1 Year Bible—1, 2, & 3 John

The epistle of 1 John, written by John the Apostle, deals with the subject of—do we know if we are a Christian. 1 John 5:13 MKJV I have written these things to you who believe on the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have everlasting life, and that you may believe on the name of the Son of God.

How can we know if we are Christians? Here are some of the points John writes.

B1 Obedience to God 1 John 2:3-6. Are we obeying the teachings of the New Testament?

B2 A Life of Love 1 John 2:7-11.

C1 Do we say we love?

C2 Do we show the characteristics of love as written in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a?

B3 How We Think and Live 1 John 2:12-14. Is what we think and do the same?

B4 Do We Love the World? 1 John 2:15-17 1 John 2:15-17 MKJV Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him, because all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passes away, and the lust of it, but he who does the will of God abides forever.

B5 Do We Have Attitude of anti-Christ? 1 John 2:18-19

C1 Do we leave the core doctrines?

C2 Have we become proud?

C3 Do we seek power and control?

C4 Note there is THE anti-Christ, and there are many anti-Christs. These are wannabes and those having the same attitudes.

C5 They left us.

C6 1 John 2:18-19 BSB Children, it is the last hour; and just as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. This is how we know it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they did not belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But their departure made it clear that none of them belonged to us.

B6 Do We Affirm That Jesus Is Messiah? 1 John 2:22-23

B7 Are We Faithful to the Teachings of the Bible? 1 John 2:24-25

B8 Do We Continue to Do the Same Sins As Before Saved? 1 John 3:4-10

B9 Do We Love Other Christians? 1 John 3:11-12

B10 Does the World Love Our Christianity? 1 John 3:13-15.

C1 If the world (the nonbelievers) loves our Christianity, something is wrong.

C2 This does apply to the congregation, but it also applies to me and you.

B11 Do We Love Others? 1 John 3:16-18. This applies mainly to our brothers and sisters, so the context teaches. If we can help supply a need, we must. If we are unable, we can pray. We are a family and are to help each other.

B12 Do We Have a Clear Conscious? 1 John 3:19-24.

C1 This is not referring to past thoughts, desires, words, and deeds that have been confessed and forgiven.

C2 Compare the Apostle Paul:

D1 Acts 8:3 NET But Saul was trying to destroy the church; entering one house after another, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.

D2 1 Corinthians 15:9-10 NET For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been in vain. In fact, I worked harder than all of them - yet not I, but the grace of God with me.

C3 The evil one often stirs up our memory to torment us, but we KNOW we are forgiven. Colossians 2:13 BSB When you were dead in your trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our trespasses,

B13 Do We Acknowledge That Messiah Came in the Flesh? 1 John 4:1-6. We must make sure we have the right Jesus as the creeds agree.

B14 Do We Love Our Fellow Christian Brothers and Sisters? 1 John 4:7-12

B15 Do We Want to Preach the Gospel? 1 John 4:13-21

B16 Do We Obey Jesus’s Rules in the New Testament? 1 John 5:1-5. There are over 1,000 rules for Christians in the New Testament. We need none other. See Colossians 3 for a number of the rules.

B17 Do We Have Eternal Life Through Jesus Christ Alone? 1 John 5:9-12. Many add some human effort, thought, ritual, etc. It is only, only through grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone.

B18 Do We Believe in the Son of God? 1 John 5:13 1 John 5:13 PickNT I have written these things to you who believe into the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life, really believing into the name of God's Son. [Emphasis is added]

B19 Do We Keep Sinning or Is There a Change? 1 John 5:18.

C1 Compare King Manasseh in 2 Chronicles 33.

C2 Do we and others see a change?

C3 Do they see this change: 1 Peter 2:1-2 ISV Therefore, rid yourselves of every kind of evil and deception, hypocrisy, jealousy, and every kind of slander. 2 Like newborn babies, thirst for the pure milk of the word so that by it you may grow in your salvation.

Some other topics in 1 John

B1 1 John 2:20-21 The Holy Spirit Teaches Us Truth

B2 1 John 2:26-27 Christians Can Understand the Bible With Help of the Holy Spirit

B3 1 John 2:28-29 The Need for Perseverance

B4 1 John 3:1-3 Blessing of Being God’s Children

B5 1 John 5:6-8 Jesus Truly Is The Messiah

B6 1 John 5:14-15 God Answers Prayer If It Is His Will

B7 1 John 5:16-17 Helping each other in this life when we sin.

B8 1 John 5:19-20 Identifying the True God.

B9 1 John 5:21 Avoid Idols

2 John deals with a personal letter urging believers to continue to obey the rules of Jesus Christ, live in truth, and live in love as exemplified by the Lord Jesus.

B1 It also gives a stern warning: 2 John 1:9-11 BSB Anyone who runs ahead without remaining in the teaching of Christ does not have God. Whoever remains in His teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you but does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your home or even greet him. Whoever greets such a person shares in his evil deeds.

B2 We to not want to share in their evil deeds, teaching, actions, etc.

3 John is also a personal letter dealing with leadership. There are two type of leaders.

B1 The micromanager, the dictator, the controller, the power seeking person, etc. Their way or no way. One study I read revealed one of the top 10 occupations for narcissists is pastoral. If a pastor(?) is like this, we MUST leave that church. 3 John 1:9-11 BSB I have written to the church about this, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not accept our instruction. 10]So if I come, I will call attention to his malicious slander against us. And unsatisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers and forbids those who want to do so, even putting them out of the church. 11 Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God.

B2 The shepherd, like Jesus, is a delegator, not a dictator. 3 John 1:12 BSB Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself. We also testify for him, and you know that our testimony is true.

Psalms 100:2 ULB Serve Yahweh with gladness; come before his presence with joyful singing.

7 Examples of Evil Pastor's Leadership and Counsel

Read this today, and it was good enough that I had to copy and paste it here.

Sheila Wray Gregoire writes

• If a pastor/writer/teacher tells you that disagreeing with them means that you’re disobeying Scripture or rejecting God, that’s wrong. It’s okay to examine things for yourself.
• If a pastor tells you that you shouldn’t listen to your instincts (really the Holy Spirit’s voice inside of you), because you’re more easily deceived, that’s wrong.
• If you go to a pastor/leader with a problem because you’re feeling dismissed and vulnerable, and you’re told that you have no reason to feel that way because no one is doing anything wrong to you, and the problem is you, that’s wrong. You matter, and what you feel matters.
• If a pastor/leader tells you that it’s understandable if someone treats you badly simply because you didn’t ask in the right way, that’s wrong.
• If a pastor/leader puts more onus on one person to act like Jesus than another, that’s wrong.
• If a pastor/leader gives one person in the relationship the power to determine if the other person is acting according to Christ, that’s wrong. Whether or not you’re doing right is about whether you’re acting like Christ, not whether or not someone approves of you.
• If a pastor/leader tells you that the way you follow Jesus is by following another person, that’s wrong.

The link . The quote is towards the bottom of the page.

Ever Wonder About Diotrephes?

 3 John 1:9-11 WEB  I wrote to the assembly, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, doesn’t accept what we say.  10  Therefore if I come, I will call attention to his deeds which he does, unjustly accusing us with wicked words. Not content with this, neither does he himself receive the brothers, and those who would, he forbids and throws out of the assembly.  11  Beloved, don’t imitate that which is evil, but that which is good. He who does good is of God. He who does evil hasn’t seen God.

Diotrephes was the pastor/elder/teacher of this church.

Diotrephes had a controlling personality.

Diotrephes lies.

Diotrephes is inhospitable.

Diotrephes stops others from being inhospitable.

Diotrephes excommunicates true believers.

Diotrephes is evil.

Diotrephes has not seen God.

The devil works hard to get his people into positions of authority in churches. The main personality trait of this type of preacher(?) is controlling. If a pastor demands unquestioned loyalty, then you NEED, MUST leave. This type of pastor(?) is a fake and abusive.

Brandon Smith in his article, Global Elitists are not Human, discusses these points.

Some points on sociopaths and psychopaths by Brandon Smith

1. Narcissistic sociopaths believe themselves to be entitled to special treatment and see themselves as above the laws and niceties of normal society.

2. Narcissistic sociopaths and psychopaths are stricken with visions of assumed greatness.

a) They don’t care about proving their greatness.

b) They only care that people believe that they are special, that they are anointed.

3. They want people to hand them adoration and control automatically. But if they don’t get what they want as a matter of course, they will use any means at their disposal.

4. They are also devoid of empathy and conscience.

5. They want is for the lowly masses to voluntarily accept their greatness as absolute, as an obvious and undeniable fact of life. What they want is reverence and devotion. As mentioned earlier, they want to be treated as gods by the people around them.

6. An important part of archetypal or inborn knowledge and traits is the notion of good and evil; we are born understanding that certain behaviors are constructive while others are destructive and abhorrent. Unfortunately, not all people are born with conscience. In some people, the difference between good and evil or constructive and destructive behavior is blurry or non-existent.

7. High level narcissists and sociopaths are physically human of course, but if we were to peer in at a visual representation of their psyche, we would find a barren wasteland — a place where ghouls lurk. They do not dream as normal people dream. They do not feel joy in the manner normal people do. They do not feel fulfillment in the things that commonly lift up the rest of us. They are incapable of love for others. They are incapable of regret beyond their own failures to get what they want. They do not see other people as individuals, they see them as tools to be exploited.

8. Being sociopathic though does not mean that they are ignorant of what makes the rest of us function. On the contrary, sociopaths are very good at identifying the personal desires and drives of others, and mimicking people in a way that makes them seem “human.” They are parasites by nature,and thus they have to be able to get close to their host victims if they are to survive.

Another article by Brandon Smith, How People Become Easily Controlled by Tyrants, is also a good read.

Searching under the topics “abusive behavior,” “narcissist,” “traits of a sociopath,” “what is a controlling pastor personality.” You will get many hits.

I found this on Facebook:

Signs of a Sociopath

1. Superficial charm

2. Untruthful and manipulative

3. Egocentric

4. Devoid of remorse or empathy

5. Seeks to dominate and win at all costs

6. Expert story teller

7. Presents himself heroically with high morals and philosophy

8. Incites emotional chaos

9. Feigns love to get what they want

10. Never apologizes

If your pastor is being described, leave, and pray that he leaves. He is destroying people’s souls.

Some other verses about these evil pastors:

1. John 12:43 (WEB) for they loved men’s praise more than God’s praise.

2. Luke 20:46 (WEB) “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts;

3. Jude 1:16 (WEB) These are murmurers and complainers, walking after their lusts (and their mouth speaks proud things), showing respect of persons to gain advantage.

4. 1 Kings 1:5 (WEB) Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will be king.” Then he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him.

5. 2 Peter 2:13 (WEB) receiving the wages of unrighteousness; people who count it pleasure to revel in the daytime, spots and blemishes, reveling in their deceit while they feast with you.

6. 1 Peter 5:2-3 GW Be shepherds over the flock God has entrusted to you. Watch over it as God does: Don't do this because you have to, but because you want to. Don't do it out of greed, but out of a desire to serve. 3  Don't be rulers over the people entrusted to you, but be examples for the flock to follow. [Bold is my emphasis].

a) On this passage, Vincent’s Word Studies, has this note: As lording it (κατακυριεύοντες) See Mat 20:25; Act 19:16. Other words are used for the exercise of legitimate authority in the church: προΐ́σταμαι, to be over (1Th 5:12; 1Ti 5:17); ποιμαίνω, as 1Pe 5:2, tend. But this carries the idea of high-handed rule.

b) Likewise, the Cambridge Bible Commentary states:  The word for “lording” implies an authority exercised both wrongfully and oppressively. Ambition, the love of power for the sake of power, is, from the Apostle’s standpoint, as great a hindrance to true pastoral work as avarice.

God does judge sin and sinning pastors (Diotrephes pastors).

1. Psalm 145:20 NLT - The LORD protects all those who love him, but he destroys the wicked.

2. Proverbs 10:29 NLT - The way of the LORD is a stronghold to those with integrity, but it destroys the wicked.

3. Jude 1:12-13 WEB  These are hidden rocky reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you, shepherds who without fear feed themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;  13  wild waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the blackness of darkness has been reserved forever.

Some links that give more points and explain the points differently:

The Controlling, Narcissist Leader/Pastor

6 MASSIVE WARNING SIGNS OF SPIRITUAL ABUSE

1. He surrounds himself with “yes” people

2. Critics are isolated

3. Loyalty is prized over diversity

4. Refusing accountability

5. Leading by force of personality

6. Refusing to believe anything is wrong

Fourteen Symptoms of Toxic Church Leaders

Signs in a Congregation That a Leader

Has Covert Narcissistic Personality

Disorder

Hundreds of sex abuse allegations found in fundamental Baptist churches across U.S. 

The Wartburg Watch is one of a number of websites exposing abusive pastors.