1 John 1:1-4 (study part 2)

1 John 1:1-4

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

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"...For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us..." - For the definition of "life" in each instance, you really have to look at the context, because thus far, almost every time, if not every time, "life" has referred to Christ Himself. The Word, Jesus Christ, is life because He gives it to all who believe on Him. Jesus lived a physical life and died a physical death, and (obviously) He has lived and will live for all eternity. He had to die to pay the penalty for our sins, but He did not die spiritually or eternally. God required the shedding of perfect blood to cover the sins of His people, and Christ fulfilled that requirement. The price has already been paid. Because He was our substitute, He can now offer this gift of eternal life to all people. Because it was God who offered Himself for His people, that blood payment is so large that it can easily cover the stains of all people. Though, sadly, so many reject this offer and therefore must pay for their own sins, seeing that Jesus is our only other option. John 14:6 says that "I (Jesus) am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no man cometh to the Father except through me." In order that this purpose might be fulfilled, Jesus (the life) was manifested. This means that He was made clear/shown to the world/revealed to the world as the Son of God, Savior of those who believe in Him. John states again that they (the disciples) saw Him; therefore they now bear witness and testify that Jesus was/is the Son of God, the Life.

"...That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you..." - John makes it clear that he and the other disciples witnessed Jesus Christ first hand. Second or third hand witnesses are harder to trust because the story may have gotten messed up in the multiple re-tellings; but when you hear a story told from one who was actually there, and the person is trustworthy, you should easily and rightly believe them. The gospels and really, the whole New Testament , are written about Jesus by direct witnesses; the book of First John is no exception, this book was written by an eyewitness of His majesty.

"...That ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ..." - When you share knowledge with someone, you are then able to talk with them about it. For how can one talk with another if one is not familiar with the subject at hand? When one becomes a believer, they enter into the family of God and can therefore truly fellowship with their new adopted brethren. Fellowship is spending quality time with someone or multiple people. Fellowship with the Father can only be obtained after one becomes a believer for before one receives Jesus Christ, they are utterly separated from God, but because of Christ and His work, we have been brought near and may fellowship with God because we have been covered by the blood of the Lamb. Fellowship with God implies fellowship with both the Father and the Son; and the Holy Spirit is constantly with us, helping, guiding, comforting, and leading us where God wants us to go. 

"...And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full..." - This is the second reason why John wrote this letter; the first was: "that ye also may have fellowship with" God and all believers. The word "joy" implies a lot if you think about it, for you can take/have joy in many things. Joy, as I understand it, is more than happiness - for even happiness can be easily faked by some. Joy is like a true, or pure, or utterly real, happiness. In the book of James we are told to joy in tribulation. We can only do this when we draw our joy from Christ; who, we know, works all things together for good for His people. We may not always feel an earthly happiness about trials, but we can have honest joy in it if we are relying on Christ. In this certain passage, however, John is not writing of joy in tribulation, but rather, joy in the knowledge of what Christ did. Same kind of joy, drawn from the same place. I think it interesting that John doesn't just say "that you may have joy", but he says: "that your joy may be FULL" (emphasis mine). I believe the implication of that is clear: John knows that the love of Christ doesn't just bring joy, but that is is so vast that it overflows ones heart with an immeasurable amount of unspeakably huge joy. The joy that Christ brings fills you up to absolutely overflowing! More than enough to fill your life and more share with the world! Allow Christ to fill you with His joy daily so that all may see Christ through you as you bubble over with His great, priceless joy!

I must admit that this exact thing is something I am working on right now. Finding joy in not only daily tasks and work and life in general, but also in trials. I pray that God may teach me how to find joy in Him!

Oh praise God for blessing us so richly!

In Christ our Rock,

Buttercup

One With Them Buttons

Hey y'all! I don't know how much you know about Open Doors, but if you already know about them, you can skip this part and get on to the other stuff!

Open Doors is an organization started by the brave missionary behind the Iron Curtain - Brother Andrew. Brother Andrew wrote about his work as a missionary in his book, God's Smuggler. Open Doors' goal is to help persecuted believers all over the whole as they take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to those who have never heard it before in countries where it is not wanted by many people, including the authorities. You can learn more about Open Doors at their website  - www.OpenDoorsUSA.org The One With Them movement is a work of Open Doors focusing on helping people become aware of the plight of the persecuted church. You can learn more about One With Them here - www.OneWithThem.com

Now, as of late, I have been taking a graphic design class at our local community college, and it has been totally awesome! And what's even more awesome is that now, I can make cool graphics to catch people's eyes that promote awareness of the persecuted church! Now I would like to share some blog and website buttons with you. If you'd like to put them on your blog, please feel free, but don't feel like you have to - totally up to you!

(250 px square)

<a href="www.onewiththem.com"><img alt="Stand with the Persecuted Church" src="http://i740.photobucket.com/albums/xx47/Leakeclan/OneWithThemcopy.jpg"/></a>

(250 px square)

<a href="www.onewiththem.com"><img alt="Stand with the Persecuted Church" src="http://i740.photobucket.com/albums/xx47/Leakeclan/Perseucted_Churchcopy.jpg"/></a>

(200 px square)

<a href="www.onewiththem.com"><img alt="Stand with the Persecuted Church" src="http://i740.photobucket.com/albums/xx47/Leakeclan/OneWithThemcopy-2.jpg"/></a>

(200 px square)

<a href="www.onewiththem.com"><img alt="Stand with the Persecuted Church" src="http://i740.photobucket.com/albums/xx47/Leakeclan/Perseucted_Churchcopy-1.jpg"/></a>

More are probably on their way! :) I'd love to hear your ideas for buttons and banners! Shoot me a comment with your suggestion and I'll get back to you as soon as I can! 

In Christ our Rock,

Buttercup

One Bold Move

1 John 1:1-4 (study part 1)

1 John 1:1-4

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was  manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

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John begins this epistle with an introduction. Unlike Paul and James, John does not start the epistle by confirming his identity and telling his name, but rather, jumps right in and starts talking about Christ and the apostle's relationship to Him and how they really were "eyewitnesses of His majesty". 

"That which was from the beginning..." - He begins describing Christ with this phrase. John makes it clear by doing this that Jesus Christ was/is indeed God. He seems to be referring back to John 1:1 which says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Jesus Christ is the Word, and is therefore God, and was in the beginning. He is eternal and immortal, higher and more powerful than any other being, for He created all other beings. Before all else, was God.

"...Which we have heard..." - John states here that they heard Jesus. Looking back at the four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John),  we can see many times where Jesus verbally taught and spoke with His disciples, the Jewish leaders, and the people. According to John 20:31, Jesus did many other signs and wonders which were not written down, this more than likely also refers to other things that Jesus said and taught that were not written down. Matthew 5:2 - "...and He opened His mouth, and taught them (the disciples) saying..." Jesus taught the disciples many things verbally.

"...Which we have seen with our eyes..." - Not only did Jesus teach His disciples verbally, but the disciples also learned by seeing what Jesus did. For example, the feeding of the five thousand. Jesus' disciples got to see Him multiply a tiny bit of food into enough for thousands of people right before their very eyes. It was the same with all His other miracles, too. They were "eyewitnesses of His majesty".

"...Which we have looked upon..." - The disciples gazed in utter wonder at their Lord. And as time went on, they respected, honored, worshiped, and glorified Him more and more as they learned more about who He is. Multiple times in the first four New Testament books, we read the disciples saying that He truly was the Son of God. They already knew this, but the more it was reinforced, the more clear it became.

"...And our hands have handled..." - The disciples not only heard and saw Jesus, but they touched Him. After His resurrection, the disciples might have touched Jesus' wrists, feet, and side. Before His death they probably touched Him in other ways, although the Bible does not mention an occurrence such as this, we can guess this simply because it is something all humans do. Whether its a hug, a tap on the shoulder, or the like, we all touch each other. The disciples touched Jesus, they knew he was physically there. What a comfort. Now the Holy Spirit is our Comforter, and although we can't physically touch Him, He is always right there beside every believer.

"...Of the Word of life..." - He was (and is) the Word. He proclaimed the words of life, that He was the Only Way that they might have life eternal. Referring back to John 1:1-2, we see that there also, He is referred to as the Word. Going down a few verses we see that the word had "life, and that life was the light of men." This Word, if He had not conquered death and rose again, could not have been called the "Word of life"; but because He did, He gave us proof both of His identity, and power. He that giveth life, must be alive himself. He truly is the "resurrection and the life" and he who believes in Him will never die.

How great it would have been to have walked and talked with Jesus, we may think to ourselves, to see Him and touch Him...But we can. We forget how, because of His death and resurrection, we can indeed walk and talk with Him whenever we want to - in prayer and in the reading of His word. May we never forget how blessed we are to be able to walk and talk with the Saviour!

In Christ our Rock,

Buttercup

Hopelessness

His coat was tattered

Due to storms a plenty

Which had both come and gone

Throughout his short life.

His feet were not shod,

Never with peace,

But were bare and seemed

To say anything but solace. 

They were calloused and hard,

Very much like his heart,

Because of early years of abandon,

Middle years of hurt, and now just much pain.

The physical pain

He had learned to endure,

But 'tis a hard lesson indeed

To learn how to cope with emotional.

His scars on the skin

He was forced to see everyday,

And they made his heart bleed

As memories flooded his being.

Not one good memory

Could he bring to his head

But only terrifying ones

He kept having to relive.

Memories of abandon,

Of hate, and not love,

Of pain, and not healing,

Of things below, not of above.

His scars grew deeper

With each passing day

And salted by all

Who passed on their way.

Once, he envied those

Who seemed never to have problems,

But because of their treatment

His envy turned to hate.

No one had ever loved him,

Never took his crying hands,

Never kissed his wet cheek

Just rubbed it in the sand.

His eyes, he was sure,

Would always be red

From all the tears he had cried

Upon many a bed.

His poor crying heart

After ages of sanding

Had become calloused hard

And now heeded not the grating.

'Twas believed that he possessed

Not one pliable area in his being

But sometimes one needs not soft,

For some things are able to crush through rock.

This man so poor, so lonely, so sad

Was so hopelessly lost 'twas thought

That there was no hope to be found

So no one thought twice.

Until a young child perceived 

Not a man in torn clothes

Not the grumpy old face

Not the crooked and bent nose,

What that child saw, only he could say

For that day he saw a man in pain.

He saw a bleeding heart

He saw those red eyes.

He saw the pain, the hurt

And the rejection too,

And although the child understood not why,

He knew what he must do.

The child tore away from his mother

And ran to the pitiful man,

And without stopping

Ran straight into him.

He wrapped his arms around him

And squeezed him tight,

He said that Jesus loved him,

And that he would be alright.

The man in tatters was surprised

And very much embarrassed

But embarrassment didn't matter

For someone cared enough to notice him.

He hugged the child back,

As tears streamed down his face,

He then asked the child a question

Who was the Jesus who loved him?

The child explained as only a child can,

How the Son of God came and became a man,

He took all our sins in His body on the tree,

And then He died for you and me.

The man did not need anything more,

He had been so hopeless for so long,

This little glimmer of hope

Looked more like the shining of the sun.

Through the witness of a child, 

This poor man's life was changed,

He was given hope when none could be found,

So can we not do the same?

If a child so small could give a simple hug,

Can we not love our neighbor?

And give them a hug when they are hurting?

And love them when they lose hope?

Through Christ we find the strength,

And love overflowing,

Enough to share with all the world,

Why are you not going?

Share the love with friends,

With family, with everyone around.

Let Christ so fill your life,

So through you Christ can be found.

Study of 1 John Begins

Hello my dear readers! 

I can't believe my eyes when I go away for months at a time and I come back and to my surprise I have over 40 hits a day without posting! Of course, although this is great, it isn't very fair to go away without telling you, I have simply not had much time. 

But no more excuses, for now, I am going to begin posting here my own personal study of my favorite book of the Bible - 1 John. This book is my favorite for a few reasons, first, it is a book of love - God's love for us and how we ought to love others as He loved us - and it is also a book of assurance, John writes tests for your faith so that you might be sure that you are in Christ. In times of doubt I always turn to 1 John 5 before anything else. 

So, I hope you enjoy this study, but please don't take what I say without question, I am wrong a lot. What I say is simply what I believe to be what John is trying to get across to us in this epistle.

Hope you are all having a most blessed summer!

In Christ our Rock,

Buttercup :)

The Book of My Life

My life is not an open book,

Like many a poet have commit,

I don't let just anyone look,

And read there whate'er is writ.

People few and far between

I trust thoroughly to gaze thereon,

And know my personal thoughts and dreams,

Of which I have writ upon.

The thoughts of my heart do I keep,

In the depths of my own soul,

Under strict lock and key,

In the depth of that hole.

The depth of that hole is great,

So great that none besides one,

Has dared enter thereat,

The key to my heart hath He won.

Because of His great triumph,

He hath well earned my trust,

And with me is he not gruff,

But with love nearby to bust!

He hath earned my love,

My devotion, 'tis true,

He's as gentle as a dove,

For Him anything I'd do.

No matter what I do,

T'will never compare,

With His act to make me new,

Art thou not aware?

Aware of His power,

Dost thou know of His might?

He is the great sower,

He is the light!

Love stories and poems,

Have always been writ,

But of the God who conforms,

Have few poets commit.

The reason for few I understand not,

For therein lies the greatest love story,

Better than romantic battle fought,

No matter the magnitude of glory.

For the story of Christ

And His undying love

That cost so great a price

From One so high above.

He was born of a virgin,

Then died on a tree,

He then rose again,

To give hope to you and to me.

Because of His demonstration,

Of His great love for me,

And His great act of salvation,

I now clearly see.

I see that the book of my life,

Was sinking in the sand,

And no matter the amount of strife,

I could not reach land.

I was sinking in fast,

When He stretched out His hand,

He brought me to the Rock, at last,

This was not the end!

The end, no, but the beginning, yes!

For now I was on Solid Ground,

Fertile, green and lush - the best!

Yes, Home I had found.

Now that I rest on firm ground,

I have found that although I am

Safe, sound, and secure all around,

And in the strong arms of the Lamb,

That I still have challenges,

Some harder than I think I can stand.

But He helps me thought by His graces,

And helps me to understand,

That no matter what I face,

No matter the size,

By God's great grace,

I can prevail.

Because of His mercies,

I am new every day,

And because of His strengths,

In His arms I will stay.

This Man has read my book,

Cover to cover,

But no matter how deep He looks,

He still loves me like a Father.

Every day I love him more,

But his love stays the same,

On His love do I soar,

Even on the winds of change.

The dedication to my volume,

There is no doubt about it,

I will inscribe to His Great Name,

Jesus Christ, the Beloved.

-Buttercup

My Habitual Apologetic Post

Hey peoples....sorry for not posting in a while (two months?!). I know better than to say I will try to do better, because every time I say that it's another two months between my posts. BUT,  I will try to do better...no promises...

I've been thinking a lot lately, I admit, but most of my thoughts would be difficult to put into post form, so I have to rack my brain for ideas. But hey, if God lays something on my heart to write here, you can be sure that it will be on here lickety-split. 

In the meantime, hang tight, better post(s) coming soon. :)