How are you and your family?

What character of God stood out in our lesson last week?

What happened during your time with your friends? Were you able to share the gospel with them?

C.T. Studd once said, "Only one life will soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last." Let's continue to trust God for changed lives that will impact our campus and even our country. Our lesson for today will help you understand how to live a meaningful fellowship with God, the Author of our life.

Beginning Your New Life of Fellowship With Christ

Every Christian can experience fellowship with God moment by moment as he learns to confess sin in his life. To live in fellowship with Jesus Christ is to experience a full and abundant life.

When you received Jesus Christ, you establish a personal relationship with Him. You became a child of God (John 1:12). You received His life so now you bear His name “Christian.”

Some common questions that many Christians ask are, "What happens when I sin and do things that are displeasing to God?" "Is my relationship with Him broken?" "Does Jesus leave my life?"

The answers to these questions can best be understood if we distinguish between our relationship to God and our fellowship with God.

Relationship

We can illustrate the difference between our relationship to God and our fellowship with God by the father-son relationship in a human family. When a boy is born into a family, he is the son of his father, because he has his father’s life in him. He then bears his father’s name.

Let’s suppose the son decided to leave his home and does many things to disgrace his father. Is he still his father’s son?

The relationship of the father and son is permanent. This relationship exists regardless of the behavior of the son.

Fellowship

However, what would happen to their fellowship? Because of the action of the son, their fellowship has been broken. What must the son do to restore their fellowship? The son must go to his father, admitting he is wrong and asking for forgiveness.

Let us relate this illustration to our relationship with God. Our relationship with God, our Father, is permanent. We are His children. This relationship never changes. But when we sin and do things that are displeasing to God, our fellowship with Him is broken. So in order for our fellowship with God to be restored, we must admit to Him that we have been wrong and accept His forgiveness.

We can illustrate the difference between our relationship and our fellowship with God using three circles.

Read 1 Corinthians 2:14-3:1.

Examine each circle to see which one has both a relationship and fellowship with God.

While the natural man does not have Christ in his life, Christ is in the lives of both the spiritual man and carnal man. Both of them are Christians.

The carnal man is a Christian who is living a self-directed life because of sin.

Read 1 John 1:8-2:1

The carnal man can restore his fellowship with God by confessing his sin. Confession involves three things:

• Agreeing

• Thanking

• Repenting

When we confess, we AGREE with God that what He has revealed to us as sin is sin. We also Thank God that this sin has been paid for by Jesus Christ’s death on the cross. Confession also involves REPENTANCE.

Repentance is a change of attitude which will result in a change of action.

The Christian needs to understand that when he does sin and takes over the direction of his life once again, he should immediately confess his sin and God will restore him to fellowship.

According to 1 John 1:9, what are we to do with our sins?

What did God promise to do when we confess our sins?

Now, let's continue our practice on how you can effectively share the gospel to your friends using the 4SL. Let's read through it and practice the left and right responses.

Would you mind inviting your friends on our next meeting? Let's share the gospel to them here in our group meeting.

Click here to begin your new life in the Holy Spirit.