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4/24/19

Fellowship with God: obedience, love, and truth (1 John 3:7)

Been reading Be Real (1 John): Turning from Hypocrisy to Truth (The BE Series Commentary)

Everyone feels far from God at some time in their life. Wiersbe points to three usual reasons a believer is out of fellowship with God.
1. Disobeyed God's will (Knowingly)
2. Not getting along with fellow believers (strategy for healthy church growth (Titus)Judging people in love, according to the faithGet Fully Engaged with my ChurchUnity in the Church: People of God together (1 Cor 10-17)
3. Believe a lie and therefore is living a lie (1 John 3:7)

Application:
Once a believer discovers why he is out of fellwohsip with God, he shoud confess that sin(s) to the Lord and claim His full forgiveness (1 John 1:9-2:2). A believer can never have joyful fellowship with the Lord if sin stands between them.

God's invitation to us today is "Come and enjoy fellowship with Me and with each other! Come and share the life that is real!"

1. How easy is it to believe in things not seen, heard or sensed in some other physical way? Why?
 - easy, I've learned much and applied that learner to find it's true.
2. Why is Jesus more real than things or thrills?
 - "the way the truth the life" - no one comes to the Father except by Him. What could be better than time with the Holy, Creator, Lord of all?
3. Why can't the world alone reveal God's love to us?
 - Personal Relationship is far better, having a guide (Works the Holy Spirit does in the believers life)
4. Why is Jesus called the Word of LIfe
 - It's by words that we know someone's will and reason.
5. Counterfeit Christians, like counterfeit money, what important truth is trying to get across?
 - Counterfeit money can be used in circulation, "doing good" however when it gets to the bank it's rejected. How terrible is that? Jesus thought it was the worsed (Jesus, ruthless in critique of inadvertent hypocrisy (Matt 23:23-24))
6. Wierbe lists 5 reasons John is sharing his beliefs in this letter. Choose 1 or 2 and tell why they matter to you?
  1) Fellowship
so we'll have fellowship (to have in common 1 Peter 2:24), partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4, same root as "fellowship" in 1 John 1:3. Jesus will be with us to the end of the age (Matt 28:20)
2) Joy
Fellowship is Christ's answer to loneliness, joy is His answer to emptiness, the hollowness of life. Sin promises joy but only produces sorrow.
7. Do you think Christian can have true fellowship with an unbeliever? Why or why not?
yes and no, we can empathize and humbly connect with people having shared experience of grief, sorrow, loneliness, regret, shame, and guilt. However, without belief, they can't share in our hope, joy, comfort, satisfaction, honor, and repentance.
8. "It isn't necessary for Christian to sin" what does that mean? How do you respond?
By God's grace, we experience new life rather than imitating Jesus, we trust Him and in trusting experience eternal life. Satisfying reality is found in the living person of Jesus Christ.
- John uses "born of God" six times, Jesus said "except a man be born again...he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3,6-7)
 - whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God (1 John 5:1)
 - John wrote his gospel to tell people how to receive this wonderful life (John 20:31)
 - He wrote his first letter to tell people how to be sure they have really been born of God (1 John 5:9-13)
9. "Most people are dissatisfied today because their total personality has never been controlled by something real and meaningful." Do you agree?
  - super deep! Yes. So how can we know? Read 1 John 5:9-15 carefully. God has "gone on record" in His Word. Believe His promise and ask Him for His gift. whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved Romans 10:13
10. Explain how the Christian life begins with sonship and continues in fellowship.
 - like a baby only God can take care of the new born even as a person is assisted by other people, we grow in recognition and join in fellowship when we grow up.
11. Three reasons believers usually fall out of fellowship with God. Why are these so crucial?
 - disobey, broken fellowship, believe in lies (not God's promises). John 15, we need to be immerced in God like a sponge in the water, the water is in the sponge and sponge is in the water. When the sponge comes out it is not dry - but carries the water to others. 

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