Daily devotion for August 25th How To Celebrate At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, the Levites were sought out from where they lived and were brought to Jerusalem to celebrate joyfully the dedication with songs of thanksgiving and with the music of cymbals, harps and lyres. Nehemiah 12:27 It is proper to dedicate. And it is proper also to celebrate when God has brought us to a place of achievement. The Holy Spirit has been careful to include in this account the three aspects that make up true celebration. One of the primary elements of true celebration is the expression of joy. It is amazing to me how many Christians never appear to be joyful. They are always gloomy and grim. I am reminded of what a little girl said upon seeing a mule for the first time: I don't know what you are, but you must be a Christian because you look just like Grandpa! There are a lot of long-faced Christians around. There are times of sorrow and sadness, of course, but Christians ought frequently to exude a sense of joy because they have something to be joyful about. Joy is not the same as happiness. Happiness is liking the present moment because it pleases us. But joy is much deeper and more long-range. Joy appreciates the past, the present, and the future, not because the circumstances are pleasing, but because the heart is right with God. These people were happy because the wall was finished. But they were joyful because God had helped them to finish it. Aware of God's love and acceptance, they therefore were joyful. There is another clue hidden in this paragraph that tells us what celebration should be based on. Verse 30 tells us that purification is necessary to celebrate. You cannot do it with a hypocritical heart. It becomes a festival of empty words. Many people seem to be afraid of this word purity. They think it describes a self-righteous kind of person. But purification in the Christian life stems from the same philosophy that motivates us when we wash dishes. You do not set your table with dirty dishes, do you? God does not do His work with dirty vessels! We need a periodic cleansing of our lives and hearts. In the New Testament, it is a simple process. It is not by ritual but by confessing our faults and believing that God has forgiven them. Confess your sins. Then believe that God cleanses you, that He forgives you, that He has restored you to His favor. This is what fills the heart with joy. There is still a third element in this that is found in verse 31. Thankfulness is always part of true celebration. These people were thankful. Are we properly thankful? Do we give thanks every day to God for the blessings we are enjoying at the moment? We are so trained by the media to grumble and complain, to insist on something we do not have, to focus on that instead of on all we do have. One of the first signs of a growing, maturing spirit in young Christians is that they begin to give thanks to God for what He has poured into their life; for the opportunities that are before them; and for the present blessings and liberties that they do enjoy. So there are the elements that make up celebration: joyfulness, purity, and thanksgiving. Lord, forgive me for so often forgetting all that I have to celebrate. Teach me to celebrate all You have done for me with joy, purity, and thanksgiving.

DAILY BREAD FELLOWSHIP DBF-001-027 Today’s Scripture John 2:6 (ESV) “Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons.” Opening the Scriptures John now draws our attention to something standing nearby at the wedding: six large stone water jars. These were not ordinary drinking containers. John specifically tells us that they were connected with Jewish purification practices. The jars were large. Together they could hold well over one hundred gallons of water. At this point, however, they were simply standing there. The servants did not yet know why Jesus would soon direct their attention toward them. This detail reminds us of something important when reading Scripture. God often accomplishes His purposes through things that appear completely ordinary. The servants saw water jars. Jesus knew what He was about to do. Living God’s Word Today We often think God can use us only when we possess something impressive. We may believe we need greater ability, more education, more money, greater influence, or better circumstances before we can serve Him effectively. But Scripture repeatedly challenges that thinking. God is not limited by what appears small or ordinary to us. The question is not whether what we possess seems impressive. The question is whether it is available for His purposes. Those stone jars could not perform a miracle. Neither could the servants. The power belonged entirely to Christ. That distinction is essential in Christian service. Whenever God accomplishes something through our lives, ministries, churches, abilities, or resources, we must never confuse the instrument with the One who supplies the power. Christ receives the glory. Perhaps you sometimes feel that what you have to offer God is insignificant. Do not measure usefulness according to human standards. Bring what you have under the authority of Christ. Your time can be used by Him. Your home can be used by Him. Your abilities can be used by Him. Your resources can be used by Him. Your ordinary conversations can become opportunities to speak truth and demonstrate the love of Christ. But never forget: the power is not in us. We are servants. Christ is Lord. The six stone jars were standing at Cana, ready to be used according to His command. The servants would soon discover that ordinary obedience placed them in the service of an extraordinary Savior. Our responsibility today remains the same. Be available. Listen to His Word. Obey what He commands. And give Christ all the glory for whatever He accomplishes. Question for Today: Are you willing to place what you have at Christ’s disposal for His purposes? Respond: “Lord, use what You have given me for Your glory.”

📖 The Last Great Revival Before the Return of Christ 🔥🌍👑 Theme: When God Awakens Nations Before the King Appears Scripture Anchor: “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.” — Acts 2:17 Before the trumpet sounds and Christ returns in glory, Scripture declares there will be a mighty outpouring of the Spirit—a revival unlike any before. This revival is not confined to one nation or generation; it is global, sweeping across cultures, ages, and denominations. It is the final awakening, preparing the Bride for the Bridegroom. Acts 2:17 establishes the principle: the last days are marked by a Spirit‑outpouring. Joel’s prophecy fulfilled at Pentecost points forward to a greater fulfillment before Christ’s return. Revival is heaven’s strategy to gather souls and purify the Church before the King comes. The last great revival represents: - Outpouring: God’s Spirit poured on all flesh. - Harvest: Multitudes brought into the kingdom. - Purification: The Bride made ready. - Unity: Believers across nations joined in one Spirit. - Testimony: Evidence of God’s power before the end. The struggle manifests as: - Opposition: Satanic resistance to awakening. - Deception: False teachings to distract. - Persecution: Pressure against the faithful. - Complacency: Hearts asleep in comfort. - Testing: Faith refined in fire. - Revival is not hype—it is holy transformation. - The last revival is not man‑made—it is Spirit‑driven. - Opposition is not victory—it is proof of God’s movement. From heaven’s view, the last great revival is the Bride’s final preparation. God pours His Spirit to awaken, purify, and empower His people. Heaven rejoices as nations turn, because it signals the nearness of Christ’s appearing. ⚠️ What the Last Revival Produces - Repentance: Hearts broken before God. - Holiness: Lives set apart. - Power: Signs, wonders, and miracles. - Unity: Barriers broken among believers. - Harvest: Souls gathered for eternity. 🚨 Signs the Last Revival Is Stirring 1. Global hunger: Nations crying out for truth. 2. Youth rising: Sons and daughters prophesying. 3. Supernatural manifestations: Visions, dreams, and miracles. 4. Persecution increasing: Resistance against the faithful. 5. Bride awakening: Church purified for the Bridegroom. 🎯 Assignment for Believers - Prepare your heart: Repent and consecrate yourself. - Seek His Spirit: Cry out for fresh outpouring. - Reject complacency: Do not sleep in comfort. - Stand boldly: Endure opposition with faith. - Magnify Christ: Exalt Him as the Coming King. Beloved, the last great revival before the return of Christ is not a distant dream—it is heaven’s promise. Do not let distraction or fear rob you of participation. His Spirit is your fire, His word is your anchor, and His coming is your hope. Awaken, for the final revival is rising, and the King is at the door. 🙏🔥

August 15, 2026 (day 227/365) SATURDAY GOD'S WORD FOR THE DAY “Set Apart for God” Leviticus 12:7 “He shall offer them before the Lord to make atonement for her, and then she will be ceremonially clean from her flow of blood. “ ‘These are the regulations for the woman who gives birth to a boy or a girl.” This is the Word of God. Leviticus 12 describes the purification process after childbirth and reminds Israel that approaching God was to be taken seriously. The required offering also shows God's provision for restoration and renewed fellowship. For us, it points to the importance of recognizing our need for God's cleansing and grace. We do not approach Him because of our own perfection, but because He graciously provides a way for us to draw near. May God help us value His holiness, depend on His grace, and live each day set apart for Him. Amen. Have a blessed day with the Lord. -- Pastor Emmanuel Serto

Acts 21: "1 And it came to pass, that after we were gotten from them, and had launched, we came with a straight course unto Coos, and the day following unto Rhodes, and from thence unto Patara: 2 And finding a ship sailing over unto Phenicia, we went aboard, and set forth. 3 Now when we had discovered Cyprus, we left it on the left hand, and sailed into Syria, and landed at Tyre: for there the ship was to unlade her burden. 4 And finding disciples, we tarried there seven days: who said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem. 5 And when we had accomplished those days, we departed and went our way; and they all brought us on our way, with wives and children, till we were out of the city: and we kneeled down on the shore, and prayed. 6 And when we had taken our leave one of another, we took ship; and they returned home again. 7 And when we had finished our course from Tyre, we came to Ptolemais, and saluted the brethren, and abode with them one day. 8 And the next day we that were of Paul's company departed, and came unto Caesarea: and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven; and abode with him. 9 And the same man had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy. 10 And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judaea a certain prophet, named Agabus. 11 And when he was come unto us, he took Paul's girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles. 12 And when we heard these things, both we, and they of that place, besought him not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. 14 And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, The will of the Lord be done. 15 And after those days we took up our carriages, and went up to Jerusalem. 16 There went with us also certain of the disciples of Caesarea, and brought with them one Mnason of Cyprus, an old disciple, with whom we should lodge. 17 And when we were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. 18 And the day following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present. 19 And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry. 20 And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law: 21 And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs. 22 What is it therefore? the multitude must needs come together: for they will hear that thou art come. 23 Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them; 24 Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law. 25 As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication. 26 Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them entered into the temple, to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification, until that an offering should be offered for every one of them. 27 And when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews which were of Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the people, and laid hands on him, 28 Crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is the man, that teacheth all men every where against the people, and the law, and this place: and further brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place. 29 (For they had seen before with him in the city Trophimus an Ephesian, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.) 30 And all the city was moved, and the people ran together: and they took Paul, and drew him out of the temple: and forthwith the doors were shut. 31 And as they went about to kill him, tidings came unto the chief captain of the band, that all Jerusalem was in an uproar. 32 Who immediately took soldiers and centurions, and ran down unto them: and when they saw the chief captain and the soldiers, they left beating of Paul. 33 Then the chief captain came near, and took him, and commanded him to be bound with two chains; and demanded who he was, and what he had done. 34 And some cried one thing, some another, among the multitude: and when he could not know the certainty for the tumult, he commanded him to be carried into the castle. 35 And when he came upon the stairs, so it was, that he was borne of the soldiers for the violence of the people. 36 For the multitude of the people followed after, crying, Away with him. 37 And as Paul was to be led into the castle, he said unto the chief captain, May I speak unto thee? Who said, Canst thou speak Greek? 38 Art not thou that Egyptian, which before these days madest an uproar, and leddest out into the wilderness four thousand men that were murderers? 39 But Paul said, I am a man which am a Jew of Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city: and, I beseech thee, suffer me to speak unto the people. 40 And when he had given him licence, Paul stood on the stairs, and beckoned with the hand unto the people. And when there was made a great silence, he spake unto them in the Hebrew tongue, saying,"

Need to know. THE THIRD TEMPLE DECEPTION Everyon Is Looking In The Wrong Place For The Antichrist. The belief that a third Jewish temple must be rebuilt in Jerusalem before the second coming of Christ has become one of the most popular teachings in modern prophecy circles. Many Christians now watch events in Israel expecting the rebuilding of the temple to signal the final countdown of earth's history. Organizations such as the Temple Institute have prepared priestly garments, vessels, and architectural plans, while some groups have even trained men who claim descent from the tribe of Levi for future temple service. The search for a red heifer has also received worldwide attention because of the ceremonial purification described in Numbers 19. To many, these developments appear to fulfill prophecy. Yet sincere belief does not make a teaching true. Jesus warned that many would be deceived concerning the last days, saying, "Take heed that no man deceive you" (Matthew 24:4). The apostle Paul likewise urged believers to "prove all things; hold fast that which is good" (1 Thessalonians 5:21). Every prophetic teaching must therefore be tested by the whole Bible rather than by popular opinion or current events. Those who insist on a future temple often point to passages in Daniel, Ezekiel, Matthew 24, or 2 Thessalonians 2, but these texts are separated from their historical and biblical context. Paul wrote that "the man of sin... sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God" (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4). In the New Testament, however, God's temple is repeatedly identified as His church. Paul wrote, "Ye are the temple of God" (1 Corinthians 3:16-17), and again, "What agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God" (2 Corinthians 6:16). Peter described believers as "living stones... built up a spiritual house" (1 Peter 2:5), while Ephesians 2:19-22 says the church is "an holy temple in the Lord." Therefore, the prophecy points to a religious power exalting itself within the sphere of Christianity rather than to a rebuilt Jewish temple in the Middle East. History also shows that the modern expectation of a rebuilt third temple is not the historic understanding held by the majority of Christians through the centuries. During the Protestant Reformation, leaders such as Martin Luther, John Calvin, and John Knox identified the Antichrist with the papal system based on Daniel 7, Daniel 8, 2 Thessalonians 2, and Revelation 13. Historically, this was not the view of only a few individuals. It was the dominant Protestant interpretation for centuries. The Anglican Reformers, the Presbyterian Reformers, the Baptist pioneers, the Methodist founder John Wesley, and many others all identified the Antichrist as the papal system rather than a single future individual. This historical consensus is well documented in works such as Romanism and the Reformation by Henry Grattan Guinness. In response to the Reformation, Jesuit scholars developed alternative prophetic systems that shifted attention away from the papacy. Francisco Ribera published a commentary in 1590 placing most of the prophecies of Antichrist into a brief future period involving a single individual, a rebuilt temple, and restored Jewish sacrifices. These ideas have infiltrated many evangelical churches who has given up the protest against the papacy and has effectively lost their identity as Protestants. The teaching spread widely in the nineteenth century through John Nelson Darby, who popularized dispensationalism. His ideas separated God's plan for Israel from His plan for the church and placed many prophecies into a future seven-year tribulation centered on a rebuilt temple. These teachings became enormously influential through the Scofield Reference Bible, whose notes shaped generations of Bible readers. Later books such as The Late Great Planet Earth and the Left Behind series brought these interpretations into popular culture. Although widely accepted today, popularity is not proof of truth. Isaiah declared, "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them" (Isaiah 8:20). The importance of this issue extends far beyond the question of whether another temple will be built. The rebuilt-temple doctrine fundamentally changes where Christians expect the Antichrist to appear. If the Antichrist must sit in a literal temple in Jerusalem, then believers naturally conclude that he must be a future political ruler who has not yet arrived. Their attention is directed toward Israel, a future seven-year tribulation, and a coming world dictator who will one day enter a rebuilt sanctuary. Yet since the "temple of God" in 2 Thessalonians 2 refers to God's spiritual temple, the church, then the entire picture changes. Instead of looking for an unbelieving political leader to enter a Jewish temple, believers must look for a religious power arising within the sphere of professed Christianity that claims divine authority and exalts itself in God's place. The location of the temple determines the identity of the Antichrist. Change the temple from spiritual to literal, and the Antichrist is changed from a long-standing religious system into a future individual. This is why the interpretation of the temple is not a minor prophetic detail but the foundation upon which the entire identification of the Antichrist rests. The Bible consistently warns that the greatest deceptions come from within the realm of religion rather than from obvious enemies of God. Jesus warned of "false Christs, and false prophets" (Matthew 24:24). Paul warned the Ephesian elders that "grievous wolves" would arise from among God's own people (Acts 20:29-30). He also foretold a "falling away" before the revelation of the man of sin (2 Thessalonians 2:3). Peter likewise warned of false teachers who would secretly introduce destructive errors (2 Peter 2:1). These warnings describe an apostasy arising within the visible community of faith, harmonizing with Paul's description of the man of sin sitting in God's temple. This explains why Satan would benefit from directing prophetic attention elsewhere. If Christians are convinced that the Antichrist will only appear after a future temple is rebuilt, they are less likely to examine the religious system that has exercised enormous influence over Christianity for centuries and fulfills the prophetic characteristics described in Daniel and Revelation. Instead of recognizing a power already operating in history, they continue waiting for someone else. In this way the expectation of a future temple does more than change prophetic chronology, it redirects prophetic attention. Rather than watching for the fulfillment of biblical characteristics already given in Scripture, many are waiting for a future event that becomes the prerequisite for identifying the Antichrist. This mistaken teaching serves as a deceptive diversion from the real issues presented in Bible prophecy. Revelation does not direct the world's attention to a rebuilt temple but to a beast that receives worldwide admiration and worship. "All the world wondered after the beast" (Revelation 13:3), and "all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him" (Revelation 13:8). Daniel described the same power as speaking "great words against the most High" and thinking "to change times and laws" (Daniel 7:25). Paul warned that this power would exalt itself above God (2 Thessalonians 2:4). By persuading millions to look almost exclusively toward political events in Jerusalem and a future temple, attention is diverted from examining the continuing work of the power that Scripture identifies. Satan has always worked through deception, for Jesus called him "a liar, and the father of it" (John 8:44), and Revelation 12:9 says he "deceiveth the whole world." The greatest deceptions are those that contain enough truth to hide serious error. The Bible reveals that God's people are called to fix their eyes on Christ rather than on an earthly building. Jesus declared, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up," speaking "of the temple of his body" (John 2:19-21). Believers are now "built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone" (Ephesians 2:20). Hebrews repeatedly directs the believer's attention to Christ as our High Priest in heaven (Hebrews 4:14-16; Hebrews 7:25; Hebrews 8:1-2). The book of Revelation portrays God's end-time people as those "that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus" (Revelation 14:12), not as those waiting for renewed animal sacrifices or an earthly sanctuary. Their attention is fixed upon the Lamb "that was slain" (Revelation 5:12), whose perfect sacrifice can never be repeated. The New Testament consistently teaches that the earthly temple reached its fulfillment in Jesus Christ and that its sacrificial system ended forever at the cross. When Christ died, "the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom" (Matthew 27:51), showing that the earthly sanctuary services had come to their end. Hebrews declares that Christ entered "into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us" (Hebrews 9:24), ministering in "the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man" (Hebrews 8:2). His sacrifice was offered "once for all" (Hebrews 10:10). To rebuild a temple for renewed sacrifices would deny the completeness of Christ's atoning work. The true focus of Bible prophecy is not an earthly sanctuary in Jerusalem but Christ's ministry in the heavenly sanctuary. Conclusion The expectation of a third temple is not a harmless difference of prophetic opinion, but a teaching that shifts the focus away from Christ's finished sacrifice, His present ministry in heaven, and the identification of the power Scripture repeatedly warns against. The devil benefits whenever prophecy is misunderstood because error always hides truth. Paul warned that Satan transforms himself "into an angel of light" (2 Corinthians 11:14), while Jesus warned that false prophets would arise and "deceive, if it were possible, even the elect" (Matthew 24:24). God's people are therefore called to search the Scriptures diligently, like the Bereans who "searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so" (Acts 17:11). The safest guide is not popular prophecy, sensational headlines, or human tradition, but the clear testimony of God's Word, which points believers to Christ, His heavenly ministry, and the final conflict over worship and obedience described throughout Daniel and Revelation. Gospel Angels Broadcasting

A Nugget of Truth. A PRIOR JUDGEMENT - THE FINAL END OF SIN "Some men’s sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after." 1 Timothy 5:24. The work of the investigative judgment and the blotting out of sins is to be accomplished before the second advent of the Lord. Since the dead are to be judged out of the things written in the books, it is impossible that the sins of men should be blotted out until after the judgment at which their cases are to be investigated.... When the investigative judgment closes, Christ will come, and His reward will be with Him to give to every man as his work shall be. All are to be judged according to the things written in the books, and to be rewarded as their works have been. This judgment does not take place at death. In the typical service the high priest, having made the atonement for Israel, came forth and blessed the congregation. So Christ, at the close of His work as mediator, will appear, “without sin unto salvation,” to bless His waiting people with eternal life. As the priest, in removing the sins from the sanctuary, confessed them upon the head of the scapegoat, so Christ will place all these sins upon Satan, the originator and instigator of sin. The scapegoat, bearing the sins of Israel, was sent away “unto a land not inhabited;” so Satan, bearing the guilt of all the sins which he has caused God’s people to commit, will be for a thousand years confined to the earth, which will then be desolate, without inhabitant, and he will at last suffer the full penalty of sin in the fires that shall destroy all the wicked. A few, yes, only a few, of the vast number of people on the earth will be saved unto life eternal, while the masses who have not perfected their souls in obeying the truth will be appointed to the second death. While the sins of penitent believers are being removed from the sanctuary, there is to be a special work of purification, of putting away of sin, among God’s people upon earth.

HOLY LIFE FELLOWSHIP PRESENTS BORN OF WATER AND THE SPIRIT Part 3: What Does It Mean to Be Born of Water? Jesus declared: "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." (John 3:5) For centuries, these words have stirred one of the greatest questions in Scripture: What did Jesus mean by "water"? Was He referring to physical birth? Was He speaking of water baptism? Or was He unveiling a deeper spiritual reality that reaches far beyond the outward act of baptism? To answer that question, we must allow Scripture to interpret Scripture. Throughout the Bible, water repeatedly symbolizes cleansing, purification, and preparation. It portrays God's gracious work of calling sinful people away from corruption and preparing their hearts to receive Him. This is why John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness with a powerful message: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matthew 3:2) Those who believed his message confessed their sins and were baptized in the Jordan River—not because the water itself possessed the power to remove sin, but because their baptism publicly testified that they had turned away from sin and turned toward God. John's baptism was therefore a baptism of repentance. The water did not transform the heart. It testified that the heart desired transformation. It was an outward witness of an inward decision to forsake sin and prepare for the coming Messiah. When Jesus spoke to Nicodemus about being born of water, He was not introducing a new concept. He was reminding him of a truth that had echoed throughout the Scriptures—a call to repentance, cleansing, and a heart made ready for God. As "the teacher of Israel" (John 3:10), Nicodemus should have recognized this divine pattern. Yet Jesus did not stop there. Repentance, though absolutely necessary, cannot by itself produce eternal life. It opens the heart to the truth, but it cannot impart the very life of God. A heart may be convicted. A conscience may be awakened. A life may be reformed. Yet without the Spirit, the inner nature remains unchanged. That is why Jesus did not simply say, "Unless one is born of water..." He declared, "Unless one is born of water and the Spirit..." God's work does not end with cleansing. It continues with regeneration. Repentance prepares the heart. The Holy Spirit gives it life. One removes the old. The other creates the new. Together they reveal God's complete work of salvation. To be continued... In Part 4, we will discover why repentance alone can never save, why moral reformation is not the new birth, and why every sinner must receive the supernatural life that only the Holy Spirit can give.

The greater sabbats are: Samhain (Halloween or November Eve), the Celtic New Year; the days when the walls between the worlds were said to be thinnest and when contact with one’s ancestors took place; Oimelc (February 1), the winter purification festival…Beltane (May 1), the great fertility festival…. Different Craft traditions…treat the festivals in diverse ways. But almost all traditions at least celebrate Samhain and Beltane.

Holy Wit – Bible Study #7 Children of God (Walking in the Light: Studies Through 1 John – 1 John 2:28–3:10) Scripture Reading (NKJV): 1 John 2:28 And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. 1 John 2:29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him. 1 John 3:1 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore, the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 1 John 3:2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 1 John 3:3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. 1 John 3:4 Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. 1 John 3:5 And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. 1 John 3:6 Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. 1 John 3:7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. 1 John 3:8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 3:9 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. 1 John 3:10 In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. 1 John 2:28–3:10 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+2%3A28-3%3A10&version=NKJV ________________________________________ 1. Abide in Him Until He Appears John begins this section by returning to the command that closed the previous one: “abide in Him.” Abiding is not a vague spiritual feeling or a momentary experience. In the setting of 1 John, it means continuing in the apostolic truth about Christ, remaining in fellowship with Him, and refusing the deception of those who deny the Son. The Christian life is sustained by the same Christ in whom it began. John also places this perseverance under the light of Christ’s appearing. The return of Christ is not an ornament attached to Christian doctrine; it gives urgency and direction to Christian living. Those who remain in Christ may face His coming with confidence rather than shame. This confidence is not self-confidence built upon a flawless record. It rests upon Christ our Advocate and is confirmed by a life that continues in Him. A profession of faith that abandons Christ cannot provide biblical assurance. John therefore joins perseverance, assurance, and the second coming: the believer keeps abiding because Christ will appear, and because fellowship with Him makes that appearing a hope rather than a terror. 1 John 2:28 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+2%3A28&version=NKJV John 15:4–5 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+15%3A4-5&version=NKJV ________________________________________ 2. Born of Him: Righteousness as Fruit, Not Root John’s reasoning in verse 29 is carefully ordered. He does not say that people become children of God by performing enough righteous deeds. He says that the practice of righteousness reveals that a person “is born of Him.” The new birth is the source; righteous conduct is its fruit. This protects the gospel from two opposite errors. Legalism treats obedience as the price of acceptance with God. Lawlessness treats grace as permission to remain unchanged. John allows neither. The righteousness of Christ is the believer’s only ground of acceptance, yet the Christ who justifies also transforms. Justification and sanctification must be distinguished, but they must never be separated. Good works do not create new life, but new life creates good works. John speaks of “practicing” righteousness because he is describing the settled direction of a life, not claiming that Christians reach sinless perfection. The question is not whether a believer ever sins; John has already said that believers must confess their sins. The question is whether righteousness has become the governing allegiance of the life. Obedience is not the purchase price of sonship. It is family resemblance. 1 John 2:29 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+2%3A29&version=NKJV Ephesians 2:8–10 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+2%3A8-10&version=NKJV ________________________________________ 3. “What Manner of Love”: Children Now, Glory Yet to Come John does not merely tell believers that God loves them. He calls them to stop and consider what kind of love this is: the Father has bestowed a love that makes rebels His children. This status is not earned, imagined, or merely honorary. “Now we are children of God.” What Paul commonly describes as adoption, John often describes as being born of God. Both truths declare that salvation brings believers into a real filial relationship with the Father. The world does not recognise this identity because it did not recognise Christ. Rejection by the world is therefore not proof that God has abandoned His people; it may reflect the same spiritual blindness that rejected the Son. Yet Christian identity contains both an “already” and a “not yet.” Believers are truly God’s children now, while the fullness of what they shall be has not yet been revealed. At Christ’s appearing, they will be like Him because they will see Him as He is. John is not teaching that creatures become divine in essence. He is speaking of glorification: complete conformity to Christ in holiness, freedom from sin, and life suited to His presence. The Father’s love gives both a present name and a future destiny. 1 John 3:1–2 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+3%3A1-2&version=NKJV Romans 8:15–17, 29–30 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+8%3A15-17%2C29-30&version=NKJV ________________________________________ 4. Purifying Hope The hope of seeing Christ is not meant to produce speculation without obedience. “Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” Biblical hope is not uncertain wishing. It is confident expectation grounded in God’s promise. Because believers know where salvation is going, they begin to live now in a manner consistent with that destination. The future likeness to Christ exerts a sanctifying pressure upon the present. John’s wording also shows that sanctification involves real Christian effort. The believer purifies himself, yet he does so only because God has made him His child, given him hope, and is transforming him. Grace does not remove human responsibility; it creates and empowers it. This purification includes confession of sin, the rejection of corrupt desires, obedience to God’s Word, and a deliberate refusal to make peace with what Christ came to remove. The standard is not the surrounding culture, nor comparison with other Christians, but Christ Himself: “just as He is pure.” John gives no support to perfectionism, but neither does he leave room for comfortable stagnation. The person who expects to see the pure Christ must desire purity now. 1 John 3:3 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+3%3A3&version=NKJV Titus 2:11–14 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Titus+2%3A11-14&version=NKJV ________________________________________ 5. Sin, Lawlessness, and the Mission of the Son John now defines sin with a severity that modern thought often avoids: “sin is lawlessness.” Sin is more than weakness, poor judgment, or emotional brokenness. Those things may accompany it, but at its heart sin is resistance to the authority of God. His law reveals His holy character and rightful rule; to sin is to act as though the creature may dismiss the Creator’s command. Against this lawlessness John sets the sinless Son. Christ was manifested “to take away our sins,” and “in Him there is no sin.” Only the sinless One could bear the sins of others, and His saving purpose cannot be separated from the destruction of sin’s rule. John therefore says that the one who abides in Christ “does not sin” and that the one who sins has neither seen nor known Him. Read alone, those words might appear to teach that a Christian never commits a sin. But John has already denied sinless claims and instructed believers to confess their sins, resting in Christ their Advocate. His concern here is the continuing practice and dominion of sin. A believer may fall into sin, but cannot settle into it as an accepted way of life. Christ did not come merely to reduce sin’s consequences while leaving its authority untouched. He came to take sins away and to destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 3:4–8 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+3%3A4-8&version=NKJV 1 John 1:8–2:2 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+1%3A8-2%3A2&version=NKJV ________________________________________ 6. God’s Seed and the Two Families Verse 9 presses the doctrine of regeneration to its moral conclusion. Whoever has been born of God does not continue in sin because God’s “seed” remains in him. John does not fully explain the image here, but its force is plain: the new birth is not a religious costume placed over an unchanged nature. God gives an enduring principle of spiritual life. The statement that the believer “cannot sin” does not mean a physical inability to commit an individual sinful act; John’s own earlier teaching rules that out. It means that the person born of God cannot live under sin as an unbroken, unrepentant, defining pattern. New birth creates a holy contradiction between the believer and the sin that still remains. John then speaks with startling clarity of two families: the children of God and the children of the devil. This is moral and spiritual lineage, not physical descent, and it does not make the devil a rival god. He is a creature and a rebel. Yet his children bear his resemblance through lawlessness, while God’s children increasingly bear the Father’s resemblance through righteousness and love. There is no morally empty Christian identity in this passage. Claims, labels, experiences, and religious language are tested by a life that practises righteousness and loves the brethren. John does not ask whether a person has achieved perfection. He asks whose character the person’s life increasingly displays. 1 John 3:9–10 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+3%3A9-10&version=NKJV John 8:42–44 (NKJV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+8%3A42-44&version=NKJV ________________________________________ Reflection Questions 1. How does abiding in Christ produce confidence concerning His appearing (1 John 2:28)? 2. Why must the practice of righteousness be understood as evidence of the new birth rather than the cause of it (1 John 2:29)? 3. What does it mean to be a child of God now, and what remains future about that identity (1 John 3:1–2)? 4. In what practical ways should the hope of seeing Christ purify a believer’s present life (1 John 3:3)? 5. How do 1 John 1:8–2:2 help us understand the statements that the person born of God “does not sin” and “cannot sin” (1 John 3:6, 9)? ________________________________________ Prayer Points 1. Thank the Father for the love by which He has made believers His children. 2. Ask for grace to abide in Christ and to await His appearing with confidence. 3. Pray that the hope of seeing Christ will produce deeper purity and obedience. 4. Ask God to expose settled patterns of sin and to strengthen righteousness and love for fellow believers. ________________________________________ For further study (NKJV): John 1:12–13 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+1%3A12-13&version=NKJV Romans 6:1–14 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+6%3A1-14&version=NKJV 2 Corinthians 3:18 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Corinthians+3%3A18&version=NKJV ________________________________________ #HolyWitBibleStudy #GordonMcGinnis #WalkingInTheLight #1John2_28To3_10