One Verse at a Time

This episode looks at 2 John 1:13, “The children of your elect sister greet you.” We can warmly greet and lock arms with Christians from other churches. May God give us eyes for and an appreciation toward Christians from other all over the world and other churches in our neighborhood. May we resist the urge to say we are the only ones who have things right, but instead put aside minor differences for the sake of Christ’s name. We still care about truth, but we can still warmly have affection toward those with small differences.

This episode looks at 2 John 1:12, “Though I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink. Instead I hope to come to you and talk face to face, so that our joy may be complete.” May God give us complete joy in our local fellowships as we speak about who Christ is and what he has done for us. May God give us complete joy as we live out the commandments of God in love toward one another.

This episode looks at 2 John 1:11, “for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.” When we invite in, platform, show hospitality to, pray for, and financially support false teachers, we actually in a real way take part in the destruction their teaching brings. However, when we do these things for good teachers, we actually in a real way take part in the good fruit their teaching brings. May God give us discernment and courage to take part in the works of good teachers only.

This episode looks at 2 John 1:10, “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting.” We need wisdom to not invite false teaching into our churches as if it is truly part of the teaching of Christ. May God give us that wisdom.

This episode looks at 2 John 1:9, “Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.” Would God give us grace to love the teaching by Christ about Christ revealed to us in the Scriptures. Would we not “go on ahead” for selfish gain or out of ignorance.

This episode looks at 2 John 1:8, “Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward.” In a world full of deceivers, may God give us grace to watch ourselves and to love truth. We ask for God to unite us in truth and love with other believers so that we will not lose the ground we have worked hard to gain and so that we will inherit forever rewards in heaven.

This episode looks at 2 John 1:7, “For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist.” We pray for eyes to see where others around us, especially those who claim to be Christians, have twisted the truth. We pray for strength to contend for truth in the marketplace of ideas and where truth is tarnished and deceivers run rampant.

This episode looks at 2 John 1:6, “And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it.” We are commanded to love one another. We love one another by obeying the commandments. May God give us grace to act out our love for one another in accordance with all of his counsel in the Scriptures about how we should live.

This episode looks at 2 John 1:5, “And now I ask you, dear lady—not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another.” We need help from God to walk in the very same commandment Jesus gave in John 13–love one another. May we be a community marked by sacrificial love for the sake of our joy and for God’s glory. Sacrificial love is ultimately what is best for us! May we have eyes to want this and to act this out as believers together.

This episode looks at 2 John 1:4, “I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father.” May God give us hearts that rejoice at the good he is doing in the lives of others around us. May he also help us to walk the slow plod of life one foot in front of the other keeping in step with the truth.