Fellowship with the Father

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full. (1 John 1:1–4)

God made us for connection, sin broke it, and Jesus came to restore the abundant, joy-filled life of fellowship with God and one another.

The Loneliness Epidemic

Have you ever felt left out? Isolated? That you simply don't have very many close friends? If so, you are among a growing segment of our society experiencing what we call loneliness. Loneliness is increasingly identified as a serious problem in our culture, and it's a strange thing—a subjective feeling. You can be in a crowded room surrounded by people and still feel lonely. You can have hundreds of friends on Facebook, followers on Instagram, connections on Twitter and Snapchat, and still feel left out and isolated.

In fact, some studies have found that these things actually amplify the feeling of isolation. You see the carefully curated pictures your friends post—the fun they're having, the amazing steak they're enjoying together—and you feel left out because you're not there. Just last month Psychology Today posted: "Loneliness is an epidemic. The internet and all the new technologies that go along with it are huge drivers in the loneliness epidemic, allowing us to remain connected to others without actually having to connect with them."

These smartphones came out just over ten years ago, in 2007, and since then we have instantaneous connection with people from anywhere. I was once in a grass-hut church in the outback of Mozambique receiving text messages from my wife in San Diego. I FaceTime my kids from other parts of the world. We have this instant connection, and yet we still feel disconnected, isolated, and left out.

Designed for Connection

Among Millennials—anyone born between 1980 and 2000, the largest generation in American history—people tend to text rather than talk. You've probably called someone, gone straight to voicemail, and then immediately received a text from that same person. They'd rather text than talk. So loneliness grows, even amid constant connection.

Psychology Today went on: "Humans, like it or not, are social mammals... we need company because our prehistoric ancestors desperately required company in order to survive... Our brains still think that we need to be surrounded by others if we want to survive and thrive." That is the secular explanation: our need for connection is just a vestige of biological evolution. But whether you're in the church or in secular society, everyone acknowledges loneliness is real—and a real problem. Researchers connect its effects to hypertension, depression, anxiety, dementia, and inflammation, ranking it among the top public health concerns of our day.

Here at Cross Connection Church, we do not believe we are the product of random chance and mutation over billions of years. Our worldview comes from the Bible. God created us, formed us from the dust of the ground, and breathed into us the breath of life. We were created in the image and likeness of God, and because of that we have a deep desire for communion, connection, and oneness—with one another and with God.

When God created humanity, He made one man, Adam, and said in Genesis 2:18, "It is not good that man should be alone." Here modern science agrees with Scripture. From one God made two, joining them as husband and wife to experience a true, deep oneness—not only with each other but with God. That's point number one: God designed us for connection. In Genesis 1, "Let us make man in Our image"—God speaks within the Godhead, one God in three persons, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in eternal oneness. He made us to share in that oneness.

The Fall Broke It

But Genesis 3 records the decimation of that oneness. Genesis 2 ends with Adam and Eve naked and unashamed, knit together as one. Then through sin they covered their nakedness in shame, and division entered—division between humanity, and division between man and God. We were created to live life in connection, but the fall brought its destruction. This is the core of who we are as Cross Connection Church, and I'm more convinced every year that we need to understand it, especially as our society experiences the effects of the fall through loneliness while desiring something more.

I do not believe human beings can live the optimal life without connection, because God created us for it. Through one man sin entered the world, and death—separation—spread to all humanity. We see it everywhere. This is not the world as God intended, and so we human beings are always trying to fix what is broken—by our own means, mindsets, and ingenuity. But how often, when we try to fix something, do we break it even further?

I remember at about ten years old fighting with my sister in our front yard. She ran inside and latched that little flip latch on the door. Those things are worthless—I hit that front door at a run, and the entire door jamb came off. And in that instant, we who had been fighting became teammates with a single mission: fix the door before Mom and Dad get home. We're always trying to fix what we break. Humanity has been trying to fix the brokenness of this world too—even the illicit relationships people pursue are an attempt to fix the problem that only gets us into bigger fixes. We can't fix it.

But God

There are two little words in Ephesians 2:4 that have been a great encouragement to me: "But God." I couldn't fix the problem; you can't fix the problem; but God, "who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus."

These words show up again in Romans 5:8: "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Life under sin in this broken world is not the abundant life God designed for us. But God stepped into the brokenness of this world—to experience it, to be broken Himself—so that He could deal with it. He came to give us life. As Jesus said in John 10:10, "The thief comes to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly"—to its fullest.

The Abundant Life Is the Connected Life

Is there anyone here who does not desire life to its fullest? Every person in your neighborhood, at your school, at your work, every friend and family member desires it. Some have grown despairing and depressed because they couldn't find it. We write songs about it—"I still haven't found what I'm looking for," "I can't get no satisfaction." Switchfoot sang, "We were meant to live for so much more." There's an acknowledgment within us that it's true, because God designed us for connection.

That's point number two: the abundant life is the connected life. Life in connection with God and one another is the path to the abundant life. Sin brought death, brokenness, and separation; Jesus brings life, wholeness, and connection. And that connection comes through a beautiful thing called reconciliation—taking two that have been broken apart and bringing them back together.

I've had the privilege of watching God do this with married couples whose lives were devastated by sin, on the verge of divorce or already divorced. They vowed "till death do us part," but a death came through sin, and a parting followed—until that brokenness drove one or both of them to seek out God. I've watched God take two broken individuals and reconcile them. He is able to take what is separated and broken and make it whole again. And chiefly, He does this through the gospel: we were separated from God, and He brings us back together.

Ten Years of Expectancy

As we move from one year to the next, I find myself reflecting on the past. This year, 2018, marks the tenth year I've been pastor of this church. Back in 2008 everything was new—I became the pastor of what was then Calvary Chapel of Escondido, my wife was pregnant with our son Ethan, and we were looking for a new house. Listening to old messages from that year, I was reminded that the word the pastors and elders kept coming back to was expectancy. We were expecting something good.

Two things came home to me this week. First, time goes by incredibly fast—even faster when you have children. Second, a lot can change in ten years. About four years in, we changed the name from Calvary Chapel of Escondido to Cross Connection Church—still part of the Calvary Chapel movement, but with a desire to connect people with the cross of Christ. Soon after, we adopted the vision: life in connection with God, one another, and the world through Jesus. All of it comes through Jesus.

My prayer this year is that we, the body of Christ here, would experience even more what it is to be connected with God—not just intellectually, knowing that Jesus made it possible by His death on the cross, but experientially, at a heart and soul level. John says we have fellowship with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ so that our joy may be full. My prayer is that we would experience connection with God, and with one another, and learn to share it with those around us—because whether they know it or not, that is what people are ultimately desiring: no longer to be left out, no longer far off from God and His body.

John's Eyewitness Testimony

The author of 1 John is writing of his experience reaching back to when he was probably a young teenager. John was likely the youngest of Jesus' apostles, perhaps only fourteen, fifteen, or sixteen when he met Jesus as a young fisherman in Galilee. His brother was James, his father Zebedee. He loved to call himself "the disciple whom Jesus loved." By the time he wrote this letter, decades later, he was probably in his seventies or eighties.

He writes of "that which was from the beginning"—that which existed before time, the eternal God—"which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life." I was able to touch the eternal, John says. The eternal God became human flesh, and I was an eyewitness. "That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ."

The Greek word for fellowship is koinonia—communion, oneness. The gospel, John tells us, is the path to oneness with one another in the body of Christ and oneness with God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ by the Spirit of God. "And these things we write to you that your joy may be full." That's point number three: fellowship brings fullness of joy.

Reconciled Through the Cross

But this oneness is impossible unless we deal with the sin that destroyed it in Genesis 3. I cannot deal with my own sin, and you cannot deal with yours—no religious effort can. We need those two beautiful words: "But God." Romans 5 says: "For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly... But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." There is more to this salvation than forgiveness. "Having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life... We also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation."

Three times Paul brings up that word—reconciled. We who were once far off, left out, isolated, with no friends, He has brought near by the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That's point number four: Jesus died to reconcile us to God and one another.

Ephesians 2:13 says, "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation... so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity." Our culture has been having a fevered conversation about division and race relations. Listen: in Christ Jesus those separated by sin and brokenness are brought near and made one—bond, free, barbarian, Scythian, male, female. We are made one in Christ with one another and with God. Jesus has broken down the wall of partition and restored us to the abundant life God created us for.

Colossians 1 says, "He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins... And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight." How do we take advantage of this oneness? By accepting the free gift of eternal and abundant life in Jesus Christ—trusting in Him for salvation and the forgiveness of sins, because He took part in our brokenness, broken for us, to reunite us with one another and with God.

Maintaining Our Connection with God

So how do we maintain and strengthen our connection with God in 2018? That's point number five: we maintain and strengthen our connection with God through worship, prayer, Scripture, generosity, baptism, and communion. There may be other things, but these are key.

Through worship—adoring and praising the glory and beauty of God, whether gathered together or alone, even silently in your own heart by dwelling on His greatness and goodness. This is why reading through the Psalms is so good. Through prayer—speaking with God, who has given us direct access. We don't need a priest as mediator, because Jesus is our mediator; we have instant access, better than text messages. Through Scripture—God speaks primarily through His Word, and this should not be the only place you receive it. Spend time with God in His Word daily. (Years ago I created a tool for this called the Listening Plan—thelisteningplan.com—where each weekday you receive a passage of Scripture, a chapter from the New Testament, and a short devotional.)

Through generosity—sharing what God has given us with others. Through baptism—which we'll discuss more through the year. And through communion, which we'll do today. We begin every year by partaking together, remembering through the bread Jesus' body broken for us, and through the cup His blood shed for us, just as He told us to do on the night He was betrayed. He took part of our brokenness, was broken Himself, to restore us to one another and to God.

Closing Prayer

Father, thank You for Your abundant grace and mercy. The Scriptures say Your mercies are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. There will never be a time when we come before Your throne of grace and You say, "Sorry, I don't have any more." It is a well that never runs dry. The clear display of that grace is that You demonstrated Your love toward us in that while we were still sinners, You died for us. Your body was broken and Your blood was shed. Help us remember these things as we worship You now.

Lord, it is an amazing thing that we are rewarded by Your sacrifice; by Your stripes we are healed; You were bruised for our iniquity; the chastisement for our peace was upon You. On the night You were betrayed, You gave us a tangible reminder, because we are so prone to forget. As we hold this bread, we remember Your body broken for us—"Take, eat; this is My body. Do this in remembrance of Me." And in the same manner the cup—"This is My blood, the blood of the new covenant. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins, and on the cross You said, "It is finished"—paid in full.

As we partake of this sign of our fellowship with You, I pray You would show us new ways in 2018, individually and as a church, to reach out and share this with our community. Within ten miles of this building there are hundreds of thousands who do not yet know the truth of who You are and what You did. Show us how to reach them more effectively, that they too would experience connection with You and with one another. In Jesus' name, amen.