"Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of our epistle. 16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, 17 comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work."
2 Thessalonians 2:15-17
Paul is telling us here, that we ought to hold on to the things we were taught, Biblical things, the life-lessons, that come to us from either the written Word, or from the encouragement and teaching of friends and pastors. We are to stand fast, and to hold on. But what does it mean to stand fast? I believe that standing fast involves having the faith in the midst of terrible adversity, to keep you feet planted in one place, even though they really are wanting to run the other way. What can help us in standing fast, is knowing to whom you belong. We, as believers, belong to the King of kings and Lord of lords. David knew this when he went out to face Goliath. Elijah knew this when he faced the prophets of Baal. So too, you and I can have this assurance. What makes us weak and feeble, in my mind, is that our quiet time with the Lord isn't what it should be. We aren't spending time in the Word. We aren't spending time in prayer like we should. The lack of these things in our lives makes us weak and anemic spiritually. Standing fast is standing upon the Word of God, taking it at face value, and what it says is true, and in the face of odds that seem to not be in our favor, to continue to believe and to stand upon the Word. So when the dust settles, and the smoke clears, we are still standing.
And then Paul tells us to hold on. Sometimes, the best way to get through something is just to fasten your seat belts and hold on. Paul is telling us to hold on to things that were taught to us, by the Word or by teachers. When things don't seem to make sense logically, you need to hold on to the things you have been taught. Pilots are taught to trust their instruments, because sometimes we lose our bearings and up seems down and down seems like it is up. So we hold on to what we are taught. Things like, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." Or, "All things work together for the good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose." Those are promises that we can stand fast upon, and hold on to, in the face of perilous times in our lives. Beloved, stand fast, and hold on. Shalom.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
All This Talk
"For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies."
2 Thessalonians 3:11
Nothing can destroy or divide a church like gossip. Paul knew this. Many times in his letters, he mentions the fact that we are not to be gossips. The fact of fishing for information, and then repeating it, is a form of gossip. The Greek word for "busybodies" means "to meddle." To be nosy. To be all up in somebody's business. To pump people for information, so that you can be "in the know." The root of this problem is basic. It is pride. To know something about you that you didn't think they knew. All of this energy spent fishing for information and talking to others could be spent doing something for the furtherance of the kingdom of God, not the kingdom of man.
In the context of the local church, that is what Paul is saying here. You are not working. Instead you are spending all your time gossiping.
In the book of James, he speaks of the tongue set on fire by hell. The tongue can ignite things and destroy them, which is exactly what the enemy wants. The thing is, people in the church either don't realize this, or ignore it. And that is the tragic thing. We have come to be inebriated over the gathering of information about our fellow man, which consumes time and energy better spent elsewhere.
Beloved, let us, all of us, take care to watch our tongues. No one wants to be guilty of destroying or dividing a church with our gossip. We have taken on a distorted view of gossip in the church, and it needs to be corrected, and the talk needs to stop. I have had people talk to me, in the church, about things which to them I have never spoken. I scratch my head and think, "How did they find out about that?" But then I realize who their friends are, and realize they run in the company of gossipers. How sad. Gossip hurts. It not only hurts the ones being talked about, but it hurts the ones you talk to, and it hurts people's opinions of the gossipers. A gossip is not the most esteemed person in the land. So beloved, let us stop all of this talk, and be about the business of the kingdom. Shalom.
2 Thessalonians 3:11
Nothing can destroy or divide a church like gossip. Paul knew this. Many times in his letters, he mentions the fact that we are not to be gossips. The fact of fishing for information, and then repeating it, is a form of gossip. The Greek word for "busybodies" means "to meddle." To be nosy. To be all up in somebody's business. To pump people for information, so that you can be "in the know." The root of this problem is basic. It is pride. To know something about you that you didn't think they knew. All of this energy spent fishing for information and talking to others could be spent doing something for the furtherance of the kingdom of God, not the kingdom of man.
In the context of the local church, that is what Paul is saying here. You are not working. Instead you are spending all your time gossiping.
In the book of James, he speaks of the tongue set on fire by hell. The tongue can ignite things and destroy them, which is exactly what the enemy wants. The thing is, people in the church either don't realize this, or ignore it. And that is the tragic thing. We have come to be inebriated over the gathering of information about our fellow man, which consumes time and energy better spent elsewhere.
Beloved, let us, all of us, take care to watch our tongues. No one wants to be guilty of destroying or dividing a church with our gossip. We have taken on a distorted view of gossip in the church, and it needs to be corrected, and the talk needs to stop. I have had people talk to me, in the church, about things which to them I have never spoken. I scratch my head and think, "How did they find out about that?" But then I realize who their friends are, and realize they run in the company of gossipers. How sad. Gossip hurts. It not only hurts the ones being talked about, but it hurts the ones you talk to, and it hurts people's opinions of the gossipers. A gossip is not the most esteemed person in the land. So beloved, let us stop all of this talk, and be about the business of the kingdom. Shalom.
Friday, December 7, 2007
Be Diligent
"Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for it you do these things you will never stumble; 11 for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
2 Peter 1:10-11
In the Merriam Webster dictionary, the word "diligent" means, "characterized by steady, earnest, and energetic effort." Now, to bring that definition into today's text, it would mean that to be diligent to make our call and election sure, that there would be some kind of effort on our part, as Christians. In other words, it isn't going to just "fall out of the sky" and happen to us. We must make some sort of effort. In fact, Peter tells us that if we do "these things" we will never stumble. But what is he talking about? Someone once said, when you see a "therefore" in the Scripture, you should go back and read the verses before it to see what the "therefore" is there for. Poor grammar but you get the idea. So, looking back on the preceding verses, it goes back to the things we talked about yesterday, the adding to our faith these qualities and characteristics listed in v v.5 - 9. Add to your faith virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. Peter is telling us that if we do this, and if we are making an earnest, steady, and energetic effort to make our call and election sure, we will never stumble. Wouldn't it be great if we would never stumble? Never saying something we shouldn't; never having that wrong attitude about something or somebody. To never stumble would be a great thing.
Peter tells us here in the text, that we will never stumble, and an entrance into the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be supplied to us. Peter tells us to make our call and election sure. Paul tells us to examine ourselves to see if we are found in the faith. It is diligence of introspection. It is a looking at ourselves and not looking at others. My mom used to tell me as a child, that if I just took care of myself, then I wouldn't have much time to "take care" of my brothers and sister, referring to our quarrelling, if I remember correctly. But that is so true for us Christians. If we are being diligent about ourselves, we won't have time to say, in the words of Peter in John 21:21, "What about him?" We let the Lord deal with others. We make sure OUR call and election is sure.
Beloved, God so loves you, and has given us His Word to get to know Him, and by which to guide our life. Let us add to our faith virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. And let us make a steady, earnest, and energetic effort to do these things and make our call and election sure, so that we will not stumble, and be supplied an entrance into the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen? Amen.
2 Peter 1:10-11
In the Merriam Webster dictionary, the word "diligent" means, "characterized by steady, earnest, and energetic effort." Now, to bring that definition into today's text, it would mean that to be diligent to make our call and election sure, that there would be some kind of effort on our part, as Christians. In other words, it isn't going to just "fall out of the sky" and happen to us. We must make some sort of effort. In fact, Peter tells us that if we do "these things" we will never stumble. But what is he talking about? Someone once said, when you see a "therefore" in the Scripture, you should go back and read the verses before it to see what the "therefore" is there for. Poor grammar but you get the idea. So, looking back on the preceding verses, it goes back to the things we talked about yesterday, the adding to our faith these qualities and characteristics listed in v v.5 - 9. Add to your faith virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. Peter is telling us that if we do this, and if we are making an earnest, steady, and energetic effort to make our call and election sure, we will never stumble. Wouldn't it be great if we would never stumble? Never saying something we shouldn't; never having that wrong attitude about something or somebody. To never stumble would be a great thing.
Peter tells us here in the text, that we will never stumble, and an entrance into the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be supplied to us. Peter tells us to make our call and election sure. Paul tells us to examine ourselves to see if we are found in the faith. It is diligence of introspection. It is a looking at ourselves and not looking at others. My mom used to tell me as a child, that if I just took care of myself, then I wouldn't have much time to "take care" of my brothers and sister, referring to our quarrelling, if I remember correctly. But that is so true for us Christians. If we are being diligent about ourselves, we won't have time to say, in the words of Peter in John 21:21, "What about him?" We let the Lord deal with others. We make sure OUR call and election is sure.
Beloved, God so loves you, and has given us His Word to get to know Him, and by which to guide our life. Let us add to our faith virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. And let us make a steady, earnest, and energetic effort to do these things and make our call and election sure, so that we will not stumble, and be supplied an entrance into the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen? Amen.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Adding to Your Faith
"But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins."
2 Peter 1:5-9
It is one thing to be a participant in a sporting event, such as a football game. It is entirely another to be a spectator from the sideline. From the youngest player in a youth football league, to the oldest player in the NFL, everyone understands this fact: no one wants to go home with their uniform clean. Why? Because that means that they didn't get into the game. They didn't play. In the Christian realm, it is the same thing. You don't want to go home with a clean uniform. That means you didn't get into the game. Translated into the spiritual world, it means that you just came to church on Sunday (maybe not even every Sunday), and you just listened and went home. You might have even sang a few songs, but probably you just listened. You don't read your Bible, because it is there on the shelf, gathering dust. You might have prayed for Jesus to save your soul, but you are a spectator.
The Christian walk is not a spectator sport. We must be active in our daily walk. And Peter is telling us that today. He says to us that we must add to our faith. Now faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17), so that means that to have faith, we must be reading our Bibles and spending time with God in His Word. That is not a passive thing. And then, Peter tells us, that to be partakers of the divine nature, we must be actively adding to our faith virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. These are qualities that don't just come "by osmosis," but rather, by spending time in the Word of God, and being obedient to what we read there (the key). All of that is not passive. Last night in our Old Testament study, in the last two chapters of 1 Chronicles, we saw David telling, rather charging, his son Solomon, in front of the entire assembled nation of Israel, to keep the commandments of the Lord, but also to seek the commandments of the Lord. Both of those words have nothing passive about them. Not only are we to be keepers of the Word, but we are to be seekers of a closer walk with God.
Someone once said, that we are as close to God as we want to be. How true this is. God wants to have a very very close relationship with you. The question is, how close do you want to be with Him? The Christian walk is not a spectator sport. So, beloved, get in the game. Get your uniform dirty. Your fellow Christians need you, your encouragement and your presence. Your church needs you. Your pastor needs you. And remember, God not only loves you, He likes you, too. So go out there today and engage your world with the love of Christ. Shalom.
2 Peter 1:5-9
It is one thing to be a participant in a sporting event, such as a football game. It is entirely another to be a spectator from the sideline. From the youngest player in a youth football league, to the oldest player in the NFL, everyone understands this fact: no one wants to go home with their uniform clean. Why? Because that means that they didn't get into the game. They didn't play. In the Christian realm, it is the same thing. You don't want to go home with a clean uniform. That means you didn't get into the game. Translated into the spiritual world, it means that you just came to church on Sunday (maybe not even every Sunday), and you just listened and went home. You might have even sang a few songs, but probably you just listened. You don't read your Bible, because it is there on the shelf, gathering dust. You might have prayed for Jesus to save your soul, but you are a spectator.
The Christian walk is not a spectator sport. We must be active in our daily walk. And Peter is telling us that today. He says to us that we must add to our faith. Now faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17), so that means that to have faith, we must be reading our Bibles and spending time with God in His Word. That is not a passive thing. And then, Peter tells us, that to be partakers of the divine nature, we must be actively adding to our faith virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. These are qualities that don't just come "by osmosis," but rather, by spending time in the Word of God, and being obedient to what we read there (the key). All of that is not passive. Last night in our Old Testament study, in the last two chapters of 1 Chronicles, we saw David telling, rather charging, his son Solomon, in front of the entire assembled nation of Israel, to keep the commandments of the Lord, but also to seek the commandments of the Lord. Both of those words have nothing passive about them. Not only are we to be keepers of the Word, but we are to be seekers of a closer walk with God.
Someone once said, that we are as close to God as we want to be. How true this is. God wants to have a very very close relationship with you. The question is, how close do you want to be with Him? The Christian walk is not a spectator sport. So, beloved, get in the game. Get your uniform dirty. Your fellow Christians need you, your encouragement and your presence. Your church needs you. Your pastor needs you. And remember, God not only loves you, He likes you, too. So go out there today and engage your world with the love of Christ. Shalom.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
A Transformed Life
"Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."
2 Peter 1:2-4
When you think back on the life of Peter, and how he was when Jesus first called him to be a disciple, and then you see Peter in the book of Acts, preaching that first sermon, something noticeable and noteworthy has taken place in his life. It is a remarkable change, one that gives me inspiration and encouragement as I study. Peter was such a man's man. He was so earthy, so full of life and yet so guided by his flesh. But as you read about Peter in the gospels, and then see him Acts, standing up to preach that first sermon on the Day of Pentecost, you know without a doubt, that something magnificent has happened in his heart, to allow this man to transform this way.
When I read these two short epistles that Peter wrote, placed in our Bible near the back, I can see and hear the tenderness of Peter's heart, and the work that the Lord has done in him over the years, and I pray that that same work can be accomplished in me. Through the divine power of Jesus Christ, He has given us, you and me, all things that pertain to life and godliness. It is through the knowledge of Him. It is always about Jesus. It always has been. It always is, and always will be. Through our knowledge of Him, as we increase in it, we become closer to Him, and our life becomes more and more conformed to His. As we get into His Word, and allow His Word to get into us, we are washed pure by the water of the Word, and our lives day-by-day are conformed to His image. He has given us this through the knowledge of Him, so that we can be partakers of the divine nature. Not something to observe from the sidelines, watching others live this, but we too, can be partakers of the divine nature.
Beloved, Jesus our Savior and our Lord has given us many precious promises in His Word that allow us to trust Him in our lives, even for the small stuff, building our faith in Him and in His Word. This day, go out into the world, and allow that divine nature that we partake of to shine through to the dark world around us. Yes there are cynics. Yes there are scoffers. But do not be daunted by them. Be strong and courageous, for the Lord our God is with us! Walk closely to the Lord, depending upon Him to provide for you this day. He is our sufficiency. Peter's life was transformed in an amazing way. Allow the Lord to transform your life today, and allow Him to use you today. Perhaps even to preach a sermon like Peter's on Pentecost! Amen.
2 Peter 1:2-4
When you think back on the life of Peter, and how he was when Jesus first called him to be a disciple, and then you see Peter in the book of Acts, preaching that first sermon, something noticeable and noteworthy has taken place in his life. It is a remarkable change, one that gives me inspiration and encouragement as I study. Peter was such a man's man. He was so earthy, so full of life and yet so guided by his flesh. But as you read about Peter in the gospels, and then see him Acts, standing up to preach that first sermon on the Day of Pentecost, you know without a doubt, that something magnificent has happened in his heart, to allow this man to transform this way.
When I read these two short epistles that Peter wrote, placed in our Bible near the back, I can see and hear the tenderness of Peter's heart, and the work that the Lord has done in him over the years, and I pray that that same work can be accomplished in me. Through the divine power of Jesus Christ, He has given us, you and me, all things that pertain to life and godliness. It is through the knowledge of Him. It is always about Jesus. It always has been. It always is, and always will be. Through our knowledge of Him, as we increase in it, we become closer to Him, and our life becomes more and more conformed to His. As we get into His Word, and allow His Word to get into us, we are washed pure by the water of the Word, and our lives day-by-day are conformed to His image. He has given us this through the knowledge of Him, so that we can be partakers of the divine nature. Not something to observe from the sidelines, watching others live this, but we too, can be partakers of the divine nature.
Beloved, Jesus our Savior and our Lord has given us many precious promises in His Word that allow us to trust Him in our lives, even for the small stuff, building our faith in Him and in His Word. This day, go out into the world, and allow that divine nature that we partake of to shine through to the dark world around us. Yes there are cynics. Yes there are scoffers. But do not be daunted by them. Be strong and courageous, for the Lord our God is with us! Walk closely to the Lord, depending upon Him to provide for you this day. He is our sufficiency. Peter's life was transformed in an amazing way. Allow the Lord to transform your life today, and allow Him to use you today. Perhaps even to preach a sermon like Peter's on Pentecost! Amen.
Monday, December 3, 2007
A New Heart
"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh."
Ezekiel 36:26
I have been thinking a lot about personal revival lately. I need it in my life. I was just reflecting on the richness and the fullness of a heart renewed in the Lord. Sometimes, when my focus gets fuzzy, and the distractions seem to crowd into my priorities, it is good to just come to the Lord for a renewal, a fresh pouring out of His Spirit upon a very dry and parched heart. The water of God's Word pouring over the dry, parched surface of a heart that has turned to stone by the world and its ways and its people - only God can do that for us.
Beloved, God can, and He promises He will, take out the heart of stone that has been make hard by the world system, and replace it with a tender heart of flesh that only comes from the pouring out of the living water upon our souls. We need to personally develop a hunger and a thirst for the Word of God, and His presence in our lives,
and a fresh outpouring of the power of His Holy Spirit into our lives. That is how we are going to change the world.
I sometimes get all caught up in what people think, and trying to please this one and that one, when really, and too often I forget this, but the one I need to please is Jesus. He is the one who is the giver of my life. He is the one who holds my name in the palm of His hand. He is the one who orders my steps and knows my days, even before I was born. He is the one and only one I serve. He is the only one I must worry about pleasing. If we all just lived for the Lord instead of other people, what a place the church would be in. We would truly be attractive to the world, because we are pleasing the Lord.
I am making it my aim to begin personal revival in my heart today. To not just settle for a status quo walk with God, one that is powerless and unfulfilling. Would you join me on this journey? Beloved, you will experience God as never before if you covenant to start a personal revival in your hearts, starting today. Shalom.
Ezekiel 36:26
I have been thinking a lot about personal revival lately. I need it in my life. I was just reflecting on the richness and the fullness of a heart renewed in the Lord. Sometimes, when my focus gets fuzzy, and the distractions seem to crowd into my priorities, it is good to just come to the Lord for a renewal, a fresh pouring out of His Spirit upon a very dry and parched heart. The water of God's Word pouring over the dry, parched surface of a heart that has turned to stone by the world and its ways and its people - only God can do that for us.
Beloved, God can, and He promises He will, take out the heart of stone that has been make hard by the world system, and replace it with a tender heart of flesh that only comes from the pouring out of the living water upon our souls. We need to personally develop a hunger and a thirst for the Word of God, and His presence in our lives,
and a fresh outpouring of the power of His Holy Spirit into our lives. That is how we are going to change the world.
I sometimes get all caught up in what people think, and trying to please this one and that one, when really, and too often I forget this, but the one I need to please is Jesus. He is the one who is the giver of my life. He is the one who holds my name in the palm of His hand. He is the one who orders my steps and knows my days, even before I was born. He is the one and only one I serve. He is the only one I must worry about pleasing. If we all just lived for the Lord instead of other people, what a place the church would be in. We would truly be attractive to the world, because we are pleasing the Lord.
I am making it my aim to begin personal revival in my heart today. To not just settle for a status quo walk with God, one that is powerless and unfulfilling. Would you join me on this journey? Beloved, you will experience God as never before if you covenant to start a personal revival in your hearts, starting today. Shalom.
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