It’s easy to stand on the sidelines and find fault with the church’s weaknesses, deficiencies and ineffectiveness; it’s another thing to become involved in fixing the problem by becoming part of the solution. More dedication, more involvement, more prayer, more effort, more devotion, more service, and more humble cooperation and participation in the activities of the church are the appropriate responses to the situation.
Wayne Mack

91 TRAVELLING IN THE LIGHT

91 TRAVELLING IN THE LIGHT F O O T ================================

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READING

91 TRAVELLING IN THE LIGHT

PRAY Lord God, please help me to discover new and important things in the Bible now. —————————————————————- READ 1 John 2:7-29. —————————————————————- THINK There are several important commands in this passage. List the two which are most challenging to you. —————————————————————- FOCUS The command to love is old (7; Leviticus 19:18) but Jesus transformed it to make it new (8, Luke 10:29-37). The false teachers whom John is combating wanted to divide Christians into the spiritual ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’. John’s poetic list (12-14) points out that the church is for everyone. There is no grade system with spiritual aristocrats patronising novices. The church is God’s family. When John uses the word ‘world’ (15) he means ‘anti-Christian society’ rather than nature-world or people. Jesus loved that world dearly. This list in verse 16 includes all kinds of unrestricted indulgence of our physical appetites, impure thoughts, envy and greed, the pursuit of status. John was not suggesting (nor did Jesus) that the Christian should withdraw from the world to avoid contamination. In fact, he prepares his readers to prepare for the deceptions of the Enemy of Christ. This enemy sometimes persecutes Christians, and at other times tries to capture people’s minds by offering a plausible alternative to the authentic Jesus. How do you then, remain travelling in the light? John tells us to depend on the Holy Spirit (20) and to live always by the Holy Spirit’s teaching (24). For further teaching about the Holy Spirit see John 15:26-16:15. —————————————————————- PRAY Pray that you will be alert to falsehood and ready for a growth in godly living.