Jesus Christ is your savior, my savior, and the savior of all mankind!
So how do we fellowship with Jesus now?
Jesus loves to eat, drink, talk, and laugh with us, his chosen people. He created us for this very purpose. Consider that his first miracle was to turn water into wine at a wedding! We can be so excited that we are promised eternity in the home of this man! Glorious fellowship is promised.
Don't let your heart be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me. In my Father's house are many homes. If it weren't so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and will receive you to myself; that where I am, you may be there also.
John 14:1-3 (WEB)
Okay, glorious eternal fellowship sounds great! But how can we fellowship with Jesus in this broken world now? How can we find real comfort from Christ's presence and the presence of his family when so much is ruined by sin? Furthermore, Jesus has been gone for a long time! Yes, but he has left us with the Holy Spirit, our comforter. Also we need to be reminded that because of sin we especially need the fellowship of other real live Christians. Sin often separates us and causes us to personally withdraw. This is not good and so we must fight against this to live openly with Christian friends. Hebrews 10:24-25 (WEB) warns,
Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good works, not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting one another; and so much the more, as you see the Day approaching.
Also finding Christian fellowship can be difficult and especially difficult to find Christians who are confident that Jesus loves all mankind. However, we cannot and must not be idle or despair just because something is difficult. Hard work must be done to find and even build godly Christian fellowship. Jesus likewise warned in Matthew 8:19-20 (WEB),
A scribe came, and said to him, 'Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.' Jesus said to him, 'The foxes have holes, and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.'
So hard work remains to find and build Christian fellowship. However, we must also remember that Jesus invites us to another kind of fellowship in this broken world. Jesus invites us to participate in the fellowship of his sufferings. We can like it or not, but this world is filled with suffering and Jesus invites us to join him in fighting the good fight against evil despite suffering. Though we may be tempted to relieve suffering by "going with the flow" Jesus set the example of swimming upstream and invites us to follow. Jesus' disciple Peter was well acquainted with suffering for wrong doing, but also for right doing.
12) Beloved, don't be astonished at the fiery trial which has come upon you, to test you, as though a strange thing happened to you. 13) But because you are partakers of Christ's sufferings, rejoice; that at the revelation of his glory you also may rejoice with exceeding joy. 14) If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed; because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. On their part he is blasphemed, but on your part he is glorified. 15) For let none of you suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or an evil doer, or a meddler in other men's matters. 16) But if one of you suffers for being a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God in this matter.
1 Peter 4:12-16 (WEB)
Thankfully Jesus' purpose is not eternal suffering! Jesus never enjoyed suffering, but "endured the cross" looking instead to the joy that the cross would achieve. What joy did the cross achieve? The redemption of mankind and glorious eternal fellowship! What joy does our suffering achieve? We can share intimate fellowship with Jesus and through suffering become like him. He suffered because of his love for all mankind and so will we! So we must look to Jesus for strength to endure the cross that he has assigned. We also look forward to that day when we raise our drink with Christ in celebration of victory!
But I tell you that I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on, until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's Kingdom.
Matthew 26:29 (WEB)
Fellowship with Jesus is the best. Fellowship with Jesus right now is comfort through the trials we share with Jesus. And fellowship with Jesus then will be eternal comfort with absolutely no more trials and celebration of the victory he has won in our lives! Fellowship with Jesus!
