3 what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4 These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete. 1 John 1:3-4

Being in Jesus’ inner circle, in the common vernacular, had to be absolutely mind-blowing. You’ve waited for the Messiah and here he is, calling you to follow him. In the days ahead, your head spins as you witness miracle after miracle. What’s more, as you hang on every word, it dawns on you that God incarnate is having a casual conversation with you. Yet these are not just words, but the Words of Life!

If it were me, I’d be studying every move, letting it all sink in, but still all the while shaking my head in unbelief, not for lack of faith, but for the simple incredibility of it all, and the “why me” of it all.

Later, really in just months, John witnessed Jesus’ brutal torture and gruesome death and then his glorious reappearing and stunning ascension. He saw it all, stating the world could not contain the whole of what he said and did in those three short years (John 21:25). It’s no wonder that he wants to get the message out, that all might enjoy the fellowship he had with the king.

You too can have this incredible experience, by reading the words he managed to pen, by praying over them constantly, and by practicing them faithfully.

Know this. Every time someone joins the fellowship, the inner circle, there’s joy, and it’s complete.