1 John 1:3, 4 - Sharing Jesus With Joy.

1 John 1:3, 4 - Sharing Jesus With Joy.

1 John 1:3, 4 (NLT) We proclaim to you what we ourselves have 
actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our 
fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We are 
writing these things so that you may fully share our joy.  

  John the apostle never ceased to marvel at the life changing 
relationship he enjoyed with his Lord. It overwhelmed him to know that, at a 
particular time in history, the God of the universe chose to have 
fellowship with him, a simple fisherman. John was so overjoyed that he 
earnestly wanted to share his joy with others so they, too, might 
experience the same joy. A special fellowship or "bonding" developed 
between those who had personally encountered Christ as they rejoiced 
together at God's goodness to them. 
  Those around you desperately need to be encouraged by your 
latest encounter with Christ. Some have lost hope that they can 
experience the reality of God's presence in their lives. They don't need 
your philosophies or theological speculations. They don't need to 
hear your opinions on what they should do. They need to hear from 
someone who has just come from a personal, life-changing encounter with 
the living Christ. When you have had such an experience you will be 
like the apostle John, hardly able to contain yourself as you rush 
out to tell others of your amazing encounter with God. Your 
responsibility will not be to convince others of the reality of God, but simply 
to bear witness to what your Lord has said and done for you. The 
change in your life will be your greatest testimony of your 
relationship to Christ. There is nothing more appealing or convincing to a 
watching world than to hear the testimony of someone who has just been 
with Jesus. [Experiencing God Day by Day by Henry and Richard 
Blackaby re 1 John 1:3, 4] 

REQUIRES CONVERSION - BEGINNING A RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS

  When you put your trust in Christ to save you, he made you a 
new creation. You look the same on the outside, but on the inside--in 
your heart--you have been transformed. You may say, "I don't feel that 
much different. In fact, I don't even act that much different." You 
may wonder if maybe this new faith "didn't take" somehow, or if you 
missed out on something.  
  You didn't miss anything. Just as a person grows 
physically--growth that is imperceptible from day to day--so it 
is with spiritual 
 growth. You are just now beginning the spiritual growth process. It's 
going to take some time and you may not see big changes on a daily 
basis. But over the course of time, you'll begin to see those 
transformations in your life. Through Bible reading and prayer, you will 
discover some changes God wants you to make or areas of service to which 
he is calling you. As you respond to him, you will get to know him 
better. And you will grow as a result. The desire to respond to God--to 
sense his leading and obey him--is part of the fruit of salvation. [The 
One Year Bible for New Believers re 2Co.5:17] 

REQUIRES SANCTIFICATION - GROWING IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS

  If anyone asks the question, "How can I be a happy Christian?" 
 our Lord's answer is very simple: ... "You cannot have My joy 
without My life.  Abide in Me, and let Me abide in you, and My joy will 
be in you.".. 
  There is no joy like love.  There is no joy but love.  Christ 
had just spoken of the Father's love and His own abiding in it, and 
of His having loved us with that same love.  His joy is nothing but 
the joy of love, of being loved and of loving.  It was the joy of 
receiving His Father's love and abiding in it, and then the joy of passing 
on that love and pouring it out on sinners.  It is this joy He 
wants us to share: the joy of being loved of the Father and of Him; 
the joy of in our turn loving and living for those around us... 
  How sad that we should so need to be reminded that as God 
alone is the fountain of all joy, "God our exceeding joy," the only 
way to be perfectly happy is to have as much of God, as much of His 
will and fellowship, as possible!  Religion is meant to be in 
everyday life a thing of unspeakable joy.  And why do so many complain 
that it is not so?  Because they do not believe that there is no joy 
like the joy of abiding in Christ and in His love, and being branches 
through whom He can pour out His love on a dying world. Andrew Murray 
[Time with God SB re John 15:4]