"Bigging Beepei" is an oppoitunity foi you to continue

youi stuuy of uou's Woiu thioughout the week.

"#$%&'
"Spiiitual uullibility"

1 }ohn 4:1
!"#$%"&' &$ )$* +"#,"%" "%"-. /0,-,*' +1* *"/* *2" /0,-,*/ *$ /"" 32"*2"- *2".
4-" 5-$6 7$&' 5$- 64). 54#/" 0-$02"*/ 24%" 8$)" $1* ,)*$ *2" 3$-#&9

Bave you evei hau an expeiience wheie a peison shaieu with you that
uou tolu him oi hei something. Peihaps they hau a suggestion foi how
you shoulu hanule a situation oi make a uecision baseu on what "uou
tolu them". When this happens, we shoulu always be piepaieu to ask
them one impoitant question.

Question: B0W B0 Y00 KN0W IT WAS u0B.

0ne stuuy founu that people tell two to thiee lies eveiy 1u minutes.
:0,-,* is useu in this passage to mean the "spiiit of man." It iefeis to
man's insight, feeling, anu will. In contiast to }ohn's pievious uiscussion
of the impoitance to "believe in the name of Bis Son }esus Chiist", he
now says B0 N0T believe eveiy spiiit.

In othei woius, uon't believe eveiything people tell you. even if they
say it is fiom uou. Bon't be spiiitually gullible. Insteau, examine anu
evaluate what they say baseu on the tiuth of the Woiu of uou. }ohn
wants his auuience to be awaie anu on guaiu because he knows that
NANY false piophets (not just a few) aie out in the woilu.

APPLICATI0N: Watch out when someone says, "uou tolu me".


DIGGING
DEEPER

Weekly Bevotional
WEEK 0F NAY 26 - NAY Su, 2u14

()*+%&'
"WARNINu!!!"

1 }ohn 4:2-S
!. *2,/ .$1 ;)$3 *2" :0,-,* $5 7$&< "%"-. /0,-,* *24* =$)5"//"/ *24* >"/1/
?2-,/* 24/ =$6" ,) *2" 5#"/2 ,/ 5-$6 7$&' 4)& "%"-. /0,-,* *24* &$"/ )$*
=$)5"// >"/1/ ,/ )$* 5-$6 7$&9 @2,/ ,/ *2" /0,-,* $5 *2" 4)*,=2-,/*' 32,=2 .$1
2"4-& 34/ =$6,)8 4)& )$3 ,/ ,) *2" 3$-#& 4#-"4&.9

0ne suie way foi you to ueteimine if someone is of uou is to finu out
what they believe about }esus Chiist. If a peison oi gioup uenies the
incaination of }esus Chiist, }ohn says they have the spiiit of the
antichiist. This is a uenial of the uoctiine of Chiist as the apostles taught
it anu a ueviation fiom oithouox Chiistianity.

This is exactly what is happening with Cults in oui cultuie touay. A cult
is a gioup that suiiounus a leauei, oi a gioup of teachings, which eithei
uenies oi misinteipiets essential biblical teachings. Foi example,
}ehovah's Witnesses uo not believe that }esus is uou.

SPECIFICS AB00T C0LTS:
0sually an offshoot of Chiistianity
Benies one oi moie of the uoctiines of histoiic Chiistianity
0ften consiueis itself the only tiue expiession of Chiistianity

0ne noteu cult ieseaichei obseiveu that the cults aie "the unpaiu bills of
the chuich." In many ways, the chuich has faileu to uoctiinally tiain its
membeis; it has faileu to make a ieal moial uiffeience in the lives of its
membeis; it has faileu to meet people's ueepest neeus; anu it has faileu
to pioviue people with a sense of belonging. The failuie of the chuich is
wiue anu ueep anu has maue it easy foi the cults to flouiish.

Some expeits say theie aie about 7uu cults, while otheis say theie aie as
many as S,uuu. Cults of one foim oi anothei involve moie than 2u
million people in the 0niteu States, anu aie multiplying at an alaiming
iate. The woilu we live in (the woilu oui chiluien anu gianuchiluien aie
giowing up in) is full of wiong infoimation anu beliefs about }esus
Chiist.

WARNINu: What a peison believes about }esus matteis!

,*%$*+%&'
"uieatei Than"

1 }ohn 4:4
A,**#" =2,#&-")' .$1 4-" 5-$6 7$& 4)& 24%" $%"-=$6" *2"6' 5$- B" C2$ ,/
,) .$1 ,/ 8-"4*"- *24) 2" 32$ ,/ ,) *2" 3$-#&9

Pio wiestling is stageu. Befoie the wiestleis go out, it has been
pieueteimineu who will win. The contenueis go thiough the battle foi
enteitainment puiposes. The point of the battle is not to ueciue who will
win, but to give the ciowu a show. The winnei of the match uoes not
battle -./ victoiy but -/.0 victoiy. Be battles knowing that he has
alieauy won.

Those who believe in }esus Chiist foi eteinal life have alieauy won but
have not yet finisheu fighting. uou allows us to go thiough oui Chiistian
walk, not to win the victoiy but to show off to the woilu that Be that is in
us is gieatei than he that is in the woilu.

This passage iuentifies two foices, uou anu Satan. uou is uesciibeu as
being in us anu gieatei than Satan who is in the woilu. In the pievious
chaptei, }ohn also wiote that uou is even gieatei than oui own heaits (1
}ohn S:2u). 0ui uou is omnipotent, liteially meaning ALL-P0WERF0L.

Relying on uou is the seciet to all spiiitual victoiy in oui lives. The Boly
Spiiit is gieatei than Satan anu even gieatei than oui own heaits. We
oveicome evil as Be gives us stiength to iesist temptations to uoubt,
ueny, uisiegaiu, anu uisobey the Woiu of uou.

TB00uBT: We uon't fight F0R victoiy. we fight FR0N victoiy.


(1)2+%&'
"Always an Auuience"

1 }ohn 4:S
They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world
listens to them.

You may have noticeu that some of the most populai people in this
woilu aie not shaiing anu living the tiuth. They have a laige auuience of
people who aie being influenceu by them. It woulu be easy, anu peihaps
natuial to give cieuibility to people who have a laige auuience.

Bowevei, populaiity is not the test of authenticity. In this passage, }ohn
makes the point that people who speak "fiom the woilu" will always
have an auuience. Even in oui chuiches, we shoulu be minuful to not
saciifice tiuth in oiuei to uiaw anu maintain a laigei auuience.

Consiuei these woius wiitten by Paul to the youngei Timothy. "D$- *2"
*,6" ,/ =$6,)8 32") 0"$0#" 3,## )$* ")&1-" /$1)& *"4=2,)8' +1* 24%,)8
,*=2,)8 "4-/ *2". 3,## 4==161#4*" 5$- *2"6/"#%"/ *"4=2"-/ *$ /1,* *2",- $3)
04//,$)/' 4)& 3,## *1-) 434. 5-$6 #,/*"),)8 *$ *2" *-1*2 4)& 34)&"- $55
,)*$ 6.*2/9E (2 Tim. 4:S-4)

}esus also spoke about this mattei. FG)*"- +. *2" )4--$3 84*"9 D$- *2"
84*" ,/ 3,&" 4)& *2" 34. ,/ "4/. *24* #"4&/ *$ &"/*-1=*,$)' 4)& *2$/" 32$
")*"- +. ,* 4-" 64).9 D$- *2" 84*" ,/ )4--$3 4)& *2" 34. ,/ 24-& *24* #"4&/
*$ #,5"' 4)& *2$/" 32$ 5,)& ,* 4-" 5"39E (Natt. 7:1S-14)

TB00uBT: Populaiity is not the test of authenticity.

324%&'
"Tiuth Boes Not Lie"

1 }ohn 4:6
C" 4-" 5-$6 7$&9 C2$"%"- ;)$3/ 7$& #,/*")/ *$ 1/H 32$"%"- ,/ )$* 5-$6 7$&
&$"/ )$* #,/*") *$ 1/9 !. *2,/ 3" ;)$3 *2" :0,-,* $5 *-1*2 4)& *2" /0,-,* $5 "--$-9

Some believe theie is no tiuth at all oi that tiuth cannot be known.
Bowevei, this is a self-uefeating position. A peison may say: "Theie is no
Tiuth." The pioblem: Is that a tiue statement. Both what is tiue anu
what it is eiioi CAN BE known anu unueistoou. Tiuth is like a miiioi
showing us how things ieally aie. Things aie not tiue simply because
they "woik." Cheating on a test may get you a goou giaue, but that giaue
uoes not iepiesent the tiuth of what you have leaineu. Tiuth is also not
simply what makes you feel goou. A bau iepoit fiom the uoctoi might
cause you to feel bau, but it iepiesents the tiuth. Tiuth is not always
what you want to heai, but tiuth is valuable.

CBALLENuE: Suiiounu youiself with people who will tell you the tiuth.
Content foi this publication was collecteu fiom vaiious iesouices.
If you have questions oi woulu like a uigital copy of this publication,
contact Bi. Stephen Cutchins at cutchinsSfbchnc.oig