#1JohnChallenge : Can I get a period?

For the last 15 days, I have been reading 1 John.  It was something that Pastor John MacArthur mentioned one time, so I thought it would be a good thing for my daily devotion for a month.  So each morning, I begin with 1 John 1, and the first three verses in the ESV or one sentence.  It is a long sentence!  I'm sure my academic friends and anyone who uses Grammarly who be looking to split the one sentence into two or three, but this is how the Holy Spirit inspired John and moved him along (1 Peter 1:21) as he wrote.  Here is the one sentence:

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. (1 John 1:1-3)

Whew!  One sentence!

But if you get past the looooong thought and take the time to break it down, John is pouring out some real truth for those Christians in Asia Minor.  So let's break it down.

1. That which was from the beginning.  This is Jesus, he is God, and he has always been.  There never was a time when he was not. (John 1:1)  But moreover, this is he who the Christians first heard about from the beginning of the preaching of the gospel.

2. which we have heard, seen, and touched.  John, as a chosen disciple of Jesus Christ, had walked with him, talked with him, heard his teaching, and saw his miracles AND he had seen the risen Lord.  He had a first-hand account.

3. concerning the word of life- Jesus! is the word of life and his gospel brings true life eternally.

.....still going....one sentence.... :) 

4. the life was made manifest, we have seen it, testify, proclaim.  Later John would speak of antichrists that were going out among them stating that Jesus was not from God, but John emphatically writes that he is, and he himself has witnessed it.

5. the eternal life which was with the Father and has been made manifest to us.  Jesus is from God.  He is the Son of God that has always been and will always be.  And this Son has been given to us as payment for eternal life.

6. we proclaim to you...so that you too may have fellowship with us.  not just hanging out and having a good time.  Fellowship, in this sense, is a commonality. 

7. our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.  the commonality is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.

Period.  Finally!  John wraps up this extended sentence with a much shorter one:

And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete (1 John 1:4).

1 sentence with 116 words comes to a conclusion stating that all of the words point to a joy that is unattainable in this world outside of a relationship with Jesus Christ.  The world and its pleasures and things cannot bring joy (1 John 2:16), but Jesus can.  Joy now, and joy complete at the time we stand before him after this life.

If you have never found this eternal joy, I would love to chat with you.  Drop me an email here.

Pastor Walt Troup

Philemon 6

#1JohnChallenge : Love My Brother?

I remember growing up in church and hearing the pastor quote the following verse, 

"If anyone says, 'I love God,'  and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has cannot love God whom he has not seen." (1 John 4:20).  

I thought to my young self, well I'm not always happy with my two older brothers, but I certainly don't hate them.  So I'm good, I love God. 

While God did want me to love Alan and David, this wasn't John's exact point as he is writing to those believers in Asia Minor.  Earlier in his letter, John speaks of a new commandment, although he admits that it is not new but one "that you had from the beginning" (1 John 2:7).  He writes, "Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness" (John 2:9).  Before this, he described darkness as a place without light, in other words, where God is not.  So to be in the dark means not to be in the light.

We live in a village a couple miles off the main road in Nigeria.  At night, it is dark... D-A-R-K...DARK!  Before Karen and I go to bed every night, I take our dog out of the village road so she can do her thing.  If the moon is not out, sometimes you cannot see the hand in front of your face.  It can be a very uncomfortable thing.  I have found a new appreciation for light!  Nala finishes her thing and it's not long before I am back inside my house, in the light.

This idea of being in the dark because of the hate we have for our brother goes back to Jesus's words of expectation for those who would follow him.  In a nutshell, he says that the most important thing is to love God with everything we are, and the other thing that is just important is to love other people.  Other people, our brothers, our friends, the person at our work, the next-door neighbor, that guy that cuts you off on the road.... love your brother.  Jesus died for all of them, they matter to him.  Do they matter to you?

If you have any thoughts about this idea of loving your brother, feel free to drop me an e-mail here.  And if you have never loved God to the point that you have a personal relationship with His Son Jesus Christ, I would love to chat by email here.

#1JohnChallenge : Where is the Victory?

In our church here in Nigeria yesterday we had four new visitors who had never been to our church.  This is exciting, and let me share with you why.  We started Cornerstone Baptist Church about 5 years ago in the orphanage home at A Place of Hope Africa (www.aplaceofhopeafrica.com), and because for the first four years, it was inside the perimeter wall of the Children's home, while we always welcomed visitors, we never really prompted it.  We wanted to make sure the children's home was a safe environment.  This last year we moved the church outside of the home to the third floor of our school and over the last month, we have seen around 15 new faces.  These new faces have been invited by our members (our secondary students), from their school and the village area.  This is an exciting time in the life of our church, but also I believe that our church, mainly made up of youth, has caught the vision of their friends and schoolmates hearing the truth of the gospel and if the Spirit is leading, responding ..... by faith.

There, I said it....faith.  

Where we are in Nigeria, we are in the south, recognized as a "Christian area."  The north is seen as Muslim.  But the danger in classifying the perceived spirituality of these areas is that many who live in the south believe they are Christian simply because they do not live in the north.  Many believe that by default of their location, they are Christian.  This is a dangerous belief and one that could have eternal consequences if this belief is carried all the way to their grave.  

On this the 9th day of my 30-day journey through 1 John, as I have read the entire book daily, John's words from the 5th chapter have jumped off the page.  In this chapter, John begins by encouraging the church there in Asia Minor that but their relationship with Christ, they have overcome the world.  This idea of overcoming the world points to who we must overcome.  He explains that "the whole world lies in the power of the evil one" (1 John 5:19), and there is a way that a finite human being like you and me can fight the evil one and put him in his place:  our faith.  John writes, "And this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith (1 John 5:4).

In the cross-references for this verse, the ESV points to three of John's other writings:

(John 17:3)  And this is eternall life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

(Revelation 3:7)  "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: 'The words of the holy one, the true one, who has teh key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens. 

(1 John 5:11-12) And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.  Whoever has the Son, has life, whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

So where does faith come in?  I can't see God.  I wasn't there like John and the other apostles that listened to teachings, saw the miracles, witnessed his death, and his glorified body after the resurrection.  But I believe that there is an almighty, one true God who sent his son Jesus because he loved his creation and wanted fellowship once again with them.  I believe his Word, his instruction that he has preserved for thousands of years in the Bible, and his Holy Spirit is in me because I have received Jesus as my Savior and Lord.

That is faith.  And that is the victory that has overcome the world.  I'm on the winning side.  What about you?

If you have any questions about faith, salvation, or anything else I have written, I would love to chat.  Email me here.

Pastor Walt
Philemon 6

#1JohnChallenge : Truth vs. Lies

John is rather bold in his letter known as 1 John.  He calls out false teachers and calls them antichrists (1 John 2:22), he states that those who do not love the brothers do not love God (1 John 3:14), and he makes it very clear to point out those who truly know God.

"And by this we know we have come to know him, if we keep his commandements.  Whoever say 'I know him' but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected.  But this we know that we are in him" (1 John 2:4-6).

That is pretty bold.  Throwing out a word like liar and a statement like the truth is not in him.  But this came as a reality check for those early people that are part of the congregations in Asia Minor (Turkey today).  I'm sure just like today, there were those in the church that was only there by association.  In other words, their friends might have followed Jesus, their family, or maybe for some, it was looked at as a good social connection in the day.  But whether in boldness or meekness in his speech, the truth is still spoken.  You can't identify as a follower of Christ and be flippant with his commands and expectations.  

So what are his commandments?  In the simplest form:  Love God, Love People.  Jesus told the lawyer when we accomplish those things, all of our obedience to Him will fall into place (Matthew 22:36-40).  When we first love God, we will love what he loves: people.  And in that, "the love of God is perfected" (1 John 2:5).

How can you love people today?  As you begin your day, think about a person you know outside of your friend's circle with who you will come in contact today.  Pray.  Ask God to show you how you can love them thru him. 

If the idea of loving God and following his commandment is foreign to you, it can only begin with a relationship with his Son Jesus Christ?  Have you ever done that?    Do you know him?  If not, I would love to chat with you.  Drop me an email here.

Pastor Walt
Philemon 6

#1JohnChallenge : Get Ready

The Apostle John wrote these words to the churches in and around Asia Minor, present-day Turkey, between 85-95 AD.  Passing along several bits of encouragement and reminders, in chapter 2 he writes,

"Little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming" (1 John 2:28).

John addresses his readers as "little children" many times, but don't think he is looking down on them.  And from their side, it is not an insult.  After all, he was a respected Apostle, one who had heard, seen, looked, and even touched the risen Jesus (1 John 1:1).  They were happy to receive this letter and the instruction with it.  One of the bits of instruction that John pointed to was their readiness.  It was a fact, Jesus was coming back.  At some point, he would appear again like he left (Acts 1:10-11).  When will this happen?  Only God the Father knows (Matth 24:36). We, those who live in the time until he does, simply need to be ready (Matt 24:44).  

How are we to be ready?  Continue in prayer (1 Peter 4:7), watch out for the misleading of false prophets (Matthew 7:15), ground yourself in the word of God (2 Timothy 3:14-17), and always be prepared to share the hope that you have (1 Peter 3:15).

Lastly, John uses the word abide several times throughout this letter.  Abide points to agreeing with a discussion or judgment.  So, in this case, when we abide in him, we are loving the way he loves, caring for others like he desires, presenting ourselves as different people, holy, righteous, and blameless at his coming.

This all begins when we have a relationship with God's Son, Jesus Christ.  If you would like to know more about how you can have that relationship, email me here.

Pastor Walt
Philemon 6

#1JohnChallenge: I Wanna Be In The Light...

 

Back in 1995, the Christian band DC Talk came out with a song titled "In the Light:"

I keep trying to find a life

On my own apart from you

I am the king of excuses

I've got one for every selfish thing I do

Tell me what's going on inside of me

I despise my own behavior

This only serves to confirm my suspicions

That I'm still a man in need of a Savior

I wanna be in the Light

As You are in the Light

I wanna shine like the stars

In the Heavens

Oh, Lord be my light

And be my Salvation

'Cause all I want is to be in the Light

I can't tell you for sure, but it seems that the thoughts and words from this song came from the Holy Spirit inspired words of the Apostle John when he wrote, 

If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from our sin. (1 Jn 1:7)

I have heard it said before that darkness is not the opposite of light, but rather darkness in the absence of light.  This is what John was pointing to a few verses earlier when he wrote,

...God is light, and in him  is no darkness at all. (1 Jn 1:5)

John was pointing those early believers to look deeply at their belief and faith.  How were they living their lives in light (no pun intended) of the "message" they had heard from Jesus (vs 5).  I have heard people say that Christians cannot sin and if they do, then they are truly not a child of God.  Those are dangerous thoughts and words.  John said If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us" (1 Jn 1:10).  After all John said that he was writing this letter so "that you may not sin" (1 Jn 2:1a).  But notice, the backside of that statement, "but if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous" (1 Jn 2:1b)

I will sin, you will sin.  In fact, maybe you have already sinned today.  But we have an advocate who has gone the distance for us, shedding his blood, offering forgiveness and direct access to the Father.  The goal is that we do not become a slave to our sins (John 8:34), but strive to "walk in the same way in which he walked" (1 Jn 2:6).

DC Talk's song closes with these lyrics:

All I want to be is in the Light
There's no other place I want to be

Would you like to know what it means to walk in the light?  Feel free to email me here.

Pastor Walt
Philemon 6

#1JohnChallenge: Just Walking Around

Towards the end of my reading this morning of the Apostle John's letter, in chapter 5, he writes:

"We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one" (1 John 5:19).

This is a reality that is easy to see.  Just look around.  The residue of the evil one, Satan, the Devil, Lucifer, the Father of Lies, the Great Confuser, is all around.  Even if we were to look past the current trending events of the world like war and governments that try to control, the evil one has had his fingerprints all over the creation since Adam and Eve took the first bite. 

Yesterday while the children watched an animated story about Job in our house, I was reminded about the evil one's activities.  As he appeared in front of God before he caused any havoc in Job's life, God asked him, 

"from where have you come?"  Satan answered the Lord and said, "from going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it" (Job 1:8).

Earth is his place.  It's where he does his work of confusion and temptation.  And, he has been given the right to be there by God himself.  Further evidence of this "dominion" over the earth is seen in his temptation of Jesus in the wilderness.  Luke records this account and writes,

And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, "To you I will give all this authoriity and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will" (Luke 4:5-6).

The whole world does lie in the power of the evil one (1 John 5:19), which seems pretty bleak, but John points to the hope that we have as those who believe that Jesus Christ came to save us from the evil one.  John says its this way:

"Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who beleives that Jesus Chrsit is the Son of God" (1 John 5:5).

How can we overcome the evil one who is walking up, down, and around the earth (Job 1:8)?  Belief in a moment, and belief that continues until the day we receive "the promise that he made to us-- eternal life" (1 John 2:25). 

If you have any questions about this or want to know more about what it means to believe and be in a relationship with Jesus, email me here.

Pastor Walt
Philemon 6

#1JohnChallenge: Stay Away!

The Apostle John is writing these words close to the end of his life, close to the end of the 1st Century.  In our current times, we are 1900 years removed from his time and his culture, yet some things remain the same, namely, the focus on things other than our Creator and Savior.  As John says, "Little children, keep yourselves from idols" (1 John 5:21, ESV).

This is the last verse and the last thought that John writes in his opening letter to those who had been influenced by false teachers and the preaching of a false gospel.  A letter that was filled with reminders to stay away from sin, resist the devil, love others, and remember that Jesus was the payment for their sin, now ends with a simple statement, "keep yourselves from idols."  

In the culture where I live in Nigeria, and even throughout all of Africa, people worship idols.  While there may be other names for them like local or traditional gods, they are still idols.  These are the same kind of figures that were man-made in the Bible, constructed of stone, wood, stubble, or even likened to the golden calf (Exodus 32).  Notice the use of the small "g."  Only the creator of heaven in earth, the One from before time, the Everlasting, the one who sent his son, get the BIG "G."  Why?  Because the capital G makes the name proper.  He is THE God, the only God, and no man-made idol can ever stand beside or in front of him.

You may not live in a culture where you can see an idol that people are praying to, but they are still all around.  Idols come in many different shapes and forms, and sometimes when we see them, they can be disguised.  If you don't live in a culture where there are physical idols like I mentioned above, then maybe you live in a culture where the items or ideas you deal with every day can become an idol.  A job, an education, a phone, a social media feed, a friend or spouse, or a cast of other things.  Simply put, in most Western cultures idols are what you make them.  Phones are not bad, they are good, I have two.  But when a phone that is driven by your need to focus more time on it and your social media feed than focusing on God...keep yourselves from idols."  When your job takes away from your relationship with Jesus...keep yourselves from idols."  When your education dominates your time so much that you remove yourself from daily devotion and seeking Him...keep yourselves from idols."  For me, that was a truth I had to learn not long ago.

It was a very simple ending statement, and we might have a tendency to lose this quick statement as we look to close the reading, but John had a purpose for writing it, and I know God had a purpose for me reading it.  What about you?

I encourage you to take the 1 John Challenge.  For the next 30 days read 1 John every day and see how this prayerful focus on five chapters (only taking about 25 minutes) will open your heart and mind to the Holy Spirit bringing the truth of God's Word alive in you.

If you have any questions about what you have read or want to know more about living a life that includes a relationship with Jesus Christ, drop me an email here.

Have a great day!

Pastor Walt
Philemon 6

#1JohnChallenge Day 1

This morning I began a 30-day challenge encouraged by Pastor John MacArthur.  His challenge is to read the Epistle of 1 John every day for 30 days with the intent of digging into God's Word deeply, rather than taking a flyover approach to a casual reading study.  As he explains in his Foundation of Faith message, this continual look into these 5 chapters for 30 days will allow the Holy Spirit to guide me into areas I might lightly pass over.  And in truth, this IS Bible study: thoroughly seeking God through his written instruction.

So for the next 30 days I what to share what God has brought to my attention through the faithful study of His Word.

March 6, 2022:  1 John 5:14-15

"And this is the confidence we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.  And if we know he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him."

I have prayed prayers and asked things that I have seen God answer with a resounding, "Yes!"  Almost 10 years ago, we looked to God for a miracle.  It was a brain tumor in a close friend with little hope given by the doctors.  10 years later, this person just witnessed their daughter's wedding.   But I have also prayed for things or circumstances that I did not see God answer: other cancer situations, other young lives at the point of death, and even personal requests in my own life.

The difference? "...according to his will."  It's not that he didn't hear me, didn't care, or just didn't want to give us what we are asking, rather, every request is based on his will.  His purpose, not just in this small moment of time that I live in His story.  Because this is his story.  From the creation to the moment sin came into the world, to the sending of the Redeemer, and the coming redemption.  It's His story, and he has the ultimate plan.  That plan may include the things I desire, or they may not.  It's his will, not mine.  But also remember that whether we get the answer we want or not, all things work together for good for those who follow him (Romans 8:28). 

So should I still pray?  Absolutely!  He desires to hear your prayers (Phil 4:6), he desires that we come before him with confidence (Eph 3:12), but let us never forget the model of prayer from Jesus himself: "Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" ( Matt 6:10).

Pastor Walt

John MacArthur Semon Link