It has always been said that actions speak louder than words. It’s one thing to make a claim, it’s another to back it up. In 1 John 5:6-10, the apostle tells us that Jesus did both. He not only claimed to be the Son of God and savior to the world, his actions are evidence…
Tag: PSI (Personal Spiritual Insight)
The Circle of Love – 1 John 5:1-5
If you can get past John’s mental gymnastics, you’ll find a pretty simple concept in 1 John 5:1-5: The love of God and the love of others is so entwined that you cannot have one without the other. To get a little more complex in my explanation (as does John to a further degree), as…
Fear, Itself. – 1 John 4:18-21
I’ve really had to chew on this passage and, to some degree, am continuing to chew as I write to see if what I’m thinking makes sense. John says in 1 John 4:18 that, “there is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.” Honestly, I think that verse is often used divorced…
Can I Get A Witness? – 1 John 4:13-17
I had the opportunity to talk with a young lady after worship yesterday who is dealing with a lot of spiritual issues. In tears, she said to me that she felt lost. I asked in what sense she meant that and she told me that it seemed she was adrift at sea without any direction. …
When Love Isn’t Love – 1 John 4:7-12
You know what I get tired of? Religious people who go to church and do all the stuff they’re supposed to, but give them half a chance and they rail on somebody. I get tired of people who talk about the love of God, but never seem to show it; never seem to demonstrate grace…
A New Kind of Test – 1 John 4:1-5
Up to now, the tests in 1 John have been for us. We have been given tests to demonstrate whether or not Christ really lives in us and if we are really following after Him. Now, the tables are turned. Testing the spirits is a vital operation that we must carry out constantly. In an…
Doubt-Less – 1 John 3:19-24
Have you ever had serious doubts about your salvation? I think we all have from time-to-time. Sometimes they’re well founded because it is possible to spend an entire lifetime going to church, doing all the religious ritual stuff, “doing good,” never having entered into a saving knowledge of Jesus (beyond head knowledge to the heart…
Faithless faith – 1 John 3:16-18
John and James sound very similar here: if you’ve got the goods and you keep it to yourselves when there is a brother in need, your faith is a sham. Sounds tough, but that’s really what is being said. John says it like this: if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in…
Tough Love – 1 John 3:11-15
Man, John just pulls no punches, does he? Listen to some of this: “Whoever does not love abides in death.” “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.” Tough stuff, but I read it very appreciatively. Sometimes we are too polite in the…
Spiritual Anarchy – 1 John 3:1-10
If you’ve been following this running commentary on 1 John, I’m sorry I was unable to post on Friday or Saturday. Friday I was out of town and could not get on a computer and Saturday we had a break-in at the church and my day was tied from early til late (and I choose…
Is it a wonderful life? 1 John 3:1-3
How many times have we wondered what it will be like when those of us who have trusted in Christ will enter into heaven? Some of the popular notions include wings, essentially becoming angels (ala It’s A Wonderful Life), or spiritual beings with no real form or physical identity. Others think it will be like…
The Deception of Righteousness – 1 John 2:26-29
“I’m basically a good person.” Number 1 answer given for the question, “Why do you think you should be allowed in heaven?” The belief that doing good things is enough for salvation is probably one of Satan’s biggest attempts to keep us from Christ. Strange, isn’t it? Satan doesn’t want you to be bad…he wants…
The Door – 1 John 2:22-25
In John 14:6, John reported Jesus as having said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except by me.” With those words, there was no room left for any other way to salvation. Now, we can either believe it or not…that option is left to us, but…
Nuances – 1 John 2: 18-21
Interested in a spiritual experience? Take your pick. There is a flavor for every taste. Like all the assurance with half the guilt? No problem. Enjoy a good mountain-top experience with no extra commitment? That’s out there, too. As a matter of fact, one of the most popular nuances in the Christian segment of the…
The Danger in Living the Cultural Mandate – 1 John 2:15-17
I love culture. I enjoy being a part of the world in the sense that I enjoy things like technology, cafe culture, the arts, sports, city life, etc. To some extent, I believe that we’re wired that way. The Cultural Mandate found in Genesis 1:28 states the following: And God blessed them. And God said…
Be Encouraged! 1 John 2:12-14
Sometimes we just need encouragement, don’t we? It can seem like the whole world is on our shoulder and if one more thing happens, we’re going to snap. I love this little section where John just pours out encouragement on his readers. In essence, he simply says, “I’m writing to you because you can do…
Blurred Vision – 1 John 2:7-11
Hate is a strong term when talking about people. It is something that few people admit to doing…especially Christ-followers. I wonder, though, do we hate without even realizing it? I admit there are people I strongly dislike, but do I hate them? Surely not. I love them because we’re told to love everyone. That’s what…
Who Do You Look Like? 1 John 2:1-6
In 1 John 2:1-6 (including verse 6 because it ends the sentence), there is another test to knowing whether or not you are a child of God. I love this because John demonstrates that there are observable indicators as to whether or not our faith is real. In a world where so many people claim Christianity…
PSI – Words, in the End, Are Still Just Words – 1 John 1:5-10
It is a popular notion, as Americans, to call ourselves Christians. Ask just about anybody, regardless of lifestyle, beliefs or politics, and they will tell you they are Christian. This just points to the fact that the word, “Christian,” has become meaningless. As a matter of fact, many would hold that because they are Americans…
PSI – Living the Challenge: 1, 2, 3 John
Yesterday, I issued a challenge at The Gathering to begin to get into Scripture. (Audio can be accessed through our website, the Sermon Audio page of this blog, or iTunes, if interested). Looking at the Model Prayer in Matthew 6, we have spent the last three weeks on verse 11: Give us this day our…
PSI – Renewal to Transformation
Over this past week I’ve been meditating on and dealing a lot with the implications of Romans 12:2: Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. I wanted…
