Episode Details

Welcome back to the Hope Bible School verse-by-verse Bible study of 1 John.

We just finished studying 1 John 1:3.

Let’s do a quick review of the lessons.

Lesson 11 - 1 John 1:3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us... (Fellowshipping with Other Believers)

We learned that we are called to proclaim Jesus to the world in order to bring people into fellowship. We learned that fellowship requires devotion, involves praying with one accord, studying the Bible, breaking bread, meeting together habitually, encouraging one another, loving one another deeply and showing hospitality to one another without complaining.

Lesson 12 - 1 John 1:3..And this fellowship of ours is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. (Fellowshipping with God)

We learned that God wants to have fellowship with you. You can have peace with God through Jesus Christ. Jesus came to rescue you and is calling you into fellowship, so you can be perfectly united together with God. God wants to make His home with you. The key to maintaining fellowship with God is by loving Him, obeying Him, and abiding in Him.

In this lesson we’re going to learn about experiencing complete joy.

Let’s read our verse together.

1 John 1:4 We write these things so that our joy may be complete.

The disciples are an example of sharing Jesus.

They used writing to help people experience the joy that comes from fellowship with other believers and with God.

You can use writing as well to lead people to God. Write down what you are learning about Jesus and how He is transforming your life and share it with others.

We are in the digital age. You can send emails, make posts on social media, write eBooks, and write blog posts about Jesus. You can potentially reach thousands or even millions of people with what you write online.

Use these digital publishing tools to lead people to Jesus, so that their joy may be complete. Make it a goal of your life to bring joy into people’s lives by sharing God’s word with them.

The word "joy" means cheerfulness, calm delight, gladness, and the awareness of God's grace and favor. (Strong's Concordance | HELPS Word-Studies)

The word "complete" means to make full, to complete, to fill to individual capacity. (Strong's Concordance | HELPS Word-Studies)

Since Joy comes from an awareness of God's grace in your life, you can help others find joy by bringing an awareness of God's grace to them.

It is only by God’s grace that we can be saved from our sins and have fellowship with God and with other believers.

Sharing God’s grace, by telling others about Jesus, will help you develop a deeper relationship with them and will lead to meaningful fellowship, a strong sense of community, and a deep abiding relationship with God. These will cause you to be filled with joy.

Let's take a look at some Bible verse that speak about Joy.

In Psalm 16:11 we read that true and eternal joy is only found in the presence of the eternal God. You can get into the presence of God by filling your life with God's word and by drawing near to Him. Read God’s word out loud, listen to Him, and pray to Him about what you’re reading. Ask Him