Peace to You

3 John 13 I have much to write you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink. 14 I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face. Peace to you. The friends here send their greetings. Greet the friends there by name.
 
JOHN uses nearly the identical language of his close in his first letter. You may recall about one week ago, we considered God’s way is to extend beyond communicating with words to enter into a personal face to face relationship with us. This is the empowering effects of personal fellowship with Jesus leading to personal relationships with the saints – members of his church.
    Then see a common blessing, “Peace to you.” How do you receive this? Do you have it? Is peace an absence of conflict in you? Could it be even more?
    Peace is a benefit, a fruit of the Holy Spirit’s presence in you. (Galatians 5:22) In this way, peace relates to your salvation. For a Christian, peace is a tool to turn away worry and uncertainty. People who are focused on uncontrollable events or a future that “might” happen are anxious. Fear blocks them from setting goals and moving into the unknown. Sadly, fear keeps them from Jesus’ full life promises.
    John personally knew the difference between fear and peace. In his gospel he writes several times of Jesus’ peace confronting the disciples’ fear: John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. The disciples feared a future without Jesus. Who would protect them from the Jews? Were the previous three years a waste of time? Anxiously, they wondered, “What will happen next?” But Jesus assures them: John 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever. Jesus offered and supplied peace to his disciples.
    Then John and the others began to experience Jesus’ promise. They knew peace when the resurrected Lord said, “Peace be with you.” (John 20:19b) to quiet their fears of the authorities. He saw Jesus’ peace calm Thomas’ doubts in John 20:26.
    Also, John’s personality changed with the fruit of peace. The young John was an emotional reactionary man. Mark 3:17 James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them Jesus gave the name Boanerges, which means Sons of Thunder). His disruptive personality was eager to destroy some Samaritans who rejected Jesus. Luke 9:54b “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?”  
    But from his writings we know him as the “apostle of love” don’t we? John became a true disciple who imitated good. Jesus’ ministry and the Holy Spirit’s help transformed John into a teaching, loving, encouraging apostle. He became a man of peace to effectively minister the gospel to a warring world. John’s life is a witness to the Spirit’s fruit of peace.
    We have seen in John’s writings through the gospel, Revelation and now these letters the transforming reality of Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
    Receive and rejoice in these fruits for your life, too.
 
Life Thought: Is there really anything to disturb your peace when you know Jesus saves you?
 
This completes our lessons from John’s gospel, Revelation and 1-3 John begun on September 27, 2017. May the Spirit of truth be on us all.