The centre of everything is Jesus.

John’s problem is that the Church were being fed teaching that held to a Christianity without Christ, a Christ without Jesus, the cross without Jesus paying the ransom for sin and therefore a Christianity without ‘Jesus the Christ’ transforming our lives. In 2023 there is still such a danger. What do I mean? The challenge within all our religious wars and hard-working programmes is where is the Lordship of Christ? Can we see the incarnation through our lives? What sin are we saved from? How are we being transformed by the intercessory work of the Son before the Father?

“But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.” (1 John 2: 20-23)

BUT YOU!

A nice reminder from John to you and me.

We have an anointing (of the Holy Spirit) from the Holy One (Jesus Christ).

Whatever visions, revelations and special Spirit moments we might have in 2023 they must come from and point back to the truth rooted in history that Jesus is the Christ (meaning Lordship/obedience; incarnation; sin; transformation).

We live in a world that says, ‘what is true for you may not be true for me’, there are no right or wrong answers, it is all relative and truth is an experience.

That is John’s problem … and ours.

The anointing gives knowledge (truth). Oppose Jesus and you lose the truth. This is because truth is anchored in the history of what has happened with regards Jesus Christ. It is not an opinion, perception or an experience, it is more.

The result of the anointing:-

Is knowing the truth of what has been revealed by Jesus the Christ in the gospels.

It is to be in alignment with obedience to Jesus, the world seeing Jesus in us, the forgiveness of sin by Jesus and the change Jesus makes in our lives.

Next time you find yourself in the middle of a religious war or are planning the programme of your life or church ask yourself am I being obedient? Can people see Jesus in me? What sin is here? How will this change me/others to be like Jesus?