BJ Not BK

I was contacted yesterday by the I.O.C.O.P.T.  (international Olympic committee on preaching and teaching) and was given a stern warning.  You see, Sunday, July 20th I was given the wonderful privilege of preaching at a local church for the second time.  And, both times, per the church's policy, I was given a generous check for my service, please note that I neither expected nor requested said check.  Unbeknown to me this may be in violation of the Layperson's rules as laid out in the I.O.C.O.P.T. handbook, page 1,273, section C, paragraph B which states......"any layperson receiving payment for services such as preaching and or teaching while still holding amateur status may be subject to investigation for such practices and if determined by the I.O.C.O.P.T. that payment rendered to an individual in amateur status exceeds a gregarious amount, as defined by the I.O.C.O.P.T., the I.O.C.O.P.T. may at any point revoke the amateur status of said teacher/preacher along with all rights and privileges associated with amateur status."

This has me worried as I am a Bible Teacher at our church and as a lay person I desperately wanted to compete in the "preaching" event at the 2008 Summer Olympics.  I just hope and pray that my B sample comes back negative as any positive result will definitely exclude me from the competition.

 

 

 This week can be summed up with two words.....blur.

Thank goodness it's Friday.

and that means....payday, go out tonight, wash my trans-am, and head out to Tex-Arkana for a load of cold, Illegal, Coors....O wait, that's Smoky and the Bandit...nevermind.

You know that Friday is for photos.

1.  My wife took this one of little man playing in the pool.

2. This one is of the two angels.  Hard to believe it but they did sit still for more than 1.6 secs so I could snap the pic.

 

3.  Our Bible Fellowship class went hiking last Saturday to Midnight Hole.  What a great time.  Boy was the water cold!

If you like great photography make sure to visit Steve Mckoy's Friday photos here [link] and Joe Thorn's here [link].

Want to see your photo published here?  Submit all family friendly photos to bjnotbk@gmail.com for consideration.  Please note that I reserve the right to publish or not publish any submission.

4.  Anyone seen the new Dark Knight movie?  M and I are possibly, maybe, going to attempt to go tonight.  Not sure though.  If you have seen it don't give it away.  I want to see if I can figure out who the joker is.

5.  Obama.  

6.  Studies have shown that when an article, post, or news story contains the word Obama in it then readership increases by 150%, pustule boils are healed, the lame walk, and the blind see. 

7.  What are you reading?  I am finishing up Blue Like Jazz....what a great read.  

8.  What are you listening to these days?  I haven't heard much of anything new that I like and haven't been into anything much lately.  However, I am hearing that U2 has a new album in the works that should be released later this year.  

9.  Weekend plans anyone?  M and I are going out tonight!  Tomorrow our Bible Fellowship class will be heading to the World's Fair Park for a day of games, food, fellowship, and fun.  

10.  Thanks everyone for reading bjnotbk this week.  My prayer is that you will be entertained and encouraged or challenged each time you stop by.  I am also praying for you, my readers, that is, so be encouraged in knowing that no matter what someone, somewhere is praying for you.  Now go read your Bible, love your family, lover your neighbor, get outside, and love Jesus!   

Maybe next week will be a bit slower and I can hang out here at Steeple a little more.  Until then.....shalom 

I like coffee.  I like good coffee.  I really really like great coffee but I am not sure I have ever had great coffee, unless you consider Sanka great coffee.

Now, I can have great coffee and you can help me in my quest.  Oh, anyone outthere have a spare $11k you care to dish out? 

You can read more about the wonders of the Clover here.  [link]

 

It is not uncommon for me to be approached numerous times a day from various media outlets, AP, CNN, blogs, websites, all trying to gain access into the mind and life of bjnotbk.  My PR machine has done a great job of keeping the papparzi at bay, in fact, if you saw me on the street you would never realize that there were any papparzi?  Good job men...keep it up!  So what's up?  What's this all about?  Well, after years of crafting the perfect online persona, keeping everyone at arm's length I am now granting you, my reading audience exclusive access into the life of bjnotbk.  Who did I choose to do the interview?  Barbara?  Larry King?  Rush?  Savage?  Naah....too sophomoric for something this big.

Instead I have choose myself to well...introduce myself.

Earlier this week I spent the day with myself at my undisclosed underground laboratory sipping a late asking some in depth probing questions.

bj - Thanks bjnotbk for sitting down with me.  I know your time is valuable so I promise not to waste your time.

bjnotbk - np

bj - You know, I never realized you were this dreamy in person....is that a hint of body butter I smell?

bjnotbk - awkward silence

bj - ok, so first question that is killing everyone.  What's the deal with the name?

bjnotbk - I can explain that pretty easy really.  The name is kind of a tip of my hat to a dear man in the family who kept asking..."Why do they call him bj?  Shouldn't it be bk?"  The truth is I was adopted and my name was bartholomeux kspttuyxtoxjoe with the kspttuyxt silent.  Kind of one of those i before e rules.

bj -  What's that huge scar on your chest?

bjnotbk - Well, when I was a child the surgeons had the break my ribs because my heart was so big and so full of love.  

bj - right.....next question.  What is with all the tattoos?  Are or have you ever been in a gang, are you an ex NBA player, member of the mafia..are...

bjnotbk - easy sport.  The tattoos come into play via several outlets family, the Navy, rebellion, my involvement in martial arts.

bj - do you regret them?

bjnotbk - sometimes but most of the time I don't even notice them.  I mean I have had these for over 15 years so it's not like I get up in the morning, look in the mirror and am surprised.

bj - WAAAAAAA

bjnotbk - what was that?

bj - my switching topic button.  How have you come to grips and coped with the fact that you will never be Joe Napalm?

bjnotbk - awkward silence

bj - u...yes, Tell us about your photos?  If you could describe yourself as one photographer or relate your style to a famous photographer who would it be?

bjnotbk - Digital cameras are such a blessing.  You can point and shoot anything an unlimited number of times for free.  I love architecture, people, and anything that catches my eye.  In comparing myself and my photography I would have to say that I am a mix of Annie Lebowitz and Ansel Adams with much more leg hair, tattoos, and sarcasm.

bj - ahaaa, you mentioned the magic word, sarcasm, where does it all flow from?

bjnotbk - you see when I was only 2 years old my parents apprenticed me out to a family of gypsies in New York City.  I would sell matches during the day and at night I would tell jokes and spin wild tales while boiling cabbage over an open fire.

bj - long awkward silence......ok, last question...boxers or briefs?

bjnotbk - boxer briefs

bj - thank you so much for your time today bjnotbk.   

bjnotbk - np you don't have to go home you just can't stay here....now get out 

In Chapter 1:1-4 John quickly dives into the meat of the book, does away with the chit chat and the talky talky, and as we discussed last week, gives his testimony, "I heard about Jesus, what He was doing, I heard Jesus teach and preach, and I personally heard Jesus as He spoke to me, calling me to follow Him. Not only did I hear Him but I saw the incredible things that Jesus did, the miracles, the crucifixion, and the glorious resurrection....and I personally ate with the physical, resurrected Jesus!" John's letter forgoes any salutation and it leads me to believe that he did this because his message was urgent, purposeful, and he wanted us to pay attention.

I asked this question in class...."anyone remember the tag line from the E.F. Hutton commercials?" I think I seriously dated myself as the class looked at me like I had a large tumor on my face and the crickets chirped.

So, for all you young whipper snappers here is a short clip, (the video quality is horrible by the way)

My point is that John wants us to pay attention as what he has to say to us in the next 5 chapters are critically important and he doesn't want us to miss it.

1 John 1:5-10
The message is not a self-help, a how to, a what for. The message is not seven steps to success, 31 days to a healthy marriage, 2 weeks and a weekend to a clearer financial future, there are no secrets revealed, and the message is not about us. Yet go into any bookstore, even Christian bookstores these days and many of the books are published with you and me as the beginning and end to all our problems.

The message from Jesus is not about us it is about Him. It always begins and ends with Jesus. The message John proclaims to us is the very nature and essences, the character of God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We see Jesus lifted high, holy, pure, glorious, and radiating as His glory proceeds from His throne consuming everything in it's path that is not of His light (Revelation 20:11).

When Jesus enters our lives His light shines forth into every dark recess, every crevice, and cave of our minds and hearts exposing our sins of thought, word, and deed.

Point #1 - God is light and him Him is no darkness at all.
Point #2 - No one born of God can continue to walk in a state of constant, habitual sin.

Remember 1 John 5:13? "I write these things....that you may know that you have eternal life." The questions come at us...."Am I reborn? How do I know? Am I a new creature like the Bible says I am (2 Corinthians 5:17)? How can I know if I am truly saved?"

Throughout the book of 1 John, John gives us several "born again" tests so that we can know without doubt and the first one comes in Chapter 1:6 "If we say we have fellowship with Him while we walk in darkness we lie and do not practice the truth."

If you say, "I love Jesus, I am a Christian, I am born again, I am a follower of Jesus, I am His disciple," yet are in a constant state of habitual sin then you lie. The two are incompatible.

Question? Does this mean if we sin then we aren't saved? No, we will address this shortly.

I think the key word in this verse is "walk". Notice that the scripture doesn't say tiptoe, or even mosey...it says walk...specifically "walk in darkness." It kind of gives the picture that if this is where you live, if you camp out in the darkness, then you are comfortable, at home and you don't need the light to get around. vs6 says if this is you then you lie and your practice lies. Jesus said in Matthew 6:24 "No one can serve two masters."

Question? Are you living 2 lives? One of a Christian on the outside and another life of secrecy hidden from others? How comfortable are you in your sin?

Point #3 - Jesus exposes in in our lives, restores relationship, and cleanses us.

vs7 "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."

When we walk with Jesus, live in His light, read His word, camp out with Him, let His light shine on and in our lives onto the Good the Bad, and the Ugly then and only then can He restore our relationships and cleanse us from our sins.

Our problem is we compare ourselves and how well we are doing to others. We look at our lives and the lives of other people and pass judgment onto others and ourselves either by what we do or what we do not. The problem is that we are all sinners, we are all abnormal, we are all freaks.

vs8 "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us."

Other people are not are standard! Jesus is the only normal person we know. He alone lived a perfect life without sin. Jesus alone worshiped God in a God honoring way. Jesus alone displayed a God honoring relationship with others. Jesus glorified God in a perfect way and it is the life that Jesus lived that points to how we should live our lives but can't and how we will one day live our lives at the resurrection.

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.

When we look to Jesus, walk in His light, He exposes everything that is not of Him and brings all dark things to the surface for us to repent of and to be free of in and through Him.

Our only response to Jesus in light of His light, His glory, His perfection, His magnificence, His Holiness, is to repent so that once again He can forgive us of our sins, cleanse us.

May we never, never claim to be without sin....even for one moment as that would make Him out to be a liar.

 Thank goodness it's Friday.

and that means....payday, go out tonight, put on my white linen jacket, neon skin tight undershirt, white shoes, jump in my Ferrari with Tubbs, and party like it's 1999.  Sure, Monday will come and I won't have any money and everyone knows that living paycheck to paycheck isn't a "plan" but hey....you can't take it with you right?  Just kidding. 

You know that Friday is for photos.

1.  What a great week so far!  It really began for me and my family last Friday, 4th of July.  Our offices were closed so we took off to visit the Aquarium.

We spent all day looking at the fish and the divers which are L's absolute favorites.  I think her day was made when one of the divers waived at her.

2.  Someone in my family has a cabin on the river so I made arrangements for us to stay Friday through the following Wednesday...wow!  A whole 6 days off.  Unfortunately our little boy wasn't feeling well so we didn't get to stay at all.  Here is a shot of the cabin.

3. Part of the master plan was to hang out as a family Friday through Sunday then grand mama and granddad would watch the kidos Monday through Wednesday so that M and I could get away and celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary.

We ended up back at a cabin but a different one this time.

The name of the cabin was pretty funny but honestly we were both very tame.

Celebrating our anniversary was great.  We had a chance to spend time together, talk without interruption, and enjoy each other's company. 

The evening was incredible.  The food was good, the weather was outstanding, and I was with my girl.  What more could a man ask for?

If you like great photography make sure to visit Steve Mckoy's Friday photos here [link] and Joe Thorn's here [link].

Want to see your photo published here?  Submit all family friendly photos to bjnotbk@gmail.com for consideration.  Please note that I reserve the right to publish or not publish any submission.

4.  Speaking of anniversary....Happy Anniversary Love!

here is a song just for you....

5.  What are you reading?  Me?  1 John, The book on Whitfield, a book by Piper, and occasionally I glance at a bout 4 other books piled up on my nightstand.

6.  What are you listening to?  I have been going through a preaching series on doctrine on my ipod that has been fantastic, listening to the new Coldplay and love it with the exception of a couple of songs, listening to the new Jack Johnson, and some Molly Hatchet, cause you know I love flirting with disaster.

7.  Weekend plans anyone?  Me?  We have quite a few come to think of it.  Tonight we have family coming in from North Caroline and Richmond.  We are looking forward to having a cookout with a large group at our place and late tonight me and M are planning on sneaking off for chocolate fondue to officially celebrate year #10 as today is the official day.

8.  Pet Peeve #3 is on the way....beware!

9.  Bad Poetry Friday anyone?  Here goes.  Please hold all applause until finished.  

The rose is thorny, yet beautiful, delicate, yet enduring, red, expensive, and now....dying.   

10.  Thanks everyone for reading bjnotbk this week.  My prayer is that you will be entertained and encouraged or challenged each time you stop by.  I am also praying for you, my readers, that is, so be encouraged in knowing that no matter what someone, somewhere is praying for you.  Now go read your Bible, love your family, lover your neighbor, get outside, and love Jesus!   

 

Pet Peeve #2 comes to you in the form of irritation at stupid pet names.  I know that plenty of you out there have paid zero attention to my what is and is not a pet law.  Ok, so you have a sever disdain for authority, I get it.  You have a cat and are not eating it and you have not thrown it away...not sure I get that but please, please make sure you follow proper naming protocol in the event you try to claim a cat, pig, bird or anything else that really isn't a pet as a pet.

CATS - The only proper name for a cat is either kitty or cat.  Nothing else works.  I hate it when people call their cats names like fluffy, muffin, pickles, socs, boots, mr. boots, hairy, etc.  Please use proper faux-pet naming procedures and use either kitty or cat

sames goes for other faux-pets please avoid the obvious at all costs....no spot, bandit, or chocolate to coincide with your pet's fur, no tiger, no killer, no champ to go along with the lack of personality of your faux-pet either.

Nothing makes me sicker...well nothing except a 12lb rib eye that has sat out in the sun for 4 days unrefrigerated.

 

 

As part of giving back to the community I bring you the following public service announcement (and because the court ordered me to 1027 hours of community service for clubbing a baby seal and then using it's blubber to make candles).

Ever notice how well off we Americans are?  We have big buildings, big cars, big states like Texas, and big hair so why go small when it comes to pets?  One of my greatest pet peeves are is when people deceive themselves with what I call faux-pets, you know, pets that aren't really pets.  As an expert who once read a book that had pictures of animals in it let me explain myself and educate you on the finer points of what is and what is not a pet.

1. Only dogs are pets.  I could stop here and I am sure everyone would agree with me but please, let me continue.

2. Only dogs that weigh more than 10lbs are pets.  Small dogs are not pets, they are food for larger dogs

3. Everything else is a rodent that should be exterminated, eaten, or wiped from the face of the planet.

Here is a list I have compiled to help you identify if something is a pet or not, please feel free to print out and to post as a friendly reminder.

Does it weigh more than 10lbs?  Yes

Is it a dog?  No - this is not a pet

How did I come up with this ingenious methodology you ask?  Quite simple you might say.  It looks something like this to the untrained professional.  Pets are any animal that has the ability to look like it is displaying emotion apart from anger.  Dogs show humility by crouching and begging, they show excitement through jumping and wagging their tales, and they show boredom by cleaning....never mind.  

Cats, pigs, birds, fish are not pets.  Pigs, birds, and fish all fall under the "please eat me" category while cats mostly fall under the "wipe from the face of the planet" category except in China where they too fall under the "please eat me" category.

Anyone who owns a tarantula, lizard, hissing roach, praying mantis, hermit crab, or other "exotic" animal is either educated via the public school system or just plain dumb.  I never want to have the following conversation, "Hey Bill wanna catch a movie?"

"I would love to bro but I have to walk my hermit crab this evening.  I have promised him all week I would take him out.  You know, throw the Frisbee with him."

Long awkward silence...followed by me hanging up and never calling Bill ever again as long as I live.

The only exception to the pet rule or should I say law?  Is the pet rock.

 

What makes you happy?  What gives you joy?  Me?  I love my wife, I love seeing my children, playing with them watching them grow.  That gives me joy.  I enjoy music, almost any kind, except the "new country".  Don't get me wrong, I was country when country wasn't cool with the likes of Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and Don Williams but it's just all this hokey, fast paced....I'd walk a mile through a field of wildflowers just to check you for ticks...lyrics I can't stand.

I like technology, gadgets, gear, electronics.  Food is not too bad either when I come to think of it.  A fountain of chocolate fondue with a plate of fresh strawberries and a cup of rich, dark coffee...sound nice?  Some get great joy with their social status, their career, their accomplishments, and their achievements while others find it quite nice to sit and do nothing.  Still others immerse themselves into hobbies, clubs, sports, and such.

And as each of these are different in that they appeal to people in different ways they share one common thread and that is that they are temporary in the joy or happiness they bring.

Husbands and wives will let you down.
Children will disobey and disappoint
Technology will be outdated before you leave the parking lot.
Food will make you feel bloated and fat.
Hobbies have the ability to drain your wallet and isolate you from others.

Yet the taste of joy each of these brings is enough to temporarily satisfy, if only for a moment, so much so that we can engulf ourselves in the pursuit of joy as we toil to prolong and sustain that which can be neither prolonged nor sustained.

Have you ever been on vacation, say the very first day of a week long vacation, the sun is setting over the ocean, the smell of the sea is in your nose, and already you are thinking about having to return to work the following week?  Wishing somehow that you could stay in this very spot, in this very moment forever?

Or, have you ever been in the middle of doing something and a sense of longing hit you so hard that you have no idea where it came from?  The atmosphere has changed slightly around you, for a brief moment all seems perfect and still, yet quickly running away from you and your heart yearns for the moment to never end?

And so most of us spend our hours, days, weeks, months, years, and our lives in the pursuit of fleeting joy.

We go to great lengths, we struggle, and we toil to maintain perfection, harmony, peace in our lives.  Yet Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes 1:2 "2Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity."

If we cannot sustain that which makes us happy, if everything is truly vanity as scripture suggest then how are we to live our lives?  Are we to give up?  Give in? 

In his book Surprised by Joy, C.S. Lewis describes instances in his life where he found intense, short lived, moments of joy that left him longing for something more, longing for the moment to never end which pointed him to the God shaped hole in his heart.  The thing he longed for wasn't fondue or honky tonk music....it was eternity and as a man created in the image of God the craving that Lewis had for joy pointed him to the eternal King, Jesus.  Everything else for Lewis was temporary and quickly fading away and it was precisely these longings that led him away from the pursuit of joy in the temporary to the pursuit of joy in the eternal Jesus, to his salvation, and complete joy in Christ.

Lewis wrote "We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition, when infinite joy is offered to us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in the slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea." 

Where is true, lasting joy to be found? 

1 John 1:1-4

1That 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— 2the 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— 3that 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. 4And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

Point #1 - True joy comes from a personal relationship with Jesus.

John forgoes any greeting, any salutation, any chit chat, any "how's the weather?" small talk and immediately goes for the conversational jugular.  The letter opens with John's testimony as he seeks to establish the facts.  This is no casual conversation spoken over a mocha latte while eating your way through a double chocolate chunky monkey cookie.  This letter is a hard hitting, theological treaty against false teaching.  John's statements are bold, in your face, out in the public declarations of the work, humanity, and deity of Jesus Christ and His eternal life.  John tells us of his experiences with Jesus so that we will see his witness as credible.

That which was from the beginning - echoes the gospel of John chapter 1 In the beginning was the word... and we are again reminded that Jesus was no mere man, no good teacher, not just a good philosopher, but God Himself who has always existed, who has always reigned.  John is saying, Jesus is who I am talking about, not just a man but God and here is my personal testimony!  I have heard Jesus, I first heard about Him, about His ministry, about His preaching, about the things He was doing, what He was up to, the commotion He was creating, the lives He was changing, and then I heard Him myself, I heard His voice as He preached, and as He personally called me to Him (Matthew 4:21).  John was absolutely blown away by the words he heard Jesus speak and so were those around him,  John 7:46"No one ever spoke the way this man does," the guards declared. 

John not only heard about Jesus, heard Jesus teach, preach, and talk to him personally but he saw Jesus with his own eyes, John looked upon Jesus.  In the gospel of John, chapter 20:1-8, John recounts the scene at the empty tomb:

1Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!"

 3So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. 8Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 

In this passage John uses three different Greek words for see/look as John and Peter make their way to the tomb.

1. v5 blepo - which has a common meaning of impressed upon the eyes -(looked at the strips of linen)
2. v6 theoreo - behold with intelligence, perceiving or scrutinizing (saw the strips of linen lying there)
3. v8 horao - to see with understanding (saw and believed)

What's interesting is that horao or seeing with understanding is the Greek word John uses in 1John 1:1-4 when he talks about seeing and looking.  What's he is saying is not just "I have seen Jesus with my eyes and can recall His image" but "I have seen Jesus, seen the risen Savior, seen my King and have not only seen Him, not only looked at the evidence before me and scrutinized it but I have seen everything and believe it!"

John says that he has seen Jesus, eternal God, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, He has heard Jesus, he saw Jesus raised from the dead and understood Jesus to be the one true Messiah and he touched the physically resurrected Jesus.   This isn't something  merely spiritual something out "there" untouchable, unreachable, unapproachable.  Jesus was manifested in the physical right before their very eyes!  Some in the church, Antichrists, false spirits,  were saying that Jesus didn't come in the physical (1 John 4:3), John refutes that immediately and testifies and proclaims the truth via his own personal relationship. 

True joy comes from the truth John 8:32 "You will know the truth and the truth will set you free."  And the truth is that Jesus is God, Jesus came physically to earth, He lived a sinless life, 1 Corinthians 15:3 "...Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures."  Our joy comes from knowing that "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1John 1:9) Real joy doesn't come from stuff, experiences, hobbies, events, Kenny Chesney,  or even chia-pets but from a personal relationship with Jesus.

Point #2 - True joy comes from fellowship with God the Father, Jesus, and other believers

Knowing, loving Jesus brings us into an eternal relationship with God the Father, Jesus the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  God begins changing us, conforming us into new creatures of love, people who are more like Jesus as He changes us and makes us ready to inhabit His kingdom. 

In 1 John 1:2-3 John writes 2the 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— 3that 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.

The eternal life, Jesus, is proclaimed, the gospel is shared to glorify Jesus and to reconcile non-believers to God the Father who are separated from Him because of their sin.  The blood sacrifice of Jesus on the cross covers all the sins of those who believe in Jesus and accept Him as Lord and Savior.  Our sharing of the gospel brings about new births as the previously dead are birthed to new life in Jesus.  As we are born into this new life as new creations we are born into the family of God, into a fellowship of believers.  True, lasting joy comes from our fellowship with the Father, with Jesus, and with other believers.

John proclaims the gospel, we proclaim the gospel so that others"...may have fellowship with us;" Our world is a very lonely place filled with very lonely people.  Coffee shops are filled with islands of individuals pouring over their laptops, social networking through the internet but never talking to the person beside them.  Our homes are sound proof, equipped with arctic blast AC, home theater systems, wi-fi, and garage doors so that we never have to leave, never have to interact.  Our churches are full of individuals living out their "personal" relationships with Jesus apart from the body without confession without accountability. 

There is no joy in isolation.  True joy comes through fellowship with Jesus and God the Father and with other believers who will help bear our burdens, whom we can pray with and pray for, whom we can confess our sins to and who we can share our faith with as we live out our lives as community, as family, as the body of Jesus Christ.

Point #3 True, lasting joy comes from sharing Jesus with others

4And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

We don't keep the greatest news we have ever heard to ourselves!  True, lasting joy comes from Jesus, hearing His good news, how He saves us from our sins, receiving that truth into our own lives, being born as new creations in Jesus, being born into the family of God, having fellowship with Jesus, God the Father, and other believers and by sharing everything with everyone.

Our joy is complete when we take it to the streets, when we share great news with others, when we testify ourselves, declare ourselves, and proclaim ourselves the great works Jesus has done and is doing in our lives.

When was the last time you shared your personal testimony with anyone?

When was the last time you shared the gospel with someone?

Maybe you just don't get as excited about Jesus and His good news like you use to?  Maybe your faith is a little flat right now?  Jesus speaks these words to the church at Ephesus "4Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love." Revelation 2:4 Jesus wasn't mad at the church because they weren't reading their Bibles or because their actions were immoral, no, Jesus was upset because they had forsaken their first love....Him!!!  Remember what it was like when you were first in love?  How you talked non-stop about the object of your affection and your friends joked that you were infected?  How you made everyone throw up with the non-stop talky talky about this new person in your life, how wonderful they were, how happy you were, and how happy they made you?  Didn't it give you joy to talk about them? 

Bingo!  Same principal here except Jesus will never let us down, never leave us, never forsake us.  Our joy is complete when we focus on Him, when we rekindle our love for Him, and when we talk about Him with other believers encouraging them in Jesus, and when we share Jesus with others around us.

We can continue to wear ourselves out in the pursuit of joy through other means.  We can jump around from hobby to hobby in the pursuit of pleasure.  We can immerse ourselves in our jobs, technology, music, education, self improvement all in an effort to create something that will not last and in the end is only temporary or we can find true joy in returning to our first love.

We can have true, eternal, lasting joy in Jesus.  Will you ask Him right now to forgive you of your sins if you have never done so?  Will you ask Him to forgive you of anytime you have forsaken fellowship with Him and with others in the pursuit of your self?  Will you ask Him to give you boldness and encouragement this week to share your testimony with others around you as an encouragement and as an act of love so that your joy will be complete in Him and Him alone?

My prayer is that your joy will be complete as you seek out Jesus in your life.

Each of us are created with our own quirks, our own unique set of characteristics that make us, well, us.

If you had a care label attached to you what would it say?

  Here is your weekly Church Steeple Picture.  I see Jesus as God reaching down to man, the steeple as man lifting up the cross to the community and reaching up to God.

I am not sure what to call this one?  Calm in the eye of the storm?  Christendom sprawl? 

 

This picture comes to you courtesy of my car and Cedar Springs Presby and it's ever expanding campus.

Want to see your steeple photo published here?  Submit all church steeple photos to bjnotbk@gmail.com for consideration.  Please note that I reserve the right to publish or not publish any submission.  

Last night I attended open mike poetry night at the local coffee shop and dropped this jewel onto the crowd.  And now I present to you.

theological tapout

My fast is faster than your slow

my quick is quicker than your no show

my Hobbs can beat your Calvin

my pre- beats your post

my fun beats your fundamentalism

my free beats your law

my relationship beats your religion

His grace covers all...

His gospel is greater news than your systematic theology so tapout. 

Today we are begin our new, 12 week study on the letter of 1John. This morning I want to:

1. Give some background on John.       Who was he and what did he do?

2. Go into some detail on 1John.                  Why was it written?  What was the purpose of the letter and is it still applicable to us today?

3. Wrap up the lesson with a sneak peek of the upcoming lessons.

Point #1. John…the artist formerly known as John, son of Zebedee.

Matthew 4:18-22

18 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." 20Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. 22Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who has ruled heaven and earth for all eternity past, God Himself, has stepped down into humanity, divided human history, set aside His kingdom to bring salvation to the world.

Here we see Jesus as He begins His ministry and one of the first things He does is to gather a posse, call His peeps to Himself, those men who will work side by side with Him over the next 3 years, who will learn from Him, and who will serve as the foundation for spreading the gospel to the world. It’s interesting that Jesus does not go to the temple to call His disciples. He doesn’t go to the colleges or the seminaries. Jesus doesn’t choose the rich, the righteous, or the religious. Instead He heads to the sea.

In 4:18-20 we see that Jesus has already called Andrew and Peter and in 21-22 He calls James and John to follow Him as well. These guys are real salt of the earth fellows sort of like the crew of the deadliest catch on steroids. They are lean, tan, their skin is like leather, and they chew a lot of skoal (much like the women who come from Sevier county). These guys are uneducated, blue collar, hard working men who smell like a Captain D’s on a hot summer day with a broken air conditioner but they are trustworthy, dependable, and hardworking. They have seen many storms, faced many trials, and they are just the men Jesus needs.

We don’t know too much about John first because John is not the hero of our Bibles, Jesus is, and so we learn about John through references either as he interacts or participates in the life and ministry of Jesus and the gospel. We know that John had a brother James, that he was a fisherman, and that his dad’s name was Zebedee and that is pretty much it.

John was one of the first disciples to be called to Jesus and was part of Jesus' small group or inner 3 comprised of Peter, James, and John himself. Could you imagine being apart of this small group?

"Ok, John, did you read your Bible this week?...asked Jesus.

"Ye......no, no I didn't! Oh, you already know don't you! Why even ask?"

Talk about accountability and spiritual growth! John had an up close and very personal relationship with Jesus and had a special part in the ministry of Jesus. Here are just a few key events and miracles in the life and work of Jesus where John either took part or was present as part of the inner circle of Jesus:

John was present at the transfiguration of Jesus (Matt. 17:1-2; Mark 9:2; Luke 9:28-29).
He was at the house of Jairus when Jesus raised the girl from the dead (Mark 5:37; Luke 8:51).
John went into the garden with Jesus before His arrest and Jesus asked Him to pray (Matt. 26:37; Mark 14:33).
John specifically asked Jesus when He would come back (Mark 13:3-4).
John prepared the Passover meal at the last supper (Luke 28:8).
Jesus names John one of the "sons of thunder" (Mark 3:17).
John asked Jesus to be in a position of glory (Mark 10:35-40).
John asked Jesus if he should call for fire to come down and destroy (Luke 9:54).
John is probably the one called, "the disciple Jesus loved" (John 13:23).
John was at the foot of the cross at the crucifixion (John 19:26-27).
John raced to the tomb upon hearing that the body of Jesus was gone (John 28:8).
In Acts we see John ministering with Peter in the temple and arrested in Acts 4:1-3 for preaching Jesus and the resurrection.
We also see John as bold in his witness of Jesus (Acts 4:19-20) arrested (Acts 5:17-18) and in Galatians he is called one of the "Pillars" of the church (2:9).

These references tell us that John was a devoted follower of Jesus who had a very personal and up close relationship with Jesus and was daily involved in the intricacies of the ministry of Jesus. John heard Jesus preach, teach, and had intimate conversations with Jesus. John saw the miracles of Jesus, the healing of the lame, blind, mute, sick, and John saw Jesus raise the daughter of Jarius from the dead. John was devastated when he saw Jesus beaten, bloodied, mocked, and crucified and John was forever changed when he personally saw the empty tomb and the risen Jesus who ascended into heaven. So when we read 1 John 1-4 [link] we can believe John because his testimony is true as it is based on his eye witness and personal testimony.

Point#2 The purpose behind the letter

John loved Jesus very much and he was a fully devoted, zealous, bold follower of Jesus. As a fisherman who lived by the Sea of Galilee, it was highly unlikely that John had much of a formal education yet he, along with the Holy Spirit, wrote 5 books of our Bible - The Gospel of John, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, and Revelation (some debate that John wrote Revelation). 5 of the most theologically profound books ever written and 5 of the most beautifully written books I might add as well.

Each of the 5 books written by John were specific and with purpose. While the gospel of John was written to show us the divinity of Jesus and to show us how we might be saved from our sins and live eternally with King Jesus, John 3:16, the book of 1 John shows us how to have assurance of that very salvation (1 John 5:13).

1John was written to give us assurance of salvation, to defend the gospel, and to elaborate on the new command Jesus gave us in John 13:34.

1. Christian Assurance – 1 John was written to bring each of us to an absolute assurance of salvation in Jesus and to lead us into a deeper understanding and a bold confidence of what we already possess…our salvation through Jesus!

The question is…how do I know that I am really saved? In a world where almost nothing is certain, where there is so much information, how can you really know anything for certain?

John writes to us that even though times are uncertain and there is a world full of information and misinformation we can be certain of our salvation. At the very end of the letter we learn the primary purpose… 1 John 5:13 13I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life

Throughout the letter John continually tells us that we can or already know about our assurance (2:5, 2:13, 2:20, 2:21, 3:2, 3:14, 3:19, 3:24, 4:4, 4:13, 5:2, 5:18,19,20) he reminds us that we know, we know, we know!

2. A Defense of the Gospel – There are many perspectives, opinions, ideas, theologies, philosophies, when it comes to Jesus, salvation, morality, heaven, hell, and judgment. John was responding to false teaching about Jesus and false teaching about how we as the church, as Christians should live our lives. People were teaching many things that did not jive with scripture such as the body is bad but the spirit is good. Therefore when you are saved it is your spirit that is saved and your body remains evil which they used as a license to sin. This also lead to a false view of Jesus as many who adopted this teaching began to deny that Jesus appeared in a physical body, because to do so for them would mean that He was not sinless as their teaching said the body is evil.

John brings everything back into sharp, laser focus by pointing to Jesus as the only way to salvation and by stating that our morality is evidence of our salvation.

3. Elaboration on a new command – In John 13:34 Jesus has just finished the Passover meal with His disciples and He gives them a new command to follow:

34A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.

For thousands of years the law has gone unchanged and now God, the eternal law and the eternal law giver is giving these guys and us a new command. You would think that all ears would be open, all eyes fixed on Jesus, pen in hand taking notes, “Ok Jesus you want us to love one another right? How does that work? What does that look like? How do we walk in that?”

Yet instead their minds are on Jesus leaving and they glaze over this new command (John 13:36, 14:5). So through the Holy Spirit John elaborates on Jesus’ new command for us to love one another in 1 John. Here are just a few examples in the letter (2:5, 2:15, 3:10, 3:11, 3:14, 3:18, 4:7, 4:11, and 4:21).

As Christians our lives are to be marked with a heart of love and a life of service as we live extravagantly in Jesus and give generously of our time, treasure, and talents. Our goal is to get to give not to get to get.

1 John is a letter written to believers, to us, to the church. It is a reaction to false teaching, false teaching as to what it means to be a Christian, false teaching of who Jesus is, and false teaching as to how we are to live our lives. 1 John is the antidote to heresy, it is the answer to anyone who declares they are sinless, and to anyone who claims salvation by any other means apart from Jesus or any addition to the work Jesus did on the cross.

Point#3 – Sneak Peek of Upcoming Lessons

Here are some of the items we will discuss over the next 12 weeks as we go through the book/letter of 1 John:

June 29 - Dear John - Intro
July 6 - Happy! Happy! Joy! Joy!
July 13 - Livin' in the Spotlight
July 20 - Your Brother from Another Mother
July 27 - Too Much Junk in Your Trunk?
Aug 3 - Tricked, Hoodwinked & Duped
Aug 10 - Who's Your Daddy?
Aug 17 - Love from Above
Aug 24 - Light, Done Right!
Aug 31 - God is Luv
Sep 7 - Freedom Time
Sep 14 - The REAL 4-1-1 - Outro

I hope you enjoy this new study of 1 John as much as I have enjoyed studying it over the past several weeks in preparation for this series. Feel free to comment or to ask questions.

Blessings!