In this is love...

1 John 4.10 In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
   This is the Passion Week remembered every day in Antigua with numerous processions that emphasize the suffering of Christ.  The torment and torture Christ endured for us was motivated by God’s great love for us.  His love sent his only Son to be the sacrifice for our sins.  His love sent Jesus as a man to earth that we might be redeemed from the curse of eternal death.  This is the week that we need to give praise to God for his immense love for us and praise to Jesus for being willing to come to earth and die for our sins.  Christ was God’s only solution to reconcile a fallen world to himself.  His love initiated the plan which was formed before the foundation of the world.  Immediately after Adam and Eve transgressed God’s command, God gave a promise of redemption to them.

 Genesis 3:15  I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel."

Many question why God would create man if he knew he would sin and rebel against him.  Why go through all the hassle of dealing with fallen mankind and all the problems sin has brought to the earth.
 Love is his nature, it is who he is. You and I are not love, we can love because God first loved us and has given us his love through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Love has to involve a choice and God gave man freedom to choose to love him.  God did not desire to create beings who would mechanically love him because that is what they were programmed to do.  He did not need our love to feel complete.  He lacked nothing, there was no void including a need to be loved.  He created mankind to be the object of his love, to pour out his love on us and I believe the greatest manifestations of his love, the greatest expressions of his love for us was first giving us the freedom to choose to love him and then because of his great love making a way for us to be reconciled to him because he knew that mankind would betray him.  He expressed his love by sending Jesus to pay the death penalty which was the result of man’s disobedience. Man did not deserve to be redeemed, there was nothing so noble in us that would change God’s judgment for our sin.

 Rom 5:6-8  For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person--though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die-- but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

    There is nothing we could do to hold back God’s judgment for our sin.  His perfection demanded payment for sin, sin that was our choice not his.  We violated his commands, we committed treason against God, we chose our way over God’s way.  We all stand guilty before a holy and righteous God with nothing to offer him that would atone for our sin.  We were helpless and hopeless.
When we understand our condition before God and the just judgment that we deserve we can only cry out as blind Bartimaes did when Jesus was passing by, “Son of David have mercy on me!”  Mercy is not receiving what you deserve. The only way we could not receive what we deserve was made possible through Jesus’ death for us.  He freely chose to be the perfect sacrifice for our sins.  He took the penalty for us, he paid the debt he did not owe.  The just died for the unjust.  Why would he do this for us who are so undeserving?  It was because of his love for us and desire to restore a broken relationship, one that we broke not he.  I wonder how many people who come to this city this week truly understand the greatness of God’s love for them?  Do they truly understand what motivated God to send Jesus and what motivated Jesus to endure such pain and the most disturbing thing he experienced separation from his Father when he took upon himself the sins of the world.
 When he took on our sins, he cried out in a loud voice, an anguished voice, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me!”  We cannot begin to understand how difficult this was for Jesus to be separated from his father because of our sin.  We weep when we are separated from loved ones through distance or through death but this cannot compare to being separated from someone who loved you with a perfect love.  Our love is always mixed with self but God’s love toward Christ was pure love and that is why there was so much hurt and anguish in the voice of Christ when he felt that separation from God.  The deeper you love someone the harder it is to be separated from them.  If someone wrongs us we are hurt yet we realize their love for us was never perfect.  But if the love relationship is perfect and then in a moment of time is completely changed, we would turn away as God had to when the odious sin of man was placed on Jesus.  The ugliness of sin caused God to turn away from Jesus and it was this sin that caused the death of Christ.  Yes he was brutally beaten and the torture of the crucifixion would eventually bring death but his death came suddenly after the sins of mankind were place on him.  It was our sin that brought his death and separation from God.
 What would motivate someone to take on someone else’s sin and punishment?  Only love would do this, a perfect love, a love that could endure suffering because there was something awesome that would result.  You and I are what Christ had in mind as he suffered for us.  You and I were the “joy that was set before him”.  It was for our sake that he paid the price so that we could be reconciled to God, have peace with God, no longer be at enmity with God.  This is amazing love, God’s love in action that we who have received Christ as Lord and Savior enjoy and give praise for today.  When we understand and experience this agape love of God, it changes everything.
  We live in a world that does not know or understand the love of God.  They do not have eyes to see what God has done for us in Christ because of his love for us.  They have been blinded by the devil who has captured their minds and convinced them of his lies.  He does not want people to know the love of God because knowing his love is a game changer.  He knows what happens when people experience the love of God.   People who experience the love of God given to us through Christ are changed people.  They are not perfect people but they are being changed by the love of God.
These people understand their true identity as children of God and John in his epistle has made this very clear to the people he was writing the letter.  We will never discover our true self apart from being in a relationship with God.  He is our Creator and Redeemer.  Only when we are in right relationship with Him do we understand our origin, purpose and destiny.  I can become everything God created me to be by being rightly related to him.
 Not only is their identity established but they understand Christ’s power.   Christ has defeated the enemy and now the greater One lives inside of them.

1Jn 4:4  Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

Through the cross, Christ has rendered Satan powerless, he has been stripped of his power and all of the forces in the heavenly places have borne witness to this.

Col 2:13-15  And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

  We have been liberated from the power and enslavement of the enemy.  He no longer is in control of our lives.  The cross has given us victory over the enemy.  Had Satan understood what the death of Christ would accomplish, he never would have fulfilled his plan to kill him.

1Co 2:8  None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

Satan undermined himself by having Christ crucified.  Though he will ultimately be defeated and cast into the lake of fire, he is doing all he can to bring as much destruction and death to mankind as he possibly can.

Rev 12:12  Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!

Those who know the love of God and know the authority he has given to his people take action to crush the works of the enemy.  God has given us powerful weapons to fight the battle and win victories.

  People who have experienced God’s love bear the character of God and this irritates the enemy.  They are more patient because they have witnessed the patience of God toward them in their lives.  Many of us have lived many years in rebellion before we finally submitted to the love of God.  God’s patience has been worked into our lives.  We do not need to be pushy, anxious, fretting over the decisions of others trying to force them to decide because we have patience that allows us to wait for God’s timing.  The Greek word of patience is hupomone and it means “cheerful endurance”.  It also has a meaning of “being the last one to stand in a battle.”

People who have God’s love are able to love the unlovable in the eyes of the world.  The love of Christ compels them to go to the lost, least and last as some have called them.

1Jn 4:19  We love because he first loved us.

When David Wilkerson reached out in love to the gangs in NYC, the leader of one of the gangs threated to kill him, cut him with his knife.  David’s response was that if he was cut in pieces every one of the pieces would cry out that they loved him.  This statement deeply affected Nicky Cruz, he could not get it out of his mind and eventually he came to experience the love of Christ in his life and was transformed into a man of God preaching the gospel to millions of people.  No one is beyond the reach of God’s love and when we are filled with his love we will want to reach out to the hard cases.
There are some street people here that at times are difficult to love because of their attitudes and expectations.  Many are not in control of themselves but are controlled by drugs and wrong thoughts.  They can be demanding, unappreciative, vulgar and offensive in their language yet the response that will change them is God’s love being demonstrated to them.  It may take a long time for some of them to understand the love of God but until that happens we need to continue to love as Christ loved us.
   Can I still love someone even if I do not agree with their lifestyle and choices?  Does loving someone mean I can never disagree with them?  If I disagree and express my disagreement, am I showing hatred toward them?  There is great confusion in our culture today regarding love and hatred.  Disagreement is viewed by some groups as being ignorant, intolerant and hateful.  In taking this position they place themselves in a superior position and become intolerant of the people they claim are not tolerant.  We do not have to accept the philosophies of man or what public opinion states what we should believe.  We must stand for truth and righteousness while continuing to demonstrate love to those who oppose us.
 Jesus would be accused today of hate crimes for the things he said to the Scribes and Pharisee.

Mat_3:7  But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

Mat_23:27  "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness.
Jesus’ judgment was based on truth because he is the truth. He confronted them with the reality of who they were and what they were doing.

 True love will confront false beliefs because hell is real and so is eternity. Love cares enough to confront with the truth rather than let people continue to think all is well and they do not need anyone to speak against their lifestyles or practices even though they are not in line with the Scriptures.
I am concerned for people who claim to be Christians who have given in to the demands of groups who want acceptance of lifestyles and practices that are unbiblical.  We are called to proclaim the truth and to make a stand against beliefs that lead to eternal death and the eternal destination of the lake of fire.  Silence, appeasement and agreement are not  loving responses when we know what is right.  We will be hated, we will be misunderstood, we will be rejected but in the end God’s truth will prevail.  We will always be a minority.

Mat 7:13-14  "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

Let’s not become proponents of “sloppy agape” as some have called it that does not take a stand for God’s truth.  Real love is based on knowledge of the truth and truth is found only in Jesus.  Everything else is based on lies of the enemy designed to entrap and enslave mankind.

  People who have God’s love are not controlled by fear, especially the fear of punishment and rejection. God’s love casts out fear.

1Jn 4:18  There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

When we are secure in his love and know what his love has accomplished for us in Christ we do not have to fear punishment or rejection from God.
 In the Old Testament one of the methods of deterring disobedience was swift punishment as directed by the law God had given the people.  It was to serve as a warning that violators will be punished and the net effect would be to keep people from committing the same acts.  There was a fear of punishment that ruled in their hearts.
 Judgment day is coming soon.  God is a just God and he will serve justice on judgment day.  Everyone will stand before him to give account for their lives and those who have received his love in Christ will not fear punishment or rejection.  Christ has already taken the punishment, his blood has cleansed us from our sin and made us righteous before God.  We are now adopted by God as his beloved children.  Rejection because of sin has been eliminated.
Our judgment will not be to determine if we will go to heaven or to hell.  Rather it will be the rewards God will give us for our obedience to him.  We will all stand before God’s judgment according to
  Hebrews 9.27, 28

27 And just as it is appointed for mortals to die once, and after that the judgment, 28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

The ungodly will be filled with fear.  They will realize too late that they lived their lives apart from God, they offended him with their words and deeds and rejected his plan of salvation.  Their judgment will be just and they will forever be separated from the goodness of God.  They will go to the place of their choosing.  God’s perfect love for us casts out fear.  We can stand with confidence before him on judgment day.
  People who are secure in God’s love have no need to fear man.

Rom_8:31  What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

We can be threatened by many things by man but we do not need to let fear of what may happen determine what we will do or how we will respond.  We can speak the truth, live the truth in spite of what may happen.  Shadrach, Meshak, Abednego and Daniel were faced with the choice of fearing man or honoring God.  They chose to honor God even though it was against the King’s edict.  They were not concerned about the outcome but entrusted their  lives and their futures to the Lord.  God rescued them.  Many have been persecuted for their faith and obedience because they have stood firm in their beliefs.  The fear of the enemy has not changed their beliefs, they have suffered and many have been martyred because they did not let fear cause them to bow to the demands of the enemy.

  People who abide in God’s love demonstrate kindness to others.  They pray for their enemies and bless them rather than curse them.

Mat_5:44  But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you

They respond in the opposite spirit.  They look for ways to make someone else’s life easier or better.  They step forward in the time of need to supply what is lacking.  They give of their time, money or abilities to help others.  They do it not to be repaid or rewarded.  People who are kind enjoy serving others.  They speak a word of encouragement at the time it is needed most.  They are the ones who write a thank you note, bring over a meal, buy something that you need just to be a blessing to you.  When they are faced with a circumstance that could provoke anger and harsh words, they find a way to speak with gentleness and winsomeness.

The love of God changes everything for those who come to know Him personally and intimately.  When we understand what God's love has accomplished for us we can begin to live the life he has destined for us.  Apart from the knowledge of his love our lives are meaningless, frustrating and hopeless because of our fallen, wicked nature.  His love has been given to us in Christ and if we will believe and surrender our lives to him we will be transformed by God's love.

The alarm, the anointing, abiding in Christ

On April 15th, 1912, the RMS Titanic sunk to the bottom of the Atlantic ocean after hitting an iceberg. The captain of the doomed ship, Edward J. Smith, went down with it. The night of the collision with the iceberg, Smith was attending a private party. After receiving several warnings about icebergs from other nearby ships, Smith went to bed and left the ship to its fate.
The sinking of the Titanic was one the greatest tragedies that could have been avoided if the 7 alarms that warned the crew of icebergs would have been heeded.
John in his letter to the believers issued a warning regarding the “antichrists” that were among them.
The Alarm
18 Children, it is the last hour! As you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. From this we know that it is the last hour.
 If this was taken literally we would have to say that he was in error because the antichrist that we are probably thinking about in the last days has not arrived.  And if it truly was the last hour it has been frozen in time.  So how do we make sense and interpret what John is actually saying and why is he sounding an alarm.
When Christ came to earth as the Messiah, it initiated the beginning of the end times, end of the age or the last days.
In the Jewish mindset there were two ages: the present evil age and the age to come in which God would rule as supreme. In between these two ages was the Day of the Lord in which there will be terror, dissolution and judgment which would precede the new age.  It would be time of in which the new world would emerge.
The last time or last hour marks the end of one time and the beginning of another.  It is last in the sense that the old is passing away and a new era is beginning.  This is very similar to the Mayan idea that last December would be the end of the age.  Many people thought that this meant the world would come to an end but those who understood Mayan beliefs claimed that it only represented the end of one era and the beginning of a new era.
The world is passing away and it will eventually be destroyed but a new era has also emerged that Christ initiated.  Every hour when viewed from an eternal perspective is the last hour. Those who oppose Christ are present and always will be until Christ comes to reign and defeat his enemies.
John’s description of these “antichrists” includes the following: (1) they have a faulty understanding of Jesus Christ (v. 22; 4:3; 2 John 7); (2) they have no relationship with the Father (v. 23); and (3) they are liars (v. 22) and deceivers (2 John 7).
New Geneva study Bible. 1997, c1995. C1995 by Foundation for Reformation. (electronic ed.) (1 Jn 2:18).
As believers we have to be on the alert to the antichrist spirit of the age.  The battle is being fought each day for the souls of men.  Those who oppose Christ and deny his deity and humanity are on the rise.  The Muslim population is growing at a faster rate than Christianity (1.4 % to 1.2% worldwide).  We also have seen an increase in the number of people in the USA who are called the” none” meaning they have no religious affiliation. During the past 5 years there has been an increase from 5 to 20% in this category.  Some of these are opposed to Christ while others take no position for or against.  The atheists are also making their voice heard and have had an influence on many people.
A new global survey on religiosity (PDF) by WIN-Gallup International has two big findings:
First, the United States has gone from being 1% godless in 2005 to 5% in 2012. (The percentage of people simply calling themselves non-religious is 30%, significantly higher than ever before.) That jumps us up quite a bit on the Global Atheism Index: The other finding is that atheists are now 13% of the world population, an increase of 9% since 2005:
… the number of self-declared atheists in the world has risen by 9% since the measure was last taken in 2005.
The massive poll, conducted in 57 countries (not, apparently, including Britain) among 51,000 people asked a single question “Irrespective of whether you attend a place of worship or not, would you say you are a religious person, not a religious person or a convinced atheist?”
It shows that on average 59% of the world said that they think of themselves as religious, whereas 23% think of themselves as not religious and 13% think of themselves as convinced atheists. Naturally there are enormous variations from country to country.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2012/08/10/survey-says-atheism-is-on-the-rise-worldwide-and-in-america/

I think we need to sound the alarm today just as John did to warn the believers against the false teaching that are perverting the minds of people.  The battle ground for the souls of men is in the mind, the beliefs they hold to be true.  The antichrist spirit is at work to discredit the very existence of Christ and the beliefs of Christianity.  We do not have to despair of what is happening but we must take seriously the conditions we are currently living in and take action to be witnesses to the truth through our lifestyle of obedience to Christ and sharing the gospel message with the lost.
God has given us many methods that we can use to reach the lost.  I was watching a program on CBN in which a group of believers in South Korea have printed the gospel of Mark on large balloons that they fill with helium and send them into North Korea.
We as John did need to identify the false beliefs of the antichrist spirit of our age, sound the alarm and take action to oppose them from spreading lies, deceiving and misrepresenting Christ.
The Anointing.
20 But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and all of you have knowledge. 21 I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and you know that no lie comes from the truth. 22 Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father; everyone who confesses the Son has the Father also.
John encouraged the believers stating that they knew the truth and that they had the “anointing” in them to be able to discern the truth.  They did not need these so called teachers who were introducing ideas that were not supported by the Word of God.
The word “anointing” denotes literally the “oil” that was used to anoint a person.
In the Old Testament, kings were “anointed” as a part of the inaugural ceremony (I Sam 16:6–13); it involved simply pouring oil on the head of the chosen person. The chosen person then had the “oil” on him and was called the “anointed” (Heb meshiach, Gr christos). Thus, throughout the New Testament, God’s chosen King, the Messiah, is designated the Christ, meaning in translation, “the Anointed One” or the one who had the “oil” (Gr chrisma).
The verb form anoint (Gr chriō) is also used several times in the New Testament to allude to the anointing of Christ, but once it is used of Christians, who are also in a sense (obviously a lesser sense than Christ) anointed (II Cor 1:21); in this passage it is clear that the “oil” with which we are anointed is the same as that with which Christ was anointed, namely the Holy Spirit (cf. II Cor 1:22). This, in fact, is the meaning behind the name “Christian,” for believers are “little christs,” “little anointed ones.” When John, therefore, uses this word unction (Gr chrisma), or, as it occurs twice in verse 27, anointing, he simply means to say that all believers have the Holy Spirit. Since believers have the Holy Spirit, they have an “edge” on unbelievers and can “know” certain things that unbelievers cannot.
KJV Bible commentary. 1997, c1994 (electronic ed.) (2634). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
As followers of Christ we have been given the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth.  The truth revealed by the Holy Spirit always is in agreement with the Word of God.  The believers John was addressing were not “know it alls” nor were they people who had no need for teaching because they literally knew everything or he would not have had to write them.  But they were people who had God’s Holy Spirit dwelling in them, the internal guidance system that would lead them into truth.  The Gnostics claimed to have superior knowledge and revelation of truth.  But their truth denied the humanity of Christ and that he was the Messiah.  John gave them a very simple test to use to expose the antichrist spirit.  If they denied that Jesus was the Christ/Messiah/Anointed One then they were to be rejected.  Any belief system that denies Christ as the Messiah must be rejected and treated as an antichrist movement.
The Holy Spirit always works in conjunction with the Word of God.  The Spirit and the Word agree.  When new teaching is presented there must always be an agreement between the Holy Spirit inside of us and the Word of God.  This is why it is so critical for us to know the Word.  The Holy Spirit will show us truth and error because of the Word we have within in us.
I have been reading an autobiography of Peter Tan whom God has used powerfully in Malaysia as well as in other countries.  At 19 years of age he felt that God was calling him to ministry and through the help of his pastor was able to enter a seminary to prepare for ministry.  He excelled in his studies and God began to use him in supernatural Holy Spirit ministry.  He was kicked out of the conservative seminary because they caught him laying hands on another students head to pray for him.  This was seen as too charismatic for the seminary and he was asked to leave.  After leaving seminary he made a commitment to the Lord to only read his Bible as he felt that his seminary studies really did not produce the intimacy and spiritual growth he wanted.  He was faithful to his promise and afterward he saw tremendous fruitfulness in his ministry.  Smith Wigglesworth was another man used of God who made a similar vow.  He became a believer later in life and felt that he had wasted so much of his time as an unbeliever reading everything but the bible that he wanted to redeem the time and focus on reading only the Bible.  His life’s story of the tremendous miracles that happened in his ministry can be attributed to his study of the word and the faith that come from it.  I think all of us can be challenged in the same way to spend more time in the Word and less time in other things that will not produce the same benefits to our spiritual growth.
In the Old Testament provides us with a very important example of the anointing of oil when the priest was consecrated in service by being anointed with oil on his right ear, thumb and big toe.  This was symbolic of how we as believers need the anointing of the Holy Spirit to enable us to hear the Word of God, do the work of God and walk in the way of God respectively.
The anointing of the Spirit is how God empowers us for ministry and it is through the anointing of the Spirit that we are able to discern truth from error, to know what is from God and what is purely man made or inspired by the devil who is a liar.  We cannot do God’s work without the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit.  Without his anointing we are operating on human power and the results are zero.  When Jesus went to the synagogue he read from Isaiah about the anointing of the Spirit upon him.
16 When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
18     “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, 19  to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

 A true believer in Christ will be born of the spirit, filled with the Holy Spirit, be led of the Spirit,led by the Holy Spirit, walk in the Spirit, taught by the Holy spirit, bear the fruit of the spirit and manifest the gifts of the spirit.  When we understand how critical it is for the indwelling and empowering of the spirit we realize how important it was for Jesus to go away so that the Spirit would be sent.

The final encouragement of John is to continue to abide in Christ.
28 And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he is revealed we may have confidence and not be put to shame before him at his coming.
To abide in Christ means to continually live with him day by day.  It is the constancy and consistency of the believer as well as the perseverance of them that John was exhorting them to model as believers. Christ will return one day and we will either stand in confidence before him or be ashamed of our lives.
Christ’s return will inevitably cause one of two reactions. For the believer, the response is confidence. The term “confidence” is a translation of a Greek word which literally means “all speech” or “free speech.” Confidence is indicated in the believer’s ability to verbalize, in contrast to the silent terror and shame of those who must quake before Him at His return.
New Geneva study Bible. 1997, c1995. C1995 by Foundation for Reformation. (electronic ed.) (1 Jn 2:28). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
 Christ made it very clear, that those who were ashamed of him in this life would in the end be ashamed when he returns.
38 Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” Mark 8.38
The Gnostics had been a part of the group of believers at one time as John states that they came out from us.  They never embraced and lived out the message they were taught and created their own beliefs that in the end would bring shame to them.
Many may start out on the wrong foundation of false beliefs and the lies of the devil and truly never were a part of the true believers.  If Jesus Christ is not the foundation and the words he has given us are not the basis of our beliefs than we are like the foolish man who built his house on the sand.  Others we have known may have been raised in the truth but have abandoned it for the pursuit of the fleshly desires or false beliefs of other religions or they have become agnostics or atheists.
Peter Tan in his autobiography wrote about a period of time in his life where he got off track.  He had been powerfully used of God in miraculous ways and had seen thousands come to Christ through the anointed ministry God had given him.  Yet he fell away, he was not consistent in his walk and allowed compromises and sin to enter.  He did not give details of what he did but he said that the reason he fell was because he stopped listening to God, failed to be in the Word, studying and meditating and in prayer seeking God.  He drifted away and damaged his ministry and family.  He was banned from ministry and when he realized what he had done placed himself in a program of restoration for 2 years.  Even after completing it some churches and denominations would not allow him to minister in their churches.
We have to guard our relationship with the Lord.  It is easy to get too busy in ministry doing good things that we neglect to connect with the Lord each day at the level that he wants us to.  When we get into making ministry mechanical we lose touch with the Lord and no longer seek him or hear his voice.  To abide in Christ is to recognize as he taught in John 15 that He is the vine and we are the branches.

15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. 2 He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. 3 You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. 6 Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.

Andrew Murray points out several important things about the relationship between the vine and the branches.
The parable teaches us the nature of that union. God has united us to himself through Jesus Christ.  His life is given to us through the Holy Spirit flowing out to us.  The same spirit that raised Christ from the dead is in us.  We are one with God through the Spirit.
The parable teaches us the completeness of the union.  The branch can do nothing without the vine and the vine cannot bear fruit apart from the branches.  Without the branches God cannot give his blessing to the world.  He has chosen to use us to be his channel of blessing to the world. Neither the vine or the branch is anything without the other, so neither is anything except for the other.
Everything the vine has belongs to the branch.  Out of his fullness we have received.  All of the riches of heaven are meant for us.  Jesus is in heaven representing us, all of his riches are available to us.
Everything the branch has belongs to the vine.  The branch exists to bear fruit for the vine, to be of service to the vine.  The branch lives to bring glory to the vine, to do the will of it, do the work of the kingdom and to bear the fruit to the glory of his name.
The parable teaches us the object of the union. The object is to bear fruit and branches that do not bear fruit are taken away.  The fruit is to be given away to those around.
When we abide in Christ, we fulfill our mission in life of bearing fruit that is offered to a lost world and in doing so we bring glory to God.
John was writing to warn the believers of the antichrist spirit that was already in operation and what they needed to do to identify it.
Encouraged the believers that they had the anointing of the Holy Spirit and the true teachings of the Word of God to come against the antichrist spirit attacks.
Exhorted the believers to abide in Christ to be confident that they could face Christ and not be ashamed.