1 John 2.18-29 & 5.1-12
The All-Star game is today and unfortunately I don't have tickets to it. So I guess if I made the drive up to Chase field with my ice chest ready to go, all my friends in the car, and my favorite team's jersey on...I'd be sitting on the curb listening to the game on the radio. As bad as I want to think, "just maybe" ...there's no game without a ticket.
In the past few years there has been a lot of debate on the validity of Jesus. Do we really need him? Was he just a good person? Is He really the Son of God? And a lot of people have come to the conclusion that Jesus is optional...they don't really need that ticket. But after reading 1 John along with other scripture, I've come to the conclusion that Jesus is pretty necessary! You see, we need Jesus to come to God, and we need Jesus to stay with God. John states in chapter 2:22-23, "And who is a liar? Anyone who says that Jesus is not the Christ. Anyone who denies the Father and the Son is an antichrist. Anyone who denies the Son doesn’t have the Father, either. But anyone who acknowledges the Son has the Father also." The lie has been fed to us that Jesus is not necessary. But the truth is, he is vital to our relationship with God. John goes on to tell us to "remain in fellowship with Christ." It's through that fellowship that we learn to "keep his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome." The more we follow Jesus in relationship the less burdensome His commandments become. If we think Jesus is a "cool guy" and never build a relationship with Him, anything He tells us to do will seem burdensome. Because let's face it...our sin nature would rather not do those things. However, if we are following Him closely we will want to obey his commandments out of love. And not only that, but we "can win [the] battle against this world," and "achieve victory through our faith." It's not just important to realize how important Jesus is in coming to God, but how important He is in our ongoing relationship with God. So, how closely are we following Jesus?
Family Challenge: Who is Jesus to you? What commandments are burdensome to you? How can you grow closer in following Jesus?
Upcoming Events
Today // Pool Party // 6pm at the Price's House // $2 // Get Directions
July 20-23 // Summer Camp // Get the info packet
August 6 // Convoy of Hope Outreach
August 7 // Whole Church Pool Party and Baptisms
The All-Star game is today and unfortunately I don't have tickets to it. So I guess if I made the drive up to Chase field with my ice chest ready to go, all my friends in the car, and my favorite team's jersey on...I'd be sitting on the curb listening to the game on the radio. As bad as I want to think, "just maybe" ...there's no game without a ticket.
In the past few years there has been a lot of debate on the validity of Jesus. Do we really need him? Was he just a good person? Is He really the Son of God? And a lot of people have come to the conclusion that Jesus is optional...they don't really need that ticket. But after reading 1 John along with other scripture, I've come to the conclusion that Jesus is pretty necessary! You see, we need Jesus to come to God, and we need Jesus to stay with God. John states in chapter 2:22-23, "And who is a liar? Anyone who says that Jesus is not the Christ. Anyone who denies the Father and the Son is an antichrist. Anyone who denies the Son doesn’t have the Father, either. But anyone who acknowledges the Son has the Father also." The lie has been fed to us that Jesus is not necessary. But the truth is, he is vital to our relationship with God. John goes on to tell us to "remain in fellowship with Christ." It's through that fellowship that we learn to "keep his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome." The more we follow Jesus in relationship the less burdensome His commandments become. If we think Jesus is a "cool guy" and never build a relationship with Him, anything He tells us to do will seem burdensome. Because let's face it...our sin nature would rather not do those things. However, if we are following Him closely we will want to obey his commandments out of love. And not only that, but we "can win [the] battle against this world," and "achieve victory through our faith." It's not just important to realize how important Jesus is in coming to God, but how important He is in our ongoing relationship with God. So, how closely are we following Jesus?
Family Challenge: Who is Jesus to you? What commandments are burdensome to you? How can you grow closer in following Jesus?
Upcoming Events
Today // Pool Party // 6pm at the Price's House // $2 // Get Directions
July 20-23 // Summer Camp // Get the info packet
August 6 // Convoy of Hope Outreach
August 7 // Whole Church Pool Party and Baptisms
RSS Feed