1 John on Streatham Vale Baptist Church

Test Every Spirit

info@streathamvalebaptist.org.uk (Pastor Alex Camp) — Sun, 05 Oct 2025 06:53:08 +0000

It is easy to get confused by all the different voices and viewpoints that try to convince us that this way or that way is right. We are constantly exposed to different teachings, different ideas, fake news and misleading stories. John warns us to test every spirit - every teaching, every idea. Make sure it agrees with the truth of the Gospel. Let the Holy Spirit guide you to truth.

How do we know we belong to God?

info@streathamvalebaptist.org.uk (Pastor Alex Camp) — Sun, 10 Aug 2025 07:32:16 +0000

John wanted to reassure the Church that they belonged to God and could rest secure in His presence. “This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us.” Our conscience, our hearts often tells us that we cannot possibly come before God because we have messed up too much or too often. But John reassures us that we can come with confidence before God because He has saved us.

I want to know what love is

info@streathamvalebaptist.org.uk (Pastor Alex Camp) — Sun, 03 Aug 2025 07:58:12 +0000

We are made to love. God created us for relationship with Him and with others. And yet, our understanding of love is flawed. The band Foreigner sung a song saying “I wanna know what love is, I want you to show me. I wanna feel what love is, I know you can show me”. John tells us, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us.”

How we should live

info@streathamvalebaptist.org.uk (Pastor Alex Camp) — Sun, 27 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

John returns to what seems to be his favourite topic - love! And he reminds us that the core theme in our lives should be to love others. Jesus told us that others will know we are His disciples because we love one another. We are given the wonderful privilege of having a family of Christ to walk this journey of faith. Are we walking together with love?

John also gives us a cautionary tale about how we should not live. He points to the story of Cain and Abel and says, Do not be like Cain. Cain allowed jealousy and envy to take over leading ultimately to Cain murdering his brother. Hatred is the beginning of murder. So we need to be on our guard against such things entering our hearts.

You are a child of God

info@streathamvalebaptist.org.uk (Pastor Alex Camp) — Sun, 20 Jul 2025 07:49:02 +0000

God’s love is awesome. Words cannot describe how great God’s love is. It is a love that is out of this world and nothing we know comes close to His love. And this love adopts us into God’s family. Through Jesus’s awesome love, His sacrifice, we are given the right to become children of God!

When we accept Jesus, God changes our identity and status. Where once we were lost, now we have a home and family. We are new creations, born again as children of God. This change in identity affects the way we live. It affects the way we think. No longer does sin reign in our lives - now we have God’s Spirit to help guide us.

How to stay committed to God

info@streathamvalebaptist.org.uk (Pastor Alex Camp) — Sun, 13 Jul 2025 07:38:03 +0000

There are many different ideas, ideologies, religions, cultural influences etc., that try to undermine our faith in God. This is not a new thing. In this section of the letter, John writes to warn his readers about the dangers of false teachers, who he refers to as antichrists. John also encourages his readers that they have all they need to stand firm against these influences and stay committed to God. This is because we have been anointed by God. We have received the Holy Spirit who guides us in all truth.

Do not love the world

info@streathamvalebaptist.org.uk (Pastor Alex Camp) — Sun, 29 Jun 2025 07:27:33 +0000

John gives his readers a rather stark warning. Do not love the world or anything in it. This might seem harsh but John is warning us not to be infatuated with the world of sin and evil that is governed by Satan and works in opposition to God. This infatuation with the world is characterised by 3 elements: what the sinful self desires, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.

Stages of Faith

info@streathamvalebaptist.org.uk (Pastor Alex Camp) — Sun, 22 Jun 2025 07:11:47 +0000

In our passage for this week, John addresses the different people he writes to, and he gives a word of encouragement to each one. Dear children, young followers and veterans in the faith are all addressed, making it clear that John is speaking to everyone, whatever stage of your faith journey you are in.

The dear children are the new blood that refreshes the church. The young followers are the muscles that engage in the battles of life and advance the gospel The veterans are the skeleton that gives stability and structure to the Church.

An Old-New Command - Love

info@streathamvalebaptist.org.uk (Pastor Alex Camp) — Sun, 15 Jun 2025 07:59:30 +0000

John speaks to the Church and reminds them that we have a command, that has been given to us since the beginning. But this is also a command that has been made new through Jesus. This command is for us to love.

We are called to love all people, not just those we like, not just those that believe what we do, but all people, because by the way we love, people will know we are Jesus’ disciples. We are also called to love not with our fleeting human love, but the love of God that Jesus pours into our hearts so we can pour it out to others.

Love and Obedience

info@streathamvalebaptist.org.uk (Pastor Alex Camp) — Sun, 01 Jun 2025 07:46:40 +0000

How do we know that we know God? This was a question that the Christians that John was writing to were asking. They were getting very confused about how they could be sure that they knew God. John wanted his audience to know that to truly know God, our knowledge should not be just intellectual, not just obedience, but relationship with God.

Readings

1 John 2:3-6

Quotes

Salvation cannot be bought with the currency of obedience; it is purchased by the blood of the Son of God. Thinking that we can trade our good works for salvation is like buying a plane ticket and then supposing we own the airline. Or thinking that after paying rent for our home, we now hold title to the entire planet earth. Dieter F. Uchtdorf