Children's Challenge: Week 47
23–29 November 2015
After Peter wrote two letters, we find three letters written by the disciple John. John wrote his first two letters, like a number of the other letters in the New Testament, to churches to help them fight against those who were teaching false things about Jesus and what it meant to be his follower. John’s letters were not written for any specific church but to several congregations to help remind them of the truth.
1 John includes some great teaching and there is a real theme of love throughout the letter. Verse one in chapter three tells us of God’s amazing love for each of us: ‘See how very much our heavenly Father loves us, for he allows us to be called his children.’ There are also some great promises to uncover in these letters and one is in chapter one verse nine. Let’s have a look at it together.
This passage reminds us that John had been close to Jesus – he had walked with him and experienced life and all that happened with him. A message is always more powerful when the person communicating it has experienced it for themselves. Isn’t it encouraging that John is excited about sharing the good news with others?
Here is an important promise that we need to remember about God’s love and grace to us:
‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins’ (1 John 1:9).
Write out this verse, decorate it and place it somewhere you can be regularly reminded of it, or work with someone in your family or a friend to memorise it so that it will stay in your heart.