Assembly of God

Norma Ballinger

LW contributor

Monday is always a happy day for members of the Assembly of God congregation. Pastor Sam Pawlak makes a personal connection by delivering the DVDs of the service that was recorded the previous day. Again, Assembly of God thanks Richard Ryals, who makes this possible. Pastor Sam also delivers a short devotion on Facebook each Sunday at 10 a.m.

Do you have an advocate? This is a person who publicly supports or recommends a particular cause. Looking in 1 John 2:1, we read that though we sin, we have an advocate, Jesus Christ, the righteous one, who loves us still and speaks to the Father in our defense. John does not say, “If anyone sins, they have forfeited their advocate” even though we are sinners.

Yes, Jesus is our advocate, the kind we need, whose business and delight it is to save. “You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21) The two most difficult things in life to understand are love and God. These two subjects are intricately related – if we want to deal with God in the right way, we have to learn to love the right way. God and love cannot be separated. The three small books by John provide wonderfully explicit directions on how this works. Jesus is the focus, he provides the full and true understanding of God and shows us the mature working out of love. Read on in this chapter to be reminded of the only way to know we are in him and how to live deeply in his love.

This week make it your goal to not be one of those who make up their own idea of God or make up their own style of love. John was the author and pastor to a church that was disrupted by some of these people. In his letters we see him reestablishing the original unity of God and love that comes to focus and becomes available to us in Jesus Christ.