¹ Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. ² This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophetacknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. ³ But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here.

Test Them

It should be pretty obvious to most of you that I am a strong proponent of grace. I believe that in everything, we should err on the side of showing grace to those we come in contact with. Our role as believers is to extend unconditional love to everyone who crosses our path.

However, many confuse showing grace with letting anything go. As soon as you challenge something, you are accused of judging a person and lacking in grace. But is that accusation fair? It depends on what you are challenging.

You see, the Bible is clear that we are not to judge the heart of a person. Only God sees the heart. In fact, Jesus suggested that we will be judged using the same measuring stick that we judge others.

However, we are called to test the actions of others. Not to judge them as being worthy of God’s love or not (for none of us are “worthy” of God’s love … that’s why it’s grace). We are to test the words and actions of another to determine if what they are saying or doing lines up with what the Word of God says.

I meet a lot of Christians who never question anything. As a result, they buy into whatever someone says. And I think that’s a foolish way to live. There are a lot of popular teachers who are telling people really nice, spiritual things and yet I believe they are not teaching Jesus Christ, Son of God, crucified and rose again. If you don’t teach the truth about Christ, then your words are really just … words.

My prayer: Lord, help me to not just be someone who speaks what is popular. Help me to be someone who speaks what is true. And help me know the difference when I hear another speak. May I never judge a person’s heart, but I may I be wise in discerning what they say. Amen.

Until tomorrow.

²¹ Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence. ²² And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him.

²³ And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us. ²⁴ Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us

This Is His Commandment

I know it seems like I’m beating a dead horse. Especially for those who have been following along with our latest video series (either in person or by video). We are called to believe (and love) God and love others. If we’d simply do those two things, everything else would fall into place. Rather than focus on all kinds of do’s and don’ts, just put your energy into loving God and loving others.

It’s incredible to think how often people miss this. I mean, it should be fairly obvious by now, and yet for many, the religious trap is too difficult to avoid. We begin by loving God and loving others and before we know it, we’re adding all kinds of other rules and regulations. It’s as if we want it to be difficult to be successful in our spiritual journey. We want to make it hard so that we can pat ourselves on the back because of our hard work.

And so, religious people continue to miss the point. They want to do a bunch of things in order to be accepted by God. In order to earn God’s approval. So that they may be able to boldly enter the presence of God. And yet, God continues to point us back to the primal commandment: love God and love others. Two things we cannot do without the strength and leading of the Spirit of God. As God opens our hearts to loving the way we were designed to, we suddenly find ourselves able to enter his presence with confidence. God no longer is someone we avoid because of the fear of our own failure. Rather, we enter his presence confidence in the love that he has for us and the love we have for him.

My prayer: Lord, help me to avoid the trap of striving to do things in order to be good enough to enter your presence. May I never lose sight of the value of grace in my life. Because of grace, I can love you and others simply because of a desire to do so, and not a duty to perform. I’m accepted because of what you’ve done on my behalf. Thank you.

Until tomorrow.

¹⁴ If we love our Christian brothers and sisters, it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead. ¹⁵ Anyone who hates another brother or sister is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don’t have eternal life within them.

¹⁶ We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. ¹⁷ If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?

¹⁸ Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. ¹⁹ Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. ²⁰ Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything.

Actions

Let me start out by addressing the first part of today’s passage. The fact is that not only do murderers not have eternal life within them, but neither does anyone who has not turned their life over to God. I say that because I know some who like to relegate certain sins to a higher level than other sins. John isn’t doing that here. In fact, he’s doing the opposite. He’s trying to show that hatred is no different than murder. Both are sin because both pull you away from loving God and loving others.

But John is trying to drive home a point here. If you walk by that homeless person and show zero concern or compassion, then are you truly loving God and loving others? When you hear of an earthquake in another part of the world and simply shrug your shoulders and go about your happy existence, are you really loving God and loving others? If you curse that cop under your breath or think something nasty about the person of a different culture, are you really loving God and loving others? If you are only loving God and others on your terms … then are you really loving God and others?

Perhaps those questions help us understand even more what John was talking about the other day when he said that others would hate us in the same way that Cain hated Abel. You see, loving God and loving others requires an action on our part that takes us out of our comfort zone. It requires a willingness to step out and do things that are not always easy or fun to do.

But you can’t love God and love others without a willingness to get uncomfortable.

My prayer: Lord, I want to go wherever you call me to go and to love whomever you bring across my path. And yet, if I’m honest, there are times I fail miserably at doing just that. So, give me strength and a deeper desire to put action to my love for you. Amen.

Until tomorrow.

¹¹ This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. ¹² We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because Cain had been doing what was evil, and his brother had been doing what was righteous. ¹³ So don’t be surprised, dear brothers and sisters, if the world hates you.

Love Others

This passage starts out pretty good. Love one another. That’s so nice. I mean, really, who could argue with that? Even people who don’t want anything to do with Jesus or God can appreciate a good ol’ “Love one another.”

So, why does John feel the need to toss in that last line? Why did he have to go from “love one another” to “don’t be surprised if the world hates you”? I mean, really John, what gives?

Well, since John is dead (you know, dead as in he’s not here with us but is alive in Heaven), it’s going to be tough for him to explain this passage. Let me give it a shot.

I think the answer lies in the example he uses right between those two phrases. Cain and Abel. Their story is found in Genesis 4. According to the passage, they are brothers, sons of Adam and Eve. The story is told that they both bring an offering to God. However, Abel’s offering is accepted and Cain’s is rejected. We don’t really know why, other than it was clear to God that Cain’s heart was wrong. His motivation for bringing an offering to God was suspect. After the rejection, Cain is jealous of Abel and ends up murdering his brother.

So, here’s my take on why John used this story as an example: It’s one thing to be nice to others. But to truly love them requires a level of self-sacrificing that can be offensive to those who refuse to love that way. As you demonstrate a love for others the way God intends you to love them, you will begin to offend those who do not love to the same degree. They will become jealous and critical. They will be forced to look inward at their own selfishness. And, eventually, some will grow to hate you. All because you have chosen to honour God with your life by loving him and loving others.

When we live life as God designed us to live  it, we force others to examine their own existence. For some, it draws them to want what we have. For others, it eventually offends because they simply will not give their life over to the only one who can turn it into something beautiful.

My prayer: Lord, I pray for those who may hate me simply because I choose to do your will. Open their eyes to the abundant life you offer them. Help them see how incredible and amazing your grace truly is. Soften their heart so that they might find freedom in you. Amen.

Until tomorrow.

⁷ Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. ⁸But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. ⁹ Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God. ¹⁰ So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God.

Children of God

This is one of those passages that can easily be misunderstood or misquoted if one is not careful. It’s important to know what it isn’t saying as much as what it is saying.

It’s not saying that our good behaviour is what makes us children of God. After all, that would contradict the entire message of grace. Either we can’t earn God’s acceptance or we can. I believe the Bible is very clear that we are accepted by God because of what Christ did for us and not because of anything we’ve done. And so, John is not saying that you have to do good things in order to be a child of God.

What he is saying is that there should be evidence – fruit – that you have turned your life over to God. There should be a difference in those who claim to be followers of Christ. Our lives should show that we are no longer living for ourselves but for God’s purposes. If there is no evidence to point to that change, then has there really been a change?

Of course that leads to the question of what that evidence should be. Are we moving toward that “list of sins” again? No, we’re not. John suggests that the evidence of a life changed by God is a turning away from sin. And, as we discovered yesterday, sin is whatever keeps me from loving God and loving others.

So, a child of God – one who has experienced the transformation that comes from accepting the gift of grace – should demonstrate that change by striving to love God and love others every day. And, there should be evidence of that love for God and others in how we live.

My prayer: Lord, help me to live my life as one who represents what it means to be a child of God. I pray that in every thing, I will bear the fruit of someone who loves you and loves others. Amen.

Until tomorrow.

⁴ Everyone who sins is breaking God’s law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God. ⁵ And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, and there is no sin in him. ⁶Anyone who continues to live in him will not sin. But anyone who keeps on sinning does not know him or understand who he is.

What Is Sin?

Defining “sin” is one of those things that we seem to really complicate in many church circles. And yet, I think it should be rather simple to understand. According to this passage, sin is anything that runs contrary to the law of God. Easy, right?

Well, not yet. After all, far too many people then try to define what God’s law is. And so, they make up lists and rules and regulations that one must follow in order to please God. If you follow the Old Testament, you know that there are over six hundred laws to follow. So, sin is anything that runs contrary to those six hundred laws. Of course, in most churches today, we like to mix the Law and Grace together. We end up with a list of “Do’s and Don’ts” that every Christian must follow. Depending on where you live and the type of church you attend, the list will contain different things.

However, didn’t Jesus sum up all the law of God in a simple statement? Of course he did. “Love God. Love others.” That’s the entire law wrapped up in a single statement.

So, what does that mean for our definition of sin? Glad you asked. I believe sin is anything that causes us to turn away from loving God and loving others. Anything? Yup. Anything.

It also means that what is sin for you may not be sin for me. You may be able to enjoy a certain activity and still love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and love your neighbour as yourself. I may participate in the same activity and find I cannot love God and others while doing it.

I realize that’s a very simplistic way of looking at sin, and perhaps some of you want to challenge my thinking in the comments section, but I do believe that if we simply avoided those things that cause us to love God and others less, and focused on the things that cause us to love God and others more, that we’d be far better off.

Just a thought.

My prayer: Lord, I know that there are things I do that take my attention away from you and others. Those things cause me to look inward, selfishly wanting my will to be done rather than yours. Forgive me when I do that. Help me to turn my attention away from the things that pull me from you. Amen.

Until tomorrow.

¹ See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him. ² Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. ³ And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.

God’s Children

This is one of those passages that is better understood when you know the context in which it was written. Remember, John is likely living in Ephesus when he writes these words. He is probably hanging out with the Ephesian church. A church, you might remember from our look at Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, that is made up primarily of Gentiles.

Why is that important? Because these Gentiles are calling themselves God’s children. And there is no way that would sit well with the Jewish people of the day. After all, everyone knows that the Jewish people are God’s children! Even John, a Jew, should know better than to call any Gentile a child of God!

And yet, he does. I believe the “world” that John is referring to in this passage is primarily the Jewish people. Those who rejected Jesus as Messiah. John rightly points out that they do not see the Gentiles as God’s children. And, John says something very controversial when he suggests that it is the Jews who rejected Jesus who don’t know God.  Not wonder John was exiled to the Island of Pathmos (an island jail) shortly after writing this letter!

Let’s face it: there will always be those who question your spirituality. Those who wonder if you really are the spiritual person you claim to be. How will you respond when challenged? Is your trust in God’s love strong enough to stand strong when others question your spirituality? It should be.

My prayer: Lord, I’m not a Christian because others say I am. I am a Christian because I received your gift of grace into my life. I gave myself to you and submitted to your purpose and plan for me. Help me to filter what others say about my relationship with you. Help me to trust your love over their condemnations. Amen.

Until tomorrow

¹⁸ Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come. ¹⁹ These people left our churches, but they never really belonged with us; otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left, it proved that they did not belong with us.²⁰ But you are not like that, for the Holy One has given you his Spirit, and all of you know the truth. ²¹ So I am writing to you not because you don’t know the truth but because you know the difference between truth and lies. ²² And who is a liar? Anyone who says that Jesus is not the Christ. Anyone who denies the Father and the Son is an antichrist. ²³ Anyone who denies the Son doesn’t have the Father, either. But anyone who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

²⁴ So you must remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will remain in fellowship with the Son and with the Father. ²⁵ And in this fellowship we enjoy the eternal life he promised us.

²⁶ I am writing these things to warn you about those who want to lead you astray. ²⁷ But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.

²⁸ And now, dear children, remain in fellowship with Christ so that when he returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from him in shame.²⁹ Since we know that Christ is righteous, we also know that all who do what is right are God’s children.

Antichrists

I think the whole “antichrist” thing is far too often misunderstood. In part, we have no one to blame but ourselves. Over the years, Christian theology on the end times has caused people to try and guess who “the antichrist might be.” Hitler, Jim Jones, Mikhail Gorbachev, and even Obama have been labelled the antichrist by some.

Now, I’ll let theologians debate the description of an antichrist found in the book of Revelation. However, one thing that is clear when you read the New Testament is that there were many, many people who claimed to be The Christ. Jesus wasn’t the only one who claimed to be the Messiah. Every other day there was someone showing up and claiming the title. The problem was, they couldn’t live up to the claim. Jesus did.

The biblical writers called these people antichrists. False Christ. Phonies. That’s what the word meant. Someone who claimed to be Christ. Or, someone who tried to point to anyone other than Jesus being the Christ. They were antichrists.

There are still people today claiming to be the Messiah. The saviour of the world. Jim Jones was one of them. David Koresh another. I have no doubt that there will be antichrists in every generation.

The key is being wise and not allowing yourself to be fooled by those who claim to be someone they are not. And that kind of wisdom only comes from being in relationship with Jesus – the true Christ.

My prayer: Lord, help me to always know the truth. Keep my eyes focused on you so that when others come along who claim to be the “answer,” I will not be fooled. You are the only one who can save this world. May I never lose sight of that. Amen.

Until tomorrow

¹⁵ Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. ¹⁶ For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. ¹⁷ And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.

Who Do You Love?

When I was a teenager, there was a girl who attended the same youth group as I did. While the rest of us struggled along in our spiritual journey, this girl seemed to always be sold out for God. She would weep as she confessed that she missed prayer one day in the past week. The rest of us would shake our heads and silently wonder what she would think if she knew how we had failed God that past week.

I remember the first time someone mentioned her name to me and then said, “She’s so heavenly minded, she’s no earthly good.” I thought it was an amazing description of someone who was so focused on their faith that they couldn’t relate to anyone around them. In fact, I began to use the phrase to describe anyone who seemed to talk a super-spiritual talk.

It was only a few years ago when I realized that I was using the description as a way of excusing my own lack of commitment to God.

Allow me to explain. I don’t think it’s healthy if you’re brought to tears because you missed having a prayer time one day in the past seven. If that’s were you are in your relationship with God, I think you might be experiencing pseudo-spirituality. To me, it sounds very religious to condemn yourself for missing prayer time. But, I’m not sure it’s where God wants you to be. I also think that people can loose touch with the people around them when they put their energy in trying to “please God” with their devotion. Again, this takes you down a path of religious behaviour, not spirituality.

Having said that, I don’t think it is ever possible to be too heavenly minded. In fact, I believe that the more heavenly minded you are, the more earthly good you can be. Why? Because God’s heart is for the people of this world. For God so loved the world. That means, the more you love God and focus on eternity, the more you’ll commit to loving people and serving them as God has called you to do.

Does that make sense? The most effective way to connect to the world around you is to first love God with everything you are. If you love the world, you forget about God. But if you love God first, your heart will break with compassion for the world.

My prayer: Lord, help me to love you with all my heart, all my soul, all my mind, and all my strength. Why? So that I might love my neighbour the way you created me to love them – as myself. I give my life to you and I focus on becoming as heavenly minded as I can so that I might reach the people around me without falling in love with the attitudes and priorities of the world. Amen.

Until tomorrow.

⁷ Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment for you; rather it is an old one you have had from the very beginning. This old commandment—to love one another—is the same message you heard before. ⁸ Yet it is also new. Jesus lived the truth of this commandment, and you also are living it. For the darkness is disappearing, and the true light is already shining.⁹ If anyone claims, “I am living in the light,” but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is still living in darkness. ¹⁰ Anyone who loves another brother or sister is living in the light and does not cause others to stumble. ¹¹ But anyone who hates another brother or sister is still living and walking in darkness. Such a person does not know the way to go, having been blinded by the darkness.

¹² I am writing to you who are God’s children because your sins have been forgiven through Jesus.
¹³ I am writing to you who are mature in the faith because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning.
I am writing to you who are young in the faith because you have won your battle with the evil one.
¹⁴ I have written to you who are God’s children because you know the Father.
I have written to you who are mature in the faith because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning.
I have written to you who are young in the faith because you are strong.
God’s word lives in your hearts, and you have won your battle with the evil one.

Love One Another

John reminds his readers of the primal commandment of Jesus and then breaks out in a song that would have been very familiar to his readers. That commandement? Love others.

It’s an old commandment in that it has been a primary message of the Bible since Genesis. But it’s a new commandment because Jesus, when asked what the greatest commandment was, summarized all the commandments in the Old Testament when he said, “Love God and love others.”

In this passage, John focuses on the loving others part.

Look, at some point we’re going to have to accept that loving others is not optional for the follower of Christ. It’s not a suggestion. It’s mandatory. Yesterday, John challenged us to prove that we love God through our actions. We are challenged to do the same when it comes to loving others. Don’t just say you love others, prove it. Demonstrate it. Show others that you love them.

For some reason, this isn’t easy for us to do. We struggle with it.

So, my challenge for you today is to make a decision to demonstrate love to at least one person.

My prayer: Lord, help me love others. Not only with my words, but with my actions. Show me ways that I can demonstrate that love. Give me creativity in fulfilling the commands of Jesus to love you and love others. Amen.

Until tomorrow.