1 John 1:3-4 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete.

The absolute glory of the first part of John’s first letter defies words to express it, in my opinion. John, as the Beloved Disciple (John 21:20), had indeed seen and heart as much or more of Jesus as the Messiah than anyone, and he was later granted the vision of Him in His glory that is recorded in Revelation. However, just having seen and heard wasn’t sufficient for him; he wanted to communicate it in order to “make his joy complete.” No one on the earth today has experienced as much of Jesus as John did, but we have one thing in common with him: sharing however much we know of Christ is the way to true joy. Thinking about it, I just realized an interesting truth. It is widely recognized that “Love isn’t love until you give it away.” That is, love requires an object in order to be expressed. Well, God is love, (1 John 4:8) so expressing Him to others makes Him real to us. One of the fascinating things about the Kingdom of God is that faith is strengthened whenever it is expressed, in either word or action, and likewise our experience of God is deepened when we share Him with others. That’s one reason corporate worship is important, and why the devil tries to shut it down, as we recently experienced in the pandemic. Individual, private fellowship with the Lord is also essential, but Jesus expressly said that “Where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” (Matthew 18:20) When we share Christ so that someone repents and believes, in that moment we become “two gathered in His name,” and He Himself is with us in a special way. If you want more of Jesus, more of His joy, then share Him more!

I’m talking to myself here. As I frequently lament, I’m not very gifted as an Evangelist. However, that doesn’t mean I can’t share Christ! I was recently talking with someone who does seem to have evangelistic gifting, who was lamenting their inability to train and nurture new believers much past the point of initial commitment. I told them, “You get them born and I’ll raise them.” We were both delighted at the prospect! Sharing Christ, sharing the truth that He has poured into me, indeed gives me joy that I can have no other way. I am not to regret being a Teacher, rather than something else, but must make full use of all that God has poured into me, in order to have the joy that He intends for me, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for that sister whom You are calling to move here with her husband. I do pray that we would be an effective team to raise up many disciples for You, in this city and this nation, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!