The End

Well here we are at the end of our 7 week journey.

Thanks to everyone who read through John with a seeking heart. Thanks to those who posted on the blog and also for those who left comments. Until next time...

2 John

If there was any possible doubt about John's emphasis on LOVE as being the key to following Jesus after studying his gospel and then first letter it is quickly dispelled after reading his brief second letter.

"Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning." (v6)

Interestingly, he squeezes his thoughts on love between sections on TRUTH and anti-truth, ie false teachers. By doing so, it is as if John is stressing that, if our focus remains on love, our faith, and our expression of it, will remain a practical one. When the practical focus is lost we slip back into an intellectual mindset, which is far more prone to being swayed by false teachings and not consistent with having "the faith of a child".

This is what I believe John means when he writes "For if you wander beyond the teaching of Christ........." (v9) When we start to intellectualise Scripture, doubts creep in, verses start being taken out of context, we start to listen to the misguided opinions of others.

Living in truth and love go hand in hand and will ensure we keep focussed on the goal.

1 John 5

It's all about Jesus!! It's all about love!!

Jesus Christ has been revealed as THE Son of God. LIFE is in Jesus and only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God can win this battle against the world.

Today is Christmas eve. What are you doing today? How is your belief in Jesus as the Son of God impacting the way you are living your life this week?

I watched a DVD last night called The End of The Spear. The missionaries in this movie believed that Jesus is the Son of God. This truth impacted their life so much that they were willing to die to take this message of love and truth to a tribe in Equador. It makes me think...

1 John 4

So is everyone having a busy week?? :)

REAL LOVE!! What is it?? We were introduced to this in chapter 3 v 16 where it says we know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. And we also should give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.

Then in chapter 4 verse 10 this message is repeated. Real love is not that we loved God but that he loved us and demonstrated this by sending his son as a sacrifice. At the end of the day it really is all about love... but not a schmalzy type of love that makes us feel good - this is a love that really sacrifices for the benefit of others.

In verse 16 God is equated again with love, and we are encouraged to trust in his love.

In verse 17 we are given the solution to how we grow more perfect in our love each day.

Then in verse 18 we are told the cure for fear: perfect love!

May this chapter encourage us not only to discuss the meaning of "love" but to radically live it!!!

1 John 3

Some scriptures I find comforting. Some I find confronting.

I have to admit I have found John’s Gospel this time round to be very confronting.

I am confronted by Jesus goodness in the midst of opposition.

He is meek, but not mild.

He is loving and firm.

He is strong and yet so gentle.

In many ways John’s thinking is summed up in verse 1.

Behold, how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! For this cause the world doesn’t know us, because it didn’t know him.

In the modern vernacular this is stated as, “Who’s your daddy?”

In our culture this is viewed as demeaning.

Who owns you?

Who governs you?

Who calls you to account?

In the John's world, this is stated as, “Do you live as your older brother lived?” Totally submitted to your Father? Warring against sin and evil? Hated by the world? Loved by the Father!

There is nothing sadder to me then children who dishonour their parents. Kid’s have good and bad days. They have hassles. They struggle to submit. But, at the heart of it, I always look to whether they honour their parents. Is their respect? Is their love? Is their gratitude?

To paraphrase John, if someone looked at our lives, could they answer with certainty, “Who’s your daddy?”

1 John 2: "Liar,liar!"

This whole chapter put me in mind of the Jim Carey movie, "Liar, Liar!". In it you may recall how Carey's character continually lies to his son about how much he loves him, pretending to care while pursuing the material things of this world. It is only at the point of loosing his son forever that the father has a "Hollywood epiphany", and realises that there are things that transcend the promises of the world.

Now "Liar, Liar!" is hardly a spiritual movie yet in its own dim way it echoes what John is talking about here; what are our own lies putting at risk in our walk with Jesus? For the word 'liar' is repeated again and again in this chapter, and indeed the whole letter.

1Jn1: 6 - "If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in the

darkness, we lie, and do not have the truth."

1Jn1:10 - "If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His

word is not in us."

1Jn2: 4 - " He who says, 'I know Him', and does not keep His commandments

i s a liar and the truth is not in him."

1Jn2: 9 - "He that says that he is in the light and yet hates his brother is

a liar and in darkness even now."

1Jn2: 22a - "Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ..."

Well, you get the picture. John also points out the character of those that are not living a lie. They are those, "...who abide in Him and walk even as He walked..." (1Jn2:6), and those that, "Do the will of the Father..." (1Jn2:17). The measure of our love of God is measured by how much we love others (by actions), and how much we resist the temptations of this world.

Now, we all sin and when we do, we deny Christ (at least that is the way I see it) and we become liars. We cannot continue to surrender to sin; and God's forgiveness (as promised in 1Jn1:9) should spur us on to stay true to Him.

Mother Theresa once said that "Faith is love in action." May we be more faithful by being more active, not trusting in our works, but knowing that they please Him who is our Lord and master.

Shalom,

JB

1 John 1

We are now on to our final week of our 56 day journey and we will spend this week reading through the 3 letters from John: 1 chapter per day until we conclude our journey by reading 3 John on Saturday 26th December.

If you have struggled with any of the 4 components of this journey then I encourage you to go out with a bang this week! Pray your way slowly through these letters until the message find its way into your spirit and really messes with your life - in a good way!! Let us show Jesus how much we love him this week - may we seek him above everything else in our life. And this is your final chance to share some of your insights and experiences on this blog. I want to thank everyone who has shared over the 7 weeks so far and encourage those who have been a bit shy to let us know how the journey has been for you :)

And now to the first chapter of 1 John. I feel like I am back at the beginning of John's gospel again with the Word and the light. Anyway, the key for me here is that we need to "live in the light", every day, all the time, not trying to hide our sin, not following the ways of the world, not trying to walk with one foot in the light and one foot in darkness. If we say with our mouths that we are walking with God but our lives tell a different story then according to this chapter we are lying.

Let us encourage each other to be brutally honest with God and each other and invite his light to shine on all parts of our lives. Let us encourage each other to embrace this light which not only exposes us for who we are but also lights the way. May we find "real life" and great joy from walking in the light!!