Gary Gleans

Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ: May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.     Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.     For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. It would be interesting to know what Jude would have written about our common salvation.  We can speculate that he would have written about how the Gospel unites both Jews and Gentiles through faith in Christ.  He could have simply written about salvation through faith in Christ.  What he might have...

I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority.     So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, talking wicked nonsense against us. And not content with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers, and also stops those who want to and puts them out of the church.     Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God.     Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself. We also add our testimony, and you know that our testimony is true.     I had much to write to you, but I would rather not write with pen and ink.     I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face.     Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends, each by name. Examples can be both positive and negative.  We can learn from both....

Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for   these brothers,   strangers as they are,   who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner   worthy of God.    For they have gone out for the sake of   the name,   accepting nothing from the Gentiles.    Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth. The furtherance of the Gospel requires cooperation within the body of Christ.  Everyone has a role to play, and every aspect of the mission is important.  Gaius was a leader in a local church that was given the opportunity to cooperate with missionaries who were striving to advance the Gospel to unreached places.  John encouraged these practices that we too would do well to emulate. PRACTICE HOPITALITY: The word for hospitality is derived from two words: love and strangers.  Gaius and t...

The elder to the beloved Gaius,   whom I love in truth.    Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.    For   I rejoiced greatly when the brother s  came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth .   I have no greater joy than to hear that   my children are walking in the truth. John writes this personal letter to a church leader named Gaius.  We really don’t know who this man is or where he ministered.  This introduction to the letter teaches us some valuable lessons about relationships between brothers in Christ and the ministry of encouragement. LOVING THROUGH PRAYER: It is a blessing to see John practice his preaching.  He communicates his love for Gaius in the introduction to this letter and demonstrates that love through prayer.  We don’t really know who Gaius is or where this letter was sent....

For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist.     Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward.     Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.     If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.     Though I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink. Instead I hope to come to you and talk face to face, so that our joy may be complete.     The children of your elect sister greet you. The hope of the Gospel and the fellowship of believers are blessings of inestimable v...

I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father.    And now I ask you, dear lady—not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another.    And   this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just   as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it.   There are some basic principles that every believer should understand about how we are expected to live.  Both Paul and John use the image of walking to describe our life in Christ.  It is not a sprint that can be achieved in a short period of time.  Rather, it is a life-long pursuit that will mark our lives day after day. WALK IN TRUTH: It is certainly a reason for great rejoicing to see fellow believers walking in the truth.  We live in a world where the father of lies, Satan, has bee...

The elder to the elect lady and her children,   whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all who   know   the truth,   because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever:   Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father's Son, in truth and love. This short letter gives us a summary of some of the most important teachings in Scripture.  In John 17 the apostle recorded for us the high priestly prayer of Jesus.  In that prayer, Jesus emphasized the importance of love and truth.  John repeats that theme here.  These two vital characteristics must be held in balance with one another. THE PEOPLE: The elder clearly refers to John, the author of the book.  The elect lady and her children are the recipients of this letter.  This could refer to a specific lady in the church that regularly opened her home to host people.  It could also ...

We know that   everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but   he who was born of God   protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.    We know that we are from God, and   the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.     And we know that the Son of God has come and   has given us understanding, so that we may know   him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and   eternal life.    Little children,   keep yourselves from idols. Because we are believers, there are certain things that we know.  John concludes this epistle reviewing those things that we know to be true because of our relationship with God through faith in Christ.  The knowledge of these truths should be transformative in our lives. BELIEVERS DON’T PRACTICE SIN: Clearly all believers continue to sin, but they do not “keep on” sinning.  There is a cl...

I write   these things to you who   believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.    And this is   the confidence that we have toward him, that   if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.    And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.    If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and   Go d  will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death.   There is sin that leads to death;   I do not say that one should pray for that.    All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death. John summarizes, as usual, the main purpose for his writing this book.  He touches on many different themes in this writing, but they are all bound together by the main intent of helping us know that we have eternal life.  Thi...

This is he who came   by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And   the Spirit is the one who testifies, because   the Spirit is the truth.    For there are three that testify:   the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree.    If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God   that he has borne concerning his Son.    Whoever believes in the Son of God   has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God   has made him a liar,   because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son.    And this is the testimony, that God gave us   eternal life, and   this life is in his Son.    Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. One of the most vital questions every person must answer is: Who is Jesus?...

Everyone who believes that   Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and   everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.    By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments.    For   this is the love of God, that we   keep his commandments. And   his commandments are not burdensome.    For   everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.   Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes   that Jesus is the Son of God? Regeneration has a profound impact on the lives of every believer.  There are many phrases in Scripture that describe regeneration.  Jesus used the phrase: you must be born again with Nicodemus.  Paul used the phrase new creation.  Here, John uses being born of God.  These all teach us that our salvation t...

By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.    And   we have seen and testify that   the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of   the world.    Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.    So   we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us.   God is love, and   whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.  By this   is love perfected with us, so that   we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because   as he is so also are we in this world.    There is no fear in love, but   perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not   been perfected in love.    We love because he first loved us.  If anyone says, “I love God,” and   hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brot...

Beloved,   let us love one another, for love is from God, and   whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.    Anyone who does not love does not know God, because   God is love.    In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that   God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.    In this is love,   not that we have loved God   but that he loved us and sent his Son to be   the propitiation for our sins.    Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.    No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and   his love is perfected in us. Love is a communicable attribute of God.  Communicable means that He shares this attribute with us and expects us to demonstrate it to others.  Only God is omniscient or all-knowing so that is an uncommunicable attribute.  Love is God’s very identity and He is l...

Beloved,   do not believe every spirit, but   test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for   many   false prophets   have gone out into the world.    By this you know the Spirit of God:   every spirit that confesses that   Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,   and every spirit   that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and   now is in the world already.  Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for   he who is in you is greater than   he who is in the world.    They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and   the world listens to them.    We are from God.   Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know   the Spirit of truth and   the spirit of error. The primary difference between believers and ...