Please forgive this rough draft format, as these are my raw study notes on the epistle of 2 John. I feel a great sense of urgency to publish them because I’m not sure how much time we have left on this big, blue marble. Thank you for reading them. I pray that God blesses and encourages you through this material. I’m not sure of the condition of the world at the time of this publication. But at the time of its writing, mid to late summer 2010, things are still looking pretty bleak with the economy and unemployment, cleanup of the oil spill in the gulf continues, the leak is apparently capped off, there is talk of building an Islamic mosque near ground zero.. Are these the first stages of birth pains? The last? God only knows. And He is very busy these days. Seek His wisdom. Encourage each other. Pray. Jesus is coming to deliver His people and judge the wicked…
Stacey
Take a few minutes to pray and savor the entire epistle of 2 John. Then return here and ponder the thoughts, answer the questions, and be sure to leave comments about your own revelations…
1:1 – John calls himself “the elder”. Are you an elder in your church, in your small group? This is about maturity in Christ, not age. Who could you mentor?
1:2 – Based on this, what (or Who) is the truth?
1:3 – Describe how you have experienced the grace, mercy and peace of God and Jesus Christ lately. How have you experienced these attributes of God in truth and love?
1:4 – What are you doing to walk in the truth as the Father commanded? What more could you do?
1:5 – We are also commanded to love one another. How is this manifested in your life?
1:6 – Are there some commands of God that you are unable to obey? This verse says that His command is to walk in love. So, it seems that any other commands would hinge upon that. If this gives you trouble, I challenge you to have a long time of prayer and Bible study with Him. Stop and do it, now.
1:7 – We can identify deceivers and antichrists because they do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh.
1:8 – This verse implies that we can lose what we have worked for. We receive our salvation as a free gift. We haven’t worked for it. So what can we lose? The rewards that we’ve earned.
1:9 – How can we run ahead of Christ and not continue in His teaching? How can we continue in His teaching? Which tendency do you have?
1:10-11 – This is powerful. We are not to bring anyone into our home or welcome them if they come to us without the teaching of Christ. If we do, we share in his wicked work. I believe this refers to offering our protection and security to others.
1:12 – John preferred a face to face talk rather than sharing more by letter. Fellowship is important. If you’re not plugged into a fellowship, find one.
• Second John commands us to live a life of love and warns us to be on the lookout for deceivers. What is God teaching you in this chapter of scripture? How will you apply it to your life this week?
• What attributes of God do you see in this book?
• What verse of scripture seemed to be God speaking directly to you? What is He teaching you in these verses? How does He want you to respond?
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