Scripture: "That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: yea, and our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ."—1 JOHN i. 3.
Fellowship with God is the unique blessing of the Gospel. Christ died for us "that He might bring us to God," that the prodigal son might return to the father's house, and to a life in his father's love. By His blood He dedicated for us a new and living way into the holy place where we may walk in the light of God. The promise is, "They shall walk, O Lord, in the light of Thy countenance. In Thy name shall they rejoice all the day." Our walk with God may be as natural and as joyful as a walk in the sunshine. A life of unbroken fellowship with God—this is the Gospel.
Fellowship with God is the preacher's theme. If preachers are content to speak only of conversion, forgiveness of sin, and safety after death, they will fail grievously in their work. Christians must be educated to practice the Presence of God, to have fellowship with God, thereby ensuring holy living. This was the Apostle John's message: Fellowship with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.
Fellowship with God is the preacher's only source of power. If fellowship with God is the blessing of the Gospel, and the burden of the minister's preaching, then it follows the preacher must show in his own life the possibility and blessing of such a walk with God. Experiencing it himself, he is able to tell others of it as most blessed and full of joy. A life of close fellowship with the Father and with the Son, lived by the preacher, gives him the right to win others to the same joyous fellowship. What God can do for me He can do for you. May fellowship with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ be our daily life, first in the quiet hour, then in our daily duties, and finally in winning souls for Christ that they too may share this full salvation.
