In this passage, John declares that a lifestyle of sin or a lifestyle of righteousness is founded upon whose children we are:  children of God or of the devil.  One cannot truly be a child of God without one’s lifestyle reflecting that relationship.The post Our Lives Reveal Whose We Are (1 John 3:7-10) first appeared on The Oasis.

According to John, the mission of Jesus was to “take away sins.”  This speaks of more than forgiveness and pardon.  It refers to the lifting off of one the burden of sin and the power through Christ one has to triumph over sin.  When one resides in God, we can overcome sin in our lives and escape the devastation and destruction that sin can bring into one’s life.The post The Mission of Jesus (1 John 3:4-7) first appeared on The Oasis.

At this point in the letter, John wants us to pause and ponder the significance of being a child of God.  We need to think about what this means and what we have to look forward to as those who have been supernaturally adopted into God’s family.The post The Significance of Being A Child of God (1 John 3:1-3) first appeared on The Oasis.

The apostle John urges the recipients of this letter to continue living in close connection with Jesus.  It is our fellowship or lack of it that will determine our response when we stand face to face with our Lord one day.  Our consistent lifestyle, which characterizes our lives, proves in time the spiritual reality of one’s life.The post Preparing for the Lord’s Return (1 John 2:28-29) first appeared on The Oasis.

The apostle John strongly admonishes the recipients of this letter to stick with the fundamental truths they were taught from the beginning of their spiritual journey and not to deviate from this path.  If another path is taken, spiritual disaster will result.  We must all stay on course.The post Stay On Course (1 John 2:24 – 27) first appeared on The Oasis.

In this section, John asserts that true believers in Jesus Christ have an anointing from God.  He explains what this anointing is and how it is to function in our everyday lives as followers of Jesus Christ.The post The Christians’ Anointing (1 John 2:20-23) first appeared on The Oasis.

Though the community of believers that John is writing to is still agonizing over a split within the body, the apostle seizes the opportunity to reassure them that these separations and divisions will happen from time to time. Our focus must remain on Jesus and we must be forever true to Him.

by Pastor Jeff RoyceThe post True Fellowship is Based on Truth (1 John 2:18-19) first appeared on The Oasis.

Here the apostle John warns his readers that love is a discriminating affection which involves choice and selection. Our allegiance to God will be seen in the choices that we make everyday.

by Pastor Jeff RoyceThe post Love Is a Choice (1 John 2:15-17) first appeared on The Oasis.

The readers of this letter are under spiritual attack.  When we are facing spiritual enemies who seek to undermine our faith, we must remember to be mindful of who we are as God’s children.  These are the truths with which John seeks to reassure the recipients of this letter.The post Words of Reassurance (1 John 2:12-14) first appeared on The Oasis.

John has been teaching throughout this letter that fellowship with God has observable characteristics.  We can make claims of having a close connection with God but the reality is that remaining in fellowship with God carries with it certain requirements.  One such requirement is love for our fellow believers.The post The Character of Fellowship with God (1 John 2:7-11) first appeared on The Oasis.