A ministry of the Word
There are two very difficult lessons that I have learned in ministry: the first tells me that the state of "personal conviction" is a very dangerous thing and must not be entered in too lightly, and the second tells me that those who avoid personal convictions will sink into a state of “personal apathy” and …
Children, let no one deceive you. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. John’s tender affection for his readers causes him to remind them of the peril of their situation and to be on guard against those who want to lead them astray by convincing them that the …
If you know that he is righteous, you know this as well: Everyone who does what is right has been born of him. An important break in thought occurs as John introduces a new topic – “the tests for knowing the children of God” – and brings his attention away from the false teachers and …
1st John 2:18–27 (CSB) Children, it is the last hour. And as you have heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. By this we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they did not belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, …
James 1:23-24 (CSB) Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like someone looking at his own face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of person he was. This is a verse for the people of our day. …
Continue reading "Have You Forgotten What You Look Like? James 1:23-24"
Verse 7: The Message Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. John’s affectionate address marks a clear transition in the progression of his letter and signals that John is not merely writing …
Verse 8: The Inward Deception 8 If we say, “We have no sin,” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. This verse unfolds the second antithetical statement that runs contrary to verse five; the claim to “have no sin” is in direct and unequivocal opposition to the claim that “God is …
Verse 6: The Lie 6 If we say, “We have fellowship with him,” and yet we walk in darkness, we are lying and are not practicing the truth. This verse is the first of three antithetical statements (v.6;v.8; v.10) to verse five’s claim that “God is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in him”; …
1st John 1:1-4 (CSB) What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have observed and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—2 that life was revealed, and we have seen it and we testify and declare to you the eternal life that …
The first Christmas began with worship as the wise men came to Jesus in a manger and offered Him their most precious gifts. You can read the accounts of Jesus' birth in Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2. Just as "Christmas" began with worship, how can we remember the birth of Christ without worship? Even John …
