October 25, 2012

^"His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;  and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection....."

 

I believe that healthy local churches are the hope for our world. No other organization has more potential to positively transform people who can then be used by God to change marriages and families that God can then use to change schools and neighborhoods and businesses.

 

The example of this would be the Church in the Book of Acts. First, they "turned Jerusalem upside down" and then they changed the world despite the fierce opposition of the  powerful Roman Empire.

 

If we ever needed healthy local churches it is now!

 

What do I mean by a healthy church? In short, I mean a church that is guided by "mutual affection". There is nothing more powerful than a community of Christ-followers who commit to each other, "I'm going to love you to life!"

 

Love you to life? What does that mean?

 

What it means to me is I care as much about your spiritual welfare and growth as I do my own. Not only will I - "make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love" - but I will make every effort to encourage that growth in you!

 

Wouldn't a place that loved like that be powerful?

 

Wouldn't you love to belong to a place that loves like that?

 

Would you begin to love like that? Will you love someone to life?

Cross references:

1. 2 Peter 1:1 : Ro 1:1
2. 2 Peter 1:1 : 1Pe 1:1
3. 2 Peter 1:1 : Ro 3:21-26
4. 2 Peter 1:1 : Tit 2:13
5. 2 Peter 1:2 : S Ro 1:7
6. 2 Peter 1:2 : ver 3, 8; 2Pe 2:20; 3:18; S Php 3:8
7. 2 Peter 1:3 : 1Pe 1:5
8. 2 Peter 1:3 : S ver 2
9. 2 Peter 1:3 : S Ro 8:28
10. 2 Peter 1:4 : 2Co 7:1
11. 2 Peter 1:4 : Eph 4:24; Heb 12:10; 1Jn 3:2
12. 2 Peter 1:4 : Jas 1:27; 2Pe 2:18-20
13. 2 Peter 1:5 : S ver 2; Col 2:3
14. 2 Peter 1:6 : S Ac 24:25
15. 2 Peter 1:6 : S Heb 10:36
16. 2 Peter 1:6 : ver 3
17. 2 Peter 1:7 : S Ro 12:10; 1Th 3:12

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

October 24, 2012

"..........and to godliness, mutual affection......" II Peter 1:7

 

"Mutual affection" or "brotherly love" is the soil in which seeds of fellowship and discipleship sprout and grow. It should not be a surprise that this great virtue should be included in this description of spiritual maturity.

 

This love is a frequent theme of the New Testament writers in their admonitions for spiritual maturity. I have listed several of them in this post.

 

"A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." John 13:34-35

 

Not only is loving one another a command. Not only is it a sign that we are a Christian. It is also a sign that we are saved.

 

"We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." I John 3:14-16

 

The love Jesus is talking about here is an act of the will. It represents not so much an involuntary response to conditions, as it does a deliberate choice, a calculated set of the mind. Love is not an emotion. It’s a policy.

 

Aristotle said, "a man cannot expect to be loved unless he is deserving of love." But the kind of love that Jesus teaches us to have says: "I love you -- with no strings attached." It is a love that is the result of being devoted to one another.

 

"Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves."  Rom 12:10  (NIV)

 

This kind of love should be nurtured so that it will grow.

 

"May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you." 1Thes 3:12  (NIV)

 

Paul’s admonition to the church is that brotherly love is a given. It is a part of Christian living. It is a lesson that God himself teaches us.

 

"But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another." 1Thes 4:9

 

Paul’s description of love in I Corinthians is not just for marriages. It is the Bible description for real love.

 

When we truly love others, No laws will need to govern our behavior or conduct, for love goes above and beyond any law.

 

"The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. Gal 5:14-15 (NIV)"

 

 "Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:" 1 Pet 1:22

 

"This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you." John 15:12-14

 

"These things I command you, that ye love one another." John 15:17

 

"In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous." I Jn 3:10-12

 

You've got to love it!

October 23, 2012

"and to godliness, mutual affection........" II Peter 1:7
 

Peter has effectively and meticulously laid out the process of spiritual growth - "His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, MUTUAL AFFECTION;"

 

Each of us must take responsibility for our own spiritual growth. After all, God has given us everything we need to live godly lives. He has given us great and precious promises. He has given us the Word and He has sent His Spirit. Everything He can do He has done!

 

It is up to us to "make every effort to add". Literally that means to give our full effort and attention to supporting the work God wants to do in us.

 

God has given us one other thing to help us - each other!

 

That is the essence of this virtue of "mutual affection". We each care for the other enough to give encouragement, accountability, and prayer support to nurture spiritual growth for the other. In the process of doing that, affection grows and faith grows and fellowship strengthens!

 

One of the reasons I harbor such a passion for local churches is because it is within the unity and fellowship of a local church we can literally love one another to life! It is within the safety of a grace-giving community we can call out the best in each other patiently, yet persistently. We can challenge each other when necessary but at the same time we cheer one another.

 

I have been blessed to devote my life to the church because the church has blessed my life beyond measure! I can't imagine where I would be or who I would be without all the mutual affection I have received from pastors, Sunday School teachers, youth pastors, college professors, and brothers and sisters in Christ! I love because of the love I have received. I offer the fruits of that love to help others add to their faith as I have been helped.

 

That is how God designed it! It is how God desires it!

 

Do you have a fellowship where you can find mutual love? Do you have a group of believers who are as committed to your spiritual maturity as they are their own?

 

That is mutual affection!

 

 

 

 

 

October 22, 2012

I get daily email articles from Outreach and they are always good. This one is especially good and timely for us. Thom Rainer is a former pastor who now does surveys and research to help strengthen local churches. I pray you will find it a bit challenging but mostly encouraging! You will notice I added several comments in the margins.

What Non-Christians Really Think about Christians

By

Thom Rainer

 

These surprising insights about what non-Christians think of Christians can profoundly impact your outreach.

 

One of my greatest joys in research is talking to and listening to those who clearly identify themselves as non-Christians. Don’t get me wrong—I’m not celebrating their absence of faith in Christ. My joy comes from listening to those who don’t believe as I do, so I might be better equipped to witness to them.

 

Over the past several years, my research teams and I have interviewed thousands of unchurched non-Christians. Among the more interesting insights I gleaned were those where the interviewees shared with me their perspectives of Christians.

 

In this article, I group the seven most common types of comments in order of frequency. I then follow that representative statement with a direct quote from a non-Christian.

 

Read these comments and see if you learn some of the lessons I learned.

 

1.       Christians are against more things than they are for.

 

“It just seems to me Christians are mad at the world and mad at each other. They are so negative, they seem unhappy. I have no desire to be like them and stay upset all the time.”   (OUCH!)

2.       I would like to develop a friendship with a Christian.

 

“I’m really interested in what they believe and how they carry out their beliefs. I wish I could find a Christian who would be willing to spend some time with me.”  (OUCH AGAIN!)

 

3.       I would like to learn about the Bible from a Christian.

 

“The Bible really fascinates me, but I don’t want to go to a stuffy and legalistic church to learn about it. I would be nice if a Christian invited me to study the Bible in his home or at a place like Starbucks.”

 

4.       I don’t see much difference in the way Christians live compared to others.

 

“I really can’t tell what a Christian believes because he doesn’t seem much different than other people I know. The only exception would be Mormons. They really seem to take their beliefs seriously.”  (GOD HELP US!)

 

5.       I wish I could learn to be a better husband/wife/dad/mom, etc., from a Christian.

 

“My wife is threatening to divorce me, and I think she means it this time. My neighbor is a Christian, and he seems to have it together. I am swallowing my pride and asking him to help me.”  (SEE THE POWER OF GETTING IT RIGHT?)

6.       Some Christians try to act like they have no problems.

 

“Harriett works in my department. She is one of those Christians who seems to have a mask on. I would respect her more if she didn’t put on such an act. I know better.

7.       I wish a Christian would take me to his or her church.

“I really would like to visit a church, but I’m not particularly comfortable going by myself. What is weird is that I am 32 years old, and I’ve never had a Christian invite me to church in my entire life.”

 

Do you see the pattern? Non-Christians want to interact with Christians. They want to see Christians’ actions match their beliefs. They want Christians to be real.

 

In one study we conducted, we found only 5 percent of non-Christians are antagonistic toward Christians. It’s time to stop believing the lies we have been told. Jesus said it clearly: “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest” (Luke10:2, HCSB).

 

October 21, 2012

"For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, GODLINESS" II Peter 1:5-6

 

A mother came to visit her son at college in the first semester of his Freshman year. She was very excited to see him but her excitement turned to disappointment when she visited his dorm room and noticed their was a dozen or so posters of scantily clad young ladies posing in provacative positions.

 

Though greatly troubled by what she saw the mother bit her tongue holding her opinions to herself. On her way back home she prayed for her son and asked God for wisdom on how to address this concern.

 

About a week later her son received a package in the mail. When he opened it he found a beautifully matted and framed picture of Jesus. He took the picture and proudly hung it above his desk.

 

As he backed away to view the newly mounted picture he decided to take down the poster nearest the picture of Jesus. And over time, as he contined to gaze on the picture of the Savior, the posters continued to come down until the last one was thrown away and Jesus alone was displayed on his wall.

 

The mother knew she had put the right kind of stuff in her son as she raised him. She realized he had lost his focus on Jesus and believed that once he regained that focus he would begin to act more godly. She was right.

 

Peter reminds us that God put good stuff in the hearts of those who trust Him for salvation. But if we lose our focus on Jesus we can clutter our lives with sinful things that hinder the working out of what He put in. There are times that we have to take those things down out of our lives to let godliness be revealed through our attitudes and actions.

 

Is your focus fixed on Jesus or are you staring at things you shouldn't? Are there some things you need to take down off the walls of your life in order to allow to become more godly?

 

 

 

 

 

 

October 20, 2012

"For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness" II Peter 1:5-6

 

What is Godliness? - Godliness comes from the Greek word "eusebia" and is used in the New Testament to express the idea of inner piety or spirituality. Vine defines this word as, "piety, which, characterized by a God-ward attitude, does that which is well pleasing to Him."

Thus, there are two parts to godliness. I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THAT THIs MORNING.

First - there is the "God-ward attitude" of "reverence and respect."


Second - there also is the “God-like actions of doing what is pleasing" to God

IN OTHER WORDS – Godliness is THINKING LIKE GOD and ACTING LIKE GOD.

 

GODLY ATTITUDES

 

A.      Devotion

A godly person seeks God on His terms. The word "devout" is a form of the word for "godliness." A godly person puts God first – always in ALL ways.

 

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33

 

To be more devoted to God you must be less devoted to yourself!

 

A godly person devotes his life to God.

A godly person devotes his love to God.

A godly person devotes his time, talent and treasures to God.

 

For the godly person life is all about God, not about him. Are you devoted to Him?

 

B.       Desire

A godly person worships God "in spirit and in truth" (Jn. 4:24).

 

Whenever one follows God's will on how to worship Him, then one is being godly. Worship is our attempt to give something of ourselves to God. It is the "fruit of our lips" (Heb. 13:15) and the presenting of our bodies as a "living sacrifice" (Rom. 12:1). Worship is our inner piety expressing itself to God in praise through our physical bodies.

Is God your chief desire? Do you find joy in worshiping Him?

C.       Dedication

 

A godly person shows respect and reverence for God by studying and obeying His Word.  The only way to get out of the world is to get into His Word.

 

Oftentimes we are told that our response to God's word is directly related to our relationship with God. For example, Jesus said, "If you love me, keep my commandments" (Jn. 14:15). To respect God means we must respect His Word! Spiritual growth naturally results, as one becomes a product of the word (1 Tim. 4:13-15).

 

Are you dedicated to His Word or are you dabbling in the world?

 

 

D.      Discipline

A godly person is one who acts properly, reacts properly, and leaves no doubt in anyone's mind that he/she is a child of God. God is seen in this person from the inside out and from the outside in.

No wonder godliness is a part of the spiritual combination that is important for Christians to cultivate. We simply cannot be faithful children of God without godliness.

 

Discipline says, "No" to selfish desires and "Yes" to spiritual desires.

 

Are you disciplined?

 

A godly person displays godly attitudes.

 

October 19, 2012

^"For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness" II Peter 1:5-6

 

You are called to godliness. So am I!

 

Doesn't that sound good?

 

While it does sound good, there may be a small voice in the back of your head saying, "What? Me godly?"

 

That is because the natural man, the human nature, the sinful nature doesn't want to be godly - it wants to be GOD!

 

THAT'S the problem!

 

So, what's the answer?

 

Some would say that you can be godly if you keep the Commandments! Afterall, that IS the Law of God so if you keep His Law then you would be godly, right?

 

God's Chosen People tried that for centuries but Paul wrote to the Romans:
 

^"What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. As it is written:
“There is no one righteous, not even one;
there is no one who understands;
there is no one who seeks God.
All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.”
“Their throats are open graves;
their tongues practice deceit.”
“The poison of vipers is on their lips.”
 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
“Their feet are swift to shed blood;
 ruin and misery mark their ways,
and the way of peace they do not know.”
 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin." Romans 3:9-20

 

This is just one of numerous Scriptures that remind us that the Law was never intended to make us godly, it was given to limit the impact of our ungodliness AND to show how Holy He is and how unholy we are!

 

One of the reasons wrote this portion of Scripture in II Peter 1:5-6 is to challenge the foolish notion that we can become godly from the outside it. The big problem is not what you do but it is what you are! You can bathe a pig and put lipstick on him but he's still a pig!

 

A well-behaved Law abiding sinner is still a sinner!

 

Are you trying to attain godliness from the inside out? Have you bought into the myth of doing rather than the truth of being?