Excerpt from Follow the Lamb

Introduction

Follow the Lamb is a twelve-part study based on the Gospel of John. The sub-title ‘Finding fellowship’ explains the goal of the study.

The aim of the Christian faith is to find fellowship with God and with one another, in Christ. Genuine fellowship in Christ is an entire culture; a way of living, relating, participating and serving. If we follow the Lamb through the Gospel of John, we will find this culture of fellowship.

Each of our twelve chapters focuses on just one element of how we live in fellowship: receiving, beholding, learning, offering and so on. In this way, we can revise the key elements of the Christian faith as individuals, groups and churches. The outcome should be that we understand and find fellowship, as we follow the Lamb through the Gospel of John.

In undertaking this study, note that each of the twelve ‘encounters’ begins with a Scripture reading and concludes with a ‘lesson’. Each lesson describes an aspect of culture that arises from the encounter. And, finally, each chapter concludes with a ‘commitment’ as our response to the encounter. For example, chapter eight, ‘Follow the Truth’, details the encounter between Jesus and the Jews. The lesson introduces a ‘discipleship culture’, and our commitment is to ‘abiding’. In this way, each encounter is designed to focus our culture, and challenge us to a particular commitment.

John wrote so that we would have fellowship

When John wrote his first letter, he said, ‘we are writing these things ... ‘that you also may have fellowship with us’, and our fellowship is indeed ‘with the Father and with His Son'. 1 John 1:3.

Our aim in this volume can be expressed in John’s words – so that we may have fellowship. As we begin, then, let us ask ourselves, ‘Do we know what fellowship is, and have we found it?’ The key is in following the Lamb, which opens up the fullest possible picture of following Christ.