What's love got to do with it?

Ok, short and sweet.
Text: 1 John 4: 7-12

What is love?
Del Cook, of Worldview Academy, once said, "Love is delighting in the delight of others." It is not that WE love God, but that God loved us, and wanted us to delight in his delights and obey his statutes that he sent Jesus Christ into the world so that we might love God. Our sin nature prevents us from loving God, but Christ's death allows us to love Him.
That's all.

By Their Spirits

Text: 1 John 4: 1-6

Translation: NKJV



Here is where the rubber meets the road. Either you believe Jesus is God, or you don't. And Christians are only supposed to believe those who profess Jesus to be God. Now, we can be led astray by those who do say that they believe; however, we who profess that Jesus Christ is fully man and fully God, incarnate in the flesh, and that the Bible is the inerrant word of God know that we are saved. According to the 6th verse, it is the Spirit of Truth that shows us this, i.e. the Holy Spirit. Soli Deo Gloria!!!! This is why I harp on the whole "unity of belief" theme a lot. If we have unity in what we believe, we can't be led astray as easily, if we don't have this unity then we are pretty well screwed in our witness as Christians, our communal life (church), and our relationship with God (self-doubt about what we believe). This is why in these verses we are given a litmus test of sorts to test people against to see if what they say has any measure of truth to it. I'll leave off here due to shortness in my personal schedule but I will leave you with this:

The more concise, systematic and logical our worldviews are, and the more unity we have on all matters doctrinal, theological, and scriptural, the better witness we present to the world, and the more Godly we may become. Remember, if we can't give the world a reason to see that we are different and for concrete reasons, they will never see the reason to convert to Christianity, because who is ever put under conviction of sin by ideas and a God that seem no different and fallen than they are.

The Outworking of Love

Text: 1 John 3:16-23

This text is pretty strait forward. We know love because Jesus died for us, and sacrificed for us. We as Christians show our love not just through saying "I love you" but through going out into the world spreading God's love, caring for the needy and those brethren who we see in need. We show love by the combination of works and words, recognizing that our works are empty without the gospel.
The rest of this passage is pretty strait forward.
-Scribe.

Sin...OOGGA BOOGGA!!!!

Text: 1 John 3:1-12

Alright, there are a lot of issues covered in these 12 verses so I'll try and be relatively brief.

First off: we can only act according to our nature, ergo a sinner will sin a righteous person won't and Christians will be somewhere in between, sinning everyday but striving against their old natures because of the righteousness granted to them by God. Christians (and this is our own fault most of the time) are perceived as a bunch of "Holier than thou art" religious nut jobs. Some of us are, vast majority of us aren't. Why are we hung up on sin? Because we recognize the sin in our lives, hold ourselves accountable to the revealed word of God, his law, and as a result hold the rest of the world accountable in our beliefs. No, I'm not promoting theocracy, merely explaining why we believe what we do.

Secondly: The reason why Christians tick people off- Because we love one another, warts and all, hold each other accountable and point out the stick in our brother's eye (hopefully after taking care of the log in our own) and strive to do Godly men and women. Just by being a Christian we are going to tick people off because Christianity automatically assumes as one of its main presuppositions that man is flawed...that he has sin ( OOOGGGA BOOGGA!) oh my, what an insulting concept: man isn't all good, he is all sin and evil and only God save him.

Questions:

1: Should we love the sinner and not the sin?

2: Is Christianity really that polarizing or is Scribe just mouthing off?

3: How should we love and show love to our fellow believers?

4: What is righteous and what isn't? (Generally speaking, specifics would be nice but not necessary)

Let Truth Abide In You

Text: 1John 2:24-27

Translation: NKJV

Alright, so we read through this passage and we think to ourselves, hey, wait a minute, I don't need anyone to teach me how or what to believe, ergo, I don't have to go to church, because they tell me what to believe...etc. etc. There are many variations of this conclusion, but this seems to be the most prominent. Now first off we would be wrong, why? Well, Jesus TOLD people what to believe, he didn't just sit around and let them find stuff out for themselves by osmosis from his speaking in glib, shallow words. He told them what to do, how to pray, and what to believe. John and all the authors of the other books of the New Testament that come after the gospels are expounding upon what Jesus taught and said. Specifically, as John here has "written to you concerning those who try to deceive you." (v. 26) John and other New Testament authors are expounding upon the words of Jesus and adding according to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, for the Holy Spirit "abides" in them and in us, guiding us. It is important to note here that even though these books are written by men, they are inspired by the Holy Spirit abiding in them. Any serious, and long study of scripture shows that instead of there being a mishmash of ideas and thought processes, there is in fact a congruent, logical, well thought out flow to scripture. This is because the Holy Spirit abided in John and others, and abides in us today, revealing the meaning of Scripture to us. R.C. Sproul once said, (and I paraphrase),"If , after studying the scripture, you find yourself interpreting it along the lines of universally recognized heretics, then your interpretation is most likely wrong and you need to seriously consider revising it."

The Bible is the infallible word of God, made even more glorious by the fact that the Holy Spirit abides in us, revealing to us through study its meaning. To God be the Glory.

Love that food? Where will your descendants eat it?

Text: 1 John 15-17

Trans.: NKJV

Okay, we all know the praise song that, granted is monotonous and not all that great, "Jesus, lover of my soul". Now, were not supposed to lover the world and not obey fleshly lusts.(say last two words like a Shakespearian actor & it sounds cool) How many of us consider ourselves "materialistic"? Not many, I know I don't. Then I look at my schedule. Tonight, I'm going to meet my friends at a coffee shop for fellowship and good times. Tommarrow, homework and a lot of other things. Now, this is my schedule to a great extent. I go out, do school, come home, repeat, lather and rinse. I am for all intents and purposes a very materialistic guy. Sure, I study the Bible, have a very indepth relationship with God and the rest, but I don't say "Hey, Gordo, maybe you should just relax and be with God instead of surffing the net, watching tennis, or Dr. Who" whatever it is. Then I look at what will come after I die. I like food, but I wonder where I will eat that food, and what my actions of my own will determine where others will eat there's. No one is going to remember that awesome prank I pulled on one of my friends on a youth retreat or what possesions I have ( if they do, they need a life bigtime). I should be more concerned about what I am leaving behind after I die on the passing world. What will my legacy be? Sure, the fellowship with my friends is important, I don't deny it, but at what cost are we as a society, especially those of us who claim to be Christian, paying to enjoy the now when we leave no legacy behind us. This is especially true for Christians today. Look at the bible, at all the geneologies that are in it. They say "Look where you have come from, what you are expected to uphold, and what you must pass on to the next generation." There is an excellent teaching dvd on the subject of legacy that can be found at Worldview Acad.'s website. It is called "The Next Name in the Toledoth". I encourage everyone of you to buy and watch it. Because really, if we don't leave a legacy of not being in love with this world then what reason is there to spread the gospel, go to church or believe in God himself? There comes a time to say, yes that trip with the youth would be fun to do, or yeah I'd like to really go do that, but that trip with the youth might be just another fun trip disguised as Christian fellowship and devotionals, or that trip by yourself could be your way of giving in to your flesh. Don't get caught up in satisfying what you want to do in the present and instead focus on what you will leave behind for the future when you are gone, whether it be death or you simply leave your current situation. If we can't give future generations of Christians something more than a fun outing or a trivial teaching on how Jesus loves kids then they won't have anything to run the race with and our descendants will truely dine in Hell.

There won't be any questions for this post, just this: Granted that man needs material things and stuff of the Flesh, ask God what things need trimming in your life.

Lies, Huh?

Text: 1 John 2: 18-23

Trans: NKJV

Alright, we know about the wolf in sheeps clothing thing. Beware those that claim to be Christians but really aren't and will lead us away from Christ. Now we here about the Antichrist. The person that will blatantly, and mostlikely pretty subtlely, lead the world away from Christ. What is an antichrist? Anyone who is against Christ, bluntly put. Yes, there is THE ANTICHRIST, the end-times guy, the big satan, etc., but there are also antichrists plural, lowercase, who are people NOT endtimes guy, yet are actively against Jesus Christ. How do we know them? They deny the Father and the Son and are therefore liars.

Christianity is based on the very fact of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and of the Father God Creator, and of the Holy Spirit, indweller. To deny this and yet claim to be a Christian is to be an antichrist. Jesus is both God and man, the two natures in one. This is to say that Jesus was perfectly God and perfectly man. The nature of man was perfect, pre-fall, therefore Jesus could and can be and is the second Adam.
How do we know this? We've got the Bible people! If a little light bulb of revelation just went off above your head, congrajulate yourself. The Bible is the truth by which we judge the world because it is the inerrant word of God. We judge our and others actions by it.

Also, if you here people who claim to have gone through church and are here to tell you about Jesus and they can't get off the fact that he is just a man, but seem uncomfortable with him being God as well, they most likely aren't Christian. Why? See what I just wrote above. To claim to be christian and to deny that Jesus is God and then "be a witness" to others "for God" is nothing but heresy.

Yes, I just used the "H" word. Everyone scream bloody murder. Want to know something else? These people should also be anathema. (or cursed and ostricised from our company). That, dear children, is what is known as the "A" word. Christian curse word class dismissed.

Closing: We should be wary of anyone uncomfortable with the fact that Jesus came to earth as both God and Man.

John: The Purpose and the Reason

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Text: 1John 2:12-14

Translation: NKJV

These verses are, on the surface, the reason that Paul has written this letter. However, there are some interesting phrases in this passage. Note that when Paul mentions a group of people and the reason that he is writting to them, the reason is actually their spiritual state. The letter is written to be helpful to these people due to there spiritual state, etc. etc.

Questions:

1)What is your own spiritual state as compared w/ the people in this passage?

2)Even though non-believers are not mentioned in this passage, can the book of 1 John still be useful in evangelizing?

3)If yes to #2, how?

Touchy- Feely sort of day.

Text: 1 John 2:3-11

Translation: NKJV

All right, so this might sound like beating a dead horse decides to defend itself but I would like to disagree. The first...well all 9 verses of this passage are very pertinent to the church today.

First off, if a person is committing sin time over and again, attends church, appears for all intents and purposes to not be repenting, then it is extremely possible that they are........*gasp* not a Christian. We as Christian are indwelt with the Holy Spirit who convicts us of our sins. If we claim to be a Christian then we are saying (among other things) that we know we are sinners and are uncomfortable in our sin.

But what should fellow believers do about people that claim to be brothers and sisters in Christ and yet repeatedly sin in a public (or at least pretty blatant) manner? Confront them with their sin privately, one on one. Then is confession and repentance are not forthcoming, repeat what you just did, only with a friend. And if this doesn't work, then take them publically before the church, whether the congregation or in front of the elders or deacons.

Now, some of you might be saying, "Hey, Scribe, that isn't very loving! Shouldn't we just be kind and leave those people with God since we can't look into their hearts?"

WRONG,WRONG, WRONG! A) because, if that person is indeed a born again believer, they need to be told that they are sinning so that their walk w/ the Lord is not compromised, they are no longer a bad influence on other Christians within the Church, and that they are not an influence for evil to nonbelievers.

And B) because if they aren't born again believers, then they are simply lying to themselves that they are and this might be what wakes them up to the fact and actually gets them saved. Also, if it doesn't then at the very least one has gotten a wolf in sheep’s clothing out of the fold.

It is always important to remember that true God does not allow us to feel good in our sin, ergo all believers should not feel good in their sin. This is not to say that if a believer falls into a pattern of sin he will not become complacent, because it does and this has happened to me before. The discernment to see sin for what it is comes from the Holy Spirit, and the discernment to confront people about their sin comes from the Holy Spirit. Also, since there is a standard of living expected of Christians, i.e.- 10 commandments, what Jesus commanded the disciples, great commission etc., we as Christian should realize that it is NOT love to let someone continue on in sin and stand by humming in the storm thinking nothing will come of it. (See points A and B above)

We aren't called to be touchy, feely, goody two shoes wimps who cover our eyes hoping that the evil in the world and the evil that from time to time enters the church will go away because we can't see it. We need to realize that because we are Christians we hold ourselves to a higher authority than ourselves and that we hold the rest of the world up to that standard as well. We should confront our brothers and sister with the speck in their eye (AFTER WE HAVE DEALT WITH THE LOG IN OUR OWN---EMPHASIS ON AFTER), so that they will no longer be a stumbling block to others or themselves. At the same time, this is an effective way to remove wolves in sheep’s clothing. We as a church have focused so much on the personal side of our walk w/ God that we have forgotten that there is also a communal side as well, which can easily be destroyed be someone being allowed continuance in sin.

1 John #2

1 John 2: 1-2
Translation: NKJV

This will be a short post. When we sin, we have and advocate with God(Jesus) and also, we are suppossed to read the Bible more since the things in it (at least this book) were written that we might not sin. Talk about a really good reason to be literate in what the Bible says as well as basic Christian doctrine and theology.

1 John #1

Text: 1 John 1:1-10
Translation: NKJV

In this passage, Johns’ original readers are having some difficulty accepting the fact that Jesus lived in the flesh. Through out verses 1-4 John uses such phrases as "we have heard", "we have looked upon", etc. to emphasize the fact that Jesus was and is real and walked the earth in a human body. Now, this brings up an important question: Is it important for those that believe to have first hand knowledge of Jesus (i.e.- actually seen him, etc.)? Of course not. In the gospels, Jesus says to the apostles that they are blessed because they have seen him and believed, but even more blessed are those that have not seen Jesus and have still believed. Think about it. We as Christians today are more blessed than the apostles because we have believed in Jesus as lord without seeing him. This is pretty awesome stuff.
Another question that arises is this: Christ being flesh and blood, did he die on the cross and rise on the third day for the sins of the elect; and is this important to Christianity?
The answer is an emphatic YES!!! The crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus is one of the historical claims of the Bible and without it there is no salvation. Christ’s death on the cross assures the elect of remission of sins because he was the last and perfect sacrifice. His resurrection assures the elect of eternal life because Christ conquered death. To not believe in these two major historical claims, in my opinion, greatly weakens the faith of those claim to be Christian and yet do not believe in these two things.
Now, in verses 5-6, John is saying that the message of the gospel they have heard from Jesus and declare to the people, and that if the have (or claim to have) fellowship with God, and yet walk in evil ways, then they should be considered liars. But if they walk in light they are telling the truth. We as Christians need to be careful of our actions. There is a lot of talk in the church today about how we need to focus more on our "Silent witness" and less on the gospel. Well, if you are focusing on our silent witness then maybe we should take a step back and look out how we dress ,act and speak. Are we guilty of not living up to the so-called "silent witness" that we promote. (Just a confession: this is one sin I know I am pretty guilty of).

Verses 8-10 bring up an issue that needs to be addressed. We as Christian do NOT claim to be perfect. What we do claim is that our set of moral standards are right, and we strive to hold ourselves to these standards even though we know that we fail miserably all the time.

Questions: 1)What are some of the disadvantages of having just a silent witness?
2) What are some of the disadvantages of having simply a verbal witness?
3) Can the two be combined?

Phil. #14

This will be the last post on Philippians. The passage is Phill. 4:8-23. Agreed that it is a long passage, however, I feel that these last verses of Paul’s are self- explanatory, even more so than the last passage I covered. Therefore, if you have any thoughts on the passage, please post them in the forums or comments. I am planning on doing first John as my next study. If you have a particular book of the bible you would like me to post on please let me know. Thank you all for being loyal readers.
Gordon F.

Phil. #13

Today's Text: Phil. 4:1-7
Translation: NKJV

Okay, this passage is pretty strait forward, so there won't be any commentary on it.

Phil. #11

Today's Text: Phill. 3: 12-16
Translation: NKJV

Alright, this is one of the easier passages to understand (at least for me). Paul is basically saying that we should not dwell on the past but keep our eyes on the prize, which is the calling to be Christians. To this end, we should walk together in unity of faith, belief and thought. Let us be mindful everyday that we are Christians serving God, called by Christ out of our sin, and indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Paul says in v.15 Paul says that there might be those who think differently then us, but God will reveal this to them. The way I see this ( and if you disagree with me, please say so on the forum) is that we are to have a conformity of thought in doctrinal teaching and theology, and that for those that differ from this will be shown by God that this is true biblical teaching, if He so chooses.
This is an extremely important point. If we don't have a conformity of belief, then our witness to non-Christians is tainted. Granted, there are many denominations with varying beliefs, but what I am talking about is a conformity of belief INSIDE ones own church. If a person were to hear a Christian from a church say that all you need is love and God will love you just the way you are and then from another member of the Church that God chooses those whom he saves, and gives us, the elect, the gift of faith and belief; then that person will come away with the impression that either the church is a bunch of mindless people who don't know what they believe, or that interpretation of the bible if up to the individual and their personal inclinations, both of which are dangerous. I cannot emphasize enough the need to have unity in belief, and to keep our eyes on the prize, that we are called to be God's people.

Phi. # 10- Rabid dogs, and iminent victories

Today's Text: Phill. 3:1-11
Translation: NKJV

Ok, so your walking down the street and that mad rabid dog that the neighbors keep starts barking up a storm and jumping up and down trying to get at you. Most of us would freak and run or move to the other side of the street. Well, what if that mad, rabid dog IS your neighbor? Then What? Most of us would think our neighbor needed to go to Broughton or some other mental institution, right? Well, life isn't always that easy. We are surrounded by non- Christians, some who are very much against Christianity and will do anything in there power to bring us down, those that don't really care just as long as we leave them alone, and those who smile to our face then backstab us every chance that comes along (obviously, these aren't all the different types of non-Christians, but for now they will have to do). Paul is telling us to beware of people who are not Christians in case they really are trying to bring us down.
However, there is reason to rejoice! We are in Christ, circumcised, and have no confidence in the flesh (our own power).Paul then goes on the talk about how he was a devout Jew, obeyed all the laws, and had every right to have confidence in his flesh. However, as stated elsewhere in the Pauline letters, the law merely shows us God's commands and our fallen sinful state. Paul himself has confidence in Christ, who gives righteousness through faith and the Holy Spirit, which is where we as Christians should have our confidence as well. We are all in Christ(those who are saved) and in response, Christ has given us the gift of faith and eternal life and resurrection of the Body along with sending us the Holy Spirit to guide us. These are the reasons that we should have confidence in Jesus Christ.
To God be the glory, great things He has done.



Note: The video is just a tongue in cheek deal that I did when I was bored. PLEASE don't take it too seriously!

Phil. #9- Role Models

Today's Text: Phill. 2:25-30
Translation: NKJV


Alright, so you've read this and your most likely wondering "Gordon, why don't you just say the same thing that you did with Phil. #8 and get it over with? I know the basic jist of this anyway." Well, I beg to disagree. Epaphroditus is indeed a very good role model- Paul just said to hold such men in esteem, but do we? Epaphroditus was sick unto death and still desired to do God's work by helping Paul. How many people, let alone people in our age bracket ("adolescents" to be PC) are willing to sacrifice their time and health to serve the Lord? Not many Christians, and sometimes I fall here, aren't willing to things like this. Most of the time, we go in, do the good deeds and flee like the wind. We are loath to spread to spoken word of the Gospel to others, saying that by our deeds people will see we are Christians and be saved. WRONG< WRONG< WRONG!!!! When people see our good deeds, they see our good deeds. Unless they have had a background in church, they will not know that we are doing such things because Christ commanded us to. Example: Epaphroditus. His good deed(s) was helping Paul, yet it was with the intention of spreading the gospel. Why do I draw this conclusion? Well, because that was what Paul was doing! Spreading the gospel. When we go out, we need to be careful who our role models are. We are told "Look up to these great Christians of the Bible and be like them", but when afforded the opportunity to be like them, we flee. Please note, I am not saying that good works are wrong and we shouldn't do them. We should. However, good works without the word of God are nothing more than good works and do not separate us from secular organizations that go out and help people. Also, I'm not saying this as a condescending thing of "I'm holier than thou art." I'm in this boat too; there have been many opportunities to witness that I have passed up in my own life.
On the role models part, find people, whether in church, community, youth group, whatever- that are strong Christians and embody the Christian ideals. In my youth group, we are going through a series called H.A.B.I.T.S. Hang time with God, Accountability, Bible Study, etc., etc.
For those of you who are looking for role models and don't know where to find them, look in the bible for people like Epaphroditus, who are commended to us as role models.
God Bless.

Phil. #8- The No Duh Passage

Today's Passage: Phill. 2:19-24
Translation: NKJV

I will not be doing any commentary on this passage- not because it is unimportant; to the contrary- but because I feel that is pretty much self-explanitory. However, I would like to note taht Timothy is definately a role model for us, besides being a strong Chirstian.
Question for the comments page: Do you think that strong Christians should be termed "radicals" or not? Explain.

Phil. #6

Passage: Pill. 2:1-3

This is a pretty short passage, so I'll keep it short and sweet. If you think of any other point, post them in the comments section.
The first verse Paul is asking some basic rhetorical questions that if something is like this - "Consolation in Christ"- then something else flows from it-"being likeminded". Now, the obvious question that arises is if Paul’s joy arises out of the Phillipian Church's being of one mind, then how can we as Christians today be of one mind? Well, the first thing to do might be to agree on how to interpret the Bible- i.e. is it the true, inerrant, inspired word of God, or is it fallible. Then move on from there to agreeing on major points of doctrine and theology- i.e. the virgin birth, Jesus' resurrection, along with views on church discipline, the palagian controversy, etc. If you don't have at least a small amount of like-mindedness in your thinking and interpretation of scripture then you are most likely going to wind up with some problems among your fellow believers.

The 3rd verse is pretty self explanatory- don't do anything to puff you up, but do as much as possible in meekness and humility. Now as Christians we know that everything we do is tainted by our sin nature, even though we are saved.
We can only strive thro9ugh the aid of the Holy Spirit to have meekness and humility (This is part of sanctification and the Westminster Larger Catechism- see Q's about 70-79. This text does a much better job of expounding upon this major doctrine of the faith than I can here).

How do YOU live?

: Today's Text: Phill. 1: 20- 26
In today's passage, Paul is talking about his persecution and suffering. He staits that to live is Christ, yet it is better to die, for that is gain. He then acknowledges that his staying here on earth is to the betterment of the Christians at Phillipi. I'm not going to do any more commentary on this passage. I would like to generate some discussion on the comments part of this post about what Paul is saying.
Questions:
1) If dying is gain for Christians- why don't we all just commit suicide? and- Is suicide justifiable in this case , if ever?

2) How should Christians approach sufferings and hardships in this life, in view of this passage?
3) Should we even rejoice when sufferings come our way?
4)How can we justify suffering ( or fleeing from suffering) when Christ suffered so much on our behalf? Isn't it better just to remain complacent to what comes our way, and not rejoice-or rejoice?
5) IF there is suffering, how can we say that God is a loving God? What do you mean by love? Is this backed up by your experience with studying scripture?

Phil. #3

: Today's Text: Phill. 1: 12-19

Are you having a bad day? Ever had one of those times when everything goes wrong? If yes, have you wallowed in self pity or have you tried to make the best out of the situation?
Paul is in prison. He is not in what we would consider a prime posistion to spread God's word. Yet he recognizes that everything that has happened to him has happened for the betterment of the kingdom, and that it actually allows him access to places where his witness would otherwise have been unheard.
Please note that I said "unheard". As Christians we are judged by those around us, always having people critique what we are doing. The only thing is this is not a silent sermon. Most people who I talk to, even those with christian friends, don't understand why Christians do good deeds and such. Unless the gospel is preached our good deeds are no better than those of the non - Christian.
Now, in verses 14-19, Paul discusses the way Christ is preached. Some are preaching a Christ of Strife and contention, hoping to add to Pauls sufferings in prison. Others are preaching a Christ of love and caring. What does Paul say to this? That as long as Chist is being preached he will rejoice. ANd so should we, even when we disagree with specific doctrines of people, at least they are preaching Christ and the gospel. Very few churches today can claim that.
So, are you having a bad day now? Remember that God is in control of our lives and that there is a purpose for everything.

Questions:
1) Does preaching a Christ of Love include preaching a Christ of tolerance?
2) WHen people preach something that is doctrinally unsound and erroneous, should we conform to what they are teaching just because they are preaching, and also to not confuse those they are witnessing to? If not, what should we do?
3) What are ways in which people lessen and also strengthen the preaching of the Gospel?