Be With Me is a daily 7 minute chronological walk through the New Testament hosted by Michael Smith. It is for everyone who is curious about what Jesus actually said and did in the gospels. Most episodes will leave you with at least one good thought to chew on for the rest of the day. We start with the Bible and hopefully end with Awe. We are walking through the chronological events of Jesus' life and then thoughtfully considering them. It is meant to spur the devotional life of the Christian and the not-yet-Christian. We occasionally venture into the Old Testament when it helps our understanding of the New Testament events. Everybody has 7 minutes. Everybody needs to wonder. Be With Me is hosted by Michael Smith who has absolutely no special qualifications to do a podcast. He is not a pastor. He has not been to seminary. He does not lead a mega-church. He is not a professional and he has no more credentials than you do. He does, however, follow a great God with an observant eye and a curious heart. Each day, he starts with a study bible and aims for astonishment. ‘be with him’ for 7 minutes as he sets out daily to discover the God who invites us to ‘Be With Me.’
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123 John is a love story. God started it all because God is love. He then shares that love with us so we can share it with folks around us.
123John is a compact book of wisdom and practical knowledge. In it we learn how to recognize the genuine lover of God and how to recognize the pretenders.
In 123 John we learn that the people of God are being HELD by God. For what might the Lord be holding on to you for you to hold on through? Listen 7 minutes for a summary of the BEST OF 123John. Castbox podcast addict Overcast etc.
Michael Smith:
Good morning, my brothers and sisters, welcome to the best of 123. John, this is season 26 Episode number five. This is volume three, and the final podcast of first, second and third John. So first John is a love story. It's a, it's a first story of God's love to us. We've been mega loved it says, why so that we can micro love the folks around us. So we've been overshadowed by the Lord's love. And then, consequently, we love because he first loved us. Now this is the good stuff. To be at the center of his heart, this is the center of his DNA, it smacked up in the middle, puts a smack dab in the middle of his people, and puts a smack dab in the middle of his will. 510 says, whoever does not believe God has made him a liar. So what we believe about Jesus demonstrates what we already believe, about the Father. So to call Jesus a liar. And how do we do that by unbelief, calls the Father and the Spirit liars as well. So be careful, be humble enough to say, oops, I called God a liar by my silly beliefs. 511 says that God has given us eternal life, no eternal life is a quantity of days. And everybody gets those days because everybody you know, is eternal. Now, Eternal Life also has a quality of days, and not everybody gets the quality of days. But everybody does get the opportunity to have a quality of eternal life. And how do you do that? Well, that's a decision to be with the Lord to reside with the Lord to make our home with him. It's a lodge with him by belief. So ETERNAL LIFE essentially starts with one day and what is that day, it's the only day that we really have, which is today because we don't have yesterday and we may not have tomorrow. So eternal life starts today. 514 says that this is the confidence we have toward him, that if we ask anything, according to His will, He hears us. So God has given us an opportunity and even a privilege to speak freely before him. And let's, let's use here's the big, good question. If you really knew that God hears you, what would you ask? And in many ways, the answer to that question demonstrates your confidence in him your understanding of what kind of relationship we have with him, then in 516, talks about sins that lead to death. And we asked the question, What sins lead to death? When the and the sad answer is that all of our sins lead to death, and karma, absent the remedy of Christ, so absent is intervention and as absent is rescuing, all sins lead to death, so on any sin under which you're responsible for the penalty, and the consequences, leads to death. So we want to put ourselves into the process of God, helping us with that, and fixing this and believing in Him, and having this substitutionary atonement that he offers, rather than putting ourselves outside of his process, and then forcing upon ourselves all the sins that lead to death, because even one of them is enough. 518 everybody who's born of God does not keep on sinning. That's one of the big, big themes. So that's not making a practice of it. But he who was born of God that said, as Jesus protects him, that means to be held by him, I kind of really appreciated that, that word to be held by him. So the one who is born in Bethlehem protects those who are born again. And we are held by God, while we are holding fast to him. So we hold on to him, while he hold on to us when the high waters come. So we asked for what has the Lord been holding on to you, for you to hold on through? is one of my favorite concept in the whole. The whole books of 123 John, so then we move on to second John second, John is a reminder to keep on truckin with Jesus. And it makes the point that there are those who say they are keeping on trucking, but their behaviors are clearly not trucking with with Jesus, and to avoid such people. Those who are are specifically deceivers. And then in Third John similarly, it's there's a warning about those who are anti missionaries no first second, Third, John talks up talk about the the Antichrist quote unquote. And basically those just simply defined are those who are opposed to Jesus and Jesus's message and with the the actions that Jesus has done. And so he's renewing the call to be missionaries, and who are missionaries, missionaries? Are those who are sent out or have gone out for the sake of the name, then there's missional people, well, who are they, the missional people are the ones who are sending out those who have gone out for the sake of the name. So the charge to let the people of God treat the scent of God sent out from God, in a manner worthy of God. Just a great reminder, it's a very missional letter. So as I finished the books of 123, John, I thank you, I, you know, I always say at the end of the podcast frequently, thank you for listening, it just doesn't seem adequate enough. I just ask that me this, me this book, this great book, be a blessing to you. This is a lifetime of, of wisdom and real practical truth. This is a book that written at the end of John's life. And it says to be loved by God and to receive it. And then to love God and appreciate it, and have a love for his his people and share the love that he's given you. So remember that he is holding on to you for a reason. And perhaps something is ahead for you. So let's kind of arm up with the with the message of 123 John, something might be a head that we're going to need the message of this which is to hold on to him while he holds onto us and takes us through it. So hold on to him while he takes us through it. Thanks again for listening for the first second and third John, please join me tomorrow in the book and last book of the New Testament revelation. Thanks
