BY GREG CRUM
“That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.” I John 1:3
Here in the introduction of the largest of the Apostle John’s letters is the stated reason for sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Did you catch it? Do you see why the earliest disciples declared the story of what Jesus has done for humanity? If you did, then you also now know the answer to many other “deep,” philosophical questions concerning this life.
Deep philosophical questions? Sure, queries like “Why are we here?” “What’s our purpose?” and “What should we be trying to accomplish during our time on this planet?”
Now, these are questions that most humans have pondered at some point in their lives, and philosophers through time have tried to answer, but the true answer to these questions is only found in the Word of God. With that said, let’s look into the Word and see the most plausible answer to all those questions.
To get started, let’s take a moment to reflect on the importance of recalibrating our minds and hearts to be more useful and effective. Now, I’m not a licensed mechanic, but I have spent a good bit of time around tools in my life. I’ve come to learn that the right tool, used correctly, makes all the difference in getting a job done efficiently and effectively. I’ve also learned this about some tools: they need recalibrated from time to time. Through use (or abuse) they can lose their edge, or their accuracy, and when they do this, they lose their effectiveness and can give you false readings and poor reliability.
The same can be said for us as humans. If we don’t purpose to stay sharp spiritually, we can lose our edge, our focus, and drift off on tangents. It’s at these times that we need to recalibrate, refocus, or recenter ourselves. We need to “sight back in” so we can stay on target.
Okay, with that in mind, let’s think about some of our “life questions” from earlier. Why are we here? What’s our purpose? What should we be trying to accomplish in this life? Along those lines, let me add a couple more. Why share the Gospel? And what’s the point of this thing we call Christianity? These are all interrelated, right? Absolutely! And amazingly enough, they all share the same answer. What? Yes! Look back at I John 1 and read verses one through seven. What word do you see emerging as the central theme? The word “fellowship.”
Friends, the point, the answer, the solution to the “riddle” of life is an active, deep, genuine relationship with God!
You know that, though, right? Perhaps you’ve heard that all your life, at least you have if you’ve been blessed enough to grow up with a loving, living, church family. Yeah, some of us have heard this truth all our lives, but those of us who have been in this way for a while also know that it’s easy to drift away from the simplicity of fellowship with the Father. As we make our way through this life, we can begin to allow other things to take the place of our time with God, and the devil is only happy to offer his assistance.
Our “fellowship time” gets interrupted by the cares of this world, and then often altogether replaced by spiritual and psychological counterfeits. What’s the antidote for this illness? Recalibrate, recenter and refocus. We have to check ourselves and our spiritual condition often, in particular making sure we are always on the right path to pursue a genuine relationship with God. What does that look like? Reading the Bible? Praying every day? Most definitely, but let’s also not forget that in genuine, committed relationships there is always an “I do.”
Think about what Jesus asks of us in John 14:15-21. If we really love him, we’ll keep his commandments, right? Yes! Doing what Jesus asks of us (being obedient) is what fuels a genuine relationship and helps us fulfill our purpose as humans in this life.
Greg Crum is the pastor of Calvary Temple in Lovely.