The Joy of Fellowship with the Father

Some of the sweetest moments in life for me have been just “hanging out” with those I love. I remember gathering fossils along a creek bed with our son Elijah when he was into learning about them. I can recall hours of faithfully running with my friend Rich below star-filled, early morning skies. And I still enjoy daily walks with my lovely Sherry around our neighborhood. These are times of “full sharing” where we open our hearts to one another.

The Bible uses a word often translated “fellowship” to describe this kind of relationship. The Greek word koinōnia literally means to “share fully” as with a partner. That reminds me of cowboys and the many hours they spend with their “pardners” out on the range. There is total honest communication to get the work done, and also a lot of fun around the campfire at night. We too can experience the joy of fellowship.

Fellowship with the Father

We share fully with our heavenly Father and our brother Jesus Christ.

I John 1:3,4:
That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship [koinōnia, full sharing] with us: and truly our fellowship [koinōnia, full sharing] is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

We have fullness of joy when we share fully in all that our Father gives us through Jesus Christ. And we share fully of that grace with others so that they can see the benefits and blessings that we have so graciously enjoyed.

Paul was an apostle who greatly loved the believers in Corinth. He shared fully with them when he lived there for a year and a half (Acts 8:1-11). He made known the relationship that each believer has with God and Jesus Christ.

I Corinthians 8:6:
But to us there is but one God, the Father, of [ek, out of] whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by [dia, by means of] whom are all things, and we by [dia, by means of] him. 

Our heavenly Father is the source of all the good things that we have to share fully. And all of those things are through our savior, Jesus Christ. Let’s see five benefits of fellowship with the Father through (dia, by means of) Jesus Christ in the opening of this letter to the Corinthians.

Benefits of Fellowship

I Corinthians 1:1-3:
Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, 
Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: 
Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. 

The first three verses open with a greeting that shows some of the foundational relationships we can have: an apostle, a brother, the church. These verses also describe how we are set apart in Christ by God’s grace so that we can enjoy His peace. Corinth was a wild city full of every vice known to man. Yet, the believers there were “set apart” and protected by the Father while living in this present evil world. He does the same for us!

The next verses show five benefits of our fellowship with the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.

1) Rest and Safety in God’s Grace

Verse 4:
I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by [en, at rest in] Jesus Christ.

God’s grace is given us through (en, in) Jesus Christ. It’s not by our works, so we accept His full grace in Christ. It is “in” (at rest in) Jesus Christ. We can rest confidently and safely in that grace.

2) Being Enriched in What We Speak and Know

Verse 5:
That in every thing ye are enriched [ploutizō] by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge.

We are enriched (ploutizō means to be made wealthy) by Christ in our words and in what we know. This is not talking about knowledge of worldly things, but spiritual knowledge from the Father. Chapter 8 of this same epistle (verses 1-3) says that worldly knowledge puffs up, but that God’s love builds up. That’s how we are made truly wealthy.

3) The Witness of Holy Spirit Confirmed in Us

Verse 6:
Even as the testimony [marturion] of Christ was confirmed in you.

We have the testimony (marturion refers to a witness) confirmed in us. In Acts 1:8, Jesus Christ said we would have the witness when we manifest holy spirit, just as they did on the day of Pentecost, by speaking in tongues. God’s witness is confirmed in us as we walk by the spirit and use the gift that He has given us in Christ. Speaking in tongues is a great way to  experientially witness our fellowship with the Father.

4) Behind in No Gift

Verse 7:
So that ye come behind in no gift [charisma]; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We are lacking nothing that we need because God provides the gift (charisma is a gift of God’s grace) in every situation. Not only are we as believers born again of His spirit with the gift of Christ inside, we can use that gift of grace to serve others. The word charisma is also used in the New Testament about the ability to minister. As we wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ, we have all we need to be blessed and serve.

5) Blameless in the Day of Christ

Verse 8:
Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

This is a great part of our hope. We will be confirmed unto the end. When we stand before the reward stand of Christ, we will be blameless. It doesn’t mean we are “faultless” today; we make plenty of mistakes each day. But in Christ, we have total forgiveness (Ephesians 1:7) by God’s grace. So “in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ,” we will be blameless because of what Jesus Christ did for us. That is a great hope to have.

Our Father’s Faithfulness to Us

Verse 9:
God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. 

This is the key to everything. All of these benefits are available because God is faithful to His Word. And all the blessings and benefits are through the fellowship [koinōnia, full sharing] that we have with the Father through Jesus Christ, our lord. Like those at Corinth, we can enjoy our relationships as brothers and sisters in Christ, and we can share fully with our Father who has made us spiritually whole.