In today’s world, people just quit so easily. Whether it be a marriage, job, family, ministry, or just a gym membership, etc. when they lose interest, whether through boredom, seemingly irreversible differences, or extreme challenges, they just move on and seek something new.

We are in a New Year, 2021, and every year people make new resolutions, this can be good, but it often leads to shame and disappointment when one falls short. It seems easier to try something new rather than fix what is broken but it doesn’t lead to anything that lasts.

The things that last are the things that we build on each year, builders examine the previous year and see where they fell short and make adjustments to improve on them so that things continue to develop for the better in the different aspects of their life. Even severe trying times can actually be stepping stones to deeper intimacy. When people suffer together they can either be drawn closer or further apart. Kingdom-minded believers use adversity to deepen their walk with God and the fellow disciples around them.

Our God is the Master Builder, He never quits, He never fails! We need to have this in mind as we read Revelations 21 regarding a New Earth and a New Heaven. The word new in Greek does not mean new as we think, it is more similar to the word renew. If God has to start all over it means He failed, no, it is not a new Earth or new Heaven, it is Earth and Heaven completely renewed, restored back to the original plan and purpose, as it was in the garden of Eden before sin.

It says in Acts 3:21 “that Jesus is seated in Heaven until the restoration of all things.” We are in the age of this work, ministry is all about restoration. Look at our mission statement, People Restored And Inspired Serving Everywhere. We who are restored to God are now in the restoration business with God. He is here with us Spiritually but at the next age, He will be with us physically. The Lord will come to complete the work we have continued as we transition from the age of grace to the age of eternal reign.

We all have experienced the unfaithfulness and lies of others, even from our own family members and friends, but one thing we know is our God is as written in Revelations 21:5 “faithful and true.” What He promises will come to pass! There is a better day coming and the time is soon. Well, isn’t it over two thousand years since this was written, that doesn’t seem soon, well, in light of eternity, it does, and we are called to live as if stepping into the next age could be today.

In the majority of Revelations, we have seen a dark picture of the fall of this world described as Babylon but here in the last two chapters we get a glimpse into the beautiful restoration of this world, with the Heavenly Jerusalem descending as we step into the eternal reign we will have with Christ.

In the eternal age, there will no longer as promised in verses 3-4 be any tears for He will wipe them away, death will no longer exist, grief, crying, and pain will cease. Yet in this present age, we can have a foretaste of what is to come.

“And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us.” - Romans 8:23

Through Holy Spirit God is with us, and though things are not yet complete, we can still press into intimacy and have Him wipe our tears, comfort us, and renew us in His presence right here, right now!

2021 is a year to press in for RENEWAL! Renewed marriages, renewed families, renewed ministries. RENEWAL, RENEWAL, RENEWAL!

Now the rest of Revelations 21 through 22 describe this New Earth and the New Jerusalem that comes down but in whatever you see, don’t just picture it as what is to come, but reach out for the foretaste right now!

In Revelations 21:6 it says the Lord “will give water as a gift to the thirsty from the spring of life, in Revelations 22:1-5 it describes the river of living water that comes from the Throne of God, and the trees alongside with leaves as the healing for the nations. In verse 17 it says “Both the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Anyone who hears should say, “Come!” And the one who is thirsty should come. Whoever desires should take the living water as a gift.”

This is an invitation for the here and now so while we are living in expectation for what is to come, let us make the most of what we have through the Holy Spirit. The Throne of God will come to earth and be amongst us but we still have access in the Spirit to the Throne of God right now. The voice of the Spirit says daily, come, and drink! It is a gift, it restores, refreshes, and revives, so don’t ignore the nudging, the still small voice.

The last verse of Revelations says “The Grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen!
As we drink we take in grace! So DRINK, DRINK, DRINK!!!!

​Sunday December 27th
Revelation 12-20
“War against the beast”
This morning we’re going to cover 9 chapters of the book of Revelation! So pay close attention because I don’t want you to miss out on any of the significant details. For instance, at the end of chapter 13 we will find out that the number of the beast is 666, which many of you already know. But did you also know:

• 1-666: Is the area code of the Beast
• 00666: Is the zip code of the Beast
• 668: Is the next door neighbor of the Beast
• $656.66: Is the Wal-Mart discount for the Beast
• Windows 666: Is the operating system of the Beast
• 6, uh…I forget what comes next: Is the number of the Blonde Beast

So let’s get started on this marathon of chapters, starting with chapter 12 verse 1-with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; 2 and she was pregnant and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth.
A lot of people think that Revelation is all about future events, but some of John’s vision was a recapping of events that had happened since the beginning. In those two verses, the woman most likely represents the nation of Israel and her child is Jesus, who came through the line of Jewish heritage.
3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven crowns. 4 And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and hurled them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her Child.
Once again, this is most likely a recap of the devil’s rebellion against God and his attempt to kill the young Jesus by having all male babies in Bethlehem killed by King Herod. We see more proof of this in verse 5:
5 And she gave birth to a Son, a male, who is going to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her Child was caught up to God and to His throne.
Now let’s skip to verse 7, because a theme will be introduced here that will tie all of these chapters together:
7 And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, 8 and they did not prevail, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
Two things that I want you to focus on here:

1. The devil and his fallen angels are at war with God and His angels
2. God wins the war

Let’s jump to chapter 13, verse 1
And the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore.
Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten crowns, and on his heads were blasphemous names.
So here comes the beast, another significant theme in these chapters. Or I should say here comes the first beast, because there is more than one. This is the one that many people like to equate with the antichrist, but John never calls him that in Revelation. Then down in verse 7:
It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority was given to him over every tribe, people, language, and nation.
So the dragon is at war with God and the beast is at war with the people of God, because they are obviously on the same evil team.
And then another member of their team shows up in verse 11:
Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke as a dragon.
So we now have a dragon and two beasts, and one of the beasts sound like a dragon when he talks.
And this second beast is also known for this: (verses 16-17)
And he causes all, the small and the great, the rich and the poor, and the free and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, 17 and he decrees that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.
That’s the thing everyone is watching out for. Will it be an implant, a chip, a barcode? Who knows for sure? And then of course in verse 18 we get a little more information about this beast:
Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.
Rather than focusing too much on the number, let’s take note of the statement that this number is “that of a man”. We’ll get back to that later.
Keep in mind that the main theme of these chapters is war. And in chapter 14 we see that God is warring against the followers of the beast: (verses 9-11)
Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”
Let’s suffice it to say that you don’t want to be on the losing side in this battle! In chapter 15, verses 1-2 we see that the armies of God are indeed victorious, in case you were worried about that:
Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels who had seven plagues, which are the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished. 2 And I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who were victorious over the beast and his image and the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, holding harps of God.
In case you are looking for Armageddon, that if found in chapter 16, verse 13-16
 And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs; 14 for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the entire world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty. 15 (“Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and people will not see his shame.”) 16 And they gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called Har-Magedon.
That is literally a place, Mount Megiddo. Next, in chapter 17, we have another beast, a scarlet beast, with a harlot riding on his back. He has ten horns, and verse 12 tells us that they represent 10 kings.
Then verse 14 says that: These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them because He is Lord of lords and King of kings.
So once again, there is a war, Jesus wins the war!
How complete is God’s victory? Chapter 18, verse 21 tells us:
Then a strong angel picked up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “So will Babylon, the great city, be thrown down with violence, and will never be found again.”
That sounds like a total victory to me! And if you want another description of it, here is chapter 19 verses 11-16:
 And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many crowns; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. 13 He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. 15 From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. 16 And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written: “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”
If you ever want to get a picture of this in your mind, watch the scene from the Lord of the Rings where Gandalf returns on a white horse leading the armies of the fellowship to victory!
And this leads us to chapter 20 and the final battle against Gog and Magog, in verses 9 and 10:
 And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10 And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Ding-dong the beast is dead. The dragon is dead. And the armies of the enemy are dead! Jesus has won a total victory. So then there’s this – we’ve been reading all of John’s writings, including the book of Revelation, from a theme of intimacy.
In other words, it’s really great that our team, Team Jesus wins the final battle. But how are you doing with the daily battle of life? How are you doing with that war within you? The one that Paul describes this way in Romans 7:21-23
I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. 22 For I joyfully agree with the law of God in the inner person, 23 but I see a different law in the parts of my body waging war against the law of my mind, and making me a prisoner of the law of sin, the law which is in my body’s parts.
There is a war going on within me every day, Paul says. It’s a war between my spirit man, who wants to do the right thing and obey God, and my fleshly man who wants to do his own thing and really doesn’t care what God wants.
And some days, Paul says, it feels like my flesh is holding my spirit captive.
Have you ever felt that way, knowing what the right thing to do is, but finding yourself drawn to do the wrong thing?
You see it’s one thing to read all about Jesus’ victory over the dragon and the beasts. That really gets most Christians excited, and it definitely should.
But we’re still living here, in this life, in these bodies, fighting these battles.
And some days we feel like we’re losing the fight.
How will we survive? That’s what Paul asks in verse 24:
Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?
But in verse 25 he answers his own question:
Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
That’s OUR key to victory too!
The same Jesus who defeats the dragons and the beasts around us can defeat the beast within us!
That why Paul is able to say in Romans 8:37
In all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
Yes, Jesus Christ has defeated every last enemy that we will ever face. Nothing can come against us from the outside and nothing from within us can defeat the resurrection Holy Spirit power that we’ve been given!
I truly believe that the only reason why we sometimes feel defeated is because we forget that we’ve already won.
Are you ready to declare victory today?
 
 
 

 
Intimacy with God leads to a greater revelation of Jesus Christ. Revelations 1:3b says "the one who hears the words of this prophecy and keeps what is written in it are blessed! We read here that this is not just a book of prophecy about the future, but it has instructions for us to obey today. We are going to study this book in a manner that I believe few have ever done not to figure out end-times eschatology but as the Series says to deepen our intimacy with the Lord.
​
Jesus reveals Himself to John as the one who is, was, and is coming! This speaks to us that we are not to be too concerned about our past, present, or future but to trust the Lord that He is the God of our past, present, and future. Therefore since our lives are in His hands, we can be free of the guilt of our past, we can enjoy the fullness of the present, and trust that in Him the future is bright.

John while enduring tribulations on the island of Patmos was in the Spirit and heard a loud voice saying, "write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches." No matter what we face in life we are to remain in the Spirit. It is often in our lowest place that we rely on God the most and therefore open ourselves to spiritual experiences. Let tribulation not become something that drives us away from God but ever closer for that is where maturity is developed. Revelation is often released during tribulation because that is when we ask questions, we like John then are to write it down, for there will be a time that we are called to speak to the body of Christ and help them with the wisdom that took us through.

We see in Revelations 1, Seven churches, Seven Lampstands, Seven Stars. The number seven means completion, the revelation of Jesus Christ is given to complete us, as we witness Him as John did, we become secure in Him. We need to go beyond head knowledge and experience Jesus Christ, intimately and personally for us to become the vessels He uses for others to encounter Him through us. I encourage you to get in the Spirit and ask the Father to reveal Himself more to you!

​
I was once told that one way to achieve true inner peace and harmony is to finish whatever you start.

So, this morning for breakfast I finished a couple of things that I started last night - a frozen pizza, a gallon of ice cream and a chocolate cake…. And I feel better already!
Today we will finish up what we started in our study of 1st John with chapter 5 and we’re also going to start and finish two more letters - 2nd and 3rd John.
We’re going to see quite a bit of similarity in each of these letters, because John has some consistent themes that he wants to drive home. In fact, this final chapter of 1st John continues with the earlier themes of acknowledging Jesus as the Messiah and keeping His commandments:

Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. 4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
Keep in mind that the commandment John is continually emphasizing is the commandment to love each other! That’s why he says that if we love the Father we must love the children of God. In fact, John is suggesting that if we can’t love God’s children (each other) then maybe we haven’t truly embraced Jesus as our Messiah, because that’s what He wants from us. In other words, we can’t say, “I love you Jesus, but I just don’t want to love those other people who love you!”
These next verses are one of the clearest places in the Bible where we see evidence of the Trinity:
5 Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 6 This is the One who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood. It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. 9 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater; for the testimony of God is this, that He has testified concerning His Son. 10 The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son. 11 And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.
To put it plainly, you can’t have a relationship with God the Father unless you have a relationship with God’s Son, Jesus. And the Holy Spirit testifies that this is the truth, so they are all in total agreement.
And John spells out the great benefit of our faith in Jesus as God’s Son by saying it’s the assurance of our eternal destiny:
13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. 14 This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.
Does that mean I should ask for a Cadillac or a mansion? Not exactly. John says I should be asking for things that are “according to His will”, which means that my requests need to line up with God’s plans, not my plans.
This next section is a bit of a challenge:
16 If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask and God will for him give life to those who commit sin not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death; I do not say that he should make request for this. 17 All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not leading to death.
To make some sense of this, here is an explanation from a commentary:
The distinction between kinds of sin is not a ranking of the seriousness of sins. Instead, we have here a distinction between kinds of sinners. "Sinning not unto death" is committed by someone who already has eternal life. When these sins are dealt with through prayer for forgiveness and the "atoning sacrifice" of Jesus Christ, God hears the prayer of the believer and forgives the repentant sinner. But where there is no confession of faith in Jesus, there is "sinning unto death". This sin is that leads to death for the one who is guilty of it.
In other words, believers can have our sins forgiven because we know enough to confess, repent, and be cleansed. But unbelievers can’t have their sins forgiven because they refuse to turn to God and repent, that’s what makes their sin “unto death”.
John closes this chapter, and his letter with this reminder that we’ve been given the power to keep away from sin:
18 We know that no one who is born of God sins; but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him. 19 We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. 20 And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
21 Little children, guard yourselves from idols.
Now let’s compare those themes with 2nd John and 3rd John
2nd John in verses 1-3 is addressed to:
1 The elder to the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in truth; and not only I, but also all who know the truth, 2 for the sake of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever: 3 Grace, mercy and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.
3rd John is addressed to:
1 The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth.
In both of these letters, the author identifies himself only as “The elder”. He doesn’t call himself by his name.
But that shouldn’t surprise us, because John didn’t use his name in his first letter either, and he didn’t call himself by name in his Gospel either. He just referred to himself as “the disciple that Jesus loved”.
Now let’s compare verse 4 of 2nd John with verses 2-4 of 3rd John:
4 I was very glad to find some of your children walking in truth, just as we have received commandment to do from the Father.
Okay, now compare that to these verses:
2 Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers. 3 For I was very glad when brethren came and testified to your truth, that is, how you are walking in truth. 4 I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.
In the letter of 1st John, we saw an emphasis on “walking in the light”. In these two letters, John uses the expression, “walking in truth”. I think we could say that these are essentially the same thing, since Jesus is the light of the world, and the way, the truth, and the life. So if we are walking in Christ, then we are in the light and in the truth!
Verse 5 and 6 of 2nd John are going to remind us very much of 1st John chapter 2:
5 Now I ask you, lady, not as though I were writing to you a new commandment, but the one which we have had from the beginning, that we love one another. 6 And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it.
We learned before that the commandment to love one another is something that we as believers should know from the very beginning of our faith. But it’s also a new commandment each time we choose to obey it by loving someone when conflict arises.
Does John address loving each other in his third letter? Yes, he does, but with a very specific focus:
5 Beloved, you are acting faithfully in whatever you accomplish for the brethren, and especially when they are strangers; 6 and they have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. 7 For they went out for the sake of the Name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles.
8 Therefore we ought to support such men, so that we may be fellow workers with the truth.
John is reminding the people that they should show hospitality towards brothers and sisters in Christ who had traveled to visit them from other cities. He says, that, although these visitors were “strangers” in the sense that they had never met them before, they were all a part of the family of God, and “fellow workers” for the sake of the gospel.
In fact, John was very displeased with certain individuals who didn’t show hospitality towards some of the visiting believers that were sent by John. In 3rd John 9-10 he says:
9 I wrote something to the church; but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not accept what we say. 10 For this reason, if I come, I will call attention to his deeds which he does, unjustly accusing us with wicked words; and not satisfied with this, he himself does not receive the brethren, either, and he forbids those who desire to do so and puts them out of the church.
John had written letters of recommendation for the visitors, asking the church to host them.
But Diotrephes not only wouldn’t treat these visitors properly, he told the others to shun them. John says, “When I arrive there, I plan to have a few words with him to straighten him out”!
After all, doesn’t shunning, or refusal to show hospitality to visitors, sound like very un-Christian behavior to you?
Well, then it might surprise you to know that in verses 7-11 of 2nd John, John actually INSTRUCTS the church to shun some people!
But there is a specific reason why he recommends this, and it has to do with the antichrist spirit that John spoke about in his first letter:
7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist. 8 Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward. 9 Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; 11 for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds.
We have to understand that a lot of false teachers had been traveling throughout the Christian churches attacking the truth of the gospel—saying that Jesus was not the Son of God.
John says this is clearly a lie from the antichrist spirit. And John warns the believers not to receive people with that spirit into their houses or even give them a friendly greeting. Just avoid them.
Do you see the difference between this warning about avoiding people who are walking in “antichrist” spirits and the exhortation in 3rd John to welcome fellow believers who come proclaiming the truth?
In contrast to Diotrephes, who is in big trouble, John highly commends another guy with a D-name:
11 Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God. 12 Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself; and we add our testimony, and you know that our testimony is true.
In all likelihood, Demetrius was the one who was carrying this letter from John to Gaius and his church. Since there wasn’t a Post Office back then, letters were carried by messengers. Some Bible scholars think that Demetrius may have also been a traveling teacher himself; and if so, John’s letter would have been a way of encouraging Gaius and the church to show hospitality to him, rather than shunning him as Diotrephes was trying to do.
John’s closing words from his second and third letters are very similar. Here’s 2nd John 12-13:
12 Though I have many things to write to you, I do not want to do so with paper and ink; but I hope to come to you and speak face to face, so that your joy may be made full.
13 The children of your chosen sister greet you.
And this is the closing to 3rd John 13-15:
13 I had many things to write to you, but I am not willing to write them to you with pen and ink; 14 but I hope to see you shortly, and we will speak face to face.
15 Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends by name.
I think we could sum up the final chapter of 1st John and these two short letters with a few simple phrases:

1. Keep walking in truth
2. Keep loving each other
3. Avoid people who deny Jesus

Sometimes we think that following Jesus is a complicated process, but the gospel is really simple – love God and love each other!
I often think of God’s instructions to us in Micah 6:8
“He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?”
God has already told us what He wants:
Justice, kindness, and humility – that’s it!
It so similar to what John has been telling us in these letters about truth, love, and fellowship. Just a few simple things that we should focus on.

1 John 3
People get in relationships for all types of reasons and love is not always the reason. Now one may say they love the other but that word is often used as a tool to manipulate. People of the world don't even know what love truly is so they will use the word not even knowing that their motive for saying it is impure. As the Tina Turner song says "What's love got to do with it?" Well, for those in Christ; everything!

1 John 3:1-3 says "it is the great love of God that we are called His children, and we are being purified until we become like Him." It is not by works that we are transformed it is by the love of God. In this world, you have to earn someone's love by your performance in Christ we are loved simply because God is love.

How can we tell who is a child of God and who is not? The love factor! Those who do not know God, sin, continually, for they are of the Devil. Those who do know God do not sin, for they are righteous, they don't produce evil but destroy it. To know God is to know love, to know love is to do what is right. Those who do not know God cannot know love and therefore will behave in the opposite of love which is hate, and to hate, is to steal, kill, and destroy, which is very the nature of evil.

It is Christ's love in laying down His life for us that has set the example for us to follow. Love is known through action! If we have received God's love we will be transformed and likewise, give our lives for others. As 1 John 3:18 says "we must not love in word or speech but with truth and action. Love is the force within that moves us into obedience where we step out in God's call by serving those He has put before us with compassion.

The charge, therefore, is to ask the Lord to be filled with His love, for it is the only way to come out of sin and live a righteous, God-centered life.

1 John 4
Like I said from the previous devotion, people get in a relationship for numerous reasons and love is not always at the top of the list. One may say they love you but love is more than a word it must be backed up with action. There are three forms of love, Phileo which is friendship-based love, Eros which is sensual-based love, and then Agape which is unconditional love. The world can experience the first two but without God, they cannot experience the third for that love comes from Him. The love of the world will never satisfy the longing for the complete full expression of love which includes Agape. No matter how great a man or woman you are in a relationship with if they do not know the love of God, the love they offer you is limited and will never be enough.

Here in 1 John 4 John is writing to help fellow believers discern between the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. He is telling them that they need to test the spirits. Just like when someone introduces their boyfriend or girlfriend to their parents and the parents test the individual if they are worthy of their child so God wants us to test the people we are in a relationship with. Just because someone says they are a Christian and use the name of Jesus does not mean they are operating in the right spirit.

A group called the Gnostics was spreading a message that denied the humanity of Jesus and John was writing in response. The Gnostics were speaking as if they were hearing from the Holy Spirit, but they were as John says in verse 3 speaking under the influence of the spirit of the antichrist. This spirit is cunning it doesn't blatantly deny Jesus Christ we must really listen and discern or we will be deceived just like Adam and Eve with twisted truth. We who know God have been given discernment, anything that doesn't sit well in our spirit we must question, for those who know God listen to the truth and those who do not love listening to lies.

So what does love got to do with it? Everything! If Jesus did not die as a human then we are still lost in our sin. The Gnostics denied the humanity of Jesus so they had not received Him, therefore they did not know God's love, and if they were truly observed that would be clear. It is by the fruit that we shall know them. God's children are marked by love the Devil's children are marked by hate. We will see through the rest of this chapter that those who know God, know love.

We can see who is born of God as it says in verses seven and eight by love. God's nature is love so therefore anyone born from Him will have in them the nature of His love. The way God displayed His love towards us was in sending to us His only Son so that we might live through Him. Love is displayed in sacrifice and that is what God did. It is through this love that sin is defeated. Sin defined is separation from God, but by us confessing that Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice for our sins, relationship with God is restored and through that relationship, sin is overcome. It is the love of God that saved us, it is the love of God that keeps us, it is through this love that we remain in Him.

How do we know we are growing in His love? The lack of fear! As it says in verse 18 "perfect love casts out fear." This year has been a reality check for the church it has been the opportunity to see the condition of our heart! Are we people of faith or people of fear? Do we truly know God or not? If we have fear then His love has not yet been perfected in us. When someone builds something that can easily fall apart they need to start over again. Some of us need to start over again with God, to make sure we truly gave Him our heart, and ask Him to help us trust Him and to grow in faith.

Another love test is how we treat others! If we have received the love of God then we love others, no excuses! If there is hate in our hearts for others no matter who they are, whether democrat or republican, black or white, rich or poor, if we lack love for them then we have not been perfected in God's love.

So fear and hate are the commonalities of those who do not know God! You can go to church all you want and serve in whatever capacity but if these works of the flesh are habitually present in your life then you need to come running to God for salvation and deliverance. So what does love got to do with it? Everything!

Sunday October 25th
1 John 1-2
 
Now that we have finished our study of John’s gospel, we’re going to take a look at John’s letters. And that made me think of the phrase “A Dear John Letter”. Do you know the kind of letter I’m talking about? He is one example:

Dear John,
I have been unable to sleep since I broke off our engagement. Won't you forgive and forget? Your absence is breaking my heart. I was a fool, nobody can take your place.
All my love,
Belinda

P.S. Congratulations on winning last week's Powerball lottery.


So let’s start off our study of the real “Dear John” letters. The apostle John starts off his first letter by talking about what was happening “from the beginning”.
 
What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life— 2 and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us.
It shouldn’t come as any surprise that John starts off talking about the beginning, because his Gospel started off with these words:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. (John 1:1-2)
The truth is that God had a plan in place from the very beginning of time, and that plan included sending Jesus to save the world, and that plan included saving YOU!
Look at what Ephesians 1:4 tells us:
Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.
When did God choose you? The day that you got saved? No, He chose you in the beginning, even before He laid the foundation for the world!
I think that makes you pretty special!
In verse 1 of this letter, John refers to Jesus as the “Word of Life”, just like he did in his Gospel when he said this in John 1:14
“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
How can we be sure of that? Because John says “we have heard (Him), we have seen (Him) with our (own) eyes, we have looked at (Him) and touched (Him) with our (own) hands.”
Peter uses the same argument to make this same point in 2nd Peter 1:16
“For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.”
In verse 3 John says that there is another important reason why he is writing this letter:
“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.”
So fellowship with God, with Jesus, and with each other is an important goal for John in writing this letter and that shouldn’t surprise us, because it was also important to Jesus. Remember how Jesus prayed to His Father concerning us in John 17:21?
“That they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.”
So John’s goal for believers is the same as Jesus’ goal, fellowship and unity.
Then in verse 4 John adds another goal:
4 These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.
Once again, this isn’t just John’s goal for us, it’s also Jesus’ goal. Look at John 15:11
“These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.”
How are these goals connected? Because true fellowship with God and with each other should be a tremendous source of joy in each of our lives!
Do you see how many of the same themes in John’s letter are also found in his gospel? And this pattern continues in verses 5-7
5 This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; 7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
Where have we seen this before? Look at John 1:9, which describes Jesus this way:
“There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.” 
So just like John’s Gospel, this letter emphasizes the contrast between light and darkness. Jesus is the light that came to shine in the darkness of a world that has rejected God.
John is reminding us that all of us as believers are faced with a choice: either “walk in the light,” by coming to Him and opening their hearts to Him, or “walk in darkness”. And walking in darkness, according to John, isn’t just committing sin, it’s also denying that we sin. Look at verses 8-10:
8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.
So the conflict between light and darkness is linked to a conflict between those who “practice the truth” and agree with God that they need salvation, and those who say they don’t need salvation, thereby essentially calling God “a liar.”
The reality is that even believers sometimes still sin. But the good news is that the cure for sin—which is confessing our sins, and being cleansed by the blood of Jesus—is God’s continually available, irrevocable gift to us.
There’s only one simple step that we need to take when we’ve stumbled in our journey along the way. “If we confess our sins.” That’s it. No penance. No retribution.
Think about how wonderful that is! God’s forgiveness is given to us as soon as we admit our need for it, instantly!
It’s not based on anything we have done to earn forgiveness. It’s only because of His grace. And this free gift of forgiveness carries with it a total purification from our unrighteousness. Once we have confessed what we have done wrong, God accepts us and sees as righteous because He imputes to us the righteousness of Christ. That is, the very righteousness of Christ is reckoned to our account.
Because Jesus is righteous, and we are covered by His blood – WE are now righteous!
In chapter 2, John is going to continue emphasizing the role that we as believers are supposed to play by being “in the light”!
He starts out by saying this in verses 1 and 2:
My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 2 and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.
John wants us to know that the only possible proper response to God’s mercy on us is to live a life of holiness and obedience, not one of sin.
But he also knows that no one is perfect, so he reassures us that when we do occasionally sin, we have an advocate on our side. So what’s an advocate do?
The Greek word for advocate basically means a “helper,” and one form of help would be like an attorney to represent us with a legal matter.
Jesus is our advocate, our lawyer, to plead our case when we mess things up.
John also calls Jesus something else, our “propitiation”. What’s that mean? A propitiation was a sacrifice that was meant to take away the separation brought by sin between God and man. Jesus is our propitiation. His blood has erased the sin that separated us from God.
So how do I know that my sins have been covered by Jesus’ sacrifice? John explains that next:
3 By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; 5 but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: 6 the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.
John says that true followers of Jesus will “walk in the same way in which Jesus walked”, so if we call ourselves His followers, then we should be keeping Jesus’ commandments. If we aren’t keeping His commandments, then calling ourselves His followers is a lie.
And what are Jesus’ commandments?
Well, let’s start with this one from John 13:34
I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, so you too are to love one another.
That’s crucial for us to understand. Jesus told His followers to love each other. If we aren’t loving each other, then we’re not His followers!
In the next two sections, John is going to emphasize this commandment, saying that it is both old and new:
7 Beloved, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word which you have heard. 8 On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining. 9 The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now. 10 The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. 11 But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
Listen to this commentary:
The commandment of Christ is both “old” and “new.” It is old, because believers had this command “from the beginning,” when Jesus began to teach. It is new because it is continually being reapplied in new acts of love, with their source in Him.
John has talked about old and new, light and darkness. Now he uses another contrast, fathers and children:
12 I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for His name’s sake. 13 I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I have written to you, children, because you know the Father. 14 I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.
The “fathers” and “children” that John is speaking to in these verses are actually the same people. On the one hand they are called “children” because they have been made part of the family of God. But they are also called “fathers” because their relationship with Jesus qualifies them to pass this knowledge down to future generations.
John says twice in verses 13 and 14 “you have overcome the evil one”. This is a major theme of this letter that will be picked up again in Chapter 5. The overcoming victory John describes is resisting temptation and keeping faithful to God’s word.
The thing is that, even though the victory has been won, we still have to fight this ongoing battle against the things of the world. So John reminds us in verses 15-17:
15 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.
What John is referring to as the “world” is the spirit of rebellion that rejects God and His rule over our lives.
Those who love this world are self-centered, prideful, and short-sighted. They want their lusts to be satisfied and their pride to be honored now.
And speaking of the world’s system, we now hear mention of the ultimate description of the world’s system – the AntiChrist!
18 Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour.
You might have heard various theories about who the antichrist will be or where he will come from. But don’t strain your eyes too hard looking for the antichrist to arrive, because John wrote almost 2000 years ago that many antichrists had already appeared during his lifetime!
And in verse 19 John seems to indicate that these antichrists were actually part of the church at one point:
19 They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.
Do you see that? “They went out from us”! These people left the church, which proved that they weren’t true followers of Jesus, or they would’ve stayed in unity.
But does John want his readers to be all worried about these antichrists? No, he goes on to assure us that we are fully capable of discerning the antichrist spirit:
20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know. 21 I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie is of the truth. 22 Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. 23 Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also.
The Christians who lived back in John’s day faced opposition from antichrists who denied that Jesus was God’s Son, the Messiah. And so do we still today.
But John’s words should bring us comfort, as he reminds who we are as he closes this chapter:
24 As for you, let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. 25 This is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life. 26 These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you. 27 As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.
28 Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming. 29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him.
John is reminding us that as believers we have access to direct revelation from God through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, who illuminates the Word for us and the truth of the gospel.
Can you trust God when He tells you that about yourself – that you can hear His voice through the anointing of the Holy Spirit?
In these two chapters John has given us several powerful keys to what it means to “walk in the Light”

1. Acknowledge that Jesus is the Messiah, in fact He is YOUR Messiah!
2. Love each other, which is only possible if we are walking in the light
3. Resist the lusts and temptations of this world and choose instead to walk in righteousness.

If we choose to do those things, the anointing of the Holy Spirit will guide us, teach us, and protect us from the forces of darkness, even from the antichrists in our world.

We have all experienced broken relationships, that seems beyond mending.  Where wounds have formed to the point where it is uncomfortable to be even near the person and all you can do is hope that they will forgive you and be willing to put the past behind.

All the disciples besides John and the Mary's had forsaken Jesus during His darkest hour and now He was gone, crucified, what they did or didn't do could not be undone.  Yet as we are going to see throughout John 20 Jesus resurrected and went about reassuring the disciples of His continual love and forgiveness restoring their faith so they would be ready to be faithful to carry out His work.

This can give us hope for the broken relationships that we have endured, resurrection is possible, God loves to bring dead things back to life.  We can be reassured if we hold onto faith and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit restoration will transpire.  The key to seeing broken relationships becoming whole again is our intimacy with the Holy Spirit.

Jesus first reassures Peter and John by the way He left the cloth He was wrapped in so neatly in the tomb, where it suddenly dawned on them, the truth He had spoke, they now believed, "He had resurrected."

Now Jesus reveals Himself to Mary Magdalene who was overwhelmed with emotions that she thought he was just the gardner, yet when He said her name, she realized it was her "Teacher."

The other disciples besides Thomas were gathered together hiding in fear of the Jews and suddenly the risen Jesus appeared and said twice to them "Peace to you," and breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit." Jesus demonstrated to them forgiveness and then released them to go and do the same for others.

The reassurance we have of our love to others is coming to them in peace no matter what wrong they have done.  This is only possible by the person of the Holy Spirit who heals us first of our wounds and gives us the ministry of reconciliation.

Now the one disciple who refused to believe that Jesus was resurrected was "doubting Thomas," but Jesus filled with mercy came to Thomas and showed him wanted he needed to see, the marks of the nails in His hands and feet and the mark in His side, and now Thomas believed.

We may have loved ones who refuse to believe no matter what they have heard or witnessed the hope this gives us is that if we believe for them, we can trust that Jesus will reveal Himself, whether it be a vision, dream, creative miracle, whatever it takes, He will make Himself known.  Our God is the master of erasing doubt we just got to follow His lead and trust Him.

People go through so much pain and suffering in this world our call is to be vessels that He can use to reassure others of His love.  Yet, it first starts with us, ask the Father to wrap you in His arms and fill you with His love right now!

AND THE WINNER IS? ( 1 JOHN 5, 2 JOHN, 3 JOHN)11/5/2020
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The title may have pulled you in thinking I am going to talk politics considering we still don't yet know the results of the election this Thursday, November 5th, 2020, two days after the election. Well, I am going to talk about something much bigger than who wins the American Presidency. It is who wins in life in light of eternity.

The death and resurrection of Jesus gave Him victory over sin and death. We who believe this have joined Him in His victory. We are victorious, we are winners both in this life and the life to come. Here in 1 John 5, it tells us how we walk out this victory through our love for God seen in our obedience to His commands. Being under command seems like being under control, but being on the winner's side means enjoying victory by trusting that the King of kings knows what's best.

We don't need to worry about our future, to see how it all plays out, hoping that in the end, we win! No, we already won! As it says in 1 John 5:4-5 we are now born of God and have conquered the world through our faith. I hope each of you prayed who to vote for but no matter how it turns out we who are in Christ are victorious. Our lives are in God's hands and He is always working on our behalf.

Winning breeds confidence! We who understand our identity in Christ are confident. We can walk with our heads up, knowing our present and future is bright no matter what is going on around us. We see in verse 14, "that the confidence we now have is that whatever we ask according to His will, He hears, and we will have it!" Our duties as the victorious ones are to know the will of the Father and to pray it forth so that the Kingdom of Heaven advances on the earth. We are not to just parade around that we won, we are to establish Christ's victory by destroying the works of Satan through our obedience to His commands.

We can expect those on the losing side, to walk-in shame, guilt, disappointment, anger, and be full of wage. The cool thing with God's mercy is that losers can join the winning team by simply believing in Jesus Christ as the Son of God. Our job, therefore, is not to rub it in, but to draw them in. This is done through prayer and acts of love! We see this command in 2 John verse 6 "and this is love: that we walk according to His command. This is the command as you have heard it from the beginning: you must walk in love." The key element to obeying this command is daily spiritual renewal, we must receive God's love in order to give His love. As in says in 3 John verse 2, "I pray that you may prosper in every way and be in good health just as you are spiritually."
WHAT'S LOVE GOD TO DO WITH IT?  EVERYTHING! (1 JOHN 3-4)10/28/2020
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1 John 3
People get in relationships for all types of reasons and love is not always the reason. Now one may say they love the other but that word is often used as a tool to manipulate. People of the world don't even know what love truly is so they will use the word not even knowing that their motive for saying it is impure. As the Tina Turner song says "What's love got to do with it?" Well, for those in Christ; everything!

1 John 3:1-3 says "it is the great love of God that we are called His children, and we are being purified until we become like Him." It is not by works that we are transformed it is by the love of God. In this world, you have to earn someone's love by your performance in Christ we are loved simply because God is love.

How can we tell who is a child of God and who is not? The love factor! Those who do not know God, sin, continually, for they are of the Devil. Those who do know God do not sin, for they are righteous, they don't produce evil but destroy it. To know God is to know love, to know love is to do what is right. Those who do not know God cannot know love and therefore will behave in the opposite of love which is hate, and to hate, is to steal, kill, and destroy, which is very the nature of evil.

It is Christ's love in laying down His life for us that has set the example for us to follow. Love is known through action! If we have received God's love we will be transformed and likewise, give our lives for others. As 1 John 3:18 says "we must not love in word or speech but with truth and action. Love is the force within that moves us into obedience where we step out in God's call by serving those He has put before us with compassion.

The charge, therefore, is to ask the Lord to be filled with His love, for it is the only way to come out of sin and live a righteous, God-centered life.

1 John 4
Like I said from the previous devotion, people get in a relationship for numerous reasons and love is not always at the top of the list. One may say they love you but love is more than a word it must be backed up with action. There are three forms of love, Phileo which is friendship-based love, Eros which is sensual-based love, and then Agape which is unconditional love. The world can experience the first two but without God, they cannot experience the third for that love comes from Him. The love of the world will never satisfy the longing for the complete full expression of love which includes Agape. No matter how great a man or woman you are in a relationship with if they do not know the love of God, the love they offer you is limited and will never be enough.

Here in 1 John 4 John is writing to help fellow believers discern between the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. He is telling them that they need to test the spirits. Just like when someone introduces their boyfriend or girlfriend to their parents and the parents test the individual if they are worthy of their child so God wants us to test the people we are in a relationship with. Just because someone says they are a Christian and use the name of Jesus does not mean they are operating in the right spirit.

A group called the Gnostics was spreading a message that denied the humanity of Jesus and John was writing in response. The Gnostics were speaking as if they were hearing from the Holy Spirit, but they were as John says in verse 3 speaking under the influence of the spirit of the antichrist. This spirit is cunning it doesn't blatantly deny Jesus Christ we must really listen and discern or we will be deceived just like Adam and Eve with twisted truth. We who know God have been given discernment, anything that doesn't sit well in our spirit we must question, for those who know God listen to the truth and those who do not love listening to lies.

So what does love got to do with it? Everything! If Jesus did not die as a human then we are still lost in our sin. The Gnostics denied the humanity of Jesus so they had not received Him, therefore they did not know God's love, and if they were truly observed that would be clear. It is by the fruit that we shall know them. God's children are marked by love the Devil's children are marked by hate. We will see through the rest of this chapter that those who know God, know love.

We can see who is born of God as it says in verses seven and eight by love. God's nature is love so therefore anyone born from Him will have in them the nature of His love. The way God displayed His love towards us was in sending to us His only Son so that we might live through Him. Love is displayed in sacrifice and that is what God did. It is through this love that sin is defeated. Sin defined is separation from God, but by us confessing that Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice for our sins, relationship with God is restored and through that relationship, sin is overcome. It is the love of God that saved us, it is the love of God that keeps us, it is through this love that we remain in Him.

How do we know we are growing in His love? The lack of fear! As it says in verse 18 "perfect love casts out fear." This year has been a reality check for the church it has been the opportunity to see the condition of our heart! Are we people of faith or people of fear? Do we truly know God or not? If we have fear then His love has not yet been perfected in us. When someone builds something that can easily fall apart they need to start over again. Some of us need to start over again with God, to make sure we truly gave Him our heart, and ask Him to help us trust Him and to grow in faith.

Another love test is how we treat others! If we have received the love of God then we love others, no excuses! If there is hate in our hearts for others no matter who they are, whether democrat or republican, black or white, rich or poor, if we lack love for them then we have not been perfected in God's love.

So fear and hate are the commonalities of those who do not know God! You can go to church all you want and serve in whatever capacity but if these works of the flesh are habitually present in your life then you need to come running to God for salvation and deliverance. So what does love got to do with it? Everything!
SEEING THROUGH (1 JOHN 2)10/15/2020
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It is important to know John's audience before trying to understand what he is saying. He was writing to believers so that they would not be deceived by the Gnostic teaching that was spreading. This teaching was based on special knowledge of Jesus that denied his humanity. People that are intimate with the Lord see through the lies of the pretenders. 1 John 2 will help give us discernment so that we are not fooled by these wordsmiths.

Someone can use the name of God and say they believe all they want but if they, as it says in verse 4, do not obey His commands they are a liar. To know God is to walk with God, to walk with God is to obey Him. Christianity is based on intimacy, head knowledge will not cut it, knowing about God, and knowing God are two different worlds. If all you do is know about God and do not know God, whatever you think you know, you are deceived.

To recognize who really knows God we must not just listen to what they say but observe how they live. Those who walk with God reflect Him. Since God is love those who do not love but hate others are not of the light but are of darkness (vs. 9). These Gnostics who had this so-called special knowledge of God also had bad attitudes full of pride and hate. American History regarding Christians is marked by those who owned slaves, raped and murdered Native Americans, etc. We got to remember titles don't mean anything action is what should be the factor of credibility. Those who love are of God and those who hate are of the Devil. You cannot walk far with God and remain prejudice, it is impossible, the closer you get to God the more you change.
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Those of the world as it describes in 1 John 2:15-17, have a lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and a pride of life, claim whatever group they want to be a part of, but it is clear to define those of the world and those of the Word by the life they live. We are to judge everything by the fruit, those who are intimate with the Lord reflect the light, those who are of the world reflect darkness. We need to be able to see through and not be deceived, the bible says in the latter days that even the elect will be deceived. God's charge to each of us today is to walk close to Him, to know and obey His Word so that we can truly see and not be spiritually blind.


EXPERIENCE (1 JOHN 1)10/9/2020
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People can say whatever they want about someone but only those who really know the person is credible. John here in 1 John 1 is writing in response to certain Gnostic teaching. The word gnostic means special knowledge, nothing wrong with that, but some people believed they had special knowledge of God that conflicted with the teachings of Jesus and the Apostles.
Experiential knowledge trumps just mere head knowledge. You can talk all you want about someone but if you don't have an intimate relationship with them you don't really know them. John and the disciples knew Jesus not just mystically but personally, they had seen Him with their own eyes, touched Him, witnessed His works, and heard His teachings. If anyone could reveal Jesus it was His disciples.

There are modern-day Gnostics who act as if they have special knowledge of God that no one else has. We can encounter the Lord and have supernatural experiences but if what we see and hear does not line up with those who wrote the Word of God through their own personal experience then it is not of God. There is nothing new under the sun, there is no special knowledge that is found outside of the Word of God. We may discover something new in the Word of God that we individually have not understood before but that is not Gnosticism.

One way you can tell someone walks with Jesus is through their lifestyle. We should not just listen to what someone says or watch how gifted they may be, it is the way that someone conducts themselves that reveal who they really are. There are a lot of wordsmiths out there and we are not to be fooled by them. God is light and His children walk in the light. Not that we are yet perfect but when we mess up we do as it says in verse nine, we confess our sins, and then Jesus forgives us and washes us clean.
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Some Gnostics believed that because of their secret knowledge they lived above sin. As it says here in 1 John 1, all people have sinned, and continue to sin, the difference with a believer is they don't have to stay dirty, they go to God in repentance and come out changed. We are being perfected but it is a lifelong process. Some people talk a good game as if they know God so well and are so holy but yet they have a hidden life of darkness. Those who truly know God are marked with humility when you are around them they don't make you feel less than but rather loved unconditionally.

REESTABLISHED (JOHN 21)10/1/2020
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It is in our human nature to revert back to what we are accustomed too when things do not pan out the way we thought and we don't know what to do next. This is exactly what we see here in the last chapter of John. The disciples even after seeing the Resurrected Jesus went back to doing what some of them were used to doing, fish! They were supposed to be waiting in Jerusalem for what Jesus promised them, the person of the Holy Spirit to come but instead, they went back to Galilee to fish on the Sea of Tiberias.
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While these disciples were out fishing and daybreak came someone called out to them "cast the net on the right side of the boat." The disciples followed suit and caught so many fish they weren't able to haul them all in, it finally dawned on them that the man who told them to do so was Jesus. Peter now plunged into the water with excitement to meet His Lord!

This demonstration should have reminded the disciples of their original call to be fishers of men but Jesus still had to break it down and reestablish the call of God so they could respond in obedience. Jesus had used fish and bread often in teaching them lessons, from the catching of fish to the feeding of the multitudes to taking communion right before His death.

The bread symbolizes the body of Christ as well as the Word of life. The fish represent the people of this world. Discipleship is the call! To reach the world, the Word is the bait, as we deliver the Word those who respond to it are now caught and we are now responsible to help them grow in their relationship with the Lord through discipleship.

Jesus asks Peter, "do you love Me more than these, then feed my sheep, He asks again but then says feed my lambs, and then a third time and He says Shepherd my sheep." Peter responded each time with yes but was hurt that Jesus had to even ask. Then Jesus reveals to Peter prophetically that he will one day be martyred for His faith.

Jesus was reestablishing the call of God on Peter's life after he had denied Him three times, this was necessary for His Healing even though it hurt. This is not just the call for Peter who is a spiritual symbol of the Church because of His confession of Jesus as Lord and Savior but also for all believers to follow the same. Love is not just a four-letter word it is a verb meaning it is to be active. So to say we love Jesus is to obey what He commanded. Our main responsibility like Peter and the disciples is to win souls and disciple them.

The question is how much love are we displaying towards Jesus through our actions?

Peter after hearing Jesus focuses now on Judas the betrayer, and what is to come of him. Jesus told him, "what is that to you?" Jesus was directing Peter and the disciples as He is directing us as His disciples, focus not on what others are doing or not doing but on what we are supposed to do, and that is to answer the call, to make disciples.

Mothers are known for their sacrificial love for their family! A mother's identity is giving, they give, then give, and continue to give hardly ever thinking of themselves. I can see how weary it can be sometimes to be a mother, or even a woman in general so much is expected of them regarding the family. They often don't feel appreciated, instead used, and often abused. I have learned over the years to be much more aware of my wife's sacrifices and try to assist her so that we carry the responsibilities of our lives equally together.

If anyone can understand the crucified life it is a woman. When Jesus was being crucified only one of his male disciples stood by His side the rest of them were women. Men often run from self-sacrifice while women embrace it! Yet, in Christ, all of His disciples are called to lay down their life. Jesus went through with the cross because He knew it was the Father's will. Nobody likes to suffer but when suffering is necessary for our loved ones we gain the strength to endure.

Many people suffer unnecessarily because they take on burdens that they were never asked by God to carry! Women should not be used and abused just because they are women and it is expected of them. Women are called equally with men to take up the cross and follow Him. The cross of Christ brings redemption, it transforms hearts, changes the world. When God is in the suffering, Glory follows! When people share suffering together that is when a whole different level of intimacy is experienced.

Jesus could have commanded a legion of angels to rescue Him from suffering but it was the will of God for Him to suffer, die, and be resurrected for the salvation of mankind. Those who are intimate with the Lord discern what suffering in life is on the path of God and which is to take us off His path. That is why in John 19:11 when Pilate told Jesus that he has the power to release him from this suffering, Jesus said "you would have no power over me at all unless it were given to you from above."

What this means is that unlawful suffering such as with domestic violence is not to be tolerated. It is not the suffering of the Lord, it is evil, wrong, and we are to get free of it! Yes, Jesus did no wrong, and yet had to suffer! Yet, He was called to be the perfect sacrifice for the sins of mankind. What He did was done once and for all! The suffering we are now called to endure is the suffering of laying down our lives for the better good of those whom God has placed before us. Putting their needs above our own! It is spirit-led and not flesh driven, meaning it isn't out of obligation but out of love and obedience.

If we do not discern God's will in a situation then we will base everything on what seems to be right and wrong. The problem being is things often are not what they appear to be. The world is full of deception it is all over the airwaves! We may be fighting for a cause and yet aligned more with the enemy than we are the Lord simply because we are not walking in discernment. Jesus knew despite being innocent that He was to die for the sins of mankind, so He didn't try to defend Himself when He was mocked and lied about. In some situations the right response is silence, God is at work, and He will turn everything back on the enemy's head, so, we are to just face suffering trusting God that He knows what He is doing!

When we are not healed we look through the lens of our pain and are emotionally driven rather than spirit-led. We think we are on the side of what's right but actually on the side of dead wrong. Hurting people, hurt people, and often unintentionally. It is so important that we are allowing the Lord to cut and prune the garden of our hearts daily, or we may live a lie. We will be giving, giving, giving, and for all the wrong reasons.
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The crucified life is not one of being used and abused by everyone about everything, it is a life of abandonment to the will of God. In this life it brings suffering at times, yet, when God is in it, He carries the cross just like Joseph did with Jesus, and uses all things for good! When you are intimate with someone you want to share in their suffering and thus it is for true lovers of God.