Believe - Week 16

Week 16

1 John 3:23-24

Believe, Love, Obey—these three have been recurring themes in John’s first letter. In these two verses we get a concise summary of what John is calling his readers to do and the interplay of these three commands. We are first to “believe in the Name of His Son, Jesus Christ.” That belief should then manifest in our love for one another and our willingness to obey His every command. John also indicates that the Holy Spirit confirms our belonging to Him. I want to talk more about that…

The assignment: 1.) Take a deeper look at the phrase “believe in the name…” What exactly does this mean? Are there other names we might believe in (not for salvation obviously, but perhaps for other things)?

2.) John also mentions the Holy Spirit as confirmation that He abides with us. Have you felt the confirmation of the Holy Spirit? How have you felt that confirmation? 

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The video version of this podcast is available on YouTube (https://youtu.be/1bP1wJpmas4)

Self-Check - Week 15

Week 15

1 John 3:18-22

https://youtu.be/8_aFf5v4Ixg 

John offers us here a test, a sort of self-diagnostic. He is pointing out that if we love others (as Jesus instructed us to), it indicates that we are in right standing with God our Father. This is not a requirement for salvation, but rather a “fruit inspection” that we can use for ourselves.  It’s offered kindly as a means of reassuring us that we really belong to Him.

The assignment: 1.) Run the self-diagnostic on yourself. Do you love others merely with words or tongue? OR do you love them with truth and action? If you find yourself coming up short, what you really need is more connection with Jesus. When you spend more time with Him, you will love more of what He loves.

2.) Have you ever gone through a period of doubt? Spend some time reflecting on what brought you out of it. If you’re in the midst of it, reach out to someone who will encourage you the way John encourages us here.

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The video version of this podcast is available on YouTube (https://youtu.be/8_aFf5v4Ixg)

Action - Week 14

Week 14

1 John 3:11-18

In this passage, John shifts our attention away from our vertical relationship with God to our horizontal relationship with our brothers and sisters. Going all the way back to the very first brothers, we can see that horizontal relationships are fraught with competition, rivalry, jealousy, and even murderous hatred. We have an example in Jesus of another way. We are called by these verses to follow His example and love with action and show the world there is another way.

The assignment:

1.) Refresh your memory of Cain and Abel by reading Genesis 4:1-16. Why did Cain kill Abel?

2.) Verse 15 equates hatred and murder. Jesus taught the same principle in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). Why is hatred the same as murder? Isn’t it an accomplishment to refrain from acting out our hatred? Isn’t that enough?

3.) How can you, your family, or your church love “in action and in truth” this year?

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The video version of this podcast is available on YouTube (https://youtu.be/19f0rISdBF4)

Practice - Week 13

Week 13

1 John 3:4-10

https://youtu.be/nJ48WkGlHkc

This week we look again at the evidence distinguishing between believers and non-believers. John says that the distinction is obvious by looking at the pattern of behavior in the person’s life. Yes, we all face temptation and we all sin, but how we respond to temptation and how we react when confronted with sin makes a huge difference. Believers resist temptation and confess their sin and repent, whereas non-believers excuse and justify sin ignoring God’s clear standards. Today, we want to talk about “why?”.

The assignment: 1.) Look through this passage of scripture and see if you can find anything that seems to indicate the motivation behind the behavior that John says makes it obvious if we are believers or not. If a believer is one who avoids sin and confesses it, why do they do that?

2.) Search for other passages that may give other insight into the motivation of a believer to be obedient.

3.) Share your own experience with your motivation regarding sin and temptation? Are there times when you are more successful? What helps you stay motivated to flee from temptation?

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The video version of this podcast is available on YouTube (https://youtu.be/nJ48WkGlHkc)

Pure - Week 12

Week 12

1 John 3:1-3

In this passage John speaks of the “already and not yet” nature of our faith. I think we should take some time to hold on to that reality—to feel the tension of it. I believe it helps to explain a lot of the frustrations we feel in our day to day lives. Knowing that we are citizens of heaven living in a broken world should feel like tension. Let’s dig a little deeper into that.

The assignment: 1.) Search the cross references for these verses and share what you find. Were there any passages from the gospels? 

2.) Can you think of any other examples of the feeling of tension between “already and not yet”? 

3.) Memorize verse 3 and think of times when you’ve needed to know this verse.

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The video version of this podcast is available on YouTube (https://youtu.be/IRkaIn0z4cw)

Obvious - Week 11

Week 11

1 John 3:1-10

https://youtu.be/GWj3mwsbdvY

First we take a look back at the first 2 chapters of 1 John, and discuss the theme of belonging that John comes back to again and again. John wants us to know that we belong to Him and therefore to each other. He discusses light and darkness, righteousness and sin, and these serve to give evidence of our belonging rather than being means to belonging.

Then we take a look at the first 10 verses of chapter 3.  Here John says something is “obvious.”

The assignment: 1.) What does John say is “obvious”? What evidence does he point to? Do you feel like it is as obvious as John seems to say? 

2.) Based on what you read, if John was to apply these thoughts toward you, what obvious conclusion would he draw? Are there things you need to work on?

3.) Add to your theme list notes as needed.

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The video version of this podcast is available on YouTube (https://youtu.be/OQTzydXAPtE)

Anointed - Week 10

Week 10

1 John 2:20-27

https://youtu.be/OQTzydXAPtE

Did you know that you are anointed? In this passage of Scripture John is assuring the members of the church to whom he is writing that this antichrist among them should not make them doubt themselves. He refers to the anointing they received when they first believed and encourages them to hold fast to those basic beliefs and abide in the truth that Jesus is our Messiah.

The assignment: 1.) Study what John means here about being anointed or having an anointing. Can you find other passages that refer to this sort of anointing? Who else has been anointed? By whom? For what purpose? Is this anointing for all of us?

2.)Update your theme notes and get ready to review chapters 1 & 2

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The video version of this podcast is available on YouTube (https://youtu.be/OQTzydXAPtE)

Antichrist - Week 9

Week 9

1 John 2:18-19

https://youtu.be/FkO7mCylGdQ 

Do you think you’ve ever met an antichrist? John mentions here that we should expect them and gives us a few clues about how to find them. One important thing to notice is that they will be among us, but will go out from us. John wants us to be on guard against such as these.

The assignment: 1.) Study up on the word “antichrist”: use Bible dictionaries, commentaries, concordances, online resources, etc. And share what you find in the comments.

2.) How do we discern who is an antichrist? What clues does John give us to discover them? 

3.) Keep adding to your theme notes 

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The video version of this podcast is available on YouTube (https://youtu.be/FkO7mCylGdQ)

Lust and Pride - Week 8

Week 8

1 John 2:15-17

https://youtu.be/5WfptShZEuk 

John compares two loves: Love of the world and Love of the Father. And then he provides three categories for the the love of the world. This week we’re going to take a closer look at these headings and hold up the “mirror of Scripture” as we consider if there is any part of us that is chasing after the world more than we are pursuing God.

The assignment: 1.) When John warns us about loving the world, what definition would you apply to the word “world”? 

2.) Make a list of sins and identify which of the three categories they would fit under (The Ten Commandments might be a good place to start, but I will also challenge you to get more personal and specific). Use this list to identify any of your own struggles and confess it. (1 John 1:9)

3.) Add to your theme list records as needed.

The audio of this video is available as a podcast from Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Just search for "Good Hope Weekly"

Find out more about Good Hope Family Fellowship at GHFF.net

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The video version of this podcast is available on YouTube (https://youtu.be/5WfptShZEuk)

Children, Fathers, & Young Men - Week 7

Week 7

1 John 2:12-14

Here we see John use a poetic repetition as he addresses his audience. It’s important that we don’t disregard the intentional use of repetition as being “flowery” or “wordy”. John and the Holy Spirit are using a literary tool to catch our attention and say something important. There is meaning in the method, and we would do well to consider it.

The assignment: 1.) Think about who John is talking to and what the 3 distinct groups might represent. Why would he use these designations rather than just addressing the congregation as a whole?

2.) What is the message he is trying to convey through this peculiar way to address the groups? Do you think John is trying to reveal something about them through the reasons he gives?

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The video version of this podcast is available on YouTube (https://youtu.be/XqUW0aGTD_c)

Light and Dark - Week 6

Week 6

1 John 2:7-11

Verses 7-11 uses a lot of light and dark imagery. John is trying to convey to us the key differences that distinguish us from the rest of the world and just how severe the contrast should be.

The assignment:

1.) Take some time to create some space to record instances when each key theme is addressed. For example, if you have a notebook or journal, you might write one theme at the top of a page and use the rest of the page to add notes and references for that theme. The next page would be your next theme, and so on… Do what works for you, but the goal is to be able to look back at one theme and trace the development and use of that them throughout the letter.

2.) New commandment, old commandment, WHICH IS IT???!!?! In addition to the passage here, look at John 13:34 and Leviticus 19:18, and try to understand what John might be driving at with this expression. 

3.) Look for ways to make this a group project. Make some time with some friends to discuss this together OR join in the discussion in the comments. You can both add value for others and gain deeper understanding by sharing your insights with others. (And you DO have insights)

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The video version of this podcast is available on YouTube (https://youtu.be/stfcE3tviOg)

Find out more about Good Hope Family Fellowship at GHFF.net

Advocate - Week 5

Week 5

In this week’s passage we find a word that is only used 5 times in the New Testament and only in works by John: “Advocate”. As we move into chapter 2, look for words related to your list of themes and see if you find any development on those themes here in verses 1-6. 

The assignment:

1.)Check 1 John 2:1-6 for any of the theme words from the list you made when we read the whole letter (your Theme List). If any are here, you might summarize a few thoughts about that theme that you gather from this passage.

2.) Dig deeper into the word “Advocate”; find definitions, cross-references, etc. What do we learn about Jesus in relation to this term?

3.) Share your tips for making study time more effective, (and maybe try some suggested by others or employ some you may have forgotten)

The video to this podcast is available on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/OK2_LnWxTsQ

Find out more about Good Hope Family Fellowship at GHFF.net

Slow Down, Dig In - Week 4

Week 4

Time to slow down and dig in! This week we take a more in-depth look at 1 John 1:9. This is a powerful verse containing an incredible promise from God. Sometimes we can get moving too fast when the Holy Spirit wants us to slow down. So we are going to spend this week meditating on just one verse of Scripture.

The assignment: 1) Memorize 1 John 1:9. This is an excellent practice for our spiritual development. Don’t skip it; don’t do it half-way; put it on a card and have a friend, spouse, child, or your waitress check you while you recite it from memory. (We might work out some rewards for this…)

2.) Do a word study for each key word in the verse. Use a concordance or a Bible dictionary, but try to get as much out of each word so that you have a richer understanding of the verse as a whole.

3.) Read up on the cross-references. I’ve included the ones in my Bibles below, but check if your Bible has different references and share those with the rest of us.

4.) Share what stands out the most to you in the Facebook Group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/349127529814376

The video where this audio came from is on YouTube ( https://youtu.be/-x7j9_PO51w )

Find out more about Good Hope Family Fellowship at GHFF.net

Cross References for 1 John 1:9

Psalms 32:5

Psalms 103:3

Proverbs 28:13

Jeremiah 31:34

Matthew 9:6

Matthew 26:28

Colossians 1:14

Titus 2:14

James 5:15

Conceal or Confess - Week 3

In week 3, we clarify that using other resources to understand the Bible is not “cheating” and look at some online resources available. Specifically we look at a website that allows you to look at the original languages and search for other occurrences of the key words in the Scriptures we’re studying.  After a recap from the last passage, we looked at verses 5-9.  John introduces several themes that get repeated throughout the letter in these introductory verses. He also shows a contrast between what we choose to do about sin: We can lie to ourselves and try to cover it up, or we can confess it.

The assignment: 1.) See if any themes from your original list jump out of these verses and dig a little deeper to see where else they might show up in Scripture. (I think we may make a comment thread for each theme that shows up and share our thoughts in replies below each theme.) 

2.) Think of a time when you may have learned a difficult lesson about confession: either you didn’t and should have, or you did and it paid off. (Use discretion in sharing these responses, some stories are just for close trusted friends)

Please share your responses in the "Good Hope Weekly" Facebook group. ( https://www.facebook.com/groups/349127529814376 ) If you need help joining it, comment below or email jp@ghff.net

The video of this podcast is available on YouTube (https://youtu.be/ymp1gd0lu00)

Find out more about Good Hope Family Fellowship at GHFF.net

Eye-Witness - Week 2

In week 2 we talk about our lists of key words or themes from last week and discuss the first 4 verses of the letter from John to the early church. John clearly wants the church to know what he knows which he learned from a first-hand account. And he indicates that this will make his joy complete as it fosters a greater fellowship among them all.

The assignment: 1.) Follow John's example and write your own first-hand account of something you have learned about the scriptures.

2.) Read what John is saying about FELLOWSHIP in this passage and find other passages on the topic and write out a definition of the word in the Biblical context.

Please share your responses in the "Good Hope Weekly" Facebook group.( https://www.facebook.com/groups/349127529814376 ) If you need help joining it, comment below or email jp@ghff.net

The video of this podcast is available on YouTube. https://youtu.be/rw8oKvLfduA

Find out more about Good Hope Family Fellowship at GHFF.net

Welcome to Good Hope Weekly

We are starting something new! I’m going to create a weekly podcast, (5-10 minutes typically), in which we will work our way through books of the Bible. There will be homework and I hope that you will use the comments section below to engage in discussion and leave feedback according to that week’s discussion. This video is extra long because I spend the last 15 minutes just reading the entire letter of 1 John. Feel free to just watch the introduction and then do your own reading on your own time.

Watch the video version on YouTube (click here).

Assignment: Read all of 1 John at one time. Make a list of 5-10 key words that seem to stand out or get repeated a lot, that might give us an idea of the overall theme of the letter.

Share your list in the comments below.

Thanks for tuning in,

JP