Gary Gleans

We have come to the final book in the New Testament.   My hope as we started this year was to record gleanings from the entire New Testament and it looks like we should be able to make it.   I hope that you have enjoyed the readings half as much as I have enjoyed the writing.   John introduces himself in this book as an elderly man who has witnessed the establishment of the church along with the subsequent death of all of his fellow apostles who had suffered greatly for the cause of Christ.   John has now been banned to an island where he is held prisoner as a punishment for his efforts to advance the cause of Christ.   He writes to the seven churches in Asia about that which Christ revels to him in a dream.   The entire book is filled with very figurative language and symbolism as we might expect from a dream.   Perhaps for that reason there have been so many diverse interpretations of this book.   I believe that the key to understanding this boo...

Satan wants nothing more than to falsify and destroy the work of God in the lives of men.   The transformation of the souls of men through the Gospel of Christ is something that Satan would like to be able to thwart at all costs.   These last several books have been dedicated to the preservation of the truth by preparing believers to deal decisively with false prophets and false teachings.   Jude continues this vital theme with clear instructions as to how we can be victorious over these attacks on the Gospel. WE MUST DEFEND THE FAITH: Jude gives us a clear battle cry for us to stand up in defense of the faith.   We cannot be passive with false doctrines.   The world that is lost in sin and lives in total rejection of God is not nearly as dangerous to us as those who claim to come in the same of Christ, but they twist the truth and deny the doctrines of Scripture.   They look like believers and their speech is eloquent.   They tend to be very intellige...

The advance of the Gospel requires cooperation from the entire body of Christ.   There are many different functions, all of which are important.   Unfortunately, believers often have a tendency to become competitive with one another instead of unite for the cause of Christ.   John provides us with a shining example of cooperation that we would do well to follow as well as an awful example of competition that we must be careful to avoid. THE IMPORTANCE OF HOSPITALITY: Gaius was a close friend of John’s and he had been very faithful to walk in the truth.   This was a great source of joy to John as it is wonderful to see our spiritual children walking according to the truth of God’s Word.   In particular, Gaius was faithful to cooperate with the advance of the Gospel by providing hospitality for ministers of the Gospel who were traveling through his area.   This is a vital ministry and one that is a great encouragement to those who travel as missionaries from ...

We really do not know what kind of relationship John had with the woman to whom this letter was addressed.   We know that she was a believer with whom John had worked, for whom he had a sisterly love and about whom he was clearly concerned.   He has much to say to her but chooses to simply remind her and warn her of some very important truths. WALK LIKE BELIVERS: John has repeated this message all through his Gospel as well as his Epistle.   He simply reminds us to walk in love and obedience.   These are the true signs of a believer and must be the characteristics that mark our lives.   The Lord has changed our lives so that we can love and obey.   We are to pass this message on to all those to whom we minister that they too might be able to walk in the truth. WATCH FOR DECIEVERS: Unfortunately there are many who claim to be believers that do not follow the truth and in fact reject the message of Christ.   They have ulterior motives that may not be rea...

The most important information that is available to man through Scripture is how we can be saved and how we can be sure that we are saved.   John has written this book so that we might know this all important information.   Nothing that we know can be more important than this.   These truths must be carefully evaluated in light of our lives. LOVE IS THE EVIDENCE OF SALVATION: When God saves us, the love of Christ is made evident in our hearts.   Love is what moved Christ to die for us and so our salvation will only naturally result in our having a deep love for God and for others.   The love of God will bring about a great desire to obey God.   If our hearts are cold towards God and lack affection for other people we have very good reason to doubt the reality of our salvation.   God saved us by His love so that we can experience His love and then demonstrate that love to others.   Love or the lack thereof can provide valuable information for us to...

We often have a hard time distinguishing between that which is fake and that which is genuine.   Unfortunately there are many who profess to posses faith who really have not been saved from their sin.   This is a very real concern that all men should honestly evaluate in their own hearts.   John writs this book in order to be able to help us test our faith and verify that it is genuine.   Here are a few things that are true about those who have truly been transformed by the Gospel. THEY LISTEN TO THE WORD OF GOD: Believers love the truth and stand up to defend the truth.   God is true and the Word He has revealed is the standard for all truth.   There are many false teachers who are out there trying to pawn off their false teachings as truth, but we are called to test all teachings against the Word of God in the power of the Spirit of God.   True believers who have listened to the Word of God and are sensitive to the Spirit of God will not be led astra...

The love of God in Christ has been demonstrated to us in the fact that we have become children of God through faith in the work of Christ on the cross.   As children of God we are expected to bear a family resemblance.   As with any family there are identifying characteristics that distinguish the children of God from those of a different family.   God has saved us so that His character might become evident in our lives.   That work is not completed yet, but one day, when we see Him, we will be transformed into the image of Christ for the glory of God.   The rules that God has established for His family members are few but very important. CHILDREN OF GOD DO NOT PRACTICE SIN: The source of sin is Satan and our own sinful lusts.   Christ died to set us free from our enslavement to sin and give us victory over Satan.   Those who continue to be bound to the practice of sin as a consistent pattern in their lives demonstrate that they are not truly children ...