And now, dear children, remain in fellowship with Christ so that when he returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from him in shame. 1 John 2:28
Study Guide
You may have been to church and seen communion or even “taken” communion. Well, the word communion is really based on the word commune. To commune means to be in a common union with someone. We share this both with God as His spirit lives in us and through us, as we spend time with Him and with other believers as we live in unity with them. To develop communion with our Lord we need to approach Him with love and Godly fear. What’s Godly fear? Godly fear is not being afraid of God but looking at Him as “other” than us. Though we are created in His image we are not all powerful, all knowing or all anything for that matter. This fact that God is above us, beyond us and so totally incomprehensible is what causes us to worship Him. The fact that He and He alone is worthy of worship is what it means to approach Him with Godly fear. This heart attitude is essential to communing with Him. We submit to His authority because He is God alone. The second thing, that might seem to be a contradiction is that we come boldly. Ephesians 3:12 says that it is due to Christ Jesus and our faith in Him that we can come boldly to God. We need not pass through a series of rituals like those described in the Old Testament Law, we can come to our loving Father God because Jesus paid for the sin that separated us from His holy presence. As you read the study scriptures in the next section remember that God is God alone but that He also made a way for us to enter His presence and spend intimate time with Him in a common unity.
Verses to Think About
Again, read these passages and then answer the questions.
John 14:23 What does it say WE will do if we Love Christ? What will God do in return? What does that mean to you?
Matthew 11:27-30 Describe the tone of Jesus as He says, “come to Me”. What type of relationship can you compare t his to? Do you see where you may be weary in life and need t connect with God to truly receive rest? What do you most want to learn from Christ.
Romans 8:14-17 How does this describe us in relation to God? If we are His kids, what kind of relationship does He want with us.
At this point, many people can get a bit jaded due to experience with earthly families that werent’t very positive. Remember in all of the illustrations of family, Father, son God is relating to what these roles SHOULD have been for you if not for that fact that peopl, yes all of them, are broken. Because we all experience brokenness,me can all experience healing and restoration through communion with our Holy,righteous, good Heavenly Father as we learn to trust Him and commune with Him.
Response
There are many disciplines that help us commune wi th God. Bible study, prayer, worship and service are just a few but mostly God desires willingness and obedience. Many times in the Bible it refers to obedience and love together in the same context. That is because obedience expresses our love to God. So in the response section of this lesson take a moment to think about your level of obedience to what God has shown you so far. Remember, He knows it already and stands with grace to welcome you when you confess your shortcomings and commit to obedience. After doing that talk to Him about your day and the things that are on your mind. Always be sure to be thankful for all t hat God has done and is doing for you as you talk to Him. Ask Him to guide your times of reading His Bible. Ask for His truth as you answer the questions. Feel free to respond to these things right on the spot. Communing with God is more like breathing than holding your breath. We do it in small amounts all day long. We don’t jus take one giant breath in the morning and hold it all day. In other words, be aware of His love, provision, teaching and guidance as well as responding to it all day not just for a set amount of time at one point in the day.
