Spent the evening in a nice shady area of Dave’s garden playing Monopoly with him and David H. I had suggested playing Scrabble, but the majority preferred Monopoly. The game seemed to be going in my favour, with me ending up with the orange set and developing nicely, until a slight financial blunder resulted in Dave getting the yellow set and David H getting the dark purple set – spot the blunder. With this, the pace of the game increased and before I knew it – Dave had another victory under his belt! Somehow, even though the game is significantly based on chance, Dave is ‘good’ at it….

John wrote this part of his letter to people who had been Christians for a while, exhorting them to stick to the gospel they heard when they were first converted. For there were many around who offered a different gospel to the one proclaimed by the apostles. John urges them to remain in the original teaching.

These Christians were anointed, they had the Spirit within them, who would guide them and enable them to listen. John urges them to remain in the Spirit.

Throughout the ages, from the days of the New Testament until today, there are those who propose a different gospel to the one proclaimed by the apostles. As with the Christians of the New Testament, the Spirit indwells all Christians to guide them and enable them, and the apostles teaching has been preserved in the New Testament as a written account that we might be able to test the teaching.

For if we hold to the only true gospel, we will know God – for that is eternal life.

Today was the church annual outing to Littlehampton, and throughout the previous week I’d been keeping an eye on the weather forecast hoping for sun. Oh ye of little faith – it was a scorcher! Almost too hot and sunny to be doing anything besides sitting on the beach! As well as the regulars of the church, there were a number of those who I don’t see much of, if at all in the church, so it was a good opportunity to talk to those who I don’t always see. It was interesting to see how different people used the time on the beach, some preferring just to rest in the sun, whilst others running around and burning off huge amounts of energy, not to mention giving off a lot of perspiration!

A good, if slightly burnt, day! 🙂