“But if we live in the light, as God is in the light, we can share
fellowship with each other. Then the blood of Jesus, God’s Son,
cleanses us from every sin. If we say we have no sin, we are fooling
ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:7-8 NCV).
In Christian fellowship people should experience authenticity.
Authentic fellowship is not superficial, surface-level chit-chat. It’s
genuine, heart-to-heart, sometimes gut-level sharing.
It happens when people get honest about who they are and what is
happening in their lives. They share their hurts, reveal their
feelings, confess their failures, disclose their doubts, admit their
fears, acknowledge their weaknesses, and ask for help and prayer.
Authenticity is the exact opposite of what you find in many churches.
Instead of an atmosphere of honesty and humility, there is pretending,
role-playing, politicking, superficial politeness, and shallow
conversation. People wear masks, keep their guard up, and act as if
everything is rosy in their lives. These attitudes are the death of
real friendship.
It’s only as we become open about our lives that we experience
authentic fellowship. The Bible says, “If we live in the light, as God
is in the light, we can share fellowship with each other…If we say
we have no sin, we are fooling ourselves” (1 John 1:7-8 NCV).
The world thinks intimacy occurs in the dark, but God says it happens
in the light. We tend to use darkness to hide our hurts, faults,
fears, failures, and flaws. But in the light, we bring them all out
into the open and admit who we really are.
Of course, being authentic requires both courage and humility. It
means facing our fear of exposure, rejection, and being hurt again.
Why would anyone take such a risk?
Because it’s the only way to grow spiritually and be emotionally
healthy. The Bible says, “Make this your common practice: Confess your
sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live
together whole and healed” (James 5:16 MSG).
