things are terrible. Are you medicating the pain? Many congregations have Celebrate Recovery Chapters, and some are led well. If available, check out small groups to participate in. Many times the leaders are well-trained. In your searching, you will meet individuals you will be able to dialogue with creatively.
To be able to speak to the challenges of life and relationships and what God has for you. Fellowship among brothers in Christ has many things to offer; you know, iron sharpens iron. You will learn to trust and allow vulnerability. You might also find that many of you have been searching for a small group for the same reasons.
Fellowship within the body of Christ is an offer to dialogue with each other and, as John says, with the Father and his son Jesus Christ. Interesting dynamic playing out here! Yes, I know this to be true, I’ve experienced it. He’s always ready to “show up.” Be patient; “keep asking, seeking, and knocking.” Matthew 7:7-12 You have a way to go. We are a fallen people, don’t give up! Remember the apostle James telling us “they don’t have because they don’t ask.” James 4:2-3 Keep asking!
