The Last Deception

In Matthew 27:64, the Pharisees and chief priests ask Pilate for security for Jesus' tomb, because if his disciples started claiming that he had risen from the dead, then "this last deception would be worse than the first." Therefore, there is something very significant about the fact that Jesus not only died, but was raised to life. Something that threatened the Pharisees (and by Pharisees, I mean all the religious leaders of Israel at the time). 

But before we talk about the "last deception", let's talk about the first. Let's examine what the Pharisees might have seen in Jesus that was deceptive.

The Pharisees were convinced that Jesus was a lawbreaker, despite the fact that they could never prove it. That view tainted everything he said. He even had the nerve to tell them publicly, to their faces, that not only was he not a lawbreaker, but that they were. So they hated him. They didn't believe him. Believing him would have caused them to lose face. And because Jesus was "wrong" about them, nothing he said could be believed. This is the first deception: that Jesus knew more about God and the Law than the Pharisees, chief priests, and teachers of the law.

But even that was not the worst part of the "first deception". The worst part came when Jesus explained why he knew more than they did. He claimed to be the Son of God, which, as explained in John 5:18, was the same as claiming to be equal with God. We know this to be true, but the Pharisees saw it as an outrage. They killed him for it, and tried to erase the deception of the populace by mocking him and daring him to prove it once he was, in their eyes, powerless.

And yet, the claim and "deception" that Jesus made to be King of the Jews, the ultimate authority and judge of right and wrong, was not as great a threat than the claim that he could rise from the dead.

So what was it about the resurrection that was so threatening?

His resurrection is what made a national witness a global proclamation. It proved that he had been in control of his own life the whole time, that he had given it up willingly. Anybody can claim that the people who capture, convict, and kill them don't actually have the power. But if anybody but Jesus had said it, they would have had to back up the statement by coming down from the cross before they died, because their control over the situation would end in death. Not so with the Son of God. 

1 Corinthians 15:12-22 explains that without the resurrection of Jesus Christ, our faith would be "futile" and our preaching "useless".  Verse 19 says, "If only for this life we have hope in Christ, than we are to be pitied more than all men." 

Why would our faith be "futile" and our preaching "useless" without the resurrection of Jesus Christ? Because it is because of the resurrection that our hope is not in death, but in life. I like to say that Jesus died to defeat sin, and he rose again to defeat death. That is true, but not a complete reason. 

The resurrection proved that the cross was not a defeat, but a victory. It gave his disciples new hope and boldness, because the threat of death was no threat at all anymore. It means that whatever pain we go through in this life will end in our death, and we will live forever with new life. That is the power of the resurrection. That was the threat of the resurrection. The threat was not in the "deception," but in the possibility of people believing the witness, and what those people would be able to do. What we can do. Anybody can deny that the cross was an act of God, but nobody can deny that of the resurrection.

Vital Signs

As a Vet Tech student, I learned how to take different species' vital signs. We called them TPRs, which stood for Temperature, Pulse, and Respiration (in human medicine, vital signs also includes blood pressure). Vital signs themselves are just what they imply: they are merely outward, measurable signs that reflect what is actually going on inside the animal's body.

Owners are encouraged to learn how to take their pet's TPR so that if they suspect it is ill, they'll have what we call a "reference range" of what is normal for their specific pet to weigh the results against. That way, they'll have a better idea of whether or not to react.

Lately, I've been thinking that we as Christians should do the same thing. I think that every so often, we need to reflect on what we believe a Christian life should look like, and weigh that against what our own lives look like.

So, how do we do that? I suggest writing up your own "reference range." What do you believe are the basic signs of a healthy relationship with Jesus? Just like a TPR, what is on display in our lives is merely a signal of the condition of what is inside us.

I'll include my own list, but I encourage you to get alone with God, and figure out with Him what your personal list is.

I'll use the same acronym as regular vital signs: TPR, and Blood Pressure.
T=Truth
"T" usually stands for temperature. This number shouldn't change much. As you probably know, in humans it isn't a "range" at all, just one number: 98.6°F. Temperature is also a little awkward and uncomfortable to measure in the veterinary world. In my mind, this perfectly represents Truth. What Truth is should never change for a Christian. It was created by an unchanging God, and is given to us through His unchanging Word. It is also uncomfortable and awkward for us when God tells us we've been believing a lie, just like taking the temperature of a pet. Sometimes, I feel like a cat. Cats hate getting their temperatures taken. I'm sometimes the same way. If I am getting the sneaking suspicion that I'm believing a lie, I shut myself in so that I won't have to face the fact. I don't often ask for God to "search me." I don't like having my "temperature" taken.
However, think about how important temperature is. If you have a fever (i.e., your temperature is high), that means your immune system is fighting off an invasion. It could be a virus, bacteria, or an infection of some kind.
This reminds me of the times when I lose sight of what is True. My stress level increases drastically, because I'm questioning everything. My mind goes on overdrive. I become more perfectionistic and strict. I get strict because when I've lost sight of the Truth, I'm paranoid about stepping over the line. The line I can no longer see. Therefore, if I'm seeing this vital sign, I know I need to reevaluate what it is I think is True. I need to get with God, read the Bible, and ask for help from trustworthy, Godly people who can encourage me and remind me of what I once knew.

P=Passion (to daily meet with God)
"P" usually stands for Pulse. This measures how often your heart is pumping oxygen to your tissues through the circulation system. If your tissues become oxygen deprived for even a couple of minutes, the cells start dying. To me, the faithfulness and rhythm of that "thump-thump" represents the Passion of a Christian to daily meet with God. One interesting thing about this correlation is the fact that when you listen to a heart, two "thumps" count as one beat. This makes me think of the two essentials of a daily devotional: Bible reading and Prayer.
Just like with a Pulse, any defect in this vital sign has instant results. If I skip this for even one day, I notice a difference in my behavior. I have a harder time hearing and following God's directions, because I didn't re-familiarize myself with His still, small voice. I feel reluctant to do anything. I get much less humble, and lose a lot of self-control. I'm more easily irritable, and much less patient. I break like half the rules in the Law of Love, because I didn't get together with the Author of Love. And like I said, all it takes is missing one beat. If the heart misses one beat, you have a huge problem. The same thing with daily devotions. It can be caused by several different urgings. "After college," "I'll do it later," and "when I'm less stressed out by work" are all valid-sounding reasons. The one I usually fall for is "I deserve a break." But do you know what would happen if the heart took a break? The first thing it would kill is itself. Cardiac arteries are the first vessels to get fresh, oxygenated blood. Haven't you noticed that once you've skipped one daily devotional, it becomes easier to do it again? Therefore, when this vital sign is off, you can have a very big problem, very quickly.

R=Regular meetings
"R" usually stands for Respiration Rate. It measures how often the body inhales oxygen and exhales waste products from cellular metabolism (aka, carbon dioxide). It is slower than a pulse, but just as important. The one cannot function without the other. To me, this represents Church (Rrrrregularly meeting with other believers). Church is the place where your soul can take a nice, deep breath. Inhaling encouragement and peace through getting deep into God's presence and meeting with trustworthy people. Exhaling all the waste products you accumulated during the week. I also find something interesting about Respiration Rate. When I'm measuring it, I become much more self-aware, self-conscious of my own RR. Church can do the same thing. It reminds you to reflect on the condition of your walk with Jesus. It reminds you to take your vital signs. It also provides you with some "reference ranges": the people you admire whose vital signs are all evident and going strong. The cool thing about church is, as you take that deep breath, you're helping others do the same. After all, if lungs didn't work, they wouldn't get oxygen either. So no one at church needs to feel like everyone else is relying on them to get happy. God takes care of everyone, and He uses everyone to do it.
When this vital sign is missing or messed up, we see the same issues as with Pulse. After all, the baseline problem is still oxygen deprivation. So it is with me when I miss church. One, it becomes easier to do it again. Two, I have a harder time hearing God. Three, I start breaking the Law of Love, accumulating waste products (did you know that when you hold your breath, the urge to breath again doesn't actually come from a need for more oxygen, but a need to get rid of carbon dioxide? Your brain measures the toxicity levels in your blood, and tells your lungs to get rid of it by exhaling). However, I find that when I miss church, another side effect comes along. I lose that connection with the people. It's harder to pick up where we left off. I find myself performing for them to try and regain their favor. And while I'm trying to regain the attention from people, I lose sight of why I'm there: to refocus my heart, mind, soul, and strength on loving God. Therefore, "let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching (Hebrews 10:25)!" Don't hold your breath!

BP=Brokenness Propulsion
"BP" usually stands for Blood Pressure. My anatomy teacher describes it as measuring "how the heart is working as a pump." When I hear that, and try to correlate it to something Christian-like, my mind immediately goes to Compassion, which is a measure of how your heart is working as a propulsion device :).
As a Christian, if your heart is not broken about anything, that means your heart is broken. Our hearts, when we are deeply in touch with God, start to love people like His heart does, and start caring about the ones who need Him in one way or another. You don't have to have a broken heart about everything. Personally, my heart, when I'm really in touch with His, breaks for children and persecuted believers. I also notice a great compassion for those who are doing the persecuting. My prayers for b.a.s.i.c (brothers and sisters in chains), always end up including a prayer for the guards, the officials, and/or the terrorists/extremists who are hurting them.
With Blood Pressure, there are two numbers, one on top the other. The one on top basically measures how wide the blood vessels get when a big volume of blood gets pushed through it (therefore, how much pressure the blood has behind it). The number on the bottom measures the tone of the vessel; how small it gets when the pulse has passed through (therefore, how well the vessels are helping propel the blood forward). This is called systolic/diastolic pressure.
Compassion also has two "measurements" or "stages" in my mind: How willing you are to feel it, and how willing you are to act on it. When you have a weak BP, that indicates that either your heart is failing (where either it is working too hard, there is not enough muscle tone) or something like being dehydrated (where there isn't enough blood volume in the first place). If your heart as a Christian is failing, it could indicate that you're working too hard, and so "being choked by the anxieties of this life". This happens to me all the time, where I'm too distracted and motivated to do my work to notice or act on the needs of others. Being dehydrated could mean not having drunk the Water of Life (either not lately or not at all). Like I said earlier, if I am not deeply in touch with Jesus, my BP drops like *that*. I need to be infused with Him in order to feel like being poured out on His behalf. Therefore, the condition of your heart is easily indicated by your Brokenness Propulsion.

That's all our vital signs: Truth, Passion, Regular meetings, and Brokenness Propulsion. TPR and BP. I believe that we should regularly take our own Spiritual vital signs, so that if there is a problem, we'll catch it early. Just as vital signs are just an outward expression of what is going on inside the body, so are our Spiritual vital signs just a way to measure the condition of our hearts.

Luke 6:45 "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks."

Safety

So, there was a shooting yesterday at a community college in Oregon. This comes right on the heels of my own college campus being evacuated twice in one week. Once because of a shooting threat, and once because of a bomb threat.

It appears that our world is not a safe place to be. So what do we do? How do we respond?
Here's what I think:

Matthew 10:28a    "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul."

We as Christians have nothing to worry about. God said that we can walk through fire and not be burned, because he is with us (Isaiah 43:1-4).

We can take comfort in the fact that we were bought at a price, and God does not take that investment lightly. He is able to protect us.

But what if it is his plan for us to be injured or killed? I say this: if it is his plan, there is no better thing that could happen. To live is Christ, to die is gain. So again, we have no reason to be afraid.


My heart and prayers go out to those who lost friends, teachers, and loved ones at the shooting yesterday, as well as to those who knew and loved the shooter. Every life is precious and worth mourning, and I pray that the God of all comfort and healing would be with those who mourn today.


Let us go out with courage, not shrinking back from the growing darkness. As the world grows darker, the light we carry will become brighter. Grace and peace be with you.

...Finding Peace

So there I was, the night before school started. I was thinking over what the next day might bring, trying to steel myself against the darkness I would be walking into. I was also thinking over the plot of The Lord of the Rings (which I had seen for the first time the day before), and how it illustrates so beautifully the fact that light always conquers darkness, no matter how powerful the darkness might seem.

I was in bed. Usually, at night, I tell myself a story to help me get to sleep. That night, however, God spoke to me. He said, "No, no, no. Tonight I'm telling you a story."
I was like, "Okay, that's pretty cool. What's it about?"

This is the story he told:
"Once upon a time, there was a little girl who lived in a field of flowers (He was talking about me). At a very young age, she decided who it was she would follow. She followed Him on a path through the field for a while. She mostly watched the path, but sometimes she would look up to the One she was following. Every time she did, she came a little closer to Him. Lately, however, she's been focusing too much on where she places her feet. She wants each footstep fits perfectly into each of His (me and my perfectionism. I'd never thought of it that way before). Instead, she needs to look up and focus on the One who is creating those footsteps which she is following."

He wasn't exactly saying everything. It was mostly communicated with pictures, with Him narrating every so often. Like the gentle rebuke of how the little girl needs to focus more on the One she is following.

So the story continued, with the two of us leaving the field of flowers behind. The landscape changed to something more hard and rocky.

Eventually, we came to the top of a ridge, overlooking a dark valley. Here we stopped, I came alongside Him, and He took my hand. We looked down into the valley, where our path was heading next.

The path led down a steep slope, twisting and winding its way to the valley floor. On the other side stood a tall mountain that was soaking in sunshine. The valley itself was full of darkness. There was no light. There was, however, a village. And it was the village that held Jesus' gaze. As we looked down on this dark place, He spoke once more, this time about the path that lay ahead.
"It will not be pleasant, but the people down there are worth meeting."

I felt good, then. Calm. Resolved. I knew Jesus would be with me every step of the way, and that the darkness down there would not consume me. I would reach the mountain that lay on the other side, and climb back up to the light. But I would not regret taking the hard path along the way. God would use me as a light down there where there was none. He would be working in me, ministering to people who needed to see that light.

I realize now that it doesn't matter what happens after that. My job is to be a light. If they join me on the path, so be it. If not, then I will still have accomplished what needed to be done.


Anyway, that was where the story ended that night. This week, however, God added a couple more details:

It was bedtime on Labor Day. School for the week was starting the next day, Tuesday. I would only be in school for three days, because I don't have any classes on Fridays. However, despite that fact, I was discouraged. I didn't want to get up to an alarm again, didn't want to go to school. I didn't want to spend the energy interacting with my classmates.

This was partially because I had just finished my last break from school until Thanksgiving. Something about the fact that there's no break mid-semester made me feel trapped. So, I didn't want to school.

God reminded me of the story of the journey. He brought me back to the place where we had left off: the top of the hill. He then skipped ahead a little.

"Now the girl is on the decent, climbing down boulders, still holding the hand of the One she is following. She's letting Him guide and help her down each and every boulder (each boulder represented one week at school). Sometimes she balks at the steep drop to the next one, but she just needs to keep her eyes focused on her companion, who promises to lead her safely through and never leave her side in the process."

It happened again a few days later, adding another detail for the part of the journey I was on at that time. The rock I was on was a particularly hard one to navigate. So he showed me a picture of him carrying me through while I hid my face in his shoulder.

So that is the story of the journey. These other details, as I've already described, weren't revealed until I needed them days later. However, the story of the journey was not the only one God told me that night before school started.

The next picture I saw was a single stone, a building block, sitting on the ground. It was at eye level, because I was standing in a big hole that was cut into a rock. The stone was on the edge of the hole. It was wet with rain, and the wind was blowing against it. This was the beginning of a building, a house. It was being built on the rock with the hole. The hole itself was the foundation for the house. It was deep and well made. It would well support the structure above it.

God told me that I had been digging this deep foundation during my childhood and teen years. While I was working, deep in the hole, I had been sheltered from the storm that was raging outside. Now, however, was the time to be exposed to it. The foundation was laid, and it was time to start building the house. That first stone was the time I had already spent in college. I was about to lay another. And even though the wind was growing stronger and the rain was falling hard, my house would not fail because of the good foundation it had.


It is probably easy to understand that I felt very confident after all that. First, the story of the journey, where Jesus never leaves my side. Then, the story of the house, where the work I have put into establishing my faith will help me build through the storm. This confidence I felt was not self-confidence. It was confidence that God would lead me safely through, keep all his promises, and take good care of me.

And he has. I saw evidence of that the very next day, and the day after that, and every day since. All my school work has been getting done in time, as if by magic. I often feel as if I'm not doing anything. I just listen for his voice telling me my next step.

When I surrender now, it is no longer a scary prospect. It is a joy, because I know what awaits me on the other side. I am no longer perfect, and no longer am I trying to be. The best part is, I no longer have any reason to worry or fret, because God is in control. The wind and waves still know his name. This faith that I have in his ability, and in his love for me, give me the peace for which I have been searching for so long. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.

I have lost my perfection. I have found His peace.

Losing Perfection...

Warning: this post is a long one :)

This past spring semester in college, I was going through school by myself, for myself. I've since discovered that not asking God for directions is the same as ignoring his directions. I also discovered that that system does not work. Sure, I was "successful" in the sense that I got A's in all my 5 classes, and I currently hold a 4.0 GPA. But who cares, really? In the process, I was the most stressed out that I've ever been in my life. I was so worried about a perfect performance in school, I couldn't see how stressed I really was.

I couldn't bring myself to let go of control. I had found a system that worked. I was getting good grades. I was prepared for virtually every class. I was always on time, and so were all of my assignments. All my homework was as complete and impressive as I could make it. All in all, I was the perfect student.

But...

I was by myself all the time. I couldn't hear God's voice when I wanted to, because I was ignoring it when I didn't. The people around me got so used to not having me around, it got to the point where I felt I was ignored by everybody once I was with them. I could see I was changing, and I didn't like who it was who was coming out. I wasn't helpful, I was tired. I wasn't compassionate, I was distracted. I wanted to have fun, but there wasn't time. When there was time, it wasn't fun. I never got a break.

So I retreated. I sunk down into myself, put up a brave front, and soldiered on.

And dreaded fall semester.

That dread went up and down during summer break. Dance camp reminded me that I was seen and irreplaceable both to God and to those around me. A visit from a childhood friend reminded me that I do have friends who understand me, and who I can be myself around. My brother came back from a 5-month YWAM DTS, so my family was once again complete. God put different systems in my life to help me let go of the perfection that drove every aspect in my life. They were simple things, like not making myself brush my teeth for exactly 2 minutes every night.

Through many different circumstances, and through many morning quiet times, God reminded me of who I am; who I really am. While he did that, he also showed me anew who he is. My grip on dread loosened as I realized that he would take care of me.

One specific example of this happened in July. We were scheduled to go on a camping trip to Yellowstone National Park. The night before we left, I fell ill. I got a 102°F fever, and I was really dizzy whenever I stood up. The next morning, while I was waiting to go to urgent care and get meds, the hymn It is Well popped into my head. I realized then that whatever happened to me, it was all going to be okay. God was in control, he would take care of me, and he would never leave me.

I ended up missing the first three days of the trip while I recovered. I didn't mind, though.

One more thing that was awful about spring semester: I couldn't find peace. That was implied, I suppose, but it was a big deal to me. The specific fact that I could not enter God's rest was devastating. I was kept away from something that is the right of all of God's children. But it was me keeping myself away from it. I could feel the truth of that. In the back of my mind, God was asking me to surrender control to him. But in the front of my mind, I could see that I was getting the results that I desired.

Whenever I considered completely surrendering control, I felt like I was on the edge of a cliff about to jump off. So I didn't.

Anyway, having the summer off really helped. I wasn't so stressed out, but that wasn't the same as having God's peace. I still had moments where I dreaded going back to school. The stress of spring semester was like a deep, black, swirling pit that waited to swallow me whole as soon as I let it.

But something God told me during Dance camp stuck with me all summer. Every time I faced that dread, he would tell it to me again. "What is in your past is not what I have planned for your future."
I also got a sense that I was supposed to wait. When the time came, he would present his solution.

That solution ended up being the same one that had been in the back of my head all of spring semester: surrender. Well, I did. I have. I am, and I will.

I surrendered during another camping trip, this one near Mt. Evans. It wasn't easy. It still felt like jumping off a cliff, at least until God intervened. He told me to read my poem Scales of Surrender, which you can find elsewhere in the Sunset Room.

When I read it, I felt free to let go of my offering, and take up the life of freedom. That way, it didn't feel like a freefall, it felt like an exchange. God told me to focus on what I was receiving, and let myself lose sight of what I was giving up.

That was about a week before school started back up again. Now, whenever I was worried about it (because I still was), I would surrender again. God would remind me that keeping up with school is not my responsibility anymore.

The story doesn't end there, because he did some really cool things the night before fall semester started. However, that post may well end up being almost as long as this one, so I'll put it to rest for now. Be watching for it.

I was going to name this post "Losing Perfection, Finding Peace." However, since the story is not quite finished yet, I'll leave off the other half until it is.

Precious Treasure, Beautiful Pearl

"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it."
Matthew 13:44-46

In Sunday school class growing up, I learned about this parable. I was taught that it meant that the kingdom of heaven is so valuable, that it is worth giving up everything I have and am in order to find it and obtain it.

This is certainly true. After all, no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has conceived what God has in store for those who love him (1 Corinthians 2:9); and if we seek first the kingdom of heaven, all things that we may strive to get for ourselves will be given to us as well (Matthew 6:33).

However, this morning when I read Matthew 13:44-46, another side to that coin was shown to me. Instead of seeing myself digging in a field or browsing a jewelry shop, I saw Jesus doing those things. This morning, instead of being the merchant, I was the pearl. Jesus gave up everything he owned in order to purchase me. I, along with all the other members of the Church (and therefore, the Kingdom), was a treasure cache of greatest value.

This is one thing that I love about Jesus' parables. There are so many different angles to them, so many new things to see. It's mornings like these when I am glad that I still read that story that I've read and heard a hundred times. Just because I have one picture of it in my head, doesn't mean that picture is complete.

The point of all this is, we are all so precious. Jesus Christ thinks we are the most precious of things. If we are willing to accept it, it can grow to be very personal as well. As in, you personally are the pearl that Jesus saw. You inspired him to go and sell everything he had, to do whatever it took to obtain you.

That is what happened first. Now, he inspires us to give up everything we have and do whatever it takes to obtain him. It is such a beautiful cycle. Only love can see things this way. Love transcends every other desire.

But now I know it goes both ways. Thank you, Jesus.

War

I am realizing more and more that there is an all-out war going on. I'm posting this because we can't fight a battle that we don't know exists.

This war is being waged for the next generation--my generation. Our Enemy is doing his very best to make sure that we never see God's light. He's not taking it easy on us, starting before we are even born, before we have a chance to breathe. He succeeds at killing 3,000 unborn children in the US every single day.

If we are lucky enough to be born, he attacks us with poverty, disease, and slavery. If we make it through that, or if we are not exposed to it, he comes at us with depression, abuse, self-entitlement/"rights", the love of money, and complacency.

In short, Satan is doing everything in his power to keep youth from entering, and especially from advancing, God's kingdom. However, I have the feeling that there is a reason for his efforts. That reason is this: we are powerful. After all, who has the most potential? Unborn children. Who are the ones who will rebel and stand against him? Teenagers.

There is just one problem with his little plan: God. What Satan intends for harm, God uses for good. Satan is afraid of us because we are so strong. But when we stand through the trials and temptations that he throws at us in response to his fear, we become stronger. This is because God is not giving up on us. I believe that He is raising up a generation that is able to stand for Him even as the world draws to a close and collapses around us.

But we can't stand alone. We need people who are willing to teach us, trust us, and support us. We need to be taught how to cling to God no matter what; how to find ourselves and our role in Him. We need to be trusted with positions of leadership so that we know that we are capable, functioning members of the church, and that we are able to carry it onward into the next century. We need to be supported in this war we are in; to know that we are not facing it alone.

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." ~Ephesians 6:10-13

"Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should." ~Ephesians 6:19-20

"I write to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.

I write to you, fathers, because you have known him who is from the beginning.

I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one.

I write to you, dear children, because you have known the Father.

I write to you, fathers, because you have known him who is from the beginning.

I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one." ~1 John 2:12-14