Accomplishments of John the Apostle:
John was one of the first disciples chosen. He was an elder in the early church and helped spread the gospel message. He is credited with writing the Gospel of John; the letters 1, 2, and 3 John; and the book of Revelation.
John the Apostle’s Strengths:
John was especially loyal to Jesus. He was the only one of the 12 apostles present at the cross. After Pentecost, John teamed up with Peter to fearlessly preach the gospel in Jerusalem and suffered beatings and imprisonment for it. Because John experienced the unconditional love of Jesus firsthand, he preached that love in his gospel and letters.
John the Apostle’s Weaknesses:
At times, John did not understand Jesus’ message of forgiveness, as when he asked to call fire down upon unbelievers. He also asked for a favored position in Jesus’ kingdom.
Life Lessons from John the Apostle:
Christ is the Savior who offers every person eternal life. If we follow Jesus, we are assured of forgiveness and salvation. As Christ loves us, we are to love others. God is love, and we, as Christians, are to be channels of God’s love to our neighbours.
2-life stories of John the Apostle:
They reveal John’s balance of truth and love. An early church writer, Jerome tells a story about John from the AD 90s. By this time John was very old and used to be carried into church every week on a chair with poles through it. The church members would often ask him to speak. He would sit in the chair at the front and he’d just say, ‘Little children, love one another!’
The next Sunday they would carry him into church and ask if he had a word for them. “Yes.’ He’d say, ‘I ‘ve got a word for you today.” They would carry the chair to the front and he’d say, ‘Little children, love one another!’ The next Sunday they brought him in and exactly the same thing happened. They began to think he was getting senile. They finally went to the old man and said, ‘Master, why do you always say, “Little children, love one another”? He said: ‘Because it is the Lord’s command, and if this only is done, it is enough.’
Another story demonstrates John’s concern for truth. He made frequent visits to the Roman baths to bathe. Once he was lowered into the water and at the other end of the pool he saw a man called Cerinthus. He was the leading false teacher who was going round the churches. John said “Let us fly! Let us fly! Lest even the bath-house fall down because Cerinthus, the enemy of the truth is within!” So they had to lift him out and take him home unwashed that day. John was the most loving man but truth was much more important for him.
Outline: This epistle grew out of Jesus’ Upper Room Discourse (Jn.14-17). Similarly, James’ epistle grew out of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7), Peter’s first epistle grew out of Jesus’ Discipleship Discourse (Matt. 10), and the Book of Revelation grew out of the Olivet Discourse (Matt. 24, 25). In the Upper Room Discourse, Jesus explained what the apostles’ relationship to God would be after He sent the Holy Spirit to indwell them (Jn.14:16-17). John expounded that revelation in this letter.
There are several terms in this epistle that John used as synonyms: “fellowship with God,” “knowing God,” “abiding in God,” and “seeing God.” These terms all describe the experience of Christians. They all describe our relationship with God in varying degrees of intimacy.
- Walk in fellowship with God. (chap.1)
- Conquering sin and world – warning against Antichrist. (chap.2).
- God is love. (chap.3).
- Discerning False spirits (chap.4).
- Sonship (chap.5)
Key Verses:
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”( Jn. 11:25-26)
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. (1 Jn. 4:16-17)