Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.
John 20:30-31

The Apostle John, who wrote the “Gospel According to John,” picked and chose among the many things that He heard the Lord Jesus say and watched Him do, to give us all the information we need to put our trust in Him. His purpose was to establish clearly who Jesus is and to show that He is still alive, still present and available for us to know and trust in Him.

Apart from the other three legitimate Gospel accounts (Matthew, Mark and Luke), there have been a variety of fictional attempts over the centuries that claimed to tell the story of Jesus. Don’t waste your time on them. Their authors weren’t there to see the Lord or hear Him, or even to sit and listen to the other eyewitnesses who did. They are false prophets.

Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord….
“I did not send the prophets, yet they ran; I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied. But if they had stood in My council, then they would have proclaimed My words to My people, and they would have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their deeds.”
Jeremiah 23:16, 21-22

Lord, You warned us that there would be false prophets in these last days. Help me to discern between their ideas and what You have spoken. Fill my heart with Your Word and help me to understand it, for Your own sake - since I’m Yours. Amen.

Pastor Dan Giles