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1 John 4:7-5:21; 2 John 1:1-13; 3 John 1:1-15<\/strong><\/span> First John:<\/strong>1 John 4 Verses 7 through 21 are incredible verses on LOVE! A fun Bible fact for you here \u2013 the word love appears 43 times in First John overall \u2013 and 32 times in the short section of 4:7 through 5:3.\u00a0 We\u2019re in the Christian love section here! \ud83d\ude42\u00a0 Certainly verses 9 & 10 here are well worth each of us reflecting upon: \u201cGod showed how much he loved us by sending his only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.\u00a0 This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Do you believe these verses to be true?\u00a0 Do these verses maybe remind you of a similar verse John wrote in his Gospel?\u00a0 John 3:16 \u2013 \u201cFor God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 It is awesome that we have these verses to reflect upon \u2013 along with Daniel chapter 12 verse 2 above.\u00a0 \u00a0See any ties between these verses from the Old & New Testaments regarding eternal life?<\/span><\/p>\n We finish the book of First John this today!\u00a0 What a great book it has been for me this year.\u00a0 I hope it has been a blessing for you as well.\u00a0 Verses 3 & 4 in 1 John chapter 5 are powerful: \u201cLoving God means keeping his commandments, and really, that isn\u2019t difficult. For every child of God defeats this evil world by trusting Christ to give the victory.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Do you love God by keeping his commandments?\u00a0 Do you trust Jesus to give you the victory over evil in this world?\u00a0 Does your trust in Jesus make keeping God\u2019s commandments not difficult? <\/span><\/p>\n Verses 14 & 15 are good reflections on how we should pray \u2013 and that we should pray: \u201cAnd we can be confident that he will listen to us whenever we ask him for anything in line with his will. And if we know he is listening when we make our requests, we can be sure that he will give us what we ask for.\u201d <\/em>Do you pray confidently, asking God for things that are in line with his will?\u00a0 Do you know that God is listening to your prayers?\u00a0 Are you sure that he will give you what you ask for, if it is in line with his will? <\/span><\/p>\n And verse 21 is a powerful end to this book of 1 John: \u201cDear children, keep away from anything that might take God\u2019s place in your hearts.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Is there anything in your life that might take the place of God in your heart?\u00a0 Will you turn this idol over to God?\u00a0 Will you keep away from this idol?\u00a0 Will you allow God to take the primary place in your heart and your mind?<\/span><\/p>\n Second John:<\/strong> Today we read through the very short letter of Second John!\u00a0 This letter, like First John, was written by one of Jesus\u2019 12 disciples, John son of Zebedee \u2013 who also wrote the Gospel of John and the book of Revelation.\u00a0 This letter was essentially written to continue to dispel Gnosticism, which was a twisting of Christianity \u2013 it basically meant salvation through knowledge (gnosis is Greek for knowledge).\u00a0 Gnostic teachers were traveling throughout the land at the time this letter was written, and this letter warns people to not encourage this false teaching in any way.\u00a0 Below is an image made of wood from the 17th century of the Apostle John and scenes from his life:<\/span><\/p>\n ~ Second John ~<\/strong> Verses 5 & 6 certainly stand out in this short letter: \u201cAnd now I want to urge you, dear lady, that we should love one another. This is not a new commandment, but one we had from the beginning. Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning.\u201d<\/em> Are you loving others frequently & consistently in your life?\u00a0 Do you demonstrate love for others consistently?\u00a0 Do you love God\u2019s commands?\u00a0 Do you love others as Jesus loved you?<\/span><\/p>\n Third John: <\/strong> Today we start and finish the book of Third John!\u00a0 Yes, it is quite a lengthy letter\u2026\u00a0 \ud83d\ude42\u00a0 This letter, like the 2 before it were written by the disciple John in about 85 to 95 A.D.\u00a0 The purpose of this letter is actually somewhat the opposite of the purpose of Second John.\u00a0 In Second John \u2013 see yesterday\u2019s post below \u2013 we learned that John was warning against providing hospitality to traveling false teachers.\u00a0 In Third John, John is asking Gaius to show hospitality to traveling teachers \u2013 but teachers that are teaching the truth.\u00a0 The unfortunate aspect of today\u2019s letter is that there is a bit of a dictator leading the local church named Diotrephes who is not welcoming in traveling teachers who teach the truth \u2013 the Gospel.\u00a0 So, I think we can learn from Second John & Third John that hospitality is obviously a very good thing \u2013 though, we should exercise caution with hospitality when there is danger of propagating a false teaching.<\/span><\/p>\n ~ Third John ~<\/strong> Verse 11 stands out in this letter, following John\u2019s writing about Diotrephes behavior \u2013 \u201cDear friend, don\u2019t let this bad example influence you. Follow only what is good. Remember that those who do good prove that they are God\u2019s children, and those who do evil prove that they do not know God.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 \u00a0Do we have examples of good and bad leaders in our life?\u00a0 Do we follow only the example of the good?\u00a0 Do you believe following the example of people doing good is proof that we are children of God?<\/span><\/p>\n YouTube \u2013 <\/strong>Today\u2019s readings in First John remind me of the Third Day song \u201cYou Are Mine:\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
~ Click here to read today\u2019s Scripture on Bible Gateway ~<\/span><\/em>
~ Listen to today\u2019s Scripture with <\/em>The ESV Bible<\/em><\/span> ~<\/p>\n
Author<\/span>: John the apostle
Place<\/span>: Uncertain, probably Ephesus
Date<\/span>: A.D. 85-95
Content<\/span>: This short letter was written either to a Christian woman whom John knew or to a church personified as a woman. In any case, it was written to encourage true Christian love and to warn against the deceivers who were coming into the world. John charges the believers not to participate in their evil, but to stand for the truth no matter what that cost.
Theme<\/span>: The need for Christians to be alert and diligent when it comes to false doctrine is the theme of this letter. We must be aware that false doctrine exists and we must be ready to deal with it, if confronted. All the while, however, we must live out the love of God in our lives. (Above commentary is from Tyndale Publishers <\/em>\u201cThe One Year Bible Companion\u201d<\/em> p. 34)<\/em> A great overview of Second John by Daniel Wallace is at bible.org <\/span>at this link. <\/span><\/p>\n
Author<\/span>: John the apostle
Place<\/span>: Uncertain, probably Ephesus
Date<\/span>: A.D. 85-95
Content:<\/span> This short letter is a personal note from John the apostle to his friend Gauis, encouraging him to support the traveling evangelists who are preaching the truth. He warns Gauis against such men as Diotrephes who refuse to help in spreading the gospel and commends others, such as Demetrius, for helping.
Theme<\/span>: Christians are to support one another in the work of Christ. Not to do so is the work of Satan, who seeks to destroy the believers. John stresses that all believers are bound together as Christians and should work for the common good of all. (Above commentary is from Tyndale Publishers <\/em>\u201cThe One Year Bible Companion\u201d<\/em> p. 34)<\/em> A great overview of Third John by Daniel Wallace is <\/span>at this link<\/span>.\u00a0 Below is a marble statue of John by the artist Donatello from the year 1410 \u2013 <\/span><\/p>\n