Fellowship

SESSION 1 – KELLY MINTER // WHAT LOVE IS

IN THIS EPISODE

Scripture reading of 1 John 1:1-10 | 4:01
Background & context on 1,2,3 John | 5:40
Day 1 & Day 2 discussion of 1 John 1:1-2 | 12:41
Day 3 discussion of 1 John 1:3-4 | 21:40
Day 4 discussion of 1 John 1:5-7 | 31:48
Day 5 discussion of 1 John 1:8-10 | 51:12
Wrap-up + Prayer | 58:05

INSTANT TAKEAWAYS

1 | See with Understanding & Belief

We start off talking through the idea that the Apostle John was an eyewitness & a beloved friend of Jesus who ministered alongside him as one of the 12 Disciples. Kelly Brown explains that when John saw the empty tomb the verb for “saw” in the Greek, meant “saw with an understanding.” May we all see with new understanding the abounding love & power of Jesus just as John did.

2 | Jesus Is The Word of Life

Jesus is the Word of God revealed to us in human form. This phrase used to describe Jesus tells us not only that Christ is the essence of life, but that he wants to communicate with us and He desires to have a reciprocal & deeply meaningful relationship with us.

3 | The Gospel Should Anchor Our Fellowship

We unpack how John’s description of Christian Fellowship goes way beyond potlucks. Being in community with people can be messy, but if our values are anchored in the Gospel & in the person of Christ we can be a unified community of believers that brings Him glory & our greatest good.

4 | Walking In the Light

As believers we have fellowship (relationship) with God. God is light, in him is no darkness, so to preserve our fellowship with Him we need to also be walking in the light of truth. By Christ’s power, we can walk in the light and nurture our fellowship with God and other believers.

SHOW NOTES

Welcome to the first study session of Kelly Minter’s book “What Love Is: The Letters of 1,2,3 John.” We are so glad to have you here with us today! Grab a cup of coffee or throw on the earbuds & go for a walk while we discuss Session 1. Some themes we discuss this week are seeing & understanding the person of Jesus more fully, what it means for our relationship with Jesus that he calls himself the Word of Life, how the Gospel should be the center of community & how walking in the light of truth (as opposed to darkness) helps nurture our relationship with God & others.

Below are some links we mentioned in the episode in case you want to take a closer look:

The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament

1, 2, & 3 John (Life Application Bible Studies: NLT)

Women of the Word by Jen Wilkin