For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. (1 John 3:16)
John 3:16 is the life-source description of God’s saving work in our lives. 1 John 3:16 also offers a deep truth of the life we are saved to live.
Much of the Christian world has only experienced the first half of the gospel, the John 3:16 portion of Truth. 1 John 3:16 ushers us into the second half of the gospel, the transformation of being conformed to the image and character of Christ. As we are changed, so are those around us. J. D. Walt says, “The journey of awakening is the Spirit-empowered, hard-fought movement of John 3:16 to 1 John 3:16. Our calling is to press beyond adolescent faith and grow up into the maturity of love, which is nothing less than the fullness of Jesus Christ. When the people of God learn to live in 1 John 3:16, the watching world will begin to believe John 3:16. When one generation embraces the calling into the second half of the gospel, the next generation will risk the faith to trust the first half.”
Ask the Lord of the Harvest to lead you into the beautiful dimensions of the second half of the gospel.
Prayer Focus: Sanctuary Youth
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