Wisdom from the Apostle John

Bible college is going really well. It is what enables me to keep my peace of mind and the revelations I receive, really charge me up.

I am currently preparing for a class discussion we are about to have for one subject called the Books of John. In it, we have to talk about the following two verses among many other aspects in the Gospel of John and the three Epistles of John.

In 1 John 2:15, the Apostle John warns us to “not love the world or the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in Him”. We were asked what this passage was saying about worldliness. My response:

The world or the things of the world include: lusts of the flesh (i.e. passions, sensual delights and enjoyment); lusts of the eye (i.e. pleasures, gold, silver, riches, stately houses, rich gardens, etc…); and pride of life (i.e. pursuits, high titles and ranks, honor, dignitaries).

When we fix our affection on worldly objects / visible things, or put our trust in them and make them our treasure, there are detrimental consequences. They become supreme in our lives and take the place reserved for God. They also:
· destroy the influence of truth
· delude men into a state of false security
· mould the activities and plans of life
· lead to religious apostasy
· facilitate false worship; and
· are unprofitable.

If people only knew what they were getting into! I am so grateful, I managed to overcome the biggest stronghold in my life last year, which was to put my career above God and to pursue all the worldly pleasures that went along with it – i.e. position title and honor, a nice place to live, nice car, flash clothes … it really is a trap you fall into in life. Everyone around you in work competes with you to get higher paid jobs and more prestige. Accordingly, people commit to big mortgages and in doing so, they lock themselves into working long hours with people who don’t honor God and then missing God’s ultimate plan for their lives.

In 2 John 11, the Apostle John warns us against supporting people who embrace false doctrines “for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds”. We were asked what we were being warned of and why. My response:

We are warned against doing anything which may assist false teachers to further their evil works (wrong teaching). This may include things like entertaining them in our homes, being hospitable, financially supporting them, temporarily providing accommodation to them, encouraging them, blessing them and wishing success upon these people who embrace false doctrines. By doing these things, we are effectively propagating their errors, being accessories for them, identifying and partaking in their deeds and assisting the anti-Christ! This is because the outcome of their teaching deludes souls, opposes Christ and undermines the glory and kingdom of Jesus Christ. Saints cannot have fellowship and communion with the anti-Christ at the same time. We cannot support them because God strongly opposes falsehood, seduction and sin.

The revelation of the meaning of this passage really hit me hard because I have had many friends over the years who have believed all kinds of garbage, things like New Age stuff (e.g. clairvoyants, fortune tellers, astrology, numerology, tarot cards and occult practices), Bhuddism, Hinduism, B’Hai, etc… none of which will lead them into Heaven, into eternity with our Lord Jesus, who created the world and everything in it. I suppose if I had been in a position of providing them with a spare bedroom to sleep in if they were in town and needed somewhere to stay while they attended a conference of some false doctrine, I may have considered letting them stay with me. I may also have allowed them to come over and have lunch or dinner with me….. but my Father in Heaven forbids it, and now I totally understand why! …because it would assist in helping them or strengthening them in their wrong beliefs, which would help the demonic influence inside them get a foothold into other peoples’ lives. I want more people I know to spend eternity in Heaven, rather than hell.