A SERIES IN 1 JOHN
With this series, we’re stepping into one of the most beautiful, deeply personal, and wildly challenging books in the Bible: 1 John. It reads less like a letter and more like a whispered sermon—one written by someone who has walked with Jesus, watched people wander from the truth, and come to believe that love is the loudest thing a life can preach.
This series isn’t just about learning what John believed. It’s about stepping into the light, examining our own hearts, and letting Truth shape us into people who walk and talk and love like Jesus.
Whether you’re new to faith or have been walking with Jesus for years, this little letter has something to say to all of us. Let’s not rush past it. Let’s let it read us, walking in the light and holding fast to the One who is love. We can’t wait to walk this road with you.
— Pastor Bo
Holding Hope: A Companion Journaling Resource
We've created a companion online journaling guide called “Holding Hope.” It’s not homework—it’s a holy pause. A space to listen. To be honest, write your own prayers, and name your idols. To hold hope with two hands.
This journaling experience is designed to help you engage with Scripture, listen to the Holy Spirit, and reflect deeply during our series. It’s not created to cover a certain number of days or weeks. Your progression through it is entirely up to you.
Let this journal experience be your altar, your mirror, and your map. May it lead you deeper into the love of the One who is Light—and in whom there is no darkness at all.
Reflection Questions:
- Describe a time when your faith felt real and tangible. What did you hear, see, or feel in that moment?
- What areas of your spiritual life feel theoretical right now? Where do you long for more encounter?
Prayer Prompt: Write a prayer inviting Jesus to be more personally present to you.
Reflection Questions:
- What parts of your life do you tend to keep hidden?
- What would it look like to bring those into the light?
- Have you experienced healing through confession?
Prayer Prompt: Ask God for courage to live in the light.
Reflection Questions:
- How are you currently practicing obedience to Jesus?
- In what ways is love showing up (or not) in your relationships?
- Where is God calling you to walk more like Jesus?
Prayer Prompt: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any gaps between your beliefs and behaviors.
Reflection Questions:
- How easy is it for you to believe you’re deeply loved by God?
- What false identities do you sometimes carry?
- How might your life change if you lived out your identity as God’s child?
Prayer Prompt: Thank God for calling you His own, and ask Him for a glimpse of His love for you.
Reflection Questions:
- What are the loudest voices in your life right now?
- Are they leading you toward or away from Jesus?
- How do you discern truth from noise?
Prayer Prompt: In a world that is chaotic, angry and reactive, ask for wisdom to stay centered in Jesus
Reflection Questions:
- Where do you see the fruit of love in your life?
- Where are you still withholding it?
- Who needs God’s love through you this week?
Prayer Prompt: Ask God to fill you with His kind of love.
Reflection Questions:
- What subtle idols tempt your attention, affection, or trust?
- How can you return to the real Jesus this week?
Prayer Prompt: Confess any false gods, and invite Jesus to reclaim your focus.
Questions:
- What has changed in how you see God? Yourself? Others?
- What practices do you want to carry forward?
Write Your Own Benediction: A prayer. A promise. A declaration of hope.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
In three short letters, the apostle John reminds an early church facing division, deception, and doubt to hold fast to what they know and to live like they believe it. And he reminds us, as well. In this 10-session Bible study on the letters of 1, 2, and 3, John, Jen Wilkin helps you see how two thousand years later, his words call to Christians in similar challenges to recall a great salvation and to abide in the truth.
In his letters, John expresses delight at believers who are “walking in the truth”: behaving with that integrity which reflects the gospel. This involves not just correct doctrine and proper outward behavior, but also love for God and fellow believers. It’s this love, John writes, that shows that the truth of the gospel has really been grasped, not as an abstract idea but as what it is, the very life of God himself at work in his people. These studies from Tom Wright help us become believers who are “walking in the truth” in our own day–people in whom the very life of God is at work for all to see.
In this exploration of 1 John, J.D. Walt invites you to go beyond proving the information of the gospel into the depths of its revelation and onto its life changing impartation. You will move beyond education and knowing things about Jesus to spiritual awakening and transformation through daily immersion in Scripture.