https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=I+John+2%3A9-11%3B+3%3A16-18%3B+4%3A7-12&version=NRSVCE (1 John 2:9-11; 16-18; 4:7-12) A while back I read a devotion that began like this: Today I was arrested as I drove in city traffic. No, I wasn’t stopped by an officer, and I didn’t pay a fine, but I was arrested nevertheless. It was the evening rush hour. I was alone. I’d absentmindedly left the radio on, and I wasn’t really listening to it when the summons came: “If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” I had to answer even if there was nobody there. “Who me? What you mean by ‘evidence’?” We have been studying John’s letter for the past few weeks, and it has answers to our question about evidence. This old pastor, John, who walked with Jesus, points us to three important pieces of evidence of the real Christian life. They are tests that mark a real Christian. First, we have the doctrinal test – what we believe about Jesus Christ. It is crucial that we believe He is the Son of God and the Savior of the world. Then we have the ethical test – how we behave. The way in which we conduct ourselves is important. A real Christian walks the talk and exercises Kingdom-of-God values. We strive to have integrity and honesty, work with an attitude of service, and play for an audience of One, focusing on God. Finally, we have the relational test – how we treat one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. In today’s passage, John is showing concern about relational problems in the congregation. The church to whom he is writing appears to be having some serious disputes resulting in bickering, fighting, division, and even hatred being expressed in word and action. We don’t know the details, but it appears to have begun as a dead doctrinal issue and, as so often happens, led to other things. It became a real church fight with power struggles and factionalism. Unfortunately, we still find this happening in the church of Jesus Christ today. Members fighting over differences in politics and views on social issues, personal issues with one another, territorial power issues, and doctrinal issues as well. I’ve seen some power struggles where people refuse to talk to one another and leave the church angry and hurt. Sometimes the church even ends up splitting. It’s tragic because it destroys congregations and ruins their witness for Christ. It’s a terrible image for the church. We are called to shine as a light to the world and attract others to the Gospel. We are to be a living display of God’s original intention for humankind. Fighting amongst Christians deters others from listening seriously to the Gospel as they observe the way we relate to one another. It not only hurts the church, but also hurts us. It hurts our souls and our brothers and sisters in the faith community. Our faith is damaged and stunted. A few years ago John Ortberg described this issue. He said, Bob is a leader in the Christian community. Everyone admires his impressive command of Scripture. He views himself as a defender of truth and regularly opposes those who disagree with his doctrinal positions. In truth, he doesn’t just oppose them, he delights in opposing them. He attacks them. He ridicules their positions and maligns their motives. When he listens to sermons, it’s not to encounter God but to point out flaws. Bob is regarded as a spiritual giant, but he doesn’t know how to love. There’s Helen. She’s a veteran Christian, a founding member of her church and one of the most feared persons in it. People tiptoe around her, skillfully avoiding her critical words. These days she’s especially critical of the changes happening in their church with new people. She has no tolerance for those outside the church, people who don’t look, think, act, dress, or vote like she does. She’s seen as a mature believer, but she doesn’t know love. It matters how we treat one another as...