Reflections with Andy - 1 John 1: 1-4 – Our Story

In this Monday reflection opening a new series through First John, the focus falls on the letter’s opening declaration: we tell you what we have seen, heard, and touched — which John frames as the foundation of Christian fellowship and the source of complete joy. Drawing on the Southern tradition of testimony and Revelation 12:11, the reflection makes the case that our testimony is one of the most powerful tools we have — and that testimony isn’t just the story of our conversion, but the ongoing story of what Jesus is doing in our lives right now. The heart of the passage, and of the message, is this: experiencing Jesus is never meant to stop with us. John wrote so that others could join the fellowship, and our joy becomes complete when the people we love come to know Jesus too. The practical challenge is simple — tell your story this week, to your family, your friends, and when you’re feeling brave, to someone who doesn’t know Jesus yet.

Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he’ll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God’s Word.

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Good morning! Great to be with you on this Monday as we start a new week together. Last week we looked at different post-Easter accounts — the encounters the apostles and others had with the risen Jesus. This week we’re shifting gears. My pattern has usually been Old Testament, New Testament, Old Testament, New Testament, but honestly nothing from the Old Testament was really jumping off the page for me. I thought about the Psalms — I love the Psalms — but then I just asked myself what I actually wanted to read. And the answer was First John. So that’s what we’re going to do.

We’ll walk through First John together, and after that we’ll probably move into Second and Third John — they’re so short it would almost feel wrong not to. We may even do Jude for the same reason. Then probably First and Second Peter, and then we’ll head back to the Old Testament. That’s the loose plan. For now, though — First John.

Today we’re reading chapter 1, verses 1 through 4:

“We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our own eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our own hands, concerning the word of life — this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us — we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.”

A little context first. First John is generally believed to have been written by John the Apostle — the same John who wrote the Gospel of John. You can feel it immediately; the language, the themes, the light-and-darkness imagery are all very familiar. This is also what’s called a Catholic letter — and Catholic here means universal, not denominational. Paul’s letters were always written to a specific person or place: to the church in Rome, to Timothy, to the church in Corinth. Very personal, very particular. The letters that come after Paul — Hebrews, James, First John and the others — are more universal in scope, not necessarily tied to one specific community. They’re written more broadly to the church at large.

So John opens by saying: we are declaring to you what we have seen, what we have heard, what we have known, what we have touched. In the South we’d call that giving your testimony. And one of my preachers growing up used to always say: you can’t give witness to what you don’t know.

One of my favorite verses — and you’ve heard me say this before — is Revelation 12:11: the enemy is defeated by the blood of the Lamb and the power of their testimony. Our testimony might be the most powerful thing we have. Because you can debate a lot of things, but you can’t really argue with Jesus changed my life. I am a different person post-Jesus than I was pre-Jesus. And not just at conversion — daily. Daily I experience him through Scripture, through prayer, through service, through the church. Daily he is making me better.

And I think that’s an important thing to understand about testimony. Our testimony isn’t only the story of our conversion — as important as that is. Our testimony is also what Jesus is doing in our lives right now. How are we experiencing his power today? How are we different this week because of what he’s doing? That ongoing testimony matters just as much as the conversion story.

John is saying: we’ve seen this, we’ve experienced it, we’ve touched the resurrected Christ with our own hands — and we’re telling you because we want you to join us. We want you to experience this too. That’s the heart of it, isn’t it? It’s not enough to experience Jesus and keep it to yourself. I want you to know him. I want you to experience the goodness, the mercy, the grace of God. I want your life changed by Jesus the way mine has been. And John says: when you join that fellowship, when you come to know Jesus — that is what makes our joy complete.

There’s nothing quite like watching somebody experience Jesus for the first time — or watching someone who’s known him for years fall deeper in love. That’s why I love Communion so much. Every time we gather at the table, we get to experience his love again. Every time we tell the story, we proclaim his death and resurrection until he comes again. What a joy that is.

So here’s the question for today: when’s the last time you told your story? When did you last tell your children — or your grandchildren — about when you met Jesus? When did you last tell your spouse what Jesus is doing in your life right now? One of the things I always encourage people to do in revivals is to take the time to actually tell those stories. And when you’re feeling really brave — tell somebody who doesn’t know Jesus yet. A coworker, a friend, a colleague. Not in a pushy or judgmental way. Just the same way you’d tell them about a great meal you had or a deal you found. Just tell them what Jesus has done for you.

I love to tell the story, for those who know it best seem hungering and thirsting to hear it like the rest. Tell your story, friends. See what it does.

Tomorrow we’ll pick up with verse 5. Have a great day!