Good morning. I hope that
everything goes well for you today. This is second John. He is again talking
about Gnosticism: many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not
acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.
Watch yourselves that you might not lose what we have accomplished, but that
you may receive a full reward. Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in
the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching,
he has both the Father and the Son. In those days if someone came to you saying
they were Christians, it was expected of you that you would invite them into
your house – perhaps even to stay. But of these people John says: if anyone
comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your
house, and do not give him a greeting; for the one who gives him a greeting
participates in his evil deeds. That sounds kind of harsh. Remember: bad
company corrupts good morals; and be careful how you listen. If you listen to
error too long, you will start to believe it. Now on to third John. John's
prayer is my prayer for you: I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be
in good health, just as your soul prospers. Of course your soul prospers best
when you are immersed in the word of God. Father thank You that the reader
prospers greatly and is in excellent health.
Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me
Good morning. Paul then gives a list of a lot of things that he has gone through as an apostle. I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. There could be many people that you listen to either in church or through the Internet or other means; but there was only one person (as a general rule it was a person) that lead you to Christ. Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me. He was saying that just like a child imitates his or her father, they were to imitate him. He says that again seven chapters later. Since it is easy to forget some things about people we have not seen in a while, Paul says that he sent Timothy to them to remind them of his ways which are in Christ, just as he taught everywhere in every church. Some have become arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. I shall find ou...
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