Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. 3 John 1:2-4

If you could be granted one wish, what would it be? Many people would wish for large sums of money, they would wish to be famous, some would wish for possessions , like a new house or car. But if you really ponder and think about the big picture from an eternal perspective, our wish should be that everyone comes to Christ!

Notice what the Apostle John says “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth” There is nothing that can give the Apostle more joy than to see his people, not only become saved in Christ, but that they remain abiding in Christ. This is the heart and love we should have for people, especially our people, the Church. It’s agonizing to know and think, that there will be some who will reject Christ and live in eternal damnation. Not a thought we want to think about, but it’s a grim reality.

So what can we do? We can make a difference, God has called us to preach the gospel to everyone (Matthew 28:19) God has called us to be leaders in our Church (Ephesians 4:11) and our families (1 Timothy 3:4-5), God has equipped us with the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:11) and the Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16). But how many of us have neglected our calling? How many people rather pursue after worldly lusts than to care for the flock? 

The heart of the Church needs a heart of Christ! We can’t expect the Church to grow and thrive , if we don’t care about people’s souls. We care alot about budgets and statistics, but do we care about the people outside on the street? Think about the Apostle Paul, how he grieved over the Jewish people, he said” For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren” (Romans 9:3) The Apostle Paul was willing to give up his salvation, if that meant Israel would become saved

And of course remember brethren our Lord Jesus Christ, who demonstrated His love towards us, that he willingly laid down his life, and died on the cross for our sins! There is no greater love than what Christ demonstrated to us! So our question or challenge today is, do you have a heart for people? Do you lament over the souls of people? And what are you doing about it?

There is no greater joy than to see God’s children walking in the truth, abiding in Christ, being sanctified by the Holy Spirit, Amen!

Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds. 2 John 1:9-11

 You have heard the expression “Doctrine Matters” well its true, your doctrine does matter. So what is doctrine? The original Greek word is “didache” and I’m not talking about the writings of the early Church, some of you may get that joke. This greek word means teachings or instructions. So when were talking about doctrine, were talking about the teachings of Jesus Christ. What did Jesus teach us in the red letters of the Bible? Does the practices of your Church align with the doctrines of Christ?

Notice what the Apostle John said under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit “Whoever transgresses and abides not in the doctrine of Christ, has not God” Ouch, if you call yourself a Christian and don’t do what Christ called us to do, you are not even saved according to the Word of God. Now you understand why doctrine is so important as a Christian. As Jesus said “You will be known by your fruit” (Matthew 7:16) Christ said he will know us by the way we live our lives. 

Now you might say “How could someone not following the proper teachings of Christ, not be saved” Well it’s pretty simple actually, Jesus said “Unless we are Born Again we can’t see the Kingdom of Heaven” (John 3:3) Therefor if you are truly saved, you have baptised with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is living inside of you, therefore your heart and soul clings to every word of Christ. You have an appetite for the Word of God, and read it daily. Your desire is to be conformed to the image of Christ. As Jesus said, if you have the Holy Spirit living inside of you, then there should be evidence of the fruit of the Holy Spirit being produced

Now today’s Christianity is all about inclusiveness but is that Biblical? Well again according to the teachings of Christ its not. Jesus said “I didn’t come to bring peace but a sword” (Matthew 10:34) Jesus came to bring truth into the world because Christ is the Truth. Jesus came to bring the light into the world to separate the darkness because Christ is The Light. The idea that all religions can remain together is demonic, there is a separation between the Wheat and the Tares, the Sheep and the goats, The Saved and the unsaved. 

As the Apostle John said “If anyone comes to you, and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him in your house or greet him” Now todays Christianity would say “thats not Christian” but actually it is, its in the Bible. 

I will end with the doctrine of Christ, Jesus said “If you love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15) Do you claim to love Christ? If you do , are you keeping his commandments? Is your life showing the fruit of the Holy Spirit? Remember doctrine matters, read your Bible! Amen!

For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. 2 John 1:7-8

We live in an era of “fake news”, where the majority of people can be persuaded by false information. This has been a tactic of Satans since the beginning of time, Satans relies upon people’s laziness and ignorance to the Word of God, therefor he plants deceptive ideas with smooth talking deceivers, which formulates into alot of people being misled, 

One thing I would like to ask or challenge you, what are the core beliefs of the religious group you worship with? Do you even know their core beliefs? Most Churches have a statement of faith or go by a creed, you should know where they stand on foundational doctrines of Christianity. Secondly, have you compared those beliefs against the Word of God? Seems like a simple concept, but surprisingly most people have no clue what their community  believes, they have no idea if its Biblical , many people don’t know their Bible well enough to discern truth from error

I bring this up , because as the Apostle John stated “many deceivers are entered into the world” Remember the word Satan means deceiver, He has been deceiving people since the garden of Eden. And these false teachers are children of Satan,  they deceive people for temporary power or gain, yet have sold their souls to Satan. They have no interest in the truth or serving The Lord Jesus Christ, beware this has infiltrated the Churches beyond comprehension

Jesus Christ is come in the flesh! Sounds like that would be a standard belief, by if you actually do digging, there are many groups who call themselves “Christian” who deny that Jesus is God in the flesh, and they deny Jesus Christ has physically risen from the dead. Does your Church affirm these? Many take for granted that all “Christian groups” believe Biblical doctrine, this is farther from the truth. There are many deceivers planted throughout the world who openly deny Jesus Christ as the physical Son of God who died for our sins on the cross and rose from the grave on the 3rd day!

Anyone who rejects the core gospel beliefs is not only a deceiver, but an anti-Christ. As I wrote about earlier in the “He Gets Us” post, many are worshiping a false Jesus, an idol made up of their own mind, they are not worshiping the Jesus Christ of the Bible. There is a difference, worshiping a false Jesus wont save you, don’t be deceived, don’t be misled by an anti-Christ, there agenda is to take you away from the real Christ. 

As the Apostle Paul states “God was manifested into the flesh, justified by the Spirit” (1 Timothy 3:16) If your not worshiping the Triune God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) you are worshiping a false god, don’t be deceived, read your Bible! Amen!

I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father. And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another. And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it. 2 John 1:4-6

As we look at the Apostle Johns second epistle, we see a different tone. The first thing we notice is he opened The Letter with a description of himself as “Elder”. Remember the Apostle John was the youngest of the Apostles, but this is now a later point in his life. The tone appears The Apostle is expecting to come closer to the end of his calling, and wants to make sure the next generation of the Church remains in the faith

This reminds me alot of Moses when he was coming to the end of his life, retaught the commandments of God to the Israelites, so they wouldn’t forget Gods commandments and pass them down to the next generation. This is what the Apostle John appears to be doing also, as the Apostle is reminding the Church of Christs commands to “Love One Another”

As we know this was not a new commandment “which we had from the beginning” Gods commandments have always been Love God and Love Your Neighbor, but in the New Covenant, Christ has fully explained what this all means. We also see the Apostle John addressing a “lady”, most believe he is addressing a Christian woman named Kyria. It’s possible he didn’t use her name because of persecution of the Church. But the Apostle is providing Christian wisdom for the Church and family

So what is the Love of Christ? The Apostle says “And this is love, that we walk after his commandments” This coincides with what Jesus said “If you love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15) People love to throw around the word love, but did they truly walk in love as Christ commanded? Do you truly love the Lord God with all your heart, mind, and soul?

The Apostle John wants to remind the Church not to lose their love for God and love for their neighbors, including themselves. Often times the Church can get preoccupied with other things such as budgets and programs, and forget about our true calling to be the body of Christ, the salt and light, the hands and feet of Christ.

“This is the commandment,  that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it” Are you walking in the love of Christ? Are we staying gospel centered in our Churches or are we preoccupied with worldly things? Walk in love just as Christ has walked for you! Amen!