Welcome – 1 John Orientation by Gail Mays (09-23-2008)

right welcome my goodness you can see whoo I'll tell you that definitely gets the blood going and especially for those that are morning people are not really night people kind of just ribs you up you know those drums just I don't know how I can't sit still you know and it's like okay now I'm in church I'd behave myself you know okay well welcome to opening night of women's Bible study excited to be back together you can feel that all just kind of in the air the anticipation the excitement it's just good to be back together and so I do welcome everyone and find out who's here and so we can kind of all know how many are here and this is your new actually you're new to women's Bible study women's ministry oh look at all you guys oh my goodness welcome welcome just a real warm welcome how about those that are returning from last year studying with us how many are here they were returning from last year yeah very good very good gonna blend together we got some new we got some old how many are here and this is your first time attending a women's Bible study is there anybody here this is your very first time all right welcome I think you're in for a treat wonderful absolutely wonderful how many are here because somebody invited you to come and you just you know took him up on the offer anybody come from a personal invite alright praise the Lord look at you guys welcome just welcome and how about our ones that sometimes you know the seasons of a woman's life you have to kind of sort of lay some things aside and do other things so how many are here tonight and you're returning after being out of women's ministry for a little while all right god bless you guys welcome to you too just acknowledging who's here and you know what who's among us I just love it this year we've decided to study first second and third John and the book of Jude we're going to begin with I never do everything and anything in order anybody that's been here long enough it just seems like I just don't do things in order so we're gonna begin this year with second John going into third John finishing the year with Jude and then when we come back in January we're gonna dive into the book of first John the books of second third John and Jude help us to know how to live in the last days and with what's going on in the world and the current events and all you're just like whoa Lord oh you're really coming soon I mean the you know the curtain is up and the the the play has begun and any time we might hear that trumpet blow and we're gonna be out of here so it teaches us how to live in the last days second John is really a letter written to god's little born-again ones and how to survive this earth as we are journeying through earth that's our journey until the Lord takes us home and it tells us how to how to live but there's that sense of protection and that sense of knowing the Father's heart as the theme of first John is my little children it's really God's letter to his little born-again ones and how to keep us safe and protected in his arms awesome awesome book our theme that we chose for the year is the elect lady I think that's appropriate just simply because it's an election year and I love I love the theme so you know every so often whenever it's appropriate I just I love using it and so because we're just in this you know big rah-rah about the election year everybody knows about the election everybody's kind of wrapped up in and if you're not you get pulled into it you know they're talking about it at work they're talking about it at school in the grocery store down you know neighbors are talking about it I mean it's just like we're just talking about the election so we came up with this theme the elect lady love it turn to second John verse one this is where we actually get our theme second John and that just before revelation so let's right at the end of the book now as you're turning there you know for a while there ten years plus or so you know I was always all you know having hot flashes and all that kind of stuff you know and you wanted to be in about 65 degree weather well now for all of the sudden now I'm cold and which I'd rather be cold than hot okay I mean you know that's okay but you know it's this like got a little rap that I bring to church I'm thinking you know this aging because you know you bring a little rap I'm looking at shawls okay so it's you know the life of a woman what do we do you know it's one thing or the other excuse me also the fact that for those that maybe would like to know I didn't dye my hair brown this is actually my natural color I've been blond since I was born and I just decided for the summer that I would get a haircut I always had dark roots and I just figured that the Sun being out in the you know Southern California and you know the Sun the pool all that kind of stuff it would just naturally bleach my hair blonde but what happened was it did not bleach my hair blonde I just got silver highlights so the rap the brown hair the silver highlights it's happening girls it's just it's just that in time it's gonna happen to everybody this is the route but take it graciously alright second John verse one look at that it says 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 and then in verse five he mentions her again and now I beseech the lady he is this is an enduring term to a dear friend and colabor in the work of the ministry not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee but that which we had from the beginning that we love one another we agape one another so John this is so typical of the apostle of love that he would say again and again love one another that he says for us to look at all circumstances and relationships through the eyes of God's love and ask what would Jesus do that if we could just get that down it would make such a difference in our lives in our circumstances in the situations that we are in and what we are facing in our relationships so with that join me in a word of Prayer Wes God's blessing father we do come before you we are just humbled by the fact that you sent Jesus to die on the cross in order that we would be not only forgiven but free free to be what you have created us to be and then how you woo us unto yourself and we come to understand that we are the children of God part of your family and with that there are benefits and blessings and measurable and so tonight as we learn about what it is to be your elect lady your elect ladies father would you open up your word to us and give us understanding and direction and plant our feet on a firm foundation and may we be women of truth that rise up in these last days and be that witness that you've called us to be in Jesus name we pray and all God's daughter said amen the elect lady it intrigues me the term that John uses it just makes my curiosity arise within me that that he would choose the word lady I'm intrigued by that I want deep understanding of why did he call her the elect lady and it's plain to see that that this lady was obviously she was a special lady she was greatly loved she had a special calling upon her life she held a prominent position of some type many many people knew her maybe that was some type of an office something that would indicate that she was a woman of importance a woman of influence I think it's safe to say that she probably had an 80% approval rate that she was well loved by many and yet we see too that she maintains her femininity the elect lady she's not ashamed of her womanhood being a woman enjoying the benefits of being a woman I thought of what words could describe her as I've been looking into this little tiny but mighty little letter of second John and thinking about her and thinking of the terms that are used about her and what we do know about her we don't know a whole lot about her but what we do know is powerful enough and and just frag nated with all kinds of thoughts so I thought that she would be definitely a woman of excellence and she was an elegant lady there's a woman of elegance there's an elegance to her when you think of the elect lady she would be effective efficient exceptional and definitely extraordinary those would be words I think would be safe to describe this woman it says that she is the elect lady the word elect actually has a two-fold meaning it means selected and designated and to be elected the elect lady selected and designated in other words chosen of God to do a specific work now Peter tells us that we are to give diligence to make your calling and election sure and if we do he says we will never stumble or fall this is a woman that is sure of herself she has a direction in life she doesn't question what she's to do or what she's not to do she lives under certain standards she doesn't order her life under a question mark I wonder if this is okay I wonder if I can get away with that no she's she's she's directed she's got a direction she's sure of herself I think that there is also an indication that she's got a awesome relationship with the Lord a lord a relationship where she says anything you say Lord is okay with me I may not understand it may not make sense I may not think I deserve it but yet nevertheless thy will be done and she's able just to have that that commitment unto the Lord that his command is her desire that's how close-knit she is that's how close she walks with the Lord we have not yet elected the next president and vice president of the United States and we are now in these campaigning days where we have a presidential race going on and it is an intense race and it's the countdown last time I saw it was 52 days I you know can't keep count on well now it's less now that's probably a week ago I don't know but it's intense it's a close race and one of these presidential candidates and their vice president will occupy the most important job in America one of them is going to be elected the president and the vice president of the United States at this time the most powerful nation on earth I don't know how long we're gonna be that but right now we're pretty powerful and yet when I think of us and this elect lady we have already been elected we've been chosen by God to do the most important job on the face of this earth we are a chosen generation we belong to god we've been begotten we've been begotten by God through election by the born-again experience where if we're part of his family he has chosen us out of the world and placed us into his kingdom to accomplish great and mighty things so he has chosen us to do the most important job on the face of the earth and that is to stand for the truth to stand for the truth and not compromise our Christian values our personal convictions no matter what people say no matter what the world says but we stand upon those things that are according to God's Word it's time daughters of God to rise up and to let our voices be known to let our lives shine before man that they might see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven it's time it's time to be faithful to do our appointed job well you see when you have been elected you have been elected to do a certain job and so God has elected us he's chosen us to do a specific job a certain assignment and each one of us is part of what he is accomplishing on the face of the earth and it's just exciting to be a part of it but there comes a commitment on my part as well a willingness to add to delete to avoid everything anything necessary all that is necessary in order to be his elect lady and what that might entail what that might mean to us as individuals it's really a soul-searching what is it in my life and I think that the terms are more computerized delete I'm thinking yeah you know I wish I just had a delete button on my circumstances because there's a whole lot of things I delete out of my life but there are certain things that we are to rid our lives of to focus on on the Lord and what He has called us to do there are certain things that we cannot lay aside our devotional life our study of God's Word are coming together as a as a as believers it says forsake not the Assembly of the saints especially as you see the day approaching the day of the Lord is coming he's coming soon and we need the strength of one another when we come together we worship it just so fills us and so energizes us to praise the Lord together to join together as as his choir and and we receive strength not only does that give joy and delight to the Father but it strengthens us it's important willing to add to my life maybe there are some things that the Lord would have me add to my life some things I am to absolutely avoid not even get close not even with a ten-foot pole I mean run flee in the opposite direction anything that's necessary oh that's necessary in order to be God's elect lady this elect lady she's a real lady and I think that this is a picture of true femininity or womanhood just being a woman and that is a priceless a true lady is a priceless characteristic in a society that has distorted what it is to be a woman what it is to be feminine what it is to be you know they now we use girly I love that word I'm working on my grilling figure you know I'm working on my girly hairdo you know I'm working on getting my girly shawl you know I just it's like I just love that word the girly thing and that's it I mean that's just it's a great precious characteristic in a society that doesn't recognize that that's anything of value that women should be rough and tough and take it and all this kind of stuff and we are we are strong and rough and tough and but there is a a womanliness about it all there's such a balance within our lives for most of us in this room including myself we have been raised in the feminist movement and indoctrinated in their philosophy started in the early 60s interestingly enough as I was coming to church and are you know thinking about this feminine moved feminist movement and all that it implies I had the radio on and I was listening to Frank pastori and they were talking about what happens what has happened to men as a result of the feminist movement I thought well isn't he just maybe they're coming to the Bible study tonight what what chances would it be Frank pastori it was a guest host and so this is what his topic was what has happened to men as a result of the feminist movement the slogans of the feminist movement were such as this my body my choice well-behaved women seldom make history woman power how about this one I need a man like I need a new bicycle that was the slogans that ran loud and clear the women's liberation movement promised liberation it promised freedom it promised no restraints and it all sounded good it was seemed like we didn't want to be in Chains as women we wanted to be free we wanted to make our own choices but you know what that got us no bras they had demonstrations where they either burnt them or they threw them in a trash can you know I think of all that money that was thrown away you know this is what it got us no bras no virginity no babies and no families and it began the breakdown in a spiral of breaking down the foundation of what a family was in the eyes of God took out the godliness the morals and the values and for a woman that is so very very important for her dignity and for her honor for her worth all of it is all mixed together they fought for equal rights and one equal pay for equal work I agree with that if you do the same work that a man does then you ought to get the same pay that that man does and we've won that that's been great that was a good thing that came out of the woman's liberation movement however it did not stop at equal rights it was more than that it was that it would raise it had raised woman to think that she was superior to man wasn't equality that went out the window with everything else no were smarter were better were brighter we can do things better there was a superior a superior attitude not only the superior attitude but at the same time demeaning the man and it made us women made made us women extremists and we actually believed and it's going on today that's exactly what this whole radio program was how men have been so belittled that they don't want to take the lead they don't want to date they don't want to make a decision anybody got a man like that that is kind of hard for them is it because the society has raised them that way and it's a miracle of God when a man takes the lead I love the calvary chapel ministry just because there is a sense of strong male leadership it's good for us it brings us security and it helps us to make our decisions it's a good thing it's not a bad thing it's made women extremists in fact now today they don't need men to make a family don't need them just go to the sperm bank if you want a baby don't need a man you can build a family any way you want single moms two moms you know you know we don't need men to make a family to make us happy I think that the manly characteristics was also adopted just to be manly and that is also impacted our culture and who we are as women made us extremists from one end of the pendulum to the other it's the manly characteristics and I'm not saying don't wear pants I mean you know I mean obviously I'm not that's not what I'm talking about it's just this gruffness this what it has made us that we really are not and I'm not saying to put ruffle colors and you know little lacy things and stuff I mean that isn't what we're talking about it's what's who we are as women where our worth is coming from well it goes either that way or you've got the woman that is being exploited and she exploits herself showing body parts that she ought not to be showing in public I mean what the kids are wearing to school if you got those but listen we wore miniskirts but at least it covered our heyn heyn but today you know I just hope they have underwear under those things I mean it is just it's getting shorter and lower and so this is this is what's happened it's made women extremists honor your femininity God's elect ladies if we want to be treated like a lady we have to act like a lady be a lady in the way that you handle yourself in the way that you deal with people in how you talk and the words that you say Oh some of the words that you work out in the world you know the filth that comes out of women's mouths that used to be sailor talk or we call it bathroom talk and now it has become a norm what about a woman that uses kind words that are not crude or curse words you know how priceless you are you know what a breath of fresh air you are be a lady and the way you dress and the way that you walk in the way that you show yourself we want to be treated like ladies we need to be we need to act like ladies if we want to make an impact in this world and be God's elect ladies there is a standard and there are certain things required but it that's the things that set us free you know the one that really founded the women's liberation movement was Jesus himself he came at a time when women were oppressed to the the worst that ever was in on the face of the earth and he came and he truly liberated a woman from the inside out and he put her in a place of honor and Worth and productivity and let's not forget that it was a woman that was given the honor of sharing the first gospel mesh's message that he has risen he has risen and Jesus put women in leadership roles and prominent roles and roles where they would be influential he did that for us but it was the right way I see this elect lady as a woman of prominence she was well known by all not only loved by John but many loved her she was well known or at least known of she must have been a public figure of some type to have this kind of recognition she was a woman of influence in her home raising children in the faith she didn't have any problems with that she was a woman of influence in her church in her community what about her City maybe her state how about us it's almost like are there any Esther's in the world today one woman that influenced an entire nation saved a nation from being annihilated we are threatened every day to be annihilated by an enemy that what did we do except that we have freedoms Esther's being raised up today Deborah's being raised up today women of of Honor and influence she was a leader of some type we can safely assume that she was some type of a leader she was loved she was respected she was a good role model she had an honourable reputation she lived above reproach they couldn't find any dirt on this woman and it is absolutely disgraceful with what they are doing to Sarah Palin the vice president candidate it is it is just ruthless putting her email up on everybody knows about letting hacking into her personal email and then putting it on the internet I mean it's it's just it's deplorable but you know her crime her real crime what makes people so angry is that she did not abort her down syndrome baby that we would be women that live above reproach they can't find any dirt on us because we're living according to God's ways but it's gonna they're gonna try they're gonna mock they're gonna accuse they're not gonna understand there's gonna be a war every day we enter into a war but it's a spiritual war against good and evil we enter that every day but we're on the winning side she has I see some distinguishing marks of the elect lady first of all she's a godly mother committed to raising her children in the faith but she's also a spiritual mother and I can see here her maternal instincts in full gear full throttle whatever you want to call it to guide her her guiding ability she wants to guide and she wants to instruct and she wants to protect there is a care caring about her I I don't know I just pictured her with open arms saying come to mama just come to mama dry your tears I'll teach you God's ways I'll give you godly counsel can you just hear her say come just come to mama that she's just this awesome role model that she might say let's just sit down and talk awhile let's talk about it let's see what the Lord will put between you know your problem and and what His Word says and she was a you know beckoning others to to counsel to guide them to instruct them to protect them one of the issues in this letter is to be sure that you do not entertain the deceivers or the false prophets and and and partake in that false doctrine that they're spreading that was infiltrating in the church at this time and so she has the sense of protecting she wants to be sure that that others are living according to the Word of God and know the Word of God so that they won't be deceived my GPS in my car and anybody that has ridden with me and as I plugged this it's it's a dinosaur okay like it's an old one but hey she works okay so you plug it in and she's got this little speaker I don't have the one that already comes with the car you know I I just plug her in but I call her my lady and she is fantastic because I put my address in there and she gets me where I'm going since I can't find my way in my own backyard I get lost easily she is really a god-sent and she never panics she doesn't yell at me but she gently guides me to where I need to be and I call her my lady way before I was gonna study this I just I just she just came to my mind but then you know I don't I have also my cell phone and on my cell phone I have a GPS service and it's the best oh my goodness it is absolutely the best and she has a name her name is Michelle and Michelle I am so connected with Michelle now she has a please a pleasant voice again she doesn't panic she is dependable she is patient with me we can communicate back and forth i teii you know type in where I need to go she speaks to me she tells me where to go she's guiding me she wants me to be safe now I have to say that my car GPS my lady sometimes she takes me around and around it's like you know I think maybe there's got to be more simple way but she's very thorough okay so but that's okay she's she doesn't panic and I do end up getting where I'm going it might take me a little longer however Michelle I mean she is a dear she knows the shortcuts and one of the I mean she just I take her everywhere cuz she's portable she's only as big as my little tiny phone she's been to Hawaii she'd been on the East Coast Washington DC she's been to San Jose anywhere I go and if I need to find something her best feature one of the ones I really really like she has a local search and because I'm connected to the satellite it doesn't matter where I am in the world I just if I need to find something like maybe a restaurant or a Rosses or you know some kind of a you know something important all I I don't even need to address I just simply put what I'm looking for the name or the category and she'll have everything within 10 miles and then I just push on that and she tells me how to get there I mean she is the greatest well are you exercising your maternal instincts you know we all have them every woman has a maternal instinct now I'm not talking about smothering I am talking about mothering smothering has a tendency to control and everything has to be your way but this is mothering you're concerned about the welfare of others and their spiritual state and you're there to guide not to impose not to be pushy but to guide to counsel to instruct to protect how wonderful is that she's a godly mother and a great spiritual mother as well she's a lover of the truth she that's a priority in her life the truth that she knows the truth and she lives according to the truth the truth being the Word of God that she is a student of the word she honors the truth it's very important to her that is the highest priority in her life is the Word of God she is truly a lover of the truth she's a woman of truth a woman that understands the Word of God she can bring counsel out of the word she uses the word to to guide in to direct and to instruct others it's so it's so powerful so powerful it says that's what John says the elder unto the elect lady and her children whom I love in the truth and not only i but also all them that that note that know the truth truth and love and then he goes on in verse 5 and tells her that beseeching you know an endearing thought you know in the sense of again what would John John wouldn't be John if he didn't talk about loving one another and so she he says what the commandment that we have had from the beginning we were given two Commandments by Jesus only two and the two Commandments number one was to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart with all thy mind with all thy soul and the second was to love thy neighbor as thyself to love one another to have that right on relationship with the Lord and to love others to a look at life through the eyes of God's love how powerful that is this is a powerful combination love mingled with truth and truth mingled with love it's very important that you have the both of them working together we call it tough love that she's not walked all over it doesn't go over her head but she's focused she knows the truth she knows what is not true and she helps others along life's path tough love it's an amazing thing about tough love because we can love to a certain point we can put up with people to a certain point but then the Lord will have us to draw back that is not unloving it's just that our time of counsel or our time of influence or our time of reaching out is is over and the Lord pulls us back maybe it's sin is involved maybe they're not heating to the council a lot of different things why the Lord would have us to pull back and that's tough love not compromising our convictions or wavering on the word or adding or deleting anything that has to do with the word still loving someone but maybe not being so involved as maybe we once were so there is a time where this tough love is really where we back off and we let God have it have Adam sort of say she's focused as this lover of the truth she's focused it's not about her but she is looking unto Jesus her eyes are focused looking to Jesus the author and finisher of her faith she understands that she can do all things through Christ who strengthens her so she remains focused therefore she can stay in that tough marriage that marriage that isn't what she thought it would be unless of course there's abuse or your life is threatened that's a different story but otherwise the road might be rough it might be bumpy but she's focused on the Lord and he gives her the the strength and the and the power to stick with that tough marriage that less than perfect situation to love those products and those unreasonable people you're never gonna get rid of unreasonable people that's our sand paper and the Lord once you get rid of one guess what another one is right there I don't know about you but I got an awful lot of rough edges cuz I got a lot of unreasonable people that I seem to have to deal with but we can't lose patient we can't lose loving them or trying to understand or reaching out but God gives us strength to love them in spite of how unreasonable they can be give any those kind of people in your life they are so so totally unreasonable I mean they're so thick-headed they just can't see it your way you have anybody like that all right patient with a co-worker patient with students whatever the situation patience patience long-suffering and it's not with boxes or you know things that we stack it always has to do with people and so we are to agape in our relationships that he would give us the strength to be teachers of good things I love that every single one of us needs to be a teacher of godly things she's a loyalist Jesus is first in her life his cause is what it's all about and nobody's gonna cause hurt us to abandon that whatsoever she's not gonna abandon post she's gonna she's gonna stay her course Jesus is on the throne of her life she's an enthusiast she's excited about serving the Lord with a contagious gladness I like that is she's so happy she's so excited and it's like you don't even it's like you just want to follow her wherever she goes so you don't even know why she's so excited but just because she's so excited it's like she automatically recruits people because they just they just love being around her contagious gladness whatever she's doing is making her very happy and she has this ability because she's serving the Lord with this contagious gladness that she's able to also bring others in and let them join in on the work of the ministry the work that the Lord has her involved in she just is able to recruit I don't know come to mama just come to mama I'll find something for you to do you want to do something you want to get involved you want to know what this excitement is all about and she just has this ability to bring in others I love that too raise your coworkers embrace your family members what a great great thing this is what God can do with a woman she is reliable she's trustworthy you can count on her she just loves helping and giving and meeting the needs of others she just wherever she can be a blessing she just loves touching her world for Jesus I came up with a little model you know it is election year and I mean I hear a lot of the speeches and everything but I came up with one for the elect lady and it's this ask not what your church can do for you but what you can do for your church do I get an amen all right she's consistent she keeps that devotional life in good order her you know church attendance it's like we want friends but if you don't come how how are people gonna know who you are I mean the more you come the more people that you meet and the more that you feel connected and so she's consistent in her church attendance you cannot be known if you're not here and if you are here for any length of time and we'd recognize you we're gonna put you to work so hey I mean this is a great group to be involved in she's a trusted friend her and the Apostle John are good friends and they have many things in common as good friends would they're like each other so as we get to know John the Apostle we can really get to know her as well we have much to learn about being God's elect ladies and I want to end with the words to a theme song from one of our retreats we sang it tonight but I changed it just a little bit just slightly so that it would go along with our theme and I call it your elect lady and it goes like this I am devoted to you I stand in awe of you I give my heart to you Lord of my life Holy Spirit pour a world through me that your beauty and love may be seen I give my heart to you you alone your elect lady honor and beauty your elect lady I want to be a spree

Channel: Gail Mays

Views: 356

Rating: 5 out of 5

Keywords: Gail Mays, The Elect Lady, 1 John 2:3-5

Id: MCkHbnqAUbY

Length: 42min 27sec (2547 seconds)

Published: Fri Sep 01 2017