January 29, 2023 Sunday Worship Service

Call to Worship Micah 6:8
Hymn JBC # 80 Father, we love You
The Lord’s Prayer
Offertory Prayer
Testimony and praise
Scripture 1 John 1:1～4
Prayer
Sermon “Our Fellowship”
https://youtu.be/uvOgm4RAjTU
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 363 Lord of the Church, we pray for our renewing
Doxology JBC # 671
Benediction



Today's biblical passage begins with a sentence; "That which was from the beginning" (the beginning of the first chapter of John 1)
John, the author of this letter, also wrote "that which was from the beginning" as "which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched."
What John is referring to here is Jesus Christ Himself. That is very clear. For the message "Jesus Christ existed from the beginning of the world" is one of the content of faith that the entire Bible conveys.
　Jesus Christ is equal to our Father in heaven, God the Creator, who made everything in our world. Therefore, Jesus Christ is "from the beginning."

　Jesus Christ is also eternal. He is the One who has been from the beginning, the One who is always present, the One whose existence is eternal, that is Jesus Christ.
　What is surprising is that John "saw, touched, and heard" such a person (Jesus Christ, the One who has existed from the beginning and is eternal).
　The eternal One who existed from the beginning and who is eternal is so different from us human, who are finite beings, that it must be that we essentially cannot see, hear, or even touch Him.
But the Bible tells us that God became man (Jesus Christ) and lived with ordinary people. Truly He "came down" from God's side into man's world so that man could see, hear, and touch Him.

The Bible tells us that Jesus lived with people, taught them about the Kingdom of God, and healed many the sick.
Those who became Jesus' disciples were also very ordinary people. Just being chosen by Jesus, they became His disciples to work with Him for the Kingdom of God.
However, John and the other first disciples were very special in that they heard Jesus' words firsthand, saw him in action, and later actually witnessed his crucifixion, death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven.
We are now witnessing the testimony of the first disciples, "the precious testimony of faith that they saw Jesus Christ, the God who became man with their own eyes, heard with their own ears, and touched with their own hands

　　John refers to Jesus as "the Word of life" (verse 1). I believe that the writer of this letter, John himself, felt "the presence of Jesus Christ, who is alive still now" as he was writing this letter.
That is the work of the Holy Spirit. Even the letter that John himself wrote with the pen in his hand, that is the Spirit of God that set his heart on fire, guided his soul, and led him to write every word of it.
　As he recalled each of Jesus' words, he undoubtedly felt that there was a certain "life" in those words that kept him alive. That is why John also refers to Jesus as "the Word of life.
Today we too can be in the presence of Lord Jesus Christ, who still lives in His words, WHEN we listen to the Word of the Bible with an open heart, especially when we listen to the Word of the Bible together as we worship God in the church.

　So the Word of the Bible is special, the Church of Christ is also special, and this grace of worship given to us is also very special. It is a special grace that is provided only to and for the Christian church.
It is in no way to mean that we who gather in the church are somehow excellent or that we are good people.
Just as Jesus' disciples were chosen by Him, though they were ordinary people (sinners as well), so we have been chosen just by God's grace and are gathered here.
We are ordinary (sinful) human beings. Since we have been chosen by God and given the grace to receive the Word of God, the Word of life, let us humble ourselves before that grace and be thankful for it.
John, while writing this letter, says in verse 3 that there is a clear purpose in testifying and communicating about Jesus Christ.

　The following is written in verse 3
　3 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.

John says that we proclaim to the people what we have seen and heard in order to invite them into our "fellowship" that has already been given to us. And that fellowship is with God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ.
John wants them to have that special kind of fellowship, a fellowship united by our God Jesus Christ.
What kind of person is a Christian? A Christian is, of course, a person who believes in Jesus Christ. Belief, of course, means more than just knowing about Christ in one's mind, either conceptually or through knowledge
To believe in Christ is also to be connected to (remain in) him.
Jesus spoke of this through the parable of the vine in the Gospel of John chapter 15.

　Jesus referred to Himself as the "Vine (tree)," the "true vine (tree)" (John 15), and told His disciples to be connected (attached) to that vine.
A tree branch cannot obtain nutrients unless it is connected to the tree. Nor can it bear fruit.
In the same way, believers in Christ must be connected to the tree of Jesus Christ in order to receive the nourishment of life, to grow, and to bear the fruit of faith.
To be connected to the vine is means to be connected to the Church. This is because the Church is the "Body of Christ".

Just as a branch dies if it is cut off from the tree, so a Christian cannot preserve his spiritual life without being connected to the Church, the body of Christ.
　We should remain connected to the Church, which is the body of Christ, and through that fellowship of faith, we can receive food for spiritual joy and growth.
Unfortunately, however, there are some organizations that call themselves "churches" or "Christian churches" but in reality is not a church that is centered in the faith in Christ.
A lot of destructive cult groups have caused and are still causing many victims. We hope and pray that such damage will not happen or spread.
But at the same time, do remember that our church is not perfect and is also prone to mistakes.

We should never think that we are an exception (that we do not make mistakes).
For this reason, it is important for churches to have fellowship and connection with other churches. Just as a believer cannot live alone, a church cannot live its life of faith on its own.
　Churches can also learn and grow through fellowship in faith with other churches.
It is also important for churches to be open and transparent about what they believe and how they believe, and to examine their own faith in fellowship and study with other churches, especially those that are part of the same Baptist denomination.
And through the fellowship of the churches, we are able to rejoice and encourage each other. What great joy it is for us !

Today (at the second service), memberｓ of the congregation of Oita Church, the mother church of our church, will share a testimony. It is a great joy and encouragement for us to hear the testimony from someone of the Baptist denomination, all the more from the mother church of our church.
And today, seminary students Bro.N who have been doing pastoral training at our church will finish his training period at our church as of today.
I think it is fair to say that the fact that the Bro.N did his training at our church is a part of our cooperation and fellowship between the church that sent him and our church.
We will continue to rejoice in such fellowship among the churches bonded together in Christ and in cooperative evangelism.

The following is written in the last part of today's message (verse 4)
4 We write this to make our joy complete.
This verse tells us that John finds abounding joy in writing his testimony about Christ and in inviting others to fellowship with believers in Christ.
Believing in Christ, following Him, and living under His protection is already a great joy in itself.
In addition, we believers can serve in the wonderful work of sharing the gospel of Christ with others and inviting those who have not yet known (or accepted) the grace of Christ to come to live in Christ.

Through such work our joy will overflow. God's grace is never ending. The joy that is in God's grace and faith overflows more and more in us, even more through our work of evangelism.
Let us hope and pray that the good news of Christ's grace and joy (the gospel of Christ) will be shared more and more to the world through the church, and that God will continue to fill us with joy as well.