Celebrating Alpha 21 at MNTC

 A few years back I helped start Alpha at MNTC, the coordinator encouraged us to give a word of encouragement to each of our men. We also play the name game helping us get to know each other's hearts. This year I got new believer's Bibles for the group. 

Jacob - Wise in spirit, honest before God and men. Proverbs 2:1-5, Romans 11:29

Josh - Open to understanding the truth about Jesus. John 14-15, Matt 22:44-25:46

Stacy - Salvation: Always helpful, giving knowledge and hope for others. Titus 3:5, Proverbs 2:6

- Baptised 2.23.2021

Liam - Lean: Discerning and cautious Proverbs 3:5-6, Proverbs 2:7-8

Skyler - Sanctified: He that began a good work in you is faithful to complete it. Phil 1:6, Proverbs 2:9-10

- Baptised 2.23.2021

Marcus - Musical: Listen for God to direct to his path. Phil 4:6, John 15:7, Proverbs 2:11-15

A.J. - Attractive: Joy and laughter, a kind disposition. Proverbs 2:16-20

Michael - A change of heart, an opportunity for a noble path. Hebrews 11:3,1-3

 - Baptised 2.23.2021, added 2 Cor 5:17

Jacob - Phil 4:4-8, God guides us through commanding scripture and Holy Spirit through circumstances, visions, the council of saints (church), and common sense. 

Read More ->>

Love is our nature when we believe and accept Jesus

Reading Be Real (1 John): Turning from Hypocrisy to Truth

But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. John 1:12

Love for the brethren is proof of fellowship with God (1 John 2:7-11)
Love is proof of sonship (1 John 3:10-14)

This is true because God is Love (1 John 4:7-16)
 - His very nature is love, if we are united to God through faith in Christ, we share His nature. Since his nature is love, love is the test of the reality of our spiritual life.
 - A navigator depends on a compass to help him determine his course. But why a compass? Because it shows him his directions. And why does the compass point north? Because it is so constituted that it responds to the magnetic field that is part of the earth's makeup. The compass is responsive to the nature of the earth.
 - A person who knows God and has been born of God will respond to God's nature. As a compass naturally points north, a believer will naturally practice love because love is the nature of God. This love will not be a forced response; it will be a natural response. A believer's love for the brethren will be proof of his sonship and fellowship.

God is spirit (John 4:24), God is light (1 John 1:5) and God is love (1 John 4:7-8)

This made me want to see where else the Bible says "God is". Look at this gospel progression in Deuteronomy:

• “Sovereign Lord, you have begun to show to your servant your greatness and your strong hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works you do? Deuteronomy 3:24
• What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him? Deuteronomy 4:7
• For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. Deuteronomy 4:24
• For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your ancestors, which he confirmed to them by oath. Deuteronomy 4:31
• Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. Deuteronomy 7:9
• But be assured today that the Lord your God is the one who goes across ahead of you like a devouring fire. He will destroy them; he will subdue them before you. And you will drive them out and annihilate them quickly, as the Lord has promised you. Deut 9:3

Because of what God has done in Jesus Christ we now have God's nature to do what is right and pleasing to him. This is the good news, we can repent or as the scripture says later, circumcise your heart. What pleasings it is to know the Incommunicable (natural) and Communicable (character) Attributes of God.

Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people. - Deuteronomy 9:6

• Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and stiffen your necks no more. Deut 9:13
• Repentance is a pure Gospel grace
• Therefore, tell the house of Israel that this is what the Lord GOD says: 'It is not for your sake that I will act, O house of Israel, but for My holy name, which you profaned among the nations to which you went. - Ezekiel 36:22

I love how art can share truths of the gospel in our time and was brought to these memories:
Heavenly trinity, DNA of eternal life and humanity's only hope (Dali painting)
Who are the people of God
Loving obedience will characterize those who belong to God

Read More ->>

The secret to obedience is true love (John 14:15, 15:10, 1 John 3:22)

Reading  Be Real (1 John): Turning from Hypocrisy to Truth
4. Christian Love (1 John 3:18-24)
 - True Christian love means loving in deed and in truth (James 2:15)
 - One reason why sinners were attracted to Jesus (Luke 15:1-2) was that they were sure He loved them sincerely.
 - This love cost a great deal, it cost Jesus Christ His life, yet we have this promise "Give and it shall be given unto you" (Luke 6:38).

To a believer who practices Christian love
1) Assurance (1 John 3:19-20)
 - Our relationship with others affects our relationship with God (Matt 5:23-24). a condemning heart robs a believer of peace. Is it us (Jer 17:9) or God (Jer 17:10, John 16:8) - ask him to show, he knows your heart (Psalm 139:1,23-24, Proverbs 21:2, Acts 15:8, John 14:6, Romans 3:23, Psalm 51:10, Heb 4:12)
 - We need to accept the forgiveness once we've confessed it and not let the devil rob us of confidence (Rev 12:10). Peter was forgiven Mark 16:7 and was able to proclaim the gospel (Acts 3:14) because his own sin of denying Christ had been taken care of and was forgiven. No Christian should treat sin lightly, but no Christian should be harder on himself than God is. There is a morbid kind of self-examination and self-condemnation that is not spiritual.
 - Habitual sin in the heart grieves the Spirit and "turns off" the supply of God's love (Eph 4:30-5:2)
2) Answered prayer (1 John 3:21-22)
 - Love for brethren produces confidence toward God, and confidence toward God gives boldness in asking for what you need. 1 John 3:22, Love fulfills God's law (Romans 13:8-10)
 - Our relationships cannot be divorced from prayer life (1 Peter 3:7, Psalm 66:18). Ask honestly, "Is there anything between you and another Christian that needs to be settled?"
 - Spirit of love delights (Ps 37:4,23-24), the spirit of servitude or fear is like the older brother (Luke 15:24-32). God works through Abigail, David, Saul, and Philistine home (1 Samuel 25-27, Psalm 37)
3) Abiding (1 John 3:23-24)
 - Love God and neighbor (Matt 22:34-40), believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ (1 John 3:23)
 - Faith and love sum up the Christian's obligations (Gal 5:6)
 - Abiding in Christ is a key experience for a believer who wants to have confidence toward God and enjoy answers to prayer. Abiding is about fruit-bearing, maintaining communion is a moment-by-moment responsibility (John 15:3,10). Jesus teaches love precedes obedience and the indwelling Holy Spirit
 - The Spirit anoints teaching ministry (1 John 2:20; John 14:26, 16:13-14) as the abiding Spirit (1 John 3:24,4:13). Peace and confidence results, but when the Spirit is grieved he withdraws HIs blessing
 - The Spirit is the attesting Spirit (1 John 4:1-6) and the authenticating Spirit (1 John 5:6-8), bearing witness to the person and work of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:14-16,5:5)

Why do you think indifference to the needs of others is such a common and dangerous sin, even among Christians?

What does John mean when he says we should be willing to "lay down our lives for the brethren?"

How does love lead to assurance?

When our delight is in the love of God, our desires will be in the will of God. What does that mean to you?

What's it like to have a moment-by-moment communion with Christ? Is this something just for special Christians? Explain.

How can you abide in God this week?

Read More ->>

Eyes that see, ears that hear and heart that understands

Hopeful Promise

• Proverbs 20:12Ears to hear and eyes to see— both are gifts from the Lord.
•  Isaiah 32:3 Then everyone who has eyes will be able to see the truth, and everyone who has ears will be able to hear it.

Sad Reality (People have four dispositions, three are toxic, one is from God)

• Deuteronomy 29:4 But to this day the Lord has not given you minds that understand, nor eyes that see, nor ears that hear!
• Jeremiah 5:21 Listen, you foolish and senseless people, with eyes that do not see and ears that do not hear.
• Ezekiel 12:2 “Son of man, you live among rebels who have eyes but refuse to see. They have ears but refuse to hear. For they are a rebellious people.

Senseless

• Isaiah 6:10 Harden the hearts of these people. Plug their ears and shut their eyes. That way, they will not see with their eyes, nor hear with their ears, nor understand with their hearts and turn to me for healing.” (How all things work together for our good (Romans 8:28)

Soft Present (believes the hopeful promise as Jesus reminds us)

• Matthew 13:16“But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.
• Mark 8:18‘You have eyes—can’t you see? You have ears—can’t you hear?’ Don’t you remember anything at all?

Hard Present (as felt in the heart of unbelief)

• Matthew 13:15For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes— so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’
• Acts 28:27 For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes— so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’ 
• Romans 11:8 As the Scriptures say, “God has put them into a deep sleep. To this day he has shut their eyes so they do not see, and closed their ears so they do not hear.”

God's righteousness can be applied to our hearts through repentance (Romans 2)
Test and prove what pleases the Lord, understand his will (Ephesians 5:10,17)
Past Tense

• Job 13:1  “Look, I have seen all this with my own eyes and heard it with my own ears, and now I understand. 
• What an interesting read. Job understands - alludes to Abel (Job 16:18), points to Jesus (Job 16:19,20) seeing death approach (Job 16:21)
• Psalm 92:11 My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies; my ears have heard the defeat of my wicked opponents. 

Eternal

• Isaiah 64:4 For since the world began, no ear has heard and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him!
• 1 Corinthians 2:9 That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”

Read More ->>

Listen to God and do what he commands inside and out

As our physical bodies need food, so does our spirit. Matt 4:4, Jesus is the bread of life - we look into his counsel daily and are nourished, prepared for every good work. What does spiritual hunger feel like? In Matthew 5:6, Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

James 1:22-25 The Message (MSG)
22-24 Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don’t act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like.

25 But whoever catches a glimpse of the revealed counsel of God—the free life!—even out of the corner of his eye, and sticks with it, is no distracted scatterbrain but a man or woman of action. That person will find delight and affirmation in the action.

Read More ->>

Jesus death on the cross for the deceived and defiant (1 John 3:4-8)

Everyone who sins is breaking God’s law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God. And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, and there is no sin in him. Anyone who continues to live in him will not sin. But anyone who keeps on sinning does not know him or understand who he is (Deceived).

Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. But when people keep on sinning (Defiant), it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. (1 John 3:4-8)

God the Son died for us, for a child of God to sin indicates that he doesn't understand or appreciate what Jesus did for him on the cross.
 - Lack of understanding and appreciation is the sign of a hard heart against God (Matt 13:15, Isaiah 6:10, Acts 28:27, Deut 29:4, Psalm 119:70)
 - In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled: 'You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. Matt 13:14
 - For this people's heart has grown callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.' Matt 13:15
 - To understand with your heart and turn is the meaning of repentance.

Christ appeared to take away our sins
 - Sin is whatever is not of faith (Rom 14:23)
 - thought of foolishness is sin (Prov 24:9)
 - Not doing what is good (James 4:17)
 - Lawlessness, Unrighteousness (1 John 3:4, 5:17)

I'm guilty of all of these things right now. I see this and seek God's forgiveness and strength, tools, wisdom to change to abide in Him. I repent, not as a ritual but as a mindset. I'm not held back from God, at the Cross Jesus has taken away the partition between us and God. We are allowed and welcome to come to God for forgiveness through Christ. This belief followed by obedience in prayer to cast your cares upon him, allowing him to care for you. repentance is simple. We complicate things unnecessarily. In https://run.alphausa.org/ free classes you can learn how simple it really is. The best part of Alpha is doing it in a community where you can talk with people about what you're learning.
 - Keep it real, keep it simple (start with where you are), keep it honest
 - When praying for others we are like waiters taking orders from a guest and sending it to chef. The chef makes the meal and we deliver it. Likewise, we present a persons request to God on their behalf.


  

Read More ->>

Understanding God's will begins with surrender, continues in obedience guided by God's word

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. (Romans 12:1-2)

We need one another to be successful in our understanding of God's will

Epaphras, a member of your own fellowship and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings. He always prays earnestly for you, asking God to make you strong and perfect, fully confident that you are following the whole will of God. (Col 4:12)

We need to decide to follow the Lord's way against falsehood

From Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way.
Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.
I have sworn [an oath] and have confirmed it, That I will keep Your righteous ordinances (Psalm 119:104-106)

Loving Wiersbe

Read More ->>

Doing the right thing is a matter of Love, not Law

A New Commandment, new, not as in "recent in time" but "fresh in quality" - Love that comes from believing in Jesus Christ (1 John 3:23)

Whoever claims to abide in Him must walk as Jesus walked. Beloved, I am not writing you a new commandment, but an old one, which you have had from the beginning. This commandment is the message you have heard. Then again, I am also writing you a new commandment, which is true in Him and also in you. For the darkness is fading and the true light is already shining 1 John 2:6-8

What love isn't

• Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1)
• Examples of lying prophets (1 Kings 13:18, Jeremiah 14:14, 23:16, 29:8, Matthew 7:15)
• By this you will know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God (1 John 4:2)
• Reaction: "test all things. Hold fast to what is good." 1 Thessalonians 5:21

What is love?

• And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the very commandment you have heard from the beginning, that you must walk in love. (2 John 1;6)
• Sacrificial one another love (John 13:34, 1 John 3:11)
• Unselfish love that accompanies salvation (Hebrews 6:9), brotherly love (1 John 4:21)
• Everyone who loves this way is born of God and knows God (1 John 4:7)

Where do we get our confidence?

• Keep near to your heart the good news of Jesus (1 John 2:24)
• We are children of God now, yet when Christ appears we will be like Him - seeing Him as He is (1 John 3:2)
• You know in your heart (1 John 3:21)
• We love because God first loved us (1 John 4:11)

Read More ->>

Walking in the light: see the dirt in our lives, confess and conquer sin

Reading Wiersbe, Be Real (1 John): Turning from Hypocrisy to Truth (The BE Series Commentary).
Chapter two,Walking and Talking (1 John 1:5-2:6)
Continued from Walking in light involves progressive humility and honesty (1 John 1:5-2:6)
 - Sin is our obstacle the Holy Spirit enables Grace for victory, we shall overcome by Faith!
Walking in light involves honest, obedience and love and following the example of walking like Jesus (1 John 2:6). Abiding in Christ (John 15). As he is we are (1 John 4:17,1:7,3:3).
Three approaches to sin:
1. Cover with lies to others, self, God. We diagnose dishonesty with our feeling/involvement with Bible, fellowship, prayer, worship and finally our character. See David part 1 in the cover-up leading to murder and death of his son.
 - The real self is better than a false self of shallow, tasteless lies.

2. We can confess our sins (say the same thing about it that God says about it). Not "if" or "we" but name your sin. Not pious excuses, trying to impress God or others. Not vague religious statements about symbols, but real confession. Be honest about it and you'll find that Christ is our advocate, our eternal living high priest. The Holy Spirit brings us into true confession before God and enables us to bear witness Celebrate Recovery
 - Cross makes it possible, the resurrection makes it real, we partake/experience in the Holy Spirit
 - Jesus finished the work on earth (John 17:4) but has "unfinished work" in heaven (Heb 4:15-16, 7:23-28).
 - Zech 3:1-7, Rev 12:10 - filthy garments changed by Christ: Rags to Riches, how the Holy Spirit changes us everyday See David part 2 "Create in me a clean heart, O God (Psalm 51:10)

3. We can conquer our sins (2:1-3,5-6)
 - "I am writing these things to you that you may not sin" 1 John 2:1 NASB
 - Be sincere without offense (Phil 1:10) - sincere literally means "without wax", sculptors used wax to cover mistakes
 - walking in light means Obeying God's Word (1 John 2:3-4, Lamp to my feet (Psalm 119:105) - daily time in God's Word, discovering His will and then obeying what He has told us.
 - Obedience to God's Word is proof of our love for Him. - we have to, need to or want to. (if you love, keep commandments John 14:15

1. How can Christians benefitf rom Bible's teaching on "sinning saints"
 - Confess our sins and concur them in the Power of God's grace through faith

2. Is sin worse in the life of a Christian?
 - yes, we sin against more light

3. How do Christians try to cover up their sins?
 - Rationalizing, blaming, denial (lying)

4. Why is honesty with ourselves, others and God important in our lives?
 - without it we won't have a life of sustance, but an empty life full of hunger

5. How can we build into our lives the habit of honesty with ourselves, others and God about our sins?
 - Pay attention to our feeling during quiet times with the Lord in Bible, fellowship and worship. If we are not engaged, discover it's a sign of lost connection and ask God to uncover it's root in my life.
 - Have a listener mindset rather than a judger mindset. "search me o'God and know my heart, see if there be some wicked way in me"

6. How is Jeus our Advocate?
 - He's alive and says I paid for that, he's with me.

7. Wiersbe thinks it's essential to name our sins as God would when we are confessing them. Do you agree or disagree? Why?
 - Yes it's great advice. Otherwise, we can be full of religious nonsense.
 - shows we understand it

8. How does our motivation for obedience change as we mature?
 - Forced to do it, have to do it, I want to do it.

9. What does it mean to "walk in the light?" Give a practical example.
 - Walking in the light involves honest, obedience and love and following the example of walking like Jesus (1 John 2:6). Abiding in Christ (John 15). As he is we are (1 John 4:17,1:7,3:3) - acording to God's Word.
 - Progressive humility and honesty
 - Ability to see ourselves clearly as God does, thereby confessing and conquering sin
Example: Being kind to people I don't know without thinking of selfish gains, see their needs and filling it.

10. "Before we can walk in light, we must know ourselves, accept ourselves, and yield ourselves to God." Do you agree? Explain

Search me, O God, and know my heart today,
Try me, O Savior, know my thoughts, I pray;
See if there be some wicked way in me;
Cleanse me from every sin, and set me free.

Lord, take my life, and make it wholly Thine;
Fill my poor heart with Thy great love divine;
Take all my will, my passion, self and pride;
I now surrender, Lord, in me abide.

Read More ->>

Walking in light involves progressive humility and honesty (1 John 1:5-2:6)

Reading Wiersbe, Be Real (1 John): Turning from Hypocrisy to Truth (The BE Series Commentary).

Chapter two,Walking and Talking (1 John 1:5-2:6)
- Our enemy is sin (mentioned 9 times in these verses
God is light, sin is darkness
- Contrast between saying and doing (1 John 1:6,8,10;2:4)

As a child must learn to walk and overcome many difficulties, the Christian must learn to "walk in the light." The fundamental difficulty involved is a matter of sin.

Sin is more than outward disobedience, it's our affections, the desire of the heart, what we give attention to (1 John 2:16), it's lawlessness or independence from God (1 John 3:4, can two walk together except they agreed Amos 3:3).

• Abraham in the hall of fame for faith (Heb 11), still didn't walk by faith perfectly. He went to Egypt and lied to Pharaoh (Gen 12), Help God by having a son with Hagar (Gen 16). God forgave Abraham this sin, but he didn't change the results. "No one can unscramble an egg."
• Peter denied the Lord three times and tried to kill a man when Jesus was arrested. Satan is a liar and murderer (John 8:44) and Peter played into his hands, yet Christ forgave Peter (John 21).
• The fact that Christians sin bothers some people - especially new Christians. We fight against sin (not with it) Gal 5:16-26). Sin in the life of a Christian is worse than sin in an unsaved person.

Our self-efforts are useless without the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:12-13), the Holy Spirit produces abundant fruit in our lives (Gal 5:22-23)
Three approaches to sin:

1. try to cover our sins with lies (others, self, God) (1 John 1:5-6,8,10;2:4)
- lies to make a favorable impression on others, but when light shines it reveals our true nature (Eph 5:8-13)
- lying to others leads to self-deception that can only be corrected by humble intervention by another person (like David and Nathan 2 Sam 11-12)

Diagnostics of Dishonesty (Bible, fellowship, prayer, worship, character)
- The first symptom of walking in darkness is a loss of blessing from the Bible (you can't see it anymore)
- lose of fellowship with God and with God's people (1 John 1:6-7). As a result, prayer becomes an empty form to him. Worship is a dull routine. He becomes critical of other Christians and starts staying away from church: "What communion hath light with darkness?" 2 Cor 6:14
 - Loss of character (1 John 2:4), the insincerity, lack of truthfulness is no longer a role, it's his essence of life. He's no longer a liar because he tells lies; he tells lies because he is a confirmed liar.

The real self is better than a false self of shallow, tasteless lies.
2. We can confess our sins (1 John 1:7,9)
Jesus Christ's propitiation overcomes darkness with light, hate with love (1 John 1:5, 4:8). The cross (1 John 4:10, Romans 3:23-26)

Jesus Christ advocates for those who trust in Him, gives us the Holy Spirit (John14:16, 26; 15:26)

Works the Holy Spirit does in the believers life

Read More ->>

Resurrection is real life, come fully share our Joy (1 John 1:1-4)

Reading Wiersbe, Be Real (1 John): Turning from Hypocrisy to Truth (The BE Series Commentary).
Big Idea: Assurance that we are in God's family - that we have been "born of God" is vitally important to all of us. If your not a child or God, your a child of wrath (Eph 2:1-3) and may become a child of the devil (1 John 3:10, Matt 13:24-30,36-43). A child of the devil is a counterfeit Christian who acts "saved" but has not been born again. Jesus called Pharisees "children of the devil (John 8:44)" and they were very religious.
Proof:

• Righteous life (1 John 2:29), 
• Not practicing/working at/committing sin (1 John 2:29)
• Love one another and God (1 John 4:7,5:1), not the world/godlessness (1 John 3:13)
• Overcomer of the world/godlessness (1 John 5:4)

1 John 1:1-4
 - existed from the beginning, yet seen and heard in person
 - He is the Word of life (God-breathed, Wisdom personified, life-changing)
 - He is life itself, revealed, eye witness, eternal life
 - Was with Father, then revealed to us (Post-resurrection). Proclaim what we've seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us.
 - Fellowship with Father and Son, Jesus Christ
 - writing so that you may fully share our joy

Great line: Like a child eating cotton candy at the circus, many people who expect to bite into something real end up with a mouthful of nothing. They waste priceless years on empty substitutes for reality.
 - Satisfying reality is not in thrills but in a Person - Jesus Christ the Son of God
 - God revealed himself in Jesus (1 John 1:1, John 14:9, 1:1), In creation (Rom 1:20)
Word of Life: our words reveal to others what we think and how we feel, Christ reveals the mind and heart of God. He is the living means of communication between God and men

 Trinity is a combination of "tri" meaning "three" and "unity" meaning "one"
 - Matt 28:19-20; John 14:16-17,26; 2 cor 13:14; Eph 4:4-6
 - Not three Gods, Not three ways God reveals (John 14:7)

We don't imitate Jesus to share in life, The Life is experienced (1 John 1:2). Not physical nearness but spiritual nearness committed themselves to Him as their Savior and Lord.
Jesus was real and exciting to John and his colleagues because they had trusted Him, in trusting experienced eternal life!
 - John uses "born of God" six times, Jesus said "except a man be born again...he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3,6-7)
 - whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God (1 John 5:1)
 - John wrote his gospel to tell people how to receive this wonderful life (John 20:31)
 - He wrote his first letter to tell people how to be sure they have really been born of God (1 John 5:9-13)
On Counterfeit Christianity, Wiersbe says,

       Suppose you have a counterfeit bill and actually think it is genuine. You use it to pay for a tank of gas. The gas station manager uses the bill to buy supplies. the supplier uses the bill to pay the grocer. The grocer bundles the bill to pay the grocer. The grocer bundles the bill up with forty-nine other ten-dollar bills and takes it to the bank. And the teller says, "I'm sorry, but this bill is a counterfeit."
       That ten-dollar bill may have done a lot of good while it was in circulations, but when it arrived at the bank, it was exposed for what it really was and pulled out of circulation.
        So with a counterfeit Christian. He may do many good things in this life, but when he faces the final judgement he will be rejected. (Lord, Lord..but I never knew you Matt 7:22-23)

So how can we know? Read 1 John 5:9-15 carefully. God has "gone on record" in His Word. Believe His promise and ask Him for His gift. whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved Romans 10:13

This Life is Shared (1 John 1:3-4)
Not "changing religion", wrangling over the differences in religious beliefs or sitting down and comparing churches
 - witnessing is sharing our spiritual experiences with others, by the lives we live and the words that we speak

John's purposes for sharing: 
1) Fellowship
so we'll have fellowship (to have in common 1 Peter 2:24), partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4, same root as "fellowship" in 1 John 1:3. Jesus will be with us to the end of the age (Matt 28:20)
2) Joy
Fellowship is Christ's answer to loneliness, joy is His answer to emptiness, the hollowness of life. Sin promises joy but only produces sorrow.
3) That we may not sin (1 John 3:4-9, 2:1). 
Jesus pleads for us, Satan accuser of brethren (Zech 3, Reve 12:10). Matu
4) don't be deceived (1 John 2:26)
Only epistle with "antichrist" meaning instead of or against (1 John 2:18,22,4:3; 2 John 7)
 - substitute Christ, salvation, Bible
5) that may know we are saved (1 John 5:13)
 - John 8:32, know the truth, the truth shall make you free
 - not following cunningly fables (2 Peter 1:16)

Sonship is revealed by obedience (1 John 3), love (1 John 4) and truth (1 John 5)
 - The spirit-controlled mind knows and understands the truth, the heart feels love, inclined toward obedience
Begin with sonship, continue with fellowship

Read More ->>