A Word from Pastor Stephen – April 18, 2020

“And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.” (I John 3:23-24 NIV)

As the Apostle John is entering the final season of his life he writes three letters to the first century churches. Most of us never wander into the back of the Bible to read these little letters, but there is a reason the church decided they were worth including in the Bible.

1 John has a number of themes, but the most dominant is that of light. Of course, the Gospel of John begins with the theme of light by stating, “In him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” (John 1:4-5) So John’s letters were written so that we might know the Light and follow the Light.

John refines the message of God’s Word down to its essence. We are to first “believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ” and as a result of that belief we are to “love one another”. It really is that simple. Believe in Jesus. Love each other.

So let us draw near to Jesus and let His light shine on us. Let us rest knowing that we are loved not for what we can do, not for what we can accomplish, and not for what we can earn, but we are loved because God has chosen to love us. You are a beloved child of God. Amen.