Sunday Dispatch.650

[the iron horse]

Sunday Dispatch.650

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete.

~1 John 1-3

A Suggested Guide on Finding God in a Sea of Religion
Chapter Four

The suggested reading order so far: The Gospel of John, Job and Galatians.
We now come to 1 John. It is a letter written, around 85-90 A.D., by the same writer of the Gospel of John. John was the youngest disciple of Jesus but now he was advanced in age. He addresses the readers as “children.” It is five chapters and long and was a circular letter passed to Christians in various locations.

John opens the letter by reminding us that he was one of the witnesses to Jesus. He was there. He desires that we will live a life of joy.
This is a “get back to the basics” of the faith. We should not only follow Jesus we should obey his teachings. We can’t claim to walk in the light if we hate our brother.

John encourages readers to strive to be holy. To be holy means to be "set apart." We should strive for perfection. I mean what else could God ask for? Be ye perfect half the time? Three fourths of the time? Sin means "missing the mark." We will mess up and sin. We will stumble but we ask for forgiveness and move on. We should not let the bumps in the road derail us and hinder the journey. Jesus is here with us to help. He is our best friend.

To be obedient and in this we find happiness and joy. The Christian faith at its core is a personal relationship with Jesus.

False teachers were a huge problem during the first two centuries of the church. Unfortunately they are still with us. John warns us to beware and don’t be deceived.

This is the final chapter of this brief guide. I hope you have found it helpful. I would like to end with a few suggestions for you to consider.

-The N.I.V. Study Bible is a good translation. The introductions to the books and footnote are helpful.

-After reading the four books I would go and read Matthew, Mark and Luke. It would be good to continue reading the Gospels until you have a good understanding.

-Pray (do this awhile and you will be pleasantly surprised)

-Remember what Jesus said about not bragging to others about your good deeds. Do them without boasting. God knows what you are doing.

-Read Your God is too Small by J.B. Phillips (a short book with giant message)

-Find a church to attend. Take your time and find out what the church teaches. Remember to test everything with scripture.

-Enjoy your journey. It's like getting a new set of glasses to see the world. A lot of beautiful things out there. The simplest things will become very important. Life with meaning and purpose.

- Remember the false teachers. Don't expect a life free of trouble and health and wealth 24/7. The Christian is not immune from trouble and strife but when the storms come you will be prepared.

Take care