I, II, III John

The three letters of John toward the end of the Bible are rich encouragement to the believer. The letters are about fellowship with the Father, Jesus Christ and each other. The Free On-Line Dictionary defines 'fellowship' as:

1. a. The condition of sharing similar interests, ideals, or experiences, as by reason of profession, religion, or nationality
b. The companionship of individuals in a congenial atmosphere and on equal terms.
2. A close association of friends or equals sharing similar interests.
3. Friendship; comradeship.

John's letters are addressed to Christians, not pagans seeking salvation. He makes this quite clear in
I John 2:21:

21 I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.

When reading all three letters, it is important to keep who this is addressed to in mind.We can be a son of God and be out of fellowship with Him. God wants to have a vital spiritual relationship with us. in 1:3-4 it says:

3 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. 4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

Our joy is to be full! It is one thing to say we are Christian, but it is quite another thing to experience the great pleasure that comes with having an active relationship with God. Throughout these letters, fellowship is the big topic.

 In I John I and II, the word 'abide' is used over and over (actually 26 times). It is an interesting study and substantiates the point of John's letters. 'To abide' in something means to continue in, to stay in or to remain at. Studying God's word enables a person to reach for the 'full joy' of fellowship. It is a continuing process. We remain at it. An appleseed never produced an apple without first producing roots, stems and leaves. It takes time and staying at it. We produce fruit in just the same way. The fruit is a result of our continuing relationship with God.

By their fruits you shall know them

A friend of mine whom I have known through the years has a knack of knowing just the right time to call me.  She believes and loves God and has a way of putting the Word straight in front of my heart. Sometimes when I’m being a knucklehead, my husband says to call her because he knows she’ll straighten me out. We both have been so blessed by her life. This lady loves God’s word and she truly manifests God’s love because of it.

We live in a world that is full of challenges, but God provided His Word, His son, and His holy spirit in us to help us through its hills and valleys. We need others that love us enough to really care for our hearts and we need to do that for others.

 ‘What the world needs now is love, sweet love… ♪♫♪♫’. It is God’s love that is so genuine and exactly hits the mark. It is based on the renewed mind  which is fed by the spirit of God. There’s no mistaking God’s heart. Human love is quite different. Human beings can love but without God it is very ordinary. Human love can invite a boatload of problems at times, especially when people have a lot of fear behind it. For example, too much human love can smother or spoil and cause all sorts of unnecessary evil. Too little can harden or confuse or discourage. So how can you tell the difference?

18There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. I John 4:18

 Matthew 7:16-17a , 16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; 

  Fruit are the results of  actions. God’s love edifies and produces fruit. There is no mistaking it when you are the object of that love. It hits exactly on what you need. It does not cause strife, jealousy and confusion. Decisions based on God’s standard and urging have so much impact that one just bubbles over with the same kind of love to others.

 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. James 3:17

Fruits are manifested by actions. When humans love with the love of God,  they manifest God’s wisdom and the results are amazing!  It is how the family of God is supposed to live together.