Instead of reading through verses in a particular book, this week Pastor Weston gave a contextual overview of the 5 books written by the Apostle John. This Johannine Literature includes: the Gospel of John, the Epistles of 1st, 2nd, 3rd John, and the book of Revelation. Reading the Bible in context is key to understanding its proper and true meaning.

What deeper understanding or clarity did you find when rooting the applications of our Perfect Love series in the greater context of John’s writings?


Pastor Weston showed us how John followed a pattern of 4 stages in each book. Each book included a Beginning (rooting the content of the book in previous context), a Proof (identifying evidence for the main point of the book), an Impact (explaining the consequence of the main point), and a Restoration (bringing back what was lost from the beginning).

What is an example from each stage in any of John’s books that stood out to you as particularly meaningful to your life?


John’s books have a main theme of declaring the divinity of Jesus Christ. The number 7 is associated with perfection and completion in the Bible and Pastor Weston pointed out 7 lists of 7s in John’s writings, including: 7 names of Jesus, 7 signs of Jesus, 7 “I Am the” statements, 7 “I Am” statements, 7 restorations, 7 churches, and 4 sets of 7 judgements. Pastor Weston said “God’s final goal is to restore the Garden again for us and our goal is to live out eternity in this paradise.”

From these lists of 7s, what are the most moving aspects of Jesus’s identity and impact to you?

With eternity in mind, do you see the 4 stages (beginning, proof, impact, and restoration) in your life?