There is something so special about people coming together
to share in a meal and fellowship. The more that I have thought about it the
more I have come to realise that it is such an important part of life.
Some of the best times of my life have been around a dinner
table or a camp fire with friends and family.
You are always guaranteed to have a great laugh. There is just something
about that atmosphere. Those that have experienced it might just know what I am
talking about.
See, God created us
to come together. We were not made to spend our whole lives in isolation from
each other.
There is a story in the Bible that I want to share with you
about fellowship, found in John 21:1-14. This story begins after Jesus’ death
and resurrection. After Jesus had died and risen again, he stayed upon the earth
for 40 days to show the disciples that he had conquered death and had in fact been resurrected from the dead.
When we look at the biblical account of John 21:1-14 we see
Peter telling a few of the disciples, John being one of them, that he is going
fishing. The disciples said that they wanted to join him. During the course of
the night they had not caught any fish.
John 21:5 tells us early that morning Jesus stands on the
shore and calls out to them and asked them if they have caught any fish and
they reply they hadn’t. Now, they do not know it was Jesus, as they had not
recognised him (John 21:4). Jesus tells them to then cast the net over the
other side of the boat. As they do so they begin to pull in many, many fish
(John 21:6). The Bible records there were 153 fish (John 21:11).
Even though
there were so many fish the net still did not break. As they are pulling up the
fish, John, the disciple whom Jesus loves, has a revelation that this is Jesus,
and he tells Peter. Peter puts on outer garment and jumps out of the boat. When
Peter and the disciples had all arrived ashore, Jesus tells them to come and
bring some of their fish over so that he may cook it and that they may all have
breakfast together (John 21:12).
We see here that Jesus is inviting the disciples to come and
share a meal (fellowship). Jesus is the host of the meal. This is a very
significant thing in Eastern culture. The coming together to share in a meal is
more than just the eating of the meal.
The offering of the
meal itself is an offering of peace
and protection to the guest. When
you sit down for a meal, no matter if you are a stranger or even an enemy, this
meal is a peace offering. During the time of the meal, the guest is under the
protection of the host themselves. If at any time during this meal someone was
to try to harm the guest in any way it is customary for the host to protect the
guest, even if it is with their own life.
The host is also to be the one to serve the guest and make
sure that they have all that they need. There is much shame on a person if they
are not great hosts.
The guest of the meal is the one that is honoured and served
during this time of fellowship.
How was this offering to share a meal so significant to the
disciples? Here we see that they were honoured guests of Jesus. They were the
ones being invited by Jesus to share in a meal. He was the host and they were
the guests. They are the ones to be served and protected.
Jesus desired to do all of this even after his death and
resurrection. This is Jesus showing that after being glorified by God he still
desires to serve the disciples, protect them and to have an intimate relationship
with them.
If you were to be invited
to share in a meal with a King, you would definitely be served. But the King
would have servants to do that for you. What King would actually serve their
guests himself? The King is the one to be served. But Jesus is different; he is
unlike any other King. In the Kingdom of God the greatest is to be a servant to
all. This is Jesus, a servant to all. Philippians 2:7 picks up on this, when it
says, ‘he made himself nothing, taking on the very nature of a servant.’
Jesus calls us all to come and fellowship with him. Jesus is
offering us peace and protection with God, through a relationship with him.
This peace was given to us when Jesus gave his life on the
cross and payed for our sin; He died for us so that we could live in this
freedom with him. It is so important take up this invitation to come into fellowship
with Jesus and find peace with God.
There are a number of ways in which we can fellowship with
Jesus in our lives.
Personal Prayer
Jesus has called for us to go and spend time with him by being
(focusing) in his presence and talking to Him. I have seen in my life that when
I spend time with God in prayer I feel a great sense of peace. I have found
that this sense of peace lasts throughout the day and week.
Community Prayer
Jesus also calls us to pray with other people within our
church. This is prayer for one another and prayer for the church itself. This
is a wonderful time that we can come together to strengthen each other and the
church. I have been encouraged so often through this time. I have had prophecy
over my life and have been able to help strengthen others.
Fellowship in Community
There is also Fellowship within the church community. This
is lived out primarily through small groups in many churches. At Salvos3064,
we call them Connect Groups, where we have dinner together and then a time of
bible study on a fortnightly basis. God speaks to people through this time. For
me, this is a great time to learn more about God through others in the church.
God speaks through the people in my group to tell me things that I did not know
or things I needed to hear. This is a great time of fellowship with God and
with each other.
Worship
Jesus calls us to not
only follow him but to worship the Father through Him. This is a time where we
can honour him with thanksgiving. For me, worshipping God makes me come alive, I
feel as though I connect with Him the most during this time.
Will you notice Jesus calling out to you?
Will you be like John and recognise Jesus?
Jesus brings peace and protection. This counter-cultural as
we live in a world where there are so many people living without peace and
don’t feel protected.
Jesus is calling you to draw near to him and have even
greater fellowship.
You may enjoy dinner with the family, hanging out with mates,
and having a good laugh; though nothing beats having that close fellowship with
Jesus. You can deepen that fellowship with him and with those around you,
through personal prayer, community prayer, fellowship with others and worship.
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Guest Blogger: David (Macca) Mackertich is a candidate in The Salvation Army, hoping to enter Salvation Army Officer Ministry in the near future. He currently serves in ministry at Salvos3064 (Craigieburn, VIC).
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See Pete's Blog that unpacks John 20:19-23 - Another appearance of the resurrected Jesus to his disciples.
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