Category Archives: 1 John

Don’t be Fooled

If all you had to go on was Hollywood movies, you would expect that all Christians were ignorant fools, and quite possibly hypocrites, hiding wicked acts. Of course, you know better: you know there must be some good Christians. But how can you tell one from the other? It is not enough to see that someone has a fish on their bumper, or even that he or she attends church. Who really has been changed by trusting Jesus? Who is it that really is alive by His Spirit?

This is not a new question. There were pretenders from the very beginning. Think, Judas. And lots of pretenders look very real. Some of them have become famous pastors with huge congregations. How can we safely sort out who is real? Jesus taught that many “wolves” would infiltrate His followers, dressed as sheep.

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. (Matthew 7:15-17 )

Likewise, John wrote:

Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother. (1 John 3:7-10)

Just today I read of another so-called minister who swindled his congregation of hundreds of thousands of dollars. These guys have always been among us. Don’t be fooled. What a person does shows in Whom or in what he or she really believes.

Is This You?

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The tech guy was baffled about why my computer was having so much trouble. Then he asked me how I shut it off. When I told him I just hit the power switch, he reacted with alarm and disbelief. “You kidding me? You don’t sign off and let the system power down?” “Nope, I just kill the switch.” Apparently, if you don’t let the computer shut itself off, it scrambles up the memory thingy. It has to do with how the computer is designed. Who knew? Not me. I never read the manufacturer’s instructions. But once I had been told what to do, and why, I stopped doing it wrong.

God’s creation is like that. Use it properly, according to the “Manufacturer’s” design and instructions, and it works well. But, ignore those instructions, violate it’s design, and it breaks. In the Bible, the short word for not operating according to the Manufacturer’s design and instructions, is “sin.” Sin isn’t doing something fun that embarrasses God, it’s doing something that fouls up His carefully designed creation. Sin hurts me; that’s why God warns me not to keep doing it. That is the message John was attempting to convey with these words:

Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. (1 John 3:4 -NASB95)

That is quoted from the New American Standard Bible because the NIV, which I ordinarily use for quotes, leaves out the word, practices, and says “Everyone who sins.” The word, practices, is in the original language and leaving it out is misleading. John doesn’t mean anyone who happens to sin (which would include everyone) but rather, those who practice sin, who deliberately choose to ignore the Manufacturer’s instructions (who practice lawlessness).

Computers are complicated enough that they come with built-in warning systems to alert us when we are about to do something dumb. God’s creation is also complicated. It is not possible for us to avoid misusing it without some kind of built-in guide and warning system. That system is the Holy Spirit. Jesus came to connect us to His Spirit, to make it possible for us to live in harmony with the design and instruction of the Manufacturer.

(If that statement confuses you, you can view the posts about the Holy Spirit by selecting that category on the right. Or, read “Who Can Fix It?”)

That’s why John says:

But you know that he (Jesus) appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. (1 John 3:5-6 )

Make sense? I hope so; this is one of the most misunderstood passages of 1 John.

Extreme Makeover

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If you knew this family you’d be rooting for them, even though there isn’t much hope for them. Recently widowed by the war, the single mom struggles to raise her children, one of whom really needs a special wheel chair – the cost of which is beyond thinking about. She’s just been laid off. She’s doing her best but the house, damaged badly from a super-storm, is beyond repair… Enter Ty Pennington and the guys from ABC’S “Extreme Makeover, Home Edition.” (This popular show is no longer on the air.) Within moments of their arrival, the surprised family has been sent off on a posh vacation, bulldozers have been called in, along with ant-like hordes of construction volunteers, to scrape away the house and rebuild it into the home of her dreams.

English: VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (Feb. 2, 2011) Sailors assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) help build a home for a mother currently raising six foster children. The project is part of an episode of Extreme Home Makeover: Home Edition. Theodore Roosevelt is undergoing a multi-year refueling complex overhaul at Northrop Grumman Newport News Shipbuilding. (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Cmdr. Karen E. Eifert/Released) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Here’s the thing: While they are gone, It doesn’t take long for hotel living to wear thin, especially with a bunch of kids who have special needs. But they all know that one day they will be back home. They don’t have any idea of what “back home” will be like, simply that it will be unimaginably better. One day soon they will see it. And tour it. And get the keys for it, along with a paid-up mortgage. Imagine her anticipation. If you’ve ever watched that show, you know …

Now read this:

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:2)

John says, “Fellow believers in Jesus, we have been born into the family of God and one day we are going home. We don’t have much of a clue what “home” will be like, but it’s going to be wonderful.” Maybe that seems like a fantasy to you. If so, if you think God can’t pull that off, plant some wild flower seeds in dirt – dirt mixed with manure – and wait and watch to see what God does. Consider whether a caterpillar has any inkling of what the future will be like as a butterfly.

John says we know, that one day we will be like Jesus; that one day we will be able to see Jesus as He really is! Imagine having eyes that are not startled to see Jesus strolling on a lake or healing the blind. Imagine one day being able to think like Jesus! We are in for an extreme makeover!

There’s more to this – keep chewing and stay tuned…

Slathered with Love

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When I think about the word “lavish” the first thing that comes to

English: Cinnamon roll as produced by cinnabon (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

mind is Cinnabon. I know, I know, you’ve never actually eaten one of these – just looked at them as you went by… Right. But if you work for Cinnabon, you need to know how to lavish. You need to lay on the cinnamon and butter and icing without any restraint! That’s my point.

Think about what “lavish” means as you read this next line from 1 John:

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. (1 John 3:1)

God lavished His love on us by bringing us into His family as His loved children. Perhaps your experience with your dad was not ideal. God’s version of fatherhood is perfect. So much so, He encourages us to come to Him whenever we are in need, without formality or hesitancy (Hebrews 4:16). He told us to call Him “Papa” (Abba, in Hebrew – Romans 8:15). Most people, if they accept the idea of being a child of God at all, think of the relationship portrayed in the von Trapp family in the beginning of “Sound of Music,” with the kids all in uniform, standing at attention and responding to signals from a captain’s whistle. God’s version is a lot more like the family interacts at the end of that musical.

John says “the world does not know us” and that is true. Believers and followers of Jesus are commonly misunderstood and criticized. They don’t get it because they are not (yet!) in the family. When the family gets together things go on that those in the world have never experienced. I remember my childhood family, the kids lying around on the floor in front of a crackling fire, with my dad sitting in his favorite chair, reading a story. Things happen in God’s family that are much, much better.

Such as Papa’s love, lavished on His children…

Greeting Jesus

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The monk hammers on the old wooden door, waking the abbot. Blustering and stammering, he says, “There’s a man downstairs who says he is Jesus and has returned! What should we do?” “Look busy!”

Old joke, but it raises a good question. If Jesus returned and came up to you, what would your reaction be? If you knew that you were face to face with the Son of Almighty God, the Savior, what would you feel? Fear? Regret? Shame? Embarrassment? Any of those strike a chord? Quite probably so. But what if you could be sure it was appropriate to run to meet Him with complete confidence and joy, without a trace of sheepishness or shame? Turns out, that is what is intended for us, who have placed our trust in Jesus:

And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming. (1 John 2:28)

You have seen the videos: a child is in school, going through her daily activities, when suddenly Dad appears, home from his service in Afghanistan. How does she respond? She runs to him, embraces him with joyful tears. That’s the idea for our response when Jesus returns!

But how? How can that be possible? I mean, … the Son of God…? John shows us how. First, our relationship to Jesus is that of a “dear child.” By faith in Christ, we have been given the right to become a child of God.

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God... (John 1:12)

[Jesus said,] “I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” (Mark 10:15)

As a child of God, when you see “Papa,” run to Him! He will be so glad to see you coming.

Secondly, John says “continue in Him.” The word translated “continue” is the same word previously translated “remain.” It means to make your permanent home in Him. Abide in Him. There’s more on this word in “Stay Home.” You make your home in Jesus and He will make His home in you. When you see Him coming toward you, it will be like coming home!

Chew on that… The more you do, the more you will taste of its deep truths. You are meant to sing this song as your own: “Joy to the world! The Lord is come!”

No Small Detail

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On Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, near Atlanta, GA, a new billboard now invites people to “Find Jesus in the Quran.” Surprised? Don’t be. Most of the religions I checked have some form of belief in Jesus. The problem is not what these religions (Muslim, Jew, Hindu, Buddhism, Baha’i, and even some watered down versions of Christianity!) believe about Jesus, but what they do NOT believe about Him. They believe He was a prophet, an angelic being, a wise teacher, an incarnation of love, etc. But they do not believe that Jesus, as the Son of God, is the human manifestation of God.

What difference does that make? It’s no small detail, but a make or break essential. Here is what this “wise teacher” said about Himself:

Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. (John 14:9b)

I and the Father are one. (John 10:30)

Don’t avoid the meaning of this second, simple statement; the people who first heard it did not misunderstand what He meant. As they picked up rocks to bash His brains out, they said they were doing so:

“… because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” (John 10:33b)

To say that Jesus was merely a “wise teacher” is to ignore Who He claimed to be. You can’t have a watered down version of Jesus without denying that He told the truth. To deny Who He is, is to oppose Who He is. Here is how John stated this blunt truth:

Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also. (1 John 2:22-23)

You might find someone called Jesus in the Quran, but you will not find The Son of God, The Savior in that book. Make sure you know Who He really is!

Personal note: Thanks for waiting; we had a great time visiting kids and grand-kids for Thanksgiving, arriving back in Colorado just as the state became freeze-dried by an arctic blast. Brrrrrrrr…

Spotting a Fake – Part 2

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This world is full of false preachers, scam artists who seem to be following Jesus but who in reality are working to become wealthy and famous. John calls these guys by the right name: “antichrists.” Last time we considered one of the clues to look for in spotting this type of charlatan. John says watch out for those who do “not really belong to us.” (See Spotting a Fake). But there is a better way:

But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. (1 John 2:20-21)

God designed humans to be intimately connected to Him by His Holy Spirit. Sin destroyed that connection. Jesus came to restore it. (There is more detail about this in many of my earlier posts. Click on the “New Here?” link above.) To all those who would believe in Him, trust Him and follow Him. He said:

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” (John 14:16-17)

The reason Jesus called the Holy Spirit the “Spirit of Truth” is because:

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. (John 16:13a)

John says, if you truly follow Jesus, He has “annointed” you (given you, filled you) with the Holy Spirit, the One Who guides you into all truth. Listen to Him! He will show you how to spot a fake!

I appreciate your tuning in to this “blog,” chewing over neat things from the Bible with me. I hope you will share it with people you know who have never developed a “taste” for the Bible. Let me wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving! God is so good. His blessings, His faithfulness are experienced new each day. I’ll be taking a few days off from writing this as I spend time with family.

Spotting a Fake

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I’m going to be a millionaire! All I have to do is send my bank account information and social security number to a prince in Nigeria, and he is going to send me 5 million bucks. Or not…

Don’t believe every email you get; there are bad guys out there who are trying to deceive you. Don’t believe every preacher you hear, either, for the same reason. Lots of preachers – even famous preachers with huge followings – are bad guys, trying to deceive you. If this surprises you, it should not. We were told to expect it:

Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. (1 John 2:18 )

The “last hour,” as John uses the term, is the time between Jesus’ first coming and His second coming. No one knows how many years will be included in the “last hour” but we have been told several things to expect during that time. One of them is false preachers, who seem to be following Jesus, who claim to be following Him, but who are in fact working against Him. John calls these guys “antichrists,” whose work opposes Jesus. They follow the same spirit and same purpose as the antichrist, who will come one day. There were many antichrists in John’s day and there are many antichrists today.

How can you spot a fake preacher? Just as with email scams, there are telltale signs to watch for. The first thing John mentions is that a fake preacher, one who is working against Jesus, won’t be one of us. He will separate himself from the rest of us.

They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained (made their home) with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us. (1 John 2:19)

If you see a preacher who is larger than life, who holds himself aloof from the rest of the people, who struts about on the stage as though people should worship him, who adopts an opulent lifestyle that few in his congregation could match – watch out. He a fake. He is an antichrist. Here is what Jesus said about these guys:

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them.” (Matthew 7:15-16a)

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ (Matthew 7:21-23)

It’s no proof of authenticity for a preacher to seem to pull off miracles or to boldly prophesy. A real preacher will make his home (remain, abide) with us who follow the One who was humble, was gentle, who had no place to lay His head. A real preacher will be filled with humility because he is overwhelmed by Jesus.

But let’s face it: some of these guys seem really persuasive. That is true. But there is another way to discern who is real and who is antichrist. Stay tuned.

How to Live Forever

Don’t Settle for Stuff

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A very loving, generous and wealthy man invites you to come live with him as though you were a member of his family. If you take him up on his offer, you can occupy one of the homes on his country estate, eat his food, and use his stuff. You can ride his horses, race his ATV’s, swim in his pool, sail his boats; it’s all available to you. Why? Just because he loves you like a natural child. He wants to wrap you into his family.

I know, I know, it’s not likely, but just humor me for a few lines here.

You take him up on his offer and move in. For awhile it is wonderful, but eventually you become discontent. You would like different food, a faster ATV, more expensive horses. And you really would like to own a few of these things. Or a lot of them… So, you watch for opportunities to steal from this man. You are not caught – at least he doesn’t say anything about your theft – but now you don’t really like to see him anymore. It makes you feel bad to be with him. But you love your stuff. It makes you feel superior. You go to town and brag about how much you have. Now others are envious of you and that makes you proud.

Who would do such a thing? Anyone, John says, who becomes dissatisfied with what he has and obsessed with getting more and better stuff. Anyone, says John, who forgets the love and generosity of God who blessed him with everything he ever had – including life itself. Anyone, says John, who thinks better stuff makes him more important. Here’s how he said it:

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. (1 John 2:15-16)

When someone ignores the One Who invited him (or her) to live in His “estate” and focuses instead on getting better stuff, he loses his love for his Father. He trades in his relationship with his loving Father for a bunch of stuff. That may sound like no big deal, until you realize that he also has traded in life for death. John says:

The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever. (1 John 2:17)

There’s a story in Genesis about a guy named Esau, who gave up his birthright as the firstborn son so he could have something to eat (Genesis 25:34). He could have had it all forever, but he exchanged his place in his father’s family for a temporary helping of stuff. Dumb. Don’t settle for stuff instead of life. Jesus taught this principle with these words:

Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” (John 6:27)

For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” (John 6:33)

Don’t settle for stuff.

FRESH BREAD OF LIFE

Chewing on the Bible in a fresh, nourishing way…

Category Archives: 1 John

Don’t be Fooled

Is This You?

Extreme Makeover

Slathered with Love

Greeting Jesus

No Small Detail

Spotting a Fake – Part 2

Spotting a Fake

How to Live Forever

Don’t Settle for Stuff

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