2 John 1:1-13 KJV
1 The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth;
2 For the truth's sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever.
3 Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.
4 I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father.
5 And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.
6 And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.
7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
8 Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.
9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.
10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:
11 For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.
12 Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink: but I trust to come unto you, and speak face to face, that our joy may be full.
13 The children of thy elect sister greet thee. Amen.

The lady here is the church, it is not John's wife but the bride of Christ, the elect meaning those choosing to receive Christ. All are chosen to receive Christ, but not all hear that the Messiah has come in the flesh or even believe Jesus is the Messiah. The church can not allow the antichrist in for the antichrist will destroy the church. God is not going to allow the antichrist destroy the church, their is his elect. God is able to keep the church/believer from falling away from him. The believer has to understand God guards his children heart. He does not reveal himself to those that will receive him to later cast them away or allow them to stray to far. We must trust Jesus to hold the church together. One needs to realize never allow the devil in to teach false doctrines or to cause them to come in to do evil is not good thing. The antichrist being those that are only seeking to destroy, to cause harm, to hurt the church.

If we give the devil one inch in the church, he will take a mile. If you give him a place in your home, he will destroy your home. Sometimes we do not even realize the enemy is with in the home or the church. You tell the antichrist God speed you are just as guilty as the devil, for you can not bless his work or destruction going to happen. It like saying it God's will to allow your evil to reign.

Casting out the false teachers, ministers and so forth is sometimes all you can do. When a church is public, anyone can walk in to your church. Churches usually are not private. What happens is the enemy comes in church clothes, and looks like a minister, talks like a minister and is the antichrist.

My husband and I had a conversation about faith the other day. Now I asked some question about faith to him, especially a few I have even struggled with. The conversation had to deal with faith beyond sometimes our own understanding, what keeps us in faith despite all the devil will shovel at you. My husband summoned it up best, which when he say something like this I have to take note of and process it into my thinking, so I sharing it with you. The devil going to attack we already as children of God know this. But what keeps our feet from failing is God's power not our own. Yes we sin, but what keeps us holding to our faith, and belief, is the power of God. God's ability to keep our feet from slipping. It is not in our power to stop ourselves from sliding on snow covered sidewalk. We can put salt and gravel there but in reality that one spot we missed can take us down. God covers all the terraine to keep our feet from slipping, we just got to listen. My husband words to me stop with the word power of God. He only said five words. The power of God.

I go to one extreme sometimes in my thinking that I try to right myself up because I went to far left, but in reality sometimes we need to deal with the far left to destroy the devil temptation, war he causes spiritually in our life and even home. We have a duty to protect our church and home. A duty to protect those things we can, and leave the rest to God. To learn about God within the church is what the church is for, to learn about Jesus, his Father and Holy Spirit. If the antichrist is there to cause discourse then they need to leave. Jews dealt with the disciples and people of faith in Jesus as if they were the devil. When we think on how the early christians went into the synagogues like Paul and Stephen it caused chaos and persecution. The apostle preached in the temple as well, but it was right after Christ ascended into heaven because of Pentecoste. This did not help the early church, but when we stop for a moment and realize who would of known scripture, who need to be told of their Messiah had come, and yet God would allow those blinders for a reason to spur on the church to share the gospel with the Gentile nations of the world.

John witness the power of God and the power of God to choose his people as Christ chose him to follow, he did so leaving his nets behind. What he seen and would see would shape is life to be a man of faith in Christ because of the reality of Jesus in his life and the power of the word of God in his life. He new the church walked in truth, walked by faith and lived by hope. Yet he also understood who the enemy was and how not to allow it to cause destruction, you have to take the bull by the horns and kick the devil out.

John speaks about the joy of fellowship with his the church. First he talks of elected lady the bride of Christ and pastor/elder. He speaks of the one church in a loving manner. The church having the roots of faith within her of truth, hope and love. Love is not allowing the devil one ounce of control. It loving the body of Christ to protect her. Sounds sensual, no. endearing that God looks at the marriage of his Son to the church, meaning the soundness of doctrine must come Christ the word of God. The hope must come with truth and not confusion.

Dear Heavenly Father, help us to only recognize the enemy to our faith, but to not allow it to reign in our hearts, our soul, our homes or even our church. In Jesus precious name, Amen.

Continual Scripture Study: 1 Corinthians 5:9-13 KJV
9 I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:
10 Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.
11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.
12 For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?
13 But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.