I, II, & III John, Jude

These small books are loaded with truth.  They are amazing.  Here are a few thoughts: 1) REPETITIVE PHRASES:  You cannot read the three books of John without some repetitive phrases jumping out at you.  You notice them, and then you mark them, and then you count them.  Here are some: "If we say"  3 times in chapter one. "I write unto you"  3 times in chapter two "Love" 33 times in the five chapters "Liar"  5 times in five chapters "Loveth" 9 times in the five chapters "Know"  27 times in the five chapters "Knoweth"  6 times in the five chapters II John has:  "Love"   3 times "commandment(s)"  4 times "Truth"  5 times  (all in only 13 verses!) III John has: Truth (true)  7 times These are thoughts that the Holy Spirit wants to drive home and so repeats them often so that we will get the point!  Notice the big emphasis on knowing and truth.  These are so important. 2)  LOVE IN DEED- I John 3:18 tells us:  "My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth."  Love is an emotion, but love is seen by "deeds".  It is not words, it is action.  It is not passive, it is active.  The Holy Spirit is concerned that there is a generation of Christians being raised up that talk a good talk about loving people, but they are doing little to demonstrate their love for people.  Do we love the lost?  What are we doing to reach them?  Do we love missionaries?  What are we doing to help them reach the lost in other areas?  Questions like this must be faced to remind us that talk is cheap, but a love that has deeds and truth is costly and valuable. 3) TO BE LIKE JESUS-  This is our goal, to be like the Savior.  In I John 4:17, it says:  ".... because as he is, so are we in this world."  We are like Jesus in this world!  Oh, that all around us could see our Savior, and not us!  Let us walk like Jesus, talk like Jesus, love like Jesus, forgive like Jesus, let us be yielded and shaped by the Holy Spirit to be like our precious Savior.  May God bless you today!  Pastor Mike Mutchler