PONDERING... Christians Love (1 John 2:7-14, 3:11-24, 4:7-12, 19-21)

Christians Love

SCRIPTURE: 1 John 2:7-14, 3:11-24, 4:7-12,19-21

GIST: Christians will love because God is love.

     The structure of this lesson will be different from our normal approach. As 1 John circulates more as a conversation, I wanted to take us through each of the "love one another" statements in the letter and look at them together.

     This comes on the heels of TRANSFORMATION POINT 2: Christians will live like Jesus. How is this manifested among us? God is love. Thus, to live like Him is to love like Him.

A New Old Commandment in the Light of His Love

1 John 2:7-8 Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard.  8  At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. 

     Admittedly, these verses seem very confusing at first glance. John appears to contradict himself. Is this a new commandment or an old commandment? Well, for those of you who were with us for the John lessons, this should sound very familiar. Jesus said nearly the same thing in John 13:34 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another." But loving one another was not new. This command is seen throughout the entire Old Testament. So, what does this mean? In what way is it new? Jesus declared that this commandment was new in its application because people had missed the point. Jesus demonstrated what love was supposed to look like (it was true in Him), and took away the darkness of our weak imitation/sin-filled loves. 

1 John 2: 9-11 9  Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.  10  Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.  11  But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.  

    What does this love look like? First, it cannot be hate. That seems pretty straight forward, but think about the implications here. True love is truly loving. It is easy to say that we live like this as a sort of "gut reaction". I don't hate my brother. However, in this context, Jesus is talking about having love specifically for the fellowship of Christ, the Church, believers. Do we love them, or do we tolerate them in public and slander them in private?

    Consider the implications here, if we do not love, we hate. If we hate, we walk in darkness. If we walk in darkness, we are lost because we cannot see in the dark. Putting the metaphor into practical language--if we are not loving like Jesus, we're not living like we're saved. Spiritually, we won't grow. We cannot become more like Christ if we aren't like Him at this most foundational level.

United in Love

1 John 2:12-1412  I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name's sake.  13  I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, children, because you know the Father.  14  I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

     This segment has also been the cause of much debate amongst theologians. Why is it here? Who is being addressed? Are we talking about actually chronological ages of people, or levels of spiritual maturity? I went back and forth on all of this myself, but think that it might be too easy to miss the forest through the trees here. John is talking about loving the brothers, then he tells us who these "brothers" are. The common thread in all of these statements is that these people are saved.  The little children are forgiven and know the Father. The young men are strong, the Word abides in them, and they have overcome the evil one. The Fathers know God.  I do believe that these are marks of spiritual maturity, but the foundation of each is salvation. Why do we love the brothers? We are united in Christ! We love the world for much the same reason. Jesus died for that irritating family member, rude customer service worker,  and reckless driver---just like He did for this wretched youth pastor (Fill free to add any specific adjective of sin before my name. There are many--and those are only the ones you see.) Since this is true, why can we not love them?

     I think it’s important to point out what this love “looks” like here. Alistair Begg pointed out that love amongst Christians is like love among family members. It’s not always warm and fuzzy, but it binds.

SIDE NOTE: It is interesting that the progression from forgiven to knowing God comes through the WORD abiding in us. Meditate on that this week.

Mobilized to Love

     True love acts.

1 John 3:11-14 For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.  12  We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous.  13  Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.  14  We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.  

    Here, John sheds some light on the Genesis account of Cain and Abel. Cain killed his brother after God accepted Abel's sacrifice of a lamb, and rejected Cain's sacrifice of crops. Why was one rejected and the other accepted? It was the heart behind the sacrifice. Abel sacrificed his best out of love for God; Cain did not. John tells us his deeds were evil, and therefore, in jealousy, he killed his brother.

    He goes on to tell us not to be surprised when the world hates us. This is to be expected. Darkness hates light. However, light should not hate light. So, how can we tell if we've been saved? We no longer hate the things or the people of God. Not loving God is loving death, Hell, self.

1 John 3:15-18 15  Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.  16  By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.  17  But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?  18  Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. 

    Like Jesus does in Matthew 5:21-25, John equates hatred to murder because the heart is the same. He then contrast this with the love of God. Jesus did not murder, but gave up his life for us. We should love likewise. But what does that mean? Are we to look only for opportunities to die physically for fellow believers? Is that the only way that this can be done, and, therefore, the only way we can be saved? Are we to live like radical Muslims who die sacrificially while murdering infidels as our only guarantee of salvation?  No.

    Laying down our lives is not always and never only physical. We are to sacrifice our time, talents, and resources. Look at verse 17-18. John is very straight forward. If you have the means to help, but don't--you're not living like Christ. If we're not living like Christ, then how can assume that we're saved since salvation is being filled by God. We can't just say we love. We have to do it. 

1 John 3:19-20 19  By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him;  20  for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. 

     Again, this verse threw me off a bit on first reading it. If read causally, it could be taken as an admonition not to worry about a guilty conscience. You feel burdened? Don't worry, God is greater than your worry. But that's not the point here. In fact, we are warned of quite the opposite. If our conscience is burdened, and we don't hold ourselves to near the standard God does (nor do we see all He sees--sins of omission as well as commission), we have all the more reason to fall before Him and seek forgiveness through the truth.

1 John 3:21-24 21  Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God;  22  and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.  23  And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.  24  Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.

    We can have confidence before God when our hearts do not condemn us—our conscience is guilt-free. Our conscience is clear only when we keep His commandments. We keep His commandments when we believe that Jesus is the divine Messiah and love one another (love God, love people). Furthermore, those who do this abide (reside, live within) God because He lives within us by the Holy Spirit. He makes the change.

Demonstrated Love

     THUS, we have the perfect example of love, Jesus Christ, abiding in us.

1 John 4:7-8 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.  8  Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 

      Why do we love? 

     1-Because love is from God

     2-Whoever loves is God's

     3-Whoever doesn’t love isn’t God's

     4-God is love. This is not just a characteristic He possesses. He is love. Love cannot exist apart from Him. 

 1 John 4:9-11 9  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.  10  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.  11  Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  

     God showed His love to us through the unmerited death and resurrection of Christ. This is the Gospel. We’ve did nothing to earn this. We deserve Hell. He willing chose this. He endured Hell for us.  Verse 11 puts the point very clearly: Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  

1 John 4:12, 19-21 12  No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us... 19 We love because he first loved us.  20  If anyone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21  And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

Love perfected?

     - Perfect love is God’s love. Thus, we love truly only when we love as He does. 

Because He first loved us

     -Again our love results from His.

Love and Hate

     -They cannot coexist

The command is that we love our brothers. We can’t be Christians and not do this.

PONDERING... Why 1 John?

Why 1 John?

Scripture: Various

GIST: Salvation is founded on truth and results in transformation.

A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO THE LETTER

A Trained Teacher: 

     There is some debate over who wrote the letters of John. Most generally agree it was the same person who wrote the gospel, but there is still some division there. However, tradition and numbers are on the side of the author being John the apostle. 

     The timing of this letter would have been late in John's life. Most agree it was late in the first century. At this point, he is a much older man, and possibly the last living apostle.

     We have come to know John as the apostle of love. However, when I was listening to John MacArthur teach on this text, he pointed out this was not the case from the beginning. He was more headstrong and vain. God changed him. Late in his life and ministry, he shares that wisdom with the churches that are around his current home, Ephesus (a huge and very pagan city). 

A Treacherous Time:

     In general, this letter was written to combat Gnosticism or some similar heretical sect that was breaking away from the church and trying to destroy it from within. You don't need to understand the specifics of their false teaching to appreciate this letter. They were questioning the purity and person of Jesus. Our world does the same, and these words are equally valuable.

A Twisting Trail:

     Again, most will acknowledge that this letter is not a conventional Hebrew letter in format (missing a developed introduction and conclusion), but is more of an exposition, or mini-sermon, or conversation. Furthermore, it follows a more circular than linear pattern...aways looping back to this main purpose-->

AN OVERVIEW OF THE LETTER’S PURPOSE

"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.” 1 John 5:13

     You have to love John’s direct approach. We really have no reason to question why he wrote this letter. He tells us. This was written that we may know that we have eternal life/salvation. Now, this isn’t the only “I write these things” statement in the letter. However, they are all tied to this truth.

• 1 John 1:1-4 Eternal life is proclaimed so that all believers might have complete joy in true fellowship with Christ.
• 1 John 2:1 He is writing that we might not sin, but if we do we can have forgiveness through Christ which is what begins eternal life.
• 1 John 2:7-11 This section is a little more confusing upon the first read, but focuses on the connection between living love and walking in the light both of which should spring forth from those who truly have eternal life.
• 1 John 2:12-14 There are six “I am writing because” statements in these verses. Will break these down in more detail when we get to them, but it is important to note that although each statement addressed one of three groups of people. Yet, each statement says essentially the same thing: because “your sins are forgiven for His name’s sake” (12), “you know Him who is from the beginning”(13, 14), “you have overcome the evil one” (13), “you know the Father” (13), “you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one” (14). Sins are forgiven; sins are overcome; strength is given; the Word of God is abiding in you; and all of this is because you know God—which is eternal life.
• 1 John 2:21 They know the truth. Cross reference this with John 14:6 and 17:3…and you”ll see that this is, again, about eternal life.
• 1 John 2:26 He is writing them about those who are trying to deceive them, but deceive them about what? Look at the previous verse (1 John 2:25 “And this is the promise that He made to us—eternal life.”)

     Just to make sure we don't miss out on what this means, let's look, at a verse from his Gospel account that defines eternal life.

"And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” John 17:3

     Thus, eternal life is saving, intimate knowledge of Jesus. This book is about knowing you have this kind of relationship. There are several themes that will be coming up continuously as we read this, but I think it can be best summarized in two words: truth and transformation.

Truth: To experience eternal life, salvation, we must understand the truth about Jesus. This is foundational. He dives into the character of God. Among others, we'll be looking at the fact that He was truly 100% God and 100% man in the incarnation, He is light, and He is Love. 

Transformation: An evangelist friend of mine named Luke Johnson once said that 1 John was the best book to read to test to see if you are truly saved. One side of that is that it tests your perception of God's character, of truth. The other side is that it shows you the kind of love-saturated, obedient life that will result. ...And that is what makes this letter so challenging. It will force us to look critically at ourselves.

     Let's do that together.  Salvation is founded on truth and results in transformation. Do you know the truth? Have you been transformed?

PONDERING... John 10:19-30

John 10:19-30  There was again a division among the Jews because of these words.  20  Many of them said, "He has a demon, and is insane; why listen to him?"  21  Others said, "These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"  22  At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter,  23  and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon.  24  So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly."  25  Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me,  26  but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep.  27  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.  28  I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.  29  My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.  30  I and the Father are one."

What's Happening:

1. Division (vs 19-21) 19 There was again a division among the Jews because of these words.  20  Many of them said, "He has a demon, and is insane; why listen to him?"  21  Others said, "These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"

Again we see that 1. This is still on this heels of the healing in John 9, and 10. There was great division amongst the people because of Jesus. You cannot be indifferent towards Christ. No one ever was. No one ever will be. To hear His claims is to react.

2. Feast of dedication..time jump (vs 22-23) 22  At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter,  23  and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon.

This is the feast of renewing/ renovation (also known as this feast of lights...aka Hanukkah). It happened about 2 1/2ish months after the feast of tabernacles (previous verses) around December 20th or 25th. This would have been a colder rainy season which would explain why he went into the porch or colonnade of Solomon (built annually in the winter for convos).

This feast was instituted by Judas Maccabaeus, in the year 164 b.c. The temple and city were taken by Antiochus Epiphanes in the year 167 b.c. He killed 40,000 inhabitants, and sold 40,000 more as slaves. In addition to this, he sacrificed a sow on the altar of burnt-offerings, and a broth being made of this, he sprinkled it all over the temple. The city and temple were recovered three years afterward by Judas Maccabaeus, and the temple was purified with great pomp and solemnity. The ceremony of purification continued through eight days, during which Judas presented magnificent victims, and celebrated the praise of God with hymns and psalms (Josephus, Ant., b. xii. ch. 11).- Barnes

3. Jews ask to be told plainly... He had (vs 24-25) 24  So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly."  25  Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me,

John 6:35  Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

John 7:37-39  On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.  38  Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'"  39  Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

John 8:23-25  He said to them, "You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.  24  I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins."  25  So they said to him, "Who are you?" Jesus said to them, "Just what I have been telling you from the beginning.

Also, He points out that His works (miracles and misson) supplement His words.

4. Disbelieving non-sheep (vs 26) 26  but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep.

Contrasting with how Sheep respond, these Jews are told that they do not believe because they are not sheep. (More on this in a second.)

5. My sheep...eternal security/preservation of the saints (vs 27-28) 27  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.  28  I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.

As we've been mentioning, His sheep (Christians) listen and respond to His voice. When this happens, they are gloriously and eternally saved from damnation.

6. All hinges on the strength of the Father who 1st called and now holds (and to whom Jesus is equal) (vs 29-30) 29  My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.  30  I and the Father are one."

A couple observations:

1. There are people who will hear, see, and experience the Truth of God and not believe---thus, not be saved. They are not part of His flock.

2. Yet, there are sheep who will hear His voice, and will follow Him. They will have eternal life, and they will never perish since no one will ever be able to take them from the Father's hand. In other words, they will never cease to be saved or lose their salvation.

A couple points of application:

1. We cannot know who these people are and must preach to everyone. God has chosen to use us as His tools to spread His Word, the good news of His salvation. We cannot understand the complexities of who will and will not be saved, but God, who is vastly more qualified, does, and we know that "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance"(2 Peter 3:9 ESV). There will be people saved because He is calling them! Therefore, we need to leave this distinction of sheep and non-sheep in His hands where it forever belongs, and seek only to do His good will. Those who follow Him are sheep. Those who die not following Him are not sheep.

2. Those who are saved can be sure that this salvation will last forever! God's hands are more than able to hold.

3. However, just because we know that salvation is eternal does not mean that everyone who thinks they are saved has eternal security. Remember, the Bible tells us that if we believe that Jesus is who He claimed to be, the Son of God dying in your place and rising that you might rise also with Him and returning to take His church home, and if you give Him control of your life, you will be saved.

Romans 10:9  because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

1 John 5:13 breaks this down even further and says, "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" (ESV). I challenge you to look at 1 John and see what the Holy Spirit inspired John to write on this subject. Here are a few quick notes.

Christians:

1. Turn from darkness to light (1John 1, 3:3-4)

2. Model their lives after Christ and obey His Word (1John 2:1-8,29)

3. Love...period, and the brothers especially (1John 2:7-11, 3:10, 14-15; 5:2)

4. Change their alleigiences/do not love the world/sin (1John 2:15-17)

5. Love Jesus (1John 2:19-27)

6. Approach God as Father (1John 3:1-3)

7. Have the Holy Spirit and live in community with believers (1John 4:12-13, 5:10-11)

8. Affirm sound doctrine (1John 2:20-23; 4:2,6)

See verses below:

1 John 1:1-10  That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—  2  the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—  3  that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.  4  And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.  5  This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.  6  If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.  7  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.  8  If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  10  If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

1 John 3:3-4  And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.  4  Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.

1 John 2:1-8  My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.  2  He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.  3  And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.  4  Whoever says "I know him" but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,  5  but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him:  6  whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.  7  Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard.  8  At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.

1 John 2:29  If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.

1 John 2:7-11  Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard.  8  At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.  9  Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.  10  Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.  11  But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

1 John 3:10  By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

1 John 3:14-15  We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.  15  Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

1 John 5:2  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments.

1 John 2:15-17  Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  16  For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.  17  And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

1 John 2:19-27  They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.  20  But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.  21  I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth.  22  Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.  23  No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.  24  Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father.  25  And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life.  26  I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you.  27  But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.

1 John 3:1-3  See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.  2  Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.  3  And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

1 John 4:12-13  No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.  13  By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.

1 John 5:10-11  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.  11  And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

1 John 2:20-23  But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.  21  I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth.  22  Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.  23  No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.

1 John 4:2-6  By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,  3  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.  4  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.  5  They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them.  6  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.

Ponder, pray, and propagate your perceptions.