Monthly Archives: November 2023

1 John 1- God is Light

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This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 1 John 1:5-7

It’s trendy nowadays to have “progressive” Christianity, which is basically a liberal version of Christianity, so we can be all inclusive, all approving of all the sin in this world. However as the Apostle John states here “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” They can use the argument God is love, which is true and John teaches on that later, however God is also Holy, meaning sinless, and there is no darkness in God, this is why Jesus said “You must be Born Again to see the Kingdom of God” (John 3:3)

This idea that you can remain who you are, that you can be accepted by God as you are, is just simply not Biblical. If that was the case, then there would have been no reason for Christ to die on the cross for our sins. We must be transformed and cleansed by the blood of Christ and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. There is no darkness in God, therefore in order to be reconciled back to God, you must be Born Again. This  is very clear from the scriptures.

Then the Apostle John goes on to say “If we say that we have fellowship with Him (God) and walk in darkness, we lie, and don’t have the truth”  Again you can’t be reconciled back to God and still be dead in your sins (Ephesians 2) If you believe this, then the Apostle under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit says your a liar. Don’t be deceived , unless you are Born Again, you will not see the Kingdom of God” (John 3:3) Jesus also goes on to say “Why do you call me Lord, and not do the things I say” (Luke 6:46)

If we confess Jesus is Lord, Christ is your Master, he is your boss. If we call ourselves Christians, then why don’t you truly follow Christ? We can’t make up our own theology to fit our lifestyles, if you are a Christian then you submit to the authority of Christ. Jesus said “If you love me, Keep my commandments” (John 14:16) We can’t walk in darkness and walk in Christ, they are in total opposition of each other. If we believe we can we are a liar according to God

You might say “We are all sinners” (Romans 3:23) Yes that’s true but as the Apostle John tells us “the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin” We are all sinners, but Christ will cleanse you from your sin. Christ will set your free from all your sins (John 8) If you still remain in your sins, have you really been cleansed? You can’t walk in the light while walking in darkness, you must be Born Again! Amen!

1 John 1- Fellowship with God

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That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.  1 John 1:3-4

The theme for the scriptures today is all about fellowship, as the Apostle John says “That you may have fellowship with Us, and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ” Can you truly be part of the body of Christ if you don’t fellowship with the Church? I ask this question because I get many people who identify as Christians who refuse to fellowship with other Christians, not only is this not Biblical, but it’s a hindrance to your sanctification

Now you might say , I can’t fellowship with this group of people, they are not like me, we have nothing in common. That is the beauty of the Church, we are all united through Christ, it doesn’t matter who you are or where you’re from, if you are a child of God you are part of the body of Christ. To neglect the Church is to neglect Christ himself, as he is the head of the Church body (Colossians 1:18)

Fellowship is an essential part of your Christian walk, God never intended for you to walk alone, God never created you to be alone, that’s why God designed the Church, a family of God united through Christ by the Holy Spirit. Does that mean the Church is going to be perfect? Of course not, we are all sinners , if your looking around your going to find alot of issues, because we are all flawed humans, but we put our faith in Christ for our salvation, we are filled and led by the Holy Spirit, to serve and love the best we can. There is a great mysterious beauty within the Church, as the Bible says “Don’t forsake the assembly of ourselves together” (Hebrews 10.:25)

And then we have the fellowship with God, fellowship with the Father, fellowship with the Son, fellowship with the Holy Spirit, we are all united together. This is why you need to be Born Again (John 3:3) you need the Holy Spirit living inside of you, unified with God. Sometimes you might feel like God is far away, this is why you also fellowship with the Church, God the Holy Spirit living inside of the great multitude using the spiritual gifts that have been given to us (Romans 12, 1 Cor. 12)

I would like to end with the words of the Apostle James “ Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. 14Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16[j]Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed (James 5:13-16)

You can’t do any of this by yourself, if you are in Christ, you are part of the Body of Christ, you can’t forsake your own body, fellowship with your brothers and sisters in Christ, fellowship with God in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen!

1 John 1- The Word of Life

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That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) 1 John 1:1-2

The Apostle John starts his epistle the same way he stated the gospel of John, “From the beginning” as John started his gospel from the beginning of Creation. “In the beginning was The Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1) Jesus Christ is the Creator who became the creation to save us from our sins, to be reconciled back to our Heavenly Father. 

Now you might say, well these are ancient writings that were passed down from generation to generation, but no the Apostle John is not just the author of these writings inspired by the Holy Spirit, but he was also an eyewitness to these events and a personal Apostle of Christ. As John testifies “which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of Life” The disciples have lived and learned from God incarnate for over 3 years.

As we enter the Advent season on the Church calendar, the celebration of the coming of Christ, the celebration of God becoming flesh and living among us (John 1:14) Can we even grasp what had happened in the manger in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago? Is there any possibility of our minds comprehending the Holy Spirit conceiving a child in the virgin womb to bring the Son of God into the world? I don’t think our human minds can fully grasp the incarnation but we know it happened in the manger in a little town of Bethlehem

Without the incarnation of Christ, without the Word becoming flesh, there would be no salvation for your soul. Without Immanuel, God coming with us here on Earth, there would be no atonement for your sins. The incarnation of Christ is an essential doctrine of your faith, and part of the gospel message. Christ could never have gone to the cross, without becoming flesh first!  This is why the Church began celebrating what we know today as “Christmas” , the virgin birth is the hope for all humanity

As the Apostle John states “The Word of Life (Christ) was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness “ The Word became flesh and lived among us, glory to the new born King! Reflect upon these thoughts as we prepare for Advent season, Amen!

2 Peter 3- Grow in Christ

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But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen. 2 Peter 3:18

The question or challenge for you today is , are you growing in Christ? When you look back at your conversion, the day when the Father drew you to Jesus, are you still the same person? Do you have deeper knowledge of your Lord today then you did yesterday? Has the Holy Spirit been producing good fruit within you? Can other people see a change in you? Are you feasting on the meat of the Word of God or are you still drinking the milk of a spiritual infant?

These are alot of questions to ponder about yourself, but it’s a good reflection of where you are at with your relationship with Christ. Many people will say , Yes I’m a Christian, I got baptized at this date, I went to CCD classes, I got to Church periodically, I’m good. Is that enough? Has there been any spiritual growth since you became a “Christian”? 

The Apostle Peter says “Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” Grow, not remain stagnant. Is there any desire within you to want to pursue God deeper? If there is, what is stopping you? Jesus said “Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you shall find, knock and the door will be opened” (Matthew 7:7) Jesus didn’t say don’t ask questions, don’t pursue holiness, don’t read your Bible, ect. Christ is inviting you to pursue him, He has already found you, now learn more about your Great Shepherd

Notice what the Apostle Paul said the Church of Corinth “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ., I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; (1 Corinthians 3:1-2) There was many things Paul wanted to teach the Church of Corinth, but many of them were still just “babes in Christ” they were still not spiritually mature enough to understand what he was teaching them. Therefor he had to feed them spiritual milk instead of meat, just as we would a real infant.

What was the difference with these believers? They didn’t grow in Christ yet, they were still at the infant stage not ready for deeper knowledge of The Lord. If you want to deepen your knowledge of God , you need to grow in Christ by the Holy Spirit. Some might be reading this and wonder what I’m talking about, while others know exactly what I’m talking about, it depends on where you are at with your relationship with Christ

So how do we grow in Christ? We need to be committed to Christ, be obedient to Jesus as your Lord, submitting to his authority and teachings. Be obedient to the Holy Spirit and what he is trying to show and teach you. Read the Word of God daily and meditate on its words, pray without ceasing , belong to a Church community where you can be sanctified and sharpened by your brothers and sisters in Christ, Amen!

2 Peter 3- Be Diligent

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Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. 2 Peter 3:14-16

Where will you be when Christ returns? This may sound like an odd question , maybe even impossible to answer, but it should be a question that ponders in our minds. Just like the Ten Virgins of Matthew 25, 5 were ready and wise, the other 5 were foolish and with no oil, when The Lord returned those who were not ready, the door was shut! They cried out to him, Lord Lord opened up to us, but he declared I never knew you!

Now look at the words the Apostle Peter “Be diligent or make every effort that you may be found of Him (Christ) in peace, without spot and blameless” The Apostle Peter didn’t tell the Church to live their best life now, he didn’t say just wait for the rapture, no he said “Make A effort” So what effort are you making to be ready for the return of Christ? Are you ready for the return of Christ? 

It’s easy to become a lazy Christian, you stop reading your Bible, you stop spending time in prayer, you stop worshiping and serving at your local Church, it’s easy to get into bad habits and be pulled into the world. Its easy to get pulled into the world, get distracted , spend alot of time on things that have nothing to do with God. But as Jesus comes as a thief in the night (1 Thessalonians 5) will you be ready? Or will you be caught off guard like the foolish virgins and the door will be shut (Matthew 25)

Now I know there will be some who will say “this is legalism” , “this is works based salvation” My response is if you are truly Born Again in Christ, if the Holy Spirit is truly living inside of you, then shouldn’t your life reflect this? How can you say , you have the Holy Spirit, when we don’t see any fruits of the Holy Spirit? (Matthew 7, Galatians 5) This is not legalism, this is the reality of being regenerated, as Jesus said “A good tree will bear good fruit”

Again Peter addresses why The Lord hasn’t returned yet, “The Lord patience or long suffering brings salvation” As Peter said previously God wants everyone to become saved, therefore God is being patient before bringing wrath upon the wicked. This is a patient and loving God, as we deserve the judgment to come, yet God wants to provide mercy and atonement. This is why the Great Commision (Matthew 28:19) is our mission as the Church

Another thing to note here is as the Apostle Peter affirms the Apostles Paul’s writings, for those who like to reject parts of the Bible because it doesn’t fit into their narrative, all scripture is God breathed and profitable for us. 

 Be diligent Church, Be prepared because The Lord is coming as a thief in the night, don’t find out The Lord never knew you when the door is shut, Repent and put your faith in Christ as Lord today!

2 Peter 3- Return of Christ

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But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. 2 Peter 3:10-13

At Church the past several weeks we have been working through Matthew 25, these are all parables about the Return of Christ, The Ten Virgins, The Parable of the Talents, and the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats. The theme is all the same, are you ready for the return of Jesus Christ? As the Apostle Peter describes it here “The day of The Lord will come as a thief in the night” meaning Christ will return at a time when we least expect him to!

This is the same way the Apostle Paul describes the return of Christ, as a thief in the night (1 Thessalonians 5) Jesus himself said “Nobody knows the day or hour of his return” (Matthew 24:36) Anyone who gives you a date and time of Christ return, don’t listen to them, they are a false teacher and disqualified for service. Christ is very clear Nobody will know, so with that said, we need to be prepared as if Christ is returning today! Are you ready or prepared to stand before The Lord today?

As we look around this world today, its horrifying and disheartening, countries at war with each other, disease and death is all around us, however the Apostle Peter gives us a glimpse of part of our blessed hope, the New Heavens and Earth. The fact is judgment is coming upon this current Earth, as Peter describes “The coming day of God, where the heavens being on fire shall dissolve and the elements shall melt with fervent heat” 

As Jesus taught previously the coming of the Son of Man will be like the Days of Noah (Matthew 24:37) What happened in the days of Noah? The flood, judgment upon the whole world, what is going to happen with the return of Christ? Yes,  the final judgment upon the whole world, this should be a terrifying thought for anyone who is not saved in Christ. While this is horrible news for the unsaved world, this will be a glorious day for those Born Again in Christ

As the Apostle Peter states “Look for the New Heavens and Earth in which righteousness dwells” All evil has been purged from the Earth and God is establishing his eternal Kingdom. This is not a new concept taught by Peter, the Apostle John taught about the New Heavens and Earth (Revelation 21 as well as the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 65) and Jesus told us “He is preparing a place for us” (John 14) but you need to repent and put your faith and trust in Christ as your Lord

Jesus Christ is coming back as a Thief in the night, at a day or hour when you will not expect Him, are you ready to stand before The Lord?

2 Peter 3- Return of The Lord

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For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:5-9

Jesus said “As the days of Noah were, so will be coming of the Son of Man” (Matthew 24:37) The Apostle Peter also reflects this same message “Whereby the world that then was being overflowed by water (flooded), perished” As Peter is talking about the return of Christ, he references the flood of Noah, why? Because when The Lord returns , there will be judgment upon The Earth for those who are not saved! So while many are eagerly waiting for the Rapture of the Church, lets eagerly share the gospel with the unsaved as many will be perishing!

The Apostle Peter describes the world will be under a judgment “But the heavens and Earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men” While we eagerly want our Lord to return, we also have to remember we as the Church have work to be done! If you reference the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25) The Master went away and entrusted all his possessions to his servants, when the Master came back , he came to see what the servants did with his possessions and their time? The ones who grew his Kingdom, were told “Well done, good and faithful servant”! , but the one who did nothing, was called a “Wicked and Lazy servant” by The Lord and thrown into Hell. 

Now many scoffers will say “Why hasn’t The Lord returned yet”? The Apostle Peter under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit answers this question from multiple angles. First “one day to The Lord is like 1,000 years for us” Remember God is eternal, He is outside of the realm of time, therefore his timing is not the same as our timing. To expect God to do things on our clock or calendar is not only naive , I think it’s borderline blasphemous. As Jesus said “Nobody will know the day or hour of His return” (Matthew 25:12) 

But secondly there is a reason why The Lord has been delaying his return, as the Apostle Peter states here “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering (patient) with us, not willing that any should perish, but that all come to repentance” Imagine that, God wants everyone to be saved, I know this will anger many “Christians”. The Lord has not returned yet because He wants as many as possible to come to repentance! Did you get the memo Church, it’s time to get busy and share the gospel, The Lord will come like a thief in the night, Are you Ready?

2 Peter 3- Constant Reminder

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This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour: Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. 2 Peter 3:1-4

Every now and then the Church needs a reminder, needs some encouragement about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is what the Apostle Peter is saying here “This second epistle, beloved, I now write to you in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance” Even though we know Christ died for our sins, we know Christ rose on the third day, we know Christ is coming back again for His Church, it’s good for us to be reminded and encouraged frequently 

Christianity has had many scoffers and enemies since the very beginning, but yet the gospel message still remains the same, the Tomb is still empty, death is still defeated, and all the enemies of Christ end up in Hades. But yet generation after generation, the world will try to disprove Christianity. It is finished, victory has already been sealed, this should be a constant reminder for the Church

As Peter continues “Be mindful of the words spoken before by the prophets and the apostles” Since the beginning God has foretold about the coming of Christ and the gospel message through the prophets and apostles, the life, death, and resurrection of Christ was not a coincidence or random events, this were plan and foretold by God before the foundations of the world. 

But as the Apostle Peter says “in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying where is the promise of his coming?’ As Jesus said “they will deceive even the elect” (Matthew 24:24) many will fall away from the faith, why? Perhaps they never truly had faith at all?  Perhaps they were interested in Christianity but not interested in Christ? Perhaps their hearts became hardened by the deception of this world? 

So as the Apostle Peter is doing he, keep reminding the Church that Christ has already won the war at the cross and the tomb! Remind the Church that Christ has already fulfilled over 300 foretold prophecies. Remind the Church that Christ is coming back as a thief in the night, at a day or hour when nobody will expect him, so be ready and alert like the 5 Wise Virgins whose lamps were filled with the Holy Spirit (Matthew 25) Stay awake and alert, because when Christ does return for his Church, the door will be shut! Amen!