Assignment

1 John 2:1-17

This is a word for all of us.

For the young in faith who are strong.

For the mature in faith, who know Jesus well.

For all of us, the children of God—those whose sins have been forgiven through Jesus. We’ve won our battle with the evil one, John says. (Hallelujah!)

Now here is our assignment: Live our lives as Jesus lived. Are we called to perfection? No. Our Father knows we can’t live perfect lives. How then do we “live (our) lives as Jesus did”? How do we “live in the light”?

By loving one another. Love one another, not the world or the things the world offers us. Crave the presence of God—the heart of Jesus—instead of craving physical pleasures, achievements and possessions. (Aren’t those the things that create division, envy, lust, striving, anger, and pettiness?)

This is our assignment: Love one another. In obeying His command to love one another, John says, we “truly show how completely (we) love Him.”

And as the old song says, “They will know we are Christians by our love…”

Holy Spirit, show me how to completely love You and others, as Jesus did…

In a Nutshell

1 John 1:1-10

If you needed to summarize the message of the Bible in 10 verses, I think you could use 1 John 1. John tells us that he knew Jesus; he did life with Jesus. Jesus was with the Father and then was revealed to John and many others. John wants his readers to know these things, so that they might share in the blessings he's experienced, so that they might share relationship with each other and with God.

While John was with Jesus, Jesus taught him that God is light and has no darkness in him; God is good and righteous, separated from evil. Therefore, we are lying if we say that we are following God but live in darkness. But Jesus can bring us into the light where He is by cleansing us with his blood, shed on the cross as an atonement for sin. If we claim not to have sin and deny our need for this merciful cleansing from Jesus, we are only deceiving ourselves. But if we confess our sin, our need for forgiveness, to God, He is faithful to do what He promised and just to not make us pay again for what Jesus paid on our behalf. Therefore, He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all wickedness. Jesus can wash us all clean and bring us into the light.

And as we confess our sins to God and experience this miraculous and wonderful cleansing by Jesus, our Savior, this testimony of John's becomes ours. Although, we might not be able to say that we have literally seen and touched Jesus, like John had. We have experienced Him. We have witnessed His work in our lives and in the lives of others. We have been brought from darkness into light. We have fellowship with God, as part of his family.

And now it is our joy to share this story with others, testifying to the work of God in our lives and in the world, as Jesus offered His life for all who would confess their sin and receive His mercy. And as we share this story, others, too, can experience this salvation and joy with us and enter into a relationship with God!

We Shall Behold Him

2 Peter, chapter 3

Do you find yourself looking forward with anticipation to Christ's
return? I do, especially as I sing about those events yet to come.

From Christina Rossetti's Christmas hymn –

Our God, heaven cannot hold him,
nor earth sustain;
heaven and earth shall flee away
when he comes to reign.

Words penned by Edward Mote (tune: The Solid Rock) –

When he shall come with trumpet sound,*
O may I then in him be found!
Dressed in his righteousness alone,
faultless to stand before the throne!

*The trumpet will sound – see 1 Corinthians 15:51,52

Hear the campmeeting song, lyrics by Julia Ward Howe –

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
he is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
he hath loosed the fateful lightning of his terrible swift sword;
his truth is marching on.
He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
he is sifting out the hearts of men before his judgment seat;
O be swift, my soul, to answer him; be jubilant, my feet!
Our God is marching on.

The last stanza of Stuart K. Hine's hymn –

When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
and take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow in humble adoration,
and there proclaim, my God, how great thou art!

We see in those lines a glimpse of worship in heaven. Let's begin now,
entering his presence through the sprinkled blood of Jesus.

The hymn, "Come, Ye Thankful People, Come" begins as a call for
gratitude to God for supplying our physical needs. But then we find a
metaphor used by Jesus in parables. Fields of grain represent people –

For the Lord our God shall come,
And shall take his harvest home;
From His field shall in that day
All offenses purge away.
Give His angels charge at last
In the fire the tares to cast,**
But the fruitful ears to store
In His garner evermore.

Even so, Lord, quickly come***
To Thy final harvest-home;
Gather Thou Thy people in,
Free from sorrow, free from sin.
There forever purified,
In Thy presence to abide
Come, with all Thine angels come;
Raise the glorious harvest home.

** Tares & angels – see Jesus' parable in Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43.
*** "Even so, come, Lord Jesus" is the King James Version of Revelation
22:20. We find a similar exclamation by the apostle Paul as he closes
his first letter to the Corinthians – "Our Lord, come." The NASB
translation retains the Aramaic word, "Maranatha." This was an
expression used by the early church as a cry that the second coming of
Christ may soon take place.

Confident that his sin "is nailed to the cross," Horatio Spafford
writes –

And, Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll,
The trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend,
"Even so" – it is well with my soul.

In our own difficult circumstances, we may in our hearts agree. O Lord,
come quickly. We look forward to the new heaven and new earth filled
with righteousness.

Yet, here in 2 Peter 3 we find an important reminder. "You must not
forget this one thing." Even though scoffers mock and slander the
truth. Even though the world is corrupted. Even though we must be
prepared to suffer for doing what is right. The Lord is not being
slow... No, he is patient, not wanting anyone to perish but to come to
saving knowledge of the truth.

And, I suspect he still has work to do refining us for that time when
"the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father"
(Matthew 13:43). We are admonished to grow in the grace and knowledge
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Lord, may we be fruitful for you.

Deetje Wildes

False Teachers

Do you believe there are false teachers in our day?  How can we be sure?  How can we resist their teachings?  Verse 3 tells us their greed…tell lies…to get your money.  Do you doubt that there are such individuals in our day?  God has judged.  God will judge.  God rescues godly people.  Thank Him right now.  False teachers scoff, they use deception, they give false promises, yes, but they also live under God’s curse, we read.  V. 19 – speaks of getting all tangled up by sin.  Visualize the fisherman: a fish line on his reel, all tangled up and totally worthless.  Enslaved by sin.  How sad.  How terrible.

Warning are often stated in these New Testament writings, aren’t they?  We are to be alert, prepared, and equipped to fight against all evil.  The Lord’s Prayer includes the words, “deliver us from evil”.  So be it, Lord.  Amen.

 

Donald E. Pardun

 

Cure for the Common Prowl

I Peter 4:12:5:14

It has always caught my attention, every time I read it, that Peter describes the life-devouring destruction of the devil as the prowl of a lion.

Of course, I've never actually seen a lion on prowl, but I do bear the credentials of watching due amount of National Geographic & Discovery channels to have some idea. The thing that I always find fascinating watching the hunt of a lion, is how almost without fail, there are multiple victims to choose from. Whether the carnivore's palate is hankering for some roebuck or wildebeest or zebra, regardless it seems the lion hunts the herd.

But, the victim finally chosen so typically seems to have this one trait in common with all the other victims gone before. Whether from weakness or illness, or age or youth, distraction or stupidity, or just plain grass-is-greener-grazing carelessness, the one ultimately selected for devouring is the one that has gotten himself isolated on the fringe of the herd.

It must be that the hunting rules of the Serengeti parallel that of the soul life. It ought not escape our notice that this warning alert to the presence and ways of the evil one, follows on the heels of instruction for how we must live in close supportive community in the body of Christ. Chapter 5 of I Peter begins with the exhortations to the pretty good shepherds entrusted with the care of the flock in the life of the church. Pastors and elders like Peter are witnesses of the living Christ. They share in His sufferings and one day also His glory. They are entrusted to care for their flock, and to man their post not for self-advantage, but out of an eager passion for God and His people. They must not lead by lording, but by serving and example. This description is both convicting and inspiring to this shepherd. The idea of the Real Shepherd, the Great Shepherd coming to inspect and reward shepherding sets one to shivering both for anticipation and trepidation.

But again, the picture is of the human flock, and the bonds of closeness we are protected by when together under the Shepherd's care. Even the example of the pretty good shepherds have an impact. Verse 5 says "In the same way... all of you, serve each other in humility"

It is out of this closeness and community of shepherds abiding, and sheep following example in humble service to each other, that comes the warning against the prowling wiles of the devil. Have you ever watched Satan have a straying believer for lunch? I have, and it is disturbingly savage.

Keep from the fringe.

-PPaul

I Peter 3:13 - 4:11 In Which the Writer Needs to Have Her Mind Transformed

 

 

This passage bangs up against my sensibilities.  Peter's view of suffering is so very unlike our culture's.  I hadn't noticed it before studying this passage, but suffering is a taboo in our society.  We don't like to see it, hear about it or think about it.  And we certainly don't want to experience it.  We're shocked when we do suffer or when we see others suffer – as if suffering is something totally foreign to the human experience.

 

Peter, on the other hand, is matter-of-fact.  Suffering happens.  Just be sure you're suffering for doing good instead of evil. 

 

Peter reminds us of Jesus' readiness to suffer for the good that would come of it ("he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God") and encourages us to readiness for the good that will come of it ("if you have suffered physically for Christ . . . you won't spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God").

 

Peter also says a few things that have kept the church wondering for hundreds of years (for instance, just who were those spirits in prison?).  One point he seems to be making is that suffering for good will be vindicated.  Jesus suffered physically and he suffered dishonor.  He accomplished the goal of all his suffering, and now he is enthroned in a place of glory and authority.  His excellence is now obvious, even to the spirits in prison.

 

We, too, may suffer.  The suffering will bring about a very good result.  Along the way we may also suffer dishonor, but those who cause us dishonor will face God.  Then they will understand that our lifestyles, which seem so odd now, are really lifestyles of great worth.   Ultimately, our actions and attitudes will be revealed for what they are.  God will reward us for doing what is right.

 

Wise and loving Father, please transform my thoughts.  Help me believe that suffering can be used for a good that is far greater than the suffering.  Help me live in the "Now" but believe that I'll be rewarded in the "Then".  Enable me, Father, to be ready to suffer for doing what is right.