Jude
3 John - QT by KC
3 John
"I sent a brief letter to the church about this, but Diotrephes, who loves to be the leader, does not acknowledge our authority. when I come, I will report some of the things he is doing and the wicked things he is saying about us. He not only refuses to welcome the traveling teachers, he also tells others not to help them. And when they do help, he puts them out of the church." vs.9-10
John talks about three different individuals in this letter. He is writing to Gaius and thanks him for his faithfulness and living in the truth. He loves to take care of traveling teachers, even though they are complete strangers. It's great to see someone like Gaius who opens his home to give these tired Christian leaders faithfully serving God, a good home cooked meal and a place to stay. I'm sure Gaius is also blessed to hear all about the adventures of these travelers. Demetrius is another person John commended for speaking the truth. In verse 12, it states that everyone spoke highly of Dememtrius. The truth, when spoken with the love of God, is exactly what all of us needs. That's why it's good to have close friend who will be like a Demetrius in our lives. Then you have the opposite, but sadly it's another professing Christian and in this case, one of the leaders of the church. Diotrephes, seems to be not just be a leader, but very influential to the decisions of the church. I understand that churches has some members that are either wealthy or has lots of power or both. Sometimes the church relies on these people because, in their minds, without them, the church will not continue. I don't believe this is the attitude we should have especially when the church is founded by God and all authority must be given to Him. Once again, I could only imagine all the complex moving parts of keeping a church open and maintaining it. That being said, a church should quickly deal with people like Diotrephes who controls the church and even the members. The church should have strict guidelines in choosing leaders, including pastors, but also make sure these leaders are let go if they over state their boundaries. It's so important to see how these potential leaders believe, how they live, and how they treat their family and others. We read that Diotrephes treated these traveling teachers poorly and even kicked out members of the church that helped these teachers. I'm not sure if the pastor of this church got involved, but it is telling that John wrote this letter to Gaius and not the pastor. When following God in regards to the His church, we have to make hard decisions and sometimes, it may mean losing members or even losing the church building. The good news is God's plan are always best. It may take longer than expected and the results may not be what we wanted, but as time goes by we will see that God's way were truly the best way.
2 John - QT by KC
2 John
"Many deceivers have gone out into the world. They do not believe that Jesus Christ came to earth in a real body. Such a person is a deceiver and an Antichrist. Watch out, so that you do not lose the prize for which we have been working so hard. Be diligent so that you will receive your full reward" Vs. 17-18
My Study Bible states for vs. 7 that back in the time of John, there were false teachers that taught spirit was good and matter was evil. Then they carried this argument to state Jesus could not have been both God and man. It sounds logical but just because it sounds right doesn't make it right. This is how people can twist words to accomplish their goals. They might even use the right words but have different meanings. This is the danger of just hearing someone. We might easily follow their deceptive teachings and little by little lose the rewards God has given to us. One of the rewards we have now is Joy and that can turn quickly to sorrow when we discover what we so easily believed is actually false teaching. But how do we find out? The Holy Spirit that comes into us when we accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord will always lead us to God and His truth. We need to be grounded in the word of God, the bible, and live according to it. We need to closely examine the teacher and see how he or she lives. That will show what that teacher really believes about Jesus. Look to God and not to man.
1 John 5:13-21 - QT by KC
1 John 5:13-21
"Every wrong is sin, but not all sin leads to death. We know that those who have become part of God's family do not make a practice of sinning, for God's son hods them securely and the evil one can not get his hands on them." Vs. 17-18
Sin is only a three letter word but it's the most unpleasant word. We are introduced to sin right away in Genesis 3. We see that satan was disguised as a serpent and we see that it is the shrewdest of all the creatures God has made. Satan goes to Eve and tempts her to eat the forbidden fruit. Eve then convinces Adam to eat the fruit as well. In that moment satan successfully helped them to commit sin. It was disobeying God when no sin was even around. Now we have sin running rampant all around this world. A separation from God and people. That separation continues even now but God has successfully given us the cure in Jesus Christ who takes away our sins. The complicated sin that "lead to death" seems to indicate a person not only practicing sin but have decided to fully embrace that lifestyle, give into it's evil desire, and completely reject God and his gift. In another words, they have chosen to follow satan and make him their master. We even have the church of satan with it's own bible. John says in vs. 16 "I am not saying you should pray for those who commit it", but rarely, we do see these individuals turn to God. That is a total God thing. We should thank God because even these people, God doesn't give up on.
1 John 5:6-12 - QT by KC
1 John 5:6-12
"All who believe in the Son of God know that this is true. Those who don't believe this are actually calling God a liar because they don't believe what God has testified about His Son. And this is what God testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. So whoever has God's son has life; whoever does not have His Son does not have life." Vs. 10-12
When a company guarantees a product, it's great at first but you quickly understand how great it is when you use it. Many time the process is unpleasant and when you finally talk to someone, they tell you they will either investigate or the refund will take sometimes a couple months to receive. Costco seems to understand this and for most of their products, has a no question money back policy. God has given us a better guarantee that we can use now. He said those who has God's Son, the one and only Jesus Christ, has eternal life and those who don't don't have life. It's that simple. Nothing and no one can save us except Jesus. Jesus clearly revealed that He is the Son of God from Baptism by John the Baptist and His sacrifice on the cross by shedding His blood for our sins. The Holy Spirit also confirms it by placing a seal with our soul that Jesus is truly God's Son. God's guarantee is great than all others. It's so powerful that Christians don't have to wait til we die to know that we are going to Heaven, but are already saved now. It's all because of Jesus and what's He's done for us. That should give you complete confidence that if anything were to happen to you here on earth, instantly you are in heaven. Now that's a true guarantee.
1 John 5:1-5 - QT by KC
1 John 5:1-5
"Loving God means keeping His commandments, and really, that isn't difficult. For every child of God defeats this evil world by trusting Christ to give the victory. And the ones who win this battle against the word are the ones who believe that Jesus is the Son of God." vs. 3-5
When this battle of children of God and children of Satan is over, there will be a clear winner. Throughout the bible it talks about the Christians, those that believe Jesus is the Son of God, winning this war. They did it because they trusted Christ Jesus to give them the victory. It's hard to believe this at the present age because it seems impossible to overcome all the powerful evil people and their giant companies. They keep pushing their agenda to take God out of everything in this world. they will one day attack followers of God. It appears we are defenseless and powerless, but then we realize nothing can happen to us unless it's all part of God's holy plan. That brings hope and comfort. We don't need to be arrogant about this and really there's nothing for us to be like that since it's all God and not us. We are instead to love God by keeping His commandments found in the bible and love others, especially children of God. As we do this daily we will notice little by little God winning this war.
1 John 4:12-21 - QT by KC
1 John 4:12-21
"We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in Him. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgement, but we can face Him with confidence because we are like Christ here in this world." vs.16-17
Love is a powerful word. It has many different meanings but if it is God's love, it's just one. God showed His love by sending His beloved Son to us. He took the first step, even though we are undeserving. This is the reason why we trust in Him. It is also an example to follow. Showing a proactive unconditional no strings attached love causes others to trust in us. this is the true definition of love and it is a love that we can not produce but only comes from God. When we Christians live in love, that's when we are truly living in God. God confirms this by this powerful love growing as we keep practicing it. Instead of all the news or anything else we can talk about, the most powerful thing we can do now is to share the love of God. As we live in God's love, the people around us begins to treat us as children of God. Not all will be positive, but we are also acting as messengers notifying everyone the end will come.
1 John 4:7-11 - QT by KC
1 John 4:7-11
"God showed how much he loved us by sending His only Son in to the world so that we might have eternal life through Him. 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 sin." vs.9-10
What is true love? Many people will have many different answers but are they the right answers? Some people can say it's all subjective, but is it really? I think the correct answer is we really don't know or understand true love. It goes beyond anything we can achieve here on earth. It goes to a level that only God can give. His love is not conditional but He loves with action even thought there is not the proper reaction back to Him. He willingly knowing everything that will happen to Jesus as He became man still sacrificed His Son to take away all of our sins. He accomplished His goal to save us even when the world hated Him and still does. His love continues even though our love for Him is off and on. No one understands God's love and He doesn't expect anyone to even come close. Yet there is a beauty in Christians showing even a small sample of God's love. Once again that love that we show is off and on but when it's on we see the glory of God. It causes us to look forward to heaven.
1 John 4:1-6 - QT by KC
1 John 4:1-6
"But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won your fight with these false prophets because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. These people belong to this world, so they speak from the world's viewpoint, and the world listens to them. But we belong to God: that is why those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception." vs.4-6
There are two sides and everyone fits into them. One group of people belong to this world and they speak from the world's viewpoint. Other people in the world that listens to them and understands them also belong to this world. Some of the people are in the church. They are false prophets that deceives others to tell them what we would like to hear. No one like hardship, trials, or testing, so these deceivers don't talk about these but cleverly tells us how much of this world God will give to us. One of my favorite Christian songs has a line that says "Are you tired of chasing pretty rainbows". The second verse of the song says, "He never said there'd be no rain, He only promised a heart full of singing about the very thing that once brought pain." The other group are those that belongs to God. they believe Jesus became a human, a claim that these false teachers will deny. They have already won the battle against this world because God is greater.
1 John 3:11-24 - QT by KC
1 John 3:11-24
"Dear children, let us stop just saying we love each other: let us really show it by our actions. It is by our actions that we know we are living in the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before the Lord, even if our hearts condemn us. For God is greater that our hearts, and He knows everything." vs.18-20
We have a powerful mind that are full of memories and emotions. It's amazing how we can go back to a memory especially a painful one, and remember in detail that event. Our mind is even able to remember the sound, smell, touch, taste, and even our painful emotion. God has given this awesome brain for a purpose, but it seems many times we are using it more for evil than good. We have a lot of bad programming that we inputted in our minds and it causes an indifferent cold hearted reaction. Yes, we all have been hurt but it's time we move past this. Verse 20 states our hearts condemn us, but God is greater than our hearts and He knows everything. God can and will navigate our heart, in another words, our minds so we can be confident to stand before God. He will help us to overcome the negative past and non movement, so instead of just saying we love each other, we will show it by genuine action. This will take lots of practice.
1 John 3:7-10 - QT by KC
1 John 3:7-10
"Those who have been born into God's family do not sin, because God's life is in them. So they can't keep on sinning, because they have been born of God." vs.9
It must be discouraging for any Christian to read "they can't keep sinning" because we all sin. It becomes easier to do when you understand the meaning of this. It means "true believers do not make a practice of sinning nor do they become indifferent to God's moral law" (From my study bible - Life Application Bible). It also states in my study bible "All believers still sin, but they are working to gain victory over sin." We are still under construction. In these verses, we are either children of God or children of the Devil (vs. 10). those that keep sinning or make it a practice of sinning and doesn't care about God's moral law belong to the devil (vs.8). Jesus, the Son of God, came to destroy these works of the devil (vs.8) and we that belong to God, need to continue in this work. Those that are under the bondage of Satan are weak and give the Devil a foothold. They struggle with many temptations that are like strong habits hard to conquer. To help destroy these evil works from the Devil, they have to be set free by the power of the Holy Spirit and God's word. They must be reborn and that can only be done by Jesus.
1 John 3:1-6 - QT by KC
1 John 3:1-6
"See how very much our heavenly father loves us, for He allows us to be called His children, and we really are. But the people who belong to the world don't know God, so they don't understand that we are His children. Yes, dear friends, we are already God's children, and we can't even imagine what we will be like when Chris returns. but we do know that when He comes we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He really is." vs.1-2
Having kids of your own is such a delight and a great blessing. I know some people are unable to conceive a child and sadden they can't have kids. I'm sure they will cherish them if it was possible. Having a child is great but you have to raise them us correctly. The biggest way is through example. Eventually, these kids will mirror us. Some times we may not like what we see in a child, but before over reacting, we need to closely examine them to see if in fat, we are seeing ourselves. Our heavenly Father, our Holy God, has allowed us to be called His child. Wow, what a privilege. We can't just call ourselves child of God unless we truly are living as His children. It will cause us to be different and the people of this world, who are not children of God, will not understand us. The greatest recognition for us is to be like Jesus. When the rapture happens, we will all suddenly be like Jesus. Praise God!
1 John 2:24-29 - QT by KC
1 John 2:24-29
"So you must remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do you will continue tot live in fellowship with the Son and with the Father. And in this fellowship we enjoy the eternal life He promised us." vs.24-25
One of the reasons I believe Sunday School is vital for any church is because the bible teachings, song, crafts, and great teachers are impressed in these young innocent less distracted and hungry minds. Eventually these kids grows up and get polluted by the world, but some times they go back in their memories of the joy they had in Sunday School. Some of these young people go back and dedicate fully to God and remain faithful til they die. How wonderful that a simple Sunday School program, often over looked at the church, would have such a profound impact. I was fortunate that God opened the doors for me to teach and lead programs of all ages, but the most effective ministry was Sunday School. They were the most engaging and hungry for more. Many of these kids accepts Jesus in their lives easily. Some of them stays committed even past high school and college. I saw the potential in these young people and allowed them to teach in Sunday School and many of them were great with kids. John saw the same thing and reminds the believers to go back to the teaching from the beginning. If you need a little spark in your Christian walk, go back to the beginning when you first met Jesus. You might also want to visit a Sunday School and see how excited the little kids are about learning the bible.
1 John 2:18-23 - QT by KC
1 John 2:18-23
"And who is the great liar? The one who says that Jesus is not the Christ. such people are Antichrist, for they have denied the Father and the Son." vs.22
These are the final hour before the judgement of God. John wrote, "The last hour is here" and that was about 2,000 years ago. Some might say, "God is not going to bring an end to this world" and point to His massive delay. I'm sure if John was alive now, He too might be surprised this evil world is still here Then again he would also glorify God for His abundance of patience wanting everyone that are suppose to be with God to be saved. John points out the proof of the last days because of the many Antichrist among them. He saw some then but if he was here now, he will see thousands more today. He gives us a clear picture of who these people are and says they are the great liars. They do not fear God and even say Jesus is not the Christ. They flat out deny God the Father and Jesus the Son. These people are no longer at the church because they never belonged there. It's sad to see so many that are Antichrists but then there's hope. We see some that are bright. They have the Holy Spirit in them and knows the truth. They also choose daily to follow the truth instead of false teachings. Because of these strong Christians, we are encouraged and we fight on.
1 John 2:12-17 - QT by KC
1 John 2:12-17
"Stop loving this evil world and all that it offers you, for when you love the world, you sow that you do not have the love of he Father in you. For the world offers only the lust for physical pleasure, the lust for everything we see, and pride in our possessions. these are not from the Father. They are from this evil world." vs.15-16
What would happen if a company could not market their product or service? Most likely they will not sell too many. It's different than like a small mom and pop restaurant. They rely on the taste of their food and service. Once people give that place a try, the next thing is word of mouth. If it's very good, the word about that place spreads and fills the place Usually not enough to expand, but just enough to give it steady business. Marketing enhances something that causes us to desire it for personal pleasure. Satan is the master at marketing because he knows what we want. John understood this and saw Satan attacking us by focusing on our physical pleasures and the lust of everything we see. Then he puts a greedy spirit to cause us to have pride in our possessions. John points out this is not from God, but from this evil world. Verse 17 states, at the end, this world with all of this things we lusted after will fade away, but if we do the will of God, we will live forever.
1 John 2:7-11 - QT by KC
1 John 2:7-11
"Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment, for it is an old one you have always had, right from the beginning. This commandment - to love one another - is the same message you hear before. Yet it is also new. This commandment is true in Christ and is true among you, because the darkness is disappearing and the true light is already shinning." vs.7-8
God's love is amazing and causes us to do things we would normally not do God's love caused the world and the whole universe to be made. He made everything so we, people made in the image of God, can live and thrive. God's love made a tough decision for Jesus, His only Son, to come to this world to save us. We have received this great love and continue to receive it. It is over flowing. We are given more than enough love to share that with others. Even if we gave God's love to everyone in the world, we would have plenty left over. The question is, why do we hoard God's love and refuse to share it with others? The answer is in vs. 9, "we are still living in darkness". Verse 11 goes on to say rejecting other Christians means we are wandering in spiritual darkness. It has made us bind. We should not be so stubborn, but instead be humbled and walk in the light of the free flowing love of God. Let's live a life full of God's love.
1 John 2:1-6 - QT by KC
1 John 2:1-6
"And how can we be sure that we belong to Him? By obeying His commandments. If someone says, "I belong to God", but doesn't obey God's commandments, that person is a liar and does not live in the truth." vs.3-4
Tom Brady, one of my favorite football players of all times, announced his decision to play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He is leaving a team, the New England Patriots, where he has had great success for the past 20 years. He states on Instagram that he is excited, humbled, and hungry. He also states that one of things he learned in football is not what he did yesterday but what he will do today. He goes on to say, he can't just say t but prove it by doing it. With that outlook, I can see him wining more championships. John also saw the same thing in his days for Christians. It's not what people said about how much they love God but their action of obeying God. He was also specific and proclaimed we must obey God's commandments. These are commands that are God's words found in the bible. John says we can be sure we belong to God by showing or proving and living daily in following what God tells us to do. Seems basic, but for some reason Christians are confused. I think John made it clear and simple. It doesn't matter what happened yesterday, but how we show our love for God today.
1 John 1:5-10 - QT by KC
1 John 1:8-9
"If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth. But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from everything"
I believe people have misunderstood about the saving grace of Jesus. People say Jesus has forgiven all of our sins so we don't have to confess our sins. John points out this error and challenges all of us to look at the truth. In verse 6, he makes it clear that if we say we have fellowship with God yet keeps living in spiritual darkness, we are lying. In vs. 8, John says if we say we have no sin we are refusing to accept the truth. Why would someone believe such lies? I believe it's because of bad teaching and not thoroughly studying the scriptures. What's the answer? In verses 5, John says, God is light and there is no darkness in Him. In verse 7, he says, we are to live in the light of God's presence. We are meant to stay in God's presence, but since we have free will, it is our choice. We have to choose God everyday, then we are cleansed from every sin by the blood of Jesus. In verse 9, it goes further to say, we need to confess our sins to God, then He is faithful (we can always count on Him) and just (firm) to forgive us and cleanse us from everything (100%). Let's enjoy God's wonderful and warm presence and decide to never leave.
1 John 1:1-4 - QT by KC
1 John 1:3-4
"We are telling you about what we ourselves have actually seen and heard, so that you may have fellowship with us. An our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that our joy will be complete"
That day when I accepted Jesus was the Greatest day of my life. I'm sure it was for most people, but if that is true, are we excited to talk bout that experience with other so they too can accept Jesus? If not, why? We can talk about how we met our spouse with such joy that it sounds like it happened just yesterday. We can talk about the great bargain we just got and how we did it. I find it easy to talk about the great deal we got for our house and what it's worth now. Now when it comes to Jesus, I understand it can be uncomfortable to talk about Him, because a person may be offended. Are we offended by Jesus? Are we embarrassed by Him? Why would we be when He saved us and gave us life? It's time we moved passed what others think about our precious Lord and Savior. We should share with everyone freely all that Jesus has done for us and all that He is doing now. I know what helps me to share with others is picturing Jesus on the cross. Some people say the only thing that kept Jesus on the cross was His Love for us and I believe that.