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2 Peter 3 Intimidating Myth of Terror or True Hope, Which One is The Day of the Lord?

9/1/2018

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Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Matthew 24:30
Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Matthew 24:30
​In today’s devotional we read 2 Peter 3. The early church was just as eager and expectant of Jesus’ return on The Day of the Lord as we are today. And just as we have people calling us ridiculous for our hope and anticipation of this day, they did too. The lost see the Day as a horror story, another apocalyptic vision of craziness. It is unreal to them as the promise of the Messiah was to the masses. The devil has fiendishly wrapped the prophecies in a veil of fictitious myths and false hell-fire misinformation. Most people believe that the prophecies about the end-times are just a false god’s way of scaring people into religion. In their misguided attempts to help, they scoff, ridicule, and mock believers for our faith.
The end-times, Jesus’ return, the harvest, the destruction of the heavens and the earth by fire, the lake of fire, and the new heaven and new earth are prophecies that are part of what the apostles taught, part of what Jesus Himself taught, and a part of the Gospel we cannot ignore in order to create an easier set of beliefs. This hope keeps us going through the difficult times. It spurs on onto spread the Gospel. It inspires us to live as Jesus taught us to live and modeled for us to live. That is why the enemy uses the ignorant to discourage us, make us think that it will not happen, and makes us question why the Father is waiting so long to send Jesus back to us. Peter addressed this in his letter. Verses 1-7 read,
This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder,2 that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, 3 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. 4 They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5 For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, 6 and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. 7 But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
The scoffers are deliberately overlooking logic to argue their side. God is Almighty Creator, and Sovereign. God created heavens and earth long long ago by speaking. He formed the earth out of water simply by speaking. When evil became so great He could no longer tolerate it, His words used the same water to destroy the earth, save the righteous, and make it new. It has been ages, longer than any of us can accurately count. Only God knows the time. It is up to Him our Creator and He will do what He promised and by His word, He will bring about the Day of Fire, avenge us, and destroy the ungodly.
The scoffers ignore that God has always kept His word. They disregard the prophecies which came to be so very specifically. They ignore that Jesus fulfilled every prophecy about Him. The odds of one person so perfectly fulfilling those prophecies are beyond our calculations. If one looks at only 8 of 61 prophecies that Jesus fulfilled the odds are a staggering 1in 1017 or 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000. That’s one in one hundred quadrillion[i]! Those who mock the church have to throw logic and science out the door to deride us.
Still we wait and we ask, “Why are you waiting so long, Lord?” Peter reminds us in verses 8-9
But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
God wants everyone who will come to come. He is patiently waiting for them to hear His word and answer His call. But don’t think that there is nothing happening. Seals have been broken, prophecies are coming true, and The Day of the Lord is closer than ever. But not every prophecy has been fulfilled, not every person who will come has come, and not every nation has heard Jesus preached yet. Revelation describes it as angels holding back the winds that will ravage and destroy in the Day of Fire until the 144,000 remnant of Israel are sealed (Revelation 7:1-8). Angels are not the fat little babies or beautiful delicate women in white the world imagines them to be, they are fierce strong creatures whose mere appearance causes men to faint. God is waiting because there is a multitude of people, greater than can be counted who will be saved out of the Day who will live eternally with Him. Revelation 7:9-14 describes us this way,
After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
The Day will be awesome and wonderful for us, Believer. But it will be awesome and terrible for those who do not call Jesus Lord. Verse 10 reads,
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
That Day will come unexpectedly and suddenly, we do not know when, even Jesus does not know, only the Father. In Matthew 24 Jesus teaches about the end times, the signs, and the precursors. Matthew 24:29-31 and 36-44 read,
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. 37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
Every person will be resurrected but not every person has been resurrected with Christ and that Day won’t go so well for them. In John 5:24-29 Jesus said,
Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. 25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.
God does not want any to perish! He wants every person to come to Him. It is every person’s ultimate destiny to answer God’s call on their lives. He chose all of us and some choose to accept His free gift by the gift of free will He gave us. Therefore, it is important for us to continue living a life that glories Him and speaks to who Jesus is. Verses 11-13 read,
Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! 13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
This earth, these troubles, and this persecution is temporary. Those who mock want us to think that The Day of the Lord is a scary story. The truth is this life is short and one day will be a distant memory like our misty memories of childhood, it will seem unreal. New Jerusalem, eternity in the City of God with Jesus is more real than this short life. The Day of the Lord is not a frightening tale to the believer, it is our hope. If it is terrifying to those who don’t know Jesus, perhaps our love, our lives, and the truth of Jesus Christ will convince them that one day they will see Jesus return and they will either drop to their knees and confess He is Lord out of dread or in worship.
Knowing how awesome our God is, let’s live a life worthy of Jesus, a life that demonstrates His love through the Holy Spirit. Verses 14-18 read,
Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. 15 And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, 16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. 17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability.18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
 
Believer, stay diligent; do not let the words of mockers derail your walk with God. Praise God for His patience, praise God that He is waiting. Partner with Him to share the Gospel to the whole world, especially to those who are right in front of you.
I will close with this amazing, beautiful, and inspiring description of our reality which is promised and coming soon. It is also a reminder of the importance of the message of the Gospel. Revelation 21:1-8 reads,
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. 7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
 


[i] I got this number from Professor Peter Stoner’s calculations using eight prophecies found in his paper Applying the Science of Probability to the Scriptures.
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2 Peter 2 God’s Love for Believers is God’s Wrath against Our Enemies

8/31/2018

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When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous     but terror to evildoers. Proverbs 21:15
When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers. Proverbs 21:15
This millstone is 53 inches in diameter and 8 inches thick. It weighs 1,629 pounds more than ¾ of a ton.This millstone is 53 inches in diameter and 8 inches thick. It weighs 1,629 pounds more than ¾ of a ton.

​For today’s Bible devotional we are reading 2 Peter 2. This is one of those chapters that some people want to skip over, it shows us the God of wrath and vengeance. And He is not so easy to swallow as the God of love and mercy. But remember this, God is God in all of who He is, He is the God of love and justice and mercy because He is the Lord of Angel Armies, jealous for His people. Where would the love be, if He did not exact His justice on those who set out to steal, kill, and destroy His people? Where would the mercy be, if there were no threat of condemnation? People want to imagine God as no a two-dimensional mythical figure in the sky, He is real, whole, and His many faces are all about His love. Could we say a father loved a daughter, if that father let people rape her and didn’t demand justice, but instead said, “It’s all cool, man. Have a daisy. Let’s smoke a peace pipe.” Justice requires payment for the crime.
Believers know that Jesus paid that price for us and God in His grace and mercy considered Jesus the propitiation, or the appeasement for our sin, but not everyone has allowed Jesus to be their Lord and accepted the gift of grace from God. And some have not just refused Him even in the light of hearing the truth, they have sought to pervert the truth and hurt God’s people for their own gain, pleasure, and personal devices. Our Father will not sit by as we His children are raped and led astray. He shows us mercy by taking His vengeance on anyone who dares hurt us.
Peter wrote to the church to encourage them to continue to walk the straight path with Christ, to build on the instructions that he and the other apostles had given them and so conform to the image of Christ. But now, he had to warn his beloved church that there would be people who would come in and twist those teachings to their own benefit, people who would turn that straight path of godliness to one I-thesism, self-improvement, and carnal indulgence all for their own pockets.  Verses 1-3 read,
But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.
The devil tried it with Jesus in the wilderness, he and his minions are going to try it with you as well. It is especially a danger to those who do not know the word of God well yet. Those false teachers take a verse out of context, or distort a phrase to sound biblical, or even a concept that sounds like a good thing and use it to lure people away from the Gospel and toward their feel-good self-improvement doctrine. It feels so right, it seems so good, that the follower doesn’t ask to see this in God’s word, they stifle the Holy Spirit, they suppress His discernment and they clamor for the good feelings, the enlightenment and self-actualization.
That path leads to destruction and their destruction is not asleep. Peter told us in the previous chapter that our goal is godliness and he gave us the step-by step building plan for reaching that goal. These false teachers offer short-cuts which rather than build us up together in the kingdom, tear us down and feed into selfishness. Paul said it this way in Philippians 3:14-21
I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained.
17Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. 18 For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.
Though it may look like they flourish now, their destruction, their end is waiting and it will come. Jesus does not take kindly to people who mess with His people. In Matthew 18:5-9 Jesus said,
“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, 6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. 7 “Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes!8 And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.” 












Jesus said that, loving, kind, beautiful King Jesus. What is a millstone? It is the stone, a large quartz or similar circular stone which grinds wheat or corn into flour. It weighs between 1,500 and 3,000 pounds. Have one of those tied around your neck and you are headed very painfully and very quickly to the depths of the ocean to drown in terror, fully aware and unable to move or swim to the surface. God is serious when He says not to mess with His children. Hell is real and waiting for the enemies of Christ. Peter continues in verses 4-6
For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell[ and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; 5 if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; 6 if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly
 
God didn’t spare the angels who sinned and followed Satan to tempt, hurt, and enslave God’s creation, He will not spare the false teachers who do the same. He cares about you! He cares about His church. God loves you and He will avenge you. He hasn’t forgotten you. I know a lovely woman, a dear friend, and as I listen to her talk, I hear that someone is teaching her falsely. Her doctrines are distorted, spiritual and self-centered. I believe she gets her misinformation from TV shows wrongly labeled Christian when they are spiritual but not Holy Spirit. I have asked her on more than one occasion to tell me where in the Bible she gets her ideas and she cannot tell me. I would love to punch her false teachers in the face, kick them, and tie a millstone around their necks before throwing them over the side of a boat. But, I pray for my friend, I teach her the truth, I see others doing the same, and I trust God to be God when it comes to those false teachers trying to steal my friend’s heart. Leviticus 19:17-18 reads,
You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. 18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.
In Deuteronomy 32:35-39 God says,
Vengeance is mine, and recompense,
    for the time when their foot shall slip;
for the day of their calamity is at hand,
    and their doom comes swiftly.’
36 For the Lord will vindicate his people
    and have compassion on his servants,
when he sees that their power is gone
    and there is none remaining, bond or free.
37 Then he will say, ‘Where are their gods,
    the rock in which they took refuge,
38 who ate the fat of their sacrifices
    and drank the wine of their drink offering?
Let them rise up and help you;
    let them be your protection!

39 “‘See now that I, even I, am he,
    and there is no god beside me;
I kill and I make alive;
    I wound and I heal;
    and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.

Do you see that God loves us so much that He will in His power, wisdom, and sovereignty deal with those who come against us? We don’t have to. We can trust Him, He is the One True Living God, God Almighty, Lord of Hosts. If He is with us, who can stand against us? And this great and mighty God cares for you! He has not forgotten you. 2 Peter 2 continues with verses 7-16
and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked 8 (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); 9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, 10 and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority.
Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones, 11 whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before the Lord. 12 But these, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction, 13 suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, while they feast with you. 14 They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! 15 Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing, 16 but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet's madness.
It is not okay to let these people into our midst. Peter has given us descriptions of them and we can use those descriptions to recognize them and send them away, give them over to Satan, and let God deal with them. God wants them to come to Him and He is able to do whatever must be done. It is not our job to save them; He can and He knows. Let God be God. To keep them among us does not help us nor them. Peter continues describing them and the effects they have on the body of Christ in verses 17-22.
These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved. 18 For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error. 19 They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved. 20 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. 21 For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. 22 What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.”
They heard the truth, they chose to sully it with worldly philosophies. They take the pure Gospel and taint it with selfish ambitions sucking life, trying to dirty the Living Water with egotism and greed. God loves you so much that He will take avenge you, He is Justice and we are free to live fully in Him and pursue godliness as sons of Righteousness, filled with the Holy Spirit, to love as Jesus loved us. Romans 12:9-21 in The Living Bible reads,
Don’t just pretend that you love others: really love them. Hate what is wrong. Stand on the side of the good. 10 Love each other with brotherly affection and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy in your work, but serve the Lord enthusiastically.
12 Be glad for all God is planning for you. Be patient in trouble, and prayerful always. 13 When God’s children are in need, you be the one to help them out. And get into the habit of inviting guests home for dinner or, if they need lodging, for the night.
14 If someone mistreats you because you are a Christian, don’t curse him; pray that God will bless him. 15 When others are happy, be happy with them. If they are sad, share their sorrow. 16 Work happily together. Don’t try to act big. Don’t try to get into the good graces of important people, but enjoy the company of ordinary folks. And don’t think you know it all!
17 Never pay back evil for evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honest clear through. 18 Don’t quarrel with anyone. Be at peace with everyone, just as much as possible.
19 Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God, for he has said that he will repay those who deserve it. Don’t take the law into your own hands. 20 Instead, feed your enemy if he is hungry. If he is thirsty give him something to drink and you will be “heaping coals of fire on his head.” In other words, he will feel ashamed of himself for what he has done to you. 21 Don’t let evil get the upper hand, but conquer evil by doing good.
I know today’s devotional had quite a bit to say about punishment, wrath, and destruction. But Believer, there is no condemnation in Christ (Romans 8:1). The Day of the Lord is all good and life for you and all darkness, wrath, and death for the enemies of Christ. So, be about your Father’s business, love others, make disciples, build-up the kingdom, and trust the Lord to be the LORD.

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You’ve Been Given All Things Pertaining to Life and Godliness; Now Partake

8/30/2018

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For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 2 Peter 1:5-7
For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 2 Peter 1:5-7
​For today’s Bible devotional we continue reading in 2 Peter 1. I don’t know if you do this already, I don’t know if you have done this, but I want to take a moment and breathe a prayer asking the Lord to teach you as you read His Word, guide you in truth, and lead you as you take what He has taught you and live with it throughout your day so that you will glorify Him in all things and grow closer to Him in every choice you make today.
Now that you have asked the Lord to join you for your time together with Him, let’s further enjoy this time by reading verses 3-4
His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
In Jesus awesome power, he saw to it that we have been given everything we need to live the life He has called us to live, a life different from the one before we knew Jesus. How? Are you asking how He has given you anything to live a changed life? You never felt some electric bolt flow through you on the day you were saved, the day you were baptized, and received His Holy Spirit, how is it that He has granted you all things that pertain to life and godliness? He granted it to you through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence. The Greek word Peter used here for knowledge is epignwsij. It means recognition by implication, full discernment, and acknowledgement. It means to know fully and correctly both the subject and about the subject. As you choose to know God more intimately and get to know what He is teaching you will grasp the fullness of who He is and live the life of godliness He has granted.
That seems so far off, so long in the distance for someone who is just starting and knows only that Jesus is Christ. But it isn’t, because He granted you all things pertaining to life and godliness. The Father called you to this life, and He gave you Himself, fully. He gave you His Son, Jesus the Christ, who gave Himself to you completely, He died for you to be reconciled to God; He died to wipe away every sin you have ever committed or will ever commit; He rose from the dead to give you eternal life and peace with Him. He gave you His Holy Spirit, who sealed you. He indwells you. He empowers you to know God more deeply. He enables you to understand the Scriptures you read and hear. He gifts you with abilities meant to do good for the church, the kingdom, and the world. And He and the Son pray for you to the Father who also hears your prayers. You have been granted all things pertaining to life and godliness. Life means just that, life. Godliness means piety, devotion to God.
The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, God’s divine power has granted us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence. We were not called to the world’s idea of piety, no we were called to God’s glory and excellence, we were called God’s glory, that His to look and act like Him, not sort of like Him, not almost like Him, not good enough, not average but to His excellence. It seems impossible, I know. It seems out of reach. And if we were talking about works, about trying our hardest to act like Jesus, to refrain from sinning, or to be good, then I would say, “Let’s throw in the towel, it is impossible!” But whenever I hear the phrase “It’s impossible,” God speaks to me and reminds me, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” Matthew 19:26). And there is the crux, with God. You see God not only forgives every sin, He empowers us to walk with godliness, the fullness of Christ not only means we have the Holy Spirit endowing us with amazing gifts, He is galvanizing us to walk in goodness, to exhibit the character of Christ in love, joy, patience, kindness, self-control, forgiveness, and more! He is authorizing us to be who He called us to be in His own glory and excellence. In fact, verse 4 says that by remembering or knowing His precious and great promises we become partakers of the divine nature, that means a partner and companion in the divine nature, that godly nature which allows us to live that glorious, excellent godly life. God, in all of who He is, has helped us escape the corruption in the world, the sinful desire that leads to more sin, and give us His Holy Spirit who leads to conformity with the image of Christ. That is Christianese for making us into the reflection, picture, or persona of Jesus. It becomes more and more natural for us to live life based on the idea of God’s thinking and acting rather than on the world’s thinking and acting. We live to worship God instead of living to worship ourselves, desperate to satisfy our desires, and gratify our passions in a survival of the fittest mentality. We live to worship God, loving Him, loving others and knowing that God will meet every need and give us the desires of our hearts (Matthew 6:33, Psalm 37:4).
You’ve got all of God on your side making this new life possible, making this new life distinctive and higher than your old life. So, Peter says in verses 5-7,
For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love
You see these characteristics are yours, given to you by the Holy Spirit and yet you still choose to accept them, display them, and use them. You may have an entire freezer and pantry full of good and healthy foods, but you have to choose to eat them, you could still drive to McDonalds or Taco Bell and eat fake, fat-filled, nutrient-poor food. You can have a Model S P100D Tesla ready to go in your garage, but you can still choose to walk, you can still choose to drive the Pinto parked on the corner.
Look at the progression Peter uses, it begins with faith, then you supplement add to your faith with virtue, which means manliness, valor, and excellence, choosing to do your best. You supplement your faith in God promise to make you new with your commitment to be excellent. You supplement your faith with knowledge, with getting to know God and getting to know His Word, His Gospel, and His teachings. Where is the valor in a knight who doesn’t know the will and heart of his king? He is just wandering, not knowing what he should fight for, protect, or do. Supplement that knowledge with self-control. We do have a choice, we may know about that full-freezer and pantry, we may know that there is a nutritious and delicious meal there, and how very good it is for us and for our family, but still the temptation to go grab four chicken sandwiches and fries requires our self-control, we have to choose to use the gift of nutrition in the freezer and share it with the family and the neighbor. When we have self-control down, we add steadfastness, that is commitment, dependability, or faithfulness to it. It becomes routine for us to choose to display the characteristics of godliness until that resoluteness becomes our natural self, it is no longer self-control which dictates our choice to love a difficult person, it is the nature of Christ in us, the Holy Spirit who is on fire in us so big that He is apparent to everyone and we are loving one another as Jesus loved us.
You have already been given these characteristics, every aspect of who Jesus is, is yours because the Holy Spirit is in you. But you do have to allow Him to work, you do have to choose to obey Him instead of yourself. Peter continued in verses 8-9 read,
For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.
If you do not choose to practice the character of Christ, adding virtue and knowledge to faith, and self-control to knowledge, steadfastness to self-control, godliness to steadfastness, and brotherly affection then love to godliness you will not take a step forward in your walk. And you won’t stand still for long, you will go backward, forgetting that you are saved, forgiven, and new. You will give in to your flesh and look and act like the world, broken, chained, and enslaved by your own carnality. You are either walking forward in the Spirit or walking backward in your flesh. We are either building up or breaking down. Peter continues in verses 10-15
Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. 11 For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
12 Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. 13 I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder,14 since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. 15 And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.
We are encouraged not only to be diligent about our own calling and election, our personal walk with the Lord and salvation, but like Peter to stir each other up to remain diligent to pursue godliness, the kingdom of God and His righteousness. We are here together, the kingdom, not separate souls of separate nations, we are a chosen people, a chosen nation, one body. If we love one another as we proclaim to, then we care about our whole body, we care about our brother’s walk as much as our own. Not in a judgmental, I’m better than you or worse than you kind of way but in love. If my hand is hurting, I want it healed, if my brother is limping, I want him healed so he can walk well.
Peter knew he would be killed soon. He wrote this letter from prison. He left prison being led to his execution, probably by crucifixion, shortly after sending this letter to the church. But instead of asking for a release from prison, he wrote to the church to stir them up so that after he was no longer here to remind them in person, we would have the words of God to remind us, we would know we have one another to encourage us, and we would remember we have the Holy Spirit to keep us going. Peter continues in verses 16-21,
For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” 18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
We didn’t receive this word, this prophetic letter, this scripture from some guy who wanted to encourage the church. We didn’t get this letter from a woman blogging her devotionals in hopes that people would come to know the Lord more deeply as she comes to know Him more deeply. We got this letter from Peter, an apostle, chosen by Jesus, and witness to miracles by Jesus. He saw Jesus transfigured to His Holy and Heavenly state, He heard the voice of the Father speak to His Son (Matthew 17:1-13). And He later understood that God not only was deeply pleased with Jesus, but because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, because of the Holy Spirit, because the Father adopted us as sons, When He said of Jesus, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him” He was foreshadowing the day when we are transfigured, changed in a moment and bowed before Jesus’ Judgement throne will hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:23, 34).
Peter learned this straight from Jesus! He didn’t take a worldly philosophy on self-improvement and twist it to his own will. He didn’t take scriptures and pervert them to match up with his will. He was about to follow his Lord to death, he had nothing to gain. He wanted the church, he wanted us to understand the importance of daily choosing to walk in the Spirit, of daily choosing to live up to who we were made to be, sons and daughters of God, bearing His likeness, and proclaiming His glory and excellence by our lives and not merely with empty words. The scriptures, the Gospel, and the teachings of the Apostles are prophetic as in they can be lived out by us and change us as well as the people around us. It is prophetic, it tells us the future that God has created for us, His kingdom, His approval, and His eternal life for us. Let’s choose to “pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.”
We choose to pay attention, we choose to “make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love” until the day dawns and the morning start rises in our hearts, until knowledge becomes understanding so profound it is who we are.
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2 Peter 1:2-3 Peter’s Greeting: Who the World Says You Are is not Who Christ Says You Are

8/29/2018

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Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. Colossians 3:5-11
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. Colossians 3:5-11
​​We finished reading 1 Peter yesterday, today’s devotional will begin with 2 Peter, it seems the natural next place to read in the Bible, the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. 2 Peter is written by the Apostle Peter, who began life as Simon or Simeon. He was a fisherman, husband, and at some point in his life he became a father. He was rash and brash, impetuous and impertinent. He loved Jesus passionately, but didn’t fully understand what it meant that Jesus was the Messiah. Peter was willing to do almost anything to protect Jesus and show Him his love. But Jesus took Simon and discipled him, re-named him Peter, the rock and eventually Peter lived up to his name, to be the steady rock of faith, the strong pillar of the church, a man who loved Jesus so much that he would do anything for Him, including die. But more than die for His Lord, he lived for his Lord, he taught Jews and Gentiles alike who Jesus Christ was and is. We have two of his letters. The first written to the mostly Jewish Christians persecuted and exiled by the Roman Emperor Nero, the second written to the Gentiles who had converted to Christianity, and had not grown up learning all that their Jewish brothers and sisters had about the Messiah, Laws, and traditions.
Let’s get into this great letter and see what the Lord has to teach us today. 2 Peter 1:1-2 are the greeting of the letter, the part that says from: and to: The greeting of this letter reads,
Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:
2 May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
Peter likely used his old and new name together to remind the gentiles that he was not always who he had become, he had once been lost, a fisherman trying to make a living, not a teacher, not a leader, just a tradesman doing his best in the world he knew. But he had become a new man, he had become a fisher of men, a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, an apostle, a teacher, a man who would do anything at all for his Lord, including die a terrible death, one which was not a long way off. It was in fact looming and Peter knew it, he was in prison with a death sentence hanging over his head.
Peter also called himself a servant, he used the word doulas, which means a slave, servant, or attendant who gives himself up to his master’s will and is completely devoted to his master to the disregard of one's own interests. That is how this apostle, leader of the first century church, and personal friend of Jesus Christ introduced himself, “Peter, the slave, no longer my will, but Jesus’ will.” Peter was not just one of the very special twelve chosen, he was in the inner-circle, one of three men, John, James, and Peter who Jesus spent extra time with, showed special things to, and asked more of. Peter was a big deal! But he remained humble, he introduced himself as wholly belonging to Jesus.
The way Peter referred to himself in the letter brings to mind the commission Jesus gave Him after His resurrection, after Peter’s infamous denial when he saw His beloved friend on the seashore and spoke to Him privately. Jesus too used Peter’s old name and though Peter didn’t know it, spoke prophetically about the great work that lay ahead for him. Peter said, you are not the man who denied me, you are the shepherd I have called you to be. John 21 records Jesus’ third appearance to his friends. Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, James, John and two other disciples were together fishing, but had caught no fish. Jesus appeared on the beach and called out to them, “Did you have any luck?” Not recognizing the speaker, they told him they had not. Jesus said, “Try lowing the net on the right side of the boat!” They did and the net was so full they couldn’t bring it into the boat. At this, Peter recognized his Lord. He dropped everything, including the proceeds from fishing, threw on some clothes and jumped into the sea to swim to his beloved Lord. The rest of the guys caught up, pulled in the fish, and enjoyed the breakfast Jesus made them on the fire he had built for the occasion. Afterward, Jesus and Peter walked, the other disciples following a little ways behind. The narrative continues with John 21:15-19 (The Message)
After breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Master, you know I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
16 He then asked a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
“Yes, Master, you know I love you.”
Jesus said, “Shepherd my sheep.”
17-19 Then he said it a third time: “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was upset that he asked for the third time, “Do you love me?” so he answered, “Master, you know everything there is to know. You’ve got to know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. I’m telling you the very truth now: When you were young you dressed yourself and went wherever you wished, but when you get old you’ll have to stretch out your hands while someone else dresses you and takes you where you don’t want to go.” He said this to hint at the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. And then he commanded, “Follow me.”
Jesus charged Peter with being a shepherd to His people, all His people, teaching them caring for them and loving them to prove his love for Him. Peter had so often proved his love to Jesus with impulsive and even foolhardy things. He jumped out of a ship to swim to shore, he cut off a guard’s ear, he begged Jesus not to die, and he stepped out of a boat in the middle of a storm to walk on water like Jesus. But Jesus now said, ‘the way to love me is by loving my people and one day by dying in the manner that scared you so much you pretended not to know me.’ And Jesus knew Peter would, because He had chosen Peter, loved him, taught him, and would give him His Holy Spirit. That is the same Spirit He has given you and me, Believer. Our charge remains the same, if we say we love Jesus, we show it by loving, caring for, and tending His sheep.
 
Peter addressed the letter to “those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ” It was common for the Jewish believers to see the gentile believers as less than. The Jews had been taught that every other nation on earth was less than they were because Israel was the chosen people, the other nations were heathens, pagans, and not God’s treasured possession. But Jesus had changed all that, He had given Peter a vision to tell him that was not the case. The Gospel was for all people; Salvation was for everyone. I encourage you to read Acts 10 and see how Jesus spoke to Peter and led him to understand and direct the rest of the apostles to share the Gospel with all nations, not just the Jews. So Peter encouraged the gentile believers that they were equal to their Jewish brothers and sisters, that all believers were equal in God’s sight not by works, not because they deserved it, but because of the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ.
Do some believers have more righteousness than others? Do some have higher standing in the kingdom? No! We all stand equally saved, chosen by the Father, born again by the blood of Christ, given His righteousness and sealed with the Holy Spirit. There is no A-team, B-team, and C-team. We are all the A-team, one Lord, one Faith, one Spirit, one baptism. Ephesians 4:4-7 says it this way,
There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift.
After Peter greeted the church, he included a blessing and prayer to the readers and receivers of the letter, “May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.”
We have unending grace from our Lord, we have peace so great it is incomprehensible to most people, it is multiplied, increased exponentially not because more is given (all is given), but because as we understand who God is, how wonderful Jesus is that we will recognize grace and peace and experience it more. If you are anxious, if you are wondering and wandering, if you do not feel peace, simply open the word of God and purposely get to know God more intimately. Pray to Him and remember to take the time to listen to His part of the conversation. As you understand more and more of God, you will have that peace that surpasses understanding and you will experience that love that surpasses knowledge. Paul too prayed this for us Ephesians 3:14-21 reads
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
You are so very greatly loved! Knowing who God is and who you are in Christ strengthens you, invigorates you, and gives you faith to keep walking this walk, which is not always easy, but it is amazing and worth it. Regardless of the turmoil, tribulations, or trials that try to impede you, you know Our awesome God uses them for your good and you pray with joy and thanksgiving, you refuse to let that garbage separate you from the knowledge of His amazing love and grace and you have that profound mysterious peace that appears so crazy to the world. They look at you and ask how can you proclaim God’s goodness instead of freak out? Philippians 4:4-9 says it this way,
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
Brothers and Sisters in Christ, you are not who you once were. You were made by God to be His very own, beloved treasure. You can know God. You have unending grace and peace of Jesus and love that cannot be measured. You are new, born again, with a new name, Spirit, and mind. What the world told you was a flaw, such as Peter’s impetuous nature, is a strength in His Kingdom. Peter’s hotheadedness became a steady burning passion for Jesus. His deep desires to keep Jesus with him, to have Jesus overthrow the Roman Empire, became a deep desire for God’s will not his own to the point that according to history, Nero imprisoned Peter around A.D. 67 and had him executed by crucifixion. Tradition says that Peter said he was not worthy of the same kind of death Jesus died and requested to be crucified upside down. I have no idea if that is truth or myth but we do know that according to multiple historical records Peter was martyred between 67-70 during the same persecution that caused the Dispersion, and that most likely 1 Peter was written just before his arrest by Nero and 2 Peter was written from prison as Peter’s torture was meant to discourage the Christians. Instead, Peter ensured his own suffering would light a fire in the believers and spread the Word of God even further. It certainly did.

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1 Peter 5 Shepherds and Flocks are Called to the Same Humility, Mercy, and Love, in Christ by the Same Spirit

8/28/2018

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High Priestly Prayer I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. John 17:20-23
I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. John 17:20-23
​Learning to lead with authority as Jesus led is not an easy road. Leaders have a great responsibility for the welfare of those for whom they are charged with overseeing. It is a task which requires great love, humility, and mercy. Similarly, those being cared for have a great responsibility to submit to those supervising them with the same love, humility, and mercy. This isn’t how we are taught in today’s culture, we are taught to rebel, to question every directive, never submit, and to claw our way to the top and once there, rule with an iron fist. If we don’t, someone else will soon push us from our position. But the kingdom of God is not like the world. God’s economy is quite different from the world where we grew up. The world might be “every man for himself,” but in the kingdom it is, “All for Jesus, Jesus for all, in all, and with all.” We recognize that God has put people in our lives for a purpose. Peter’s letter what we know as 1 Peter was written to exiles scattered throughout the region from their homes due to great and terrible persecution. They suffered, but Peter encouraged them to remember they were not like the world, they were God’s chosen, His very own, and the privileges, favor, and honors that come with being God’s people overcome the trouble, persecution, and hardship the world threw at them. Though they may have felt alone at times, Peter reminded them that was not the case, God was with them, His Holy Spirit imbued them, and they had each other. God had appointed each to use their gifts for the upbuilding and well-being of one another. That meant that He had designated some to positions of leadership. In 1 Peter 5, Peter calls them shepherds, reminding both the shepherds and the flock of the kingdom of God with Jesus, our Good Shepherd at the head. Verses 1-4 read,
So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
Because we share in the suffering of Christ, as we read in 1 Peter 4, we also get to partake in the glory that is going to be revealed. To partake is to join in, play a part, or share a meal. The glory to be revealed is the fullness of Christ at His return, when we join Him in Heaven on Earth for eternity, perfected and completely conformed to His image, united with Him forever. We take a part in that future glory now because it begins now; eternal life starts the moment we accept Jesus’ Salvation by believing the Gospel and confessing Jesus is Lord.
In trusting Jesus to be God our Savior and Lord, we trust that He has given us gifts and appointments, and we live in Him, using those gifts to build the kingdom, and trusting the order He gives. Ephesians 4:11-13 reads,
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 
Your position in the body of Christ, is not to be the stomach which rules through hunger and greed, demanding its personal desires be satisfied, and hurting the rest of the body as it is fed, causing the muscles, heart, and all the other systems of the body to fail. Leaders lead with the goal of unity in faith, gaining knowledge about Jesus, both in head and heart, assuring that those in their care are getting to know Him and so maturing to be like Him. If the elders of the church are like the stomach, they are making sure that good, healthy things go in at the appropriate times, spiritual milk, meat, and sweet honey, which will make a strong and healthy body, who can walk strong, stand firm, and exercise gifts. The stomach lets the Spirit reign and not its basal desires, so that good goes in and healthy heart means good comes out as well.
The position of leadership is not a fat cat position, it is a position of great responsibility, of burden, and immense onus. There is vast power in words, especially words from a teacher to a student. Our words affect us in the real world, we speak blessings or curses, truth or lies, and life or death. When it is the teacher speaking those words, he speaks them not only over himself but over all those following his lead, leaning on his wisdom, and seeing through his revelation. James 3:1-5 says,
Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. 2 For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. 3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. 4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!
Why are teachers judged more strictly? Because it is by their words and actions that the students learn to speak and act. We are all called to disciple (Matthew 28:18-20) and we should all become teachers (Hebrews 5:12) yet, we have to be mindful of the importance of the position the Holy Spirit gives us as we disciple and teach others. The responsibility of leadership whether of a church, a small group, or one person is not to be taken lightly.
The shepherd has to pay careful attention both to the flock’s spiritual wellbeing and their own. Paul said it this way in Acts 20:28-33
Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.  29 I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock;30 and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31 Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears. 32 And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33 I coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel.
As leaders, the church respects and follows you. If you live carelessly so will they. If you sin, so will they. What might not be a sin for you because you know better in your maturity, can be a sin to a young or immature believer because they haven’t learned yet (1 Corinthians 8:7-13), so pay close attention and remember what Jesus said about His precious children in Matthew 18:4-7
Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, 6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. 7 “Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes!
You do not want to be the reason someone sins, you do not want to be the reason someone is tempted. There is no love or humility in that. Leader, stay humble, stay aware of the eyes watching you to learn how to walk and live in the kingdom.
Elders have an obligation to those they are discipling, but the youngers also have responsibility. It is not the fault of the teacher if the student is rebellious or too prideful to hear and heed. If the person in the flock is envious, selfish, or arrogant and will not submit to the authority Jesus put in place in His stead, then that sin is on her, and she will not enjoy the wonderful joy of unity in the Spirit because she is squelching Him. Continuing in 1 Peter 5, verses 5-7 read,
Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
We are all to clothe ourselves with humility to one another. Love revealed by unity revealing Christ is the goal. We are told to submit to one another (Ephesians 5:21), serve one another (Galatians 5:13), outdo one another in showing honor (Romans 12:10), pray for one another (Ephesians 6:18) and weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice (Romans 12:15).  We are to live as the body with one Lord, one Spirit, likeminded because we have been given the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). We do not have to exalt ourselves, God will exalt us at the proper time. Remember we share in the suffering of Christ and we partake in His glory! We will be lifted up with Him. We need to emulate Jesus by His Spirit and He is the ideal of humility. Philippians 2:1-11 reads,
So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The enemy is not in the body. The enemy is not the person who was chosen over you, the person who chose to serve when you didn’t, or the person who gets the attention you wish you got. The enemy is not in the world. It is not the lost, the rude, or even the wicked. The enemy is Satan, who hates you and is afraid of what we can do if we live in unity as Jesus prayed we would (John 17:21). Verses 8-11 read,
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Infighting and division are what the devil wants for us. Unity, love for one another, and understanding that we are not alone in this journey with Christ are what allow us to stand firm against those attacks and remember that Satan is defeated and we who have shared in Christ’s suffering also partake in His glory. He is the head of the church, He has called us, you, me, her, and him. He restores, confirms, strengthens and establishes. He finishes! We lean on Him, we trust Him, and He is faithful to complete what He began. The enemy is eager to destroy Jesus’ work, but he cannot touch us unless we let him in through the divisions we cause by our pride, envy, and bitterness. Our own plans as shepherds or members of the flock instead of God’s plans are what the enemy laps up. Galatians 5:13-15 says,
For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.
Brothers and Sisters, Beloved, we are one body, a body who Jesus prayed would be one, working together and living together to build His kingdom and glorify His name. Take seriously the position and gifts God has given to you and use them to edify the body, equip the saints, and glorify the LORD. Be earnest about humility, commitment, and honor to one another as we love one another and together love others as Jesus loved us.
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To Share In Christ’s Suffering is a Good Thing…Really!

8/25/2018

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 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus  is the one who died--more than that, who was raised--who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is  interceding for us. Romans 8:33-34
Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Romans 8:33-34
​We’ve been reading 1 Peter together in our daily devotional. He wrote this letter to Christians who had been exiled from their homes because of intense persecution. They had suffered terribly, they were still suffering. But Peter encouraged them by letting them know that they were not alone. Jesus had suffered too. His suffering had a marvelous purpose and it benefited them as it benefits us. Their suffering allowed them to share in the purposes of Jesus’ suffering. Believer, you and I share in that as well. And the fact is, that as difficult as suffering is, it does not have to affect us the same way it did before we had Jesus. It should not affect us that way at all. Let’s begin reading 1 Peter 4 with verses 1-2
Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.
Jesus was tortured, He died a death which is said to be the worst death a person can experience. Death by crucifixion takes a long time, the pain, the inability to draw in breath, and the powerlessness to give yourself even a moment’s comfort by repositioning or stretching is excruciating. It can take days to die by asphyxiation and exhaustion. Before He was nailed to that tree, Jesus was beaten, whipped, ridiculed, stripped, and forced to walk bloody and bruised to His death. But because of His torment, because He suffered in the flesh, we do not have to live in the flesh! We don’t have to live in sin anymore! We get to live for God, walk in His Spirit and sin is a thing of our past.
We can consider the pain and tribulations we go through similarly. Each trial we undergo, helps us to step further away from our old selves, the flesh self and more into the image of Christ. With each step we take, we realize we no longer want to satisfy the lusts of who we used to be, instead we want to please God and walk in His Spirit, doing His will and living up to His Passion. Your suffering is not futile. Your choice to walk in the Spirit instead of the flesh is not fruitless. Not only does the precious Spirit use each step to conform you to the image of Christ, He uses the fruit He produces in you to glorify God and bring the lost to the Father. Verses 3-6 reads,
For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. 4 With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; 5 but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does.
People want to know why you’re too good to join them for bar hopping, have meaningless encounters, and poison your body with substances that alter your perceptions. They feel judged when we no longer behave the way they do because the righteousness of Christ convicts them. They often respond by calling us self-righteous, arrogant, or hypocrites. They knew the old you, not the new you. It’s okay if they get convicted because you are living in the Spirit, they need to see their sin in a new light so they can grasp that they need Jesus.
But whatever persecutions or injuries they throw your way, they don’t mean anything, they cannot touch you or harm you, really. You join in Christ’s suffering. His Crucifixion means that no accusation made at you means anything, you are forgiven. No shame can humiliate you, because there is no condemnation in Christ. Nothing they do can hurt you, their fiery darts can’t pierce your breastplate of righteousness. Their lies cannot stand up to your shield of faith. The truth has set you free. And because you have the Holy Spirit, you can have compassion on them and forgive them. Jesus forgave the people who were torturing Him and killing Him as it was happening. He said they didn’t know any better. If Jesus could forgive them for that, you can forgive any wrong done to you, even while it is still being done.
 
You have the chance to show them some things. First, you get to love them even though they hate you and hurl insults and injuries. Jesus loves them. Jesus loves you even though you sinned, even though He died in your place, He loves you. You get the opportunity to share the Gospel. They may ask you why you’re not the same as you once were or why you’re not offended by them. You get the chance to tell them about Jesus. How could anything they say, any weapon they use, any missile they hurl hurt you when God is with you, for you, and in you? They need Jesus, they need the truth, they need their eyes open. They don’t know; they deserve the chance to come to Jesus. Because Jesus will judge the living and the dead. The sentence they face if they are dead is not one we want them to face.
The Day is coming! I want it to come, I long to be home with my Lord forever, but I also want more people to come to Jesus and be saved. I have so many loved ones who don’t know Him and when He comes back, I want them to be raised up in the resurrection not realizing too late that Jesus is Christ the Lord. I want them to know now who Jesus is while there is time. Verses 7-11 reads,
The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Jesus is coming back. The Day of the Lord is coming. The extraneous fluff of the world is not important. Our walk with the Lord is. We need to walk in the Spirit, love each other, and use our gifts to build u p the church, equip the saints, and glorify the Lord. People need Jesus. Living in the Spirit, the way Peter describes here, reveals Jesus to the world and to one another.
We suffer and we will suffer, that is a promise. If we don’t suffer then it is a sign that the enemy isn’t afraid of us. If we live a Spirit-filled life, that coward is terrified of us.  If we don’t suffer then apparently the world doesn’t see us as different from them. Suffering doesn’t have to be the terrible thing we fear. It can be good. It conforms us to Christ’s image, it glorifies God, and gives ample opportunity to witness to the Lord’s goodness. And really, what can hurt, offend, or grieve us if we have God who loves, defends, avenges, and protects us? God blessed you; can any curse stand up to Him? God chose you; can any rejection counter Him? God fights for you; can any enemy defeat him? Verses 12-14 read,
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.
Jesus suffered so much worse than any of us will ever have to endure. Our difficulties allow us to remember that and can encourage us that Jesus’ suffering saved us. As we answer suffering in the Spirit emanating the character of Christ, we reveal Him, we shine His light, and we can rejoice in our suffering. God is always with us, but we tend to appreciate Him more when we are forced to lean on Him. Suffering for the sake of Jesus’ name will happen if we are living and walking in the Spirit. But sometimes, our suffering is not because we are Jesus’ followers, but because of our own bad choices.
God is still with us then, He forgave our sins, but this kind of suffering doesn’t bring the same kind of glory to God. If I suffer because I am wrongly accused and persecuted the world can see the Gospel lived out in my life. If I suffer as the consequence for my sin, the world will see me get what I deserve and I should be convicted and repent, knowing that God is merciful and loves me and has already forgiven me. My response to deserved punishment is one of gratitude as God teaches me to walk in Him and not my flesh. But, the honor and privilege to suffer for Christ’s sake, to share in His suffering, and rejoice in it, that is where the true blessings pour down, where Jesus is revealed in all His splendor, and I know how loving, kind, and good He is. To suffer for Jesus is a reason to rejoice because the lost will see Jesus and come to Him and be saved. Verses 15-19 read,
But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. 16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. 17 For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And
“If the righteous is scarcely saved,
    what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”

19 Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.
When we suffer, we don’t walk around announcing our suffering to the world, ashes on our heads, and drawing attention to ourselves. We delight in the Lord, we continue to do good, love tangibly, and walk humbly under the banner of Jesus. We trust God to carry us through, fight for us, and work good. We hold onto our hope. We love one another, pray for one another, and use our gifts for the good purposes for which they were meant. 
 no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed,     and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord     and their vindication from me, declares the Lord. Isaiah 54:17
no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from me, declares the Lord. Isaiah 54:17
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Questions about Baptism

8/24/2018

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And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38
And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38
​I have been so excited to get to today’s devotional. After reading 1 Peter 3:18-22 yesterday, The Holy Spirit was calling me to go deeper into verses 20-21 which read,
because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. 21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
I prayed throughout the day and I included the desire to understand more about baptism. And He spoke to me, revealed things to me that I had been asking recently regarding baptism, and led me to verses which answered those questions for me through Himself. I first want to point out that baptism is immersion in water, it not metaphorical. The meaning of the word is “to immerse, submerge; to make whelmed (i.e. fully wet)” So when I am talking about baptism, this is what I am talking about.
There is another passage in the Bible that had me asking questions about baptism.  Acts 18:18-28 talks about Apollos who became a great figure in the formation of the early church. But when he began, he didn’t have the whole story.
 Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. 27 And when he wished to cross to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed, 28 for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.
Verse 25 says, Apollos only knew about the baptism of John, although he taught accurately about Jesus. So, I asked the Lord what that meant, what was Apollos missing? A little later the baptism of John comes up again, this time Paul comes across some believers who had not received the Holy Spirit because they had only been baptized with John’s baptism. Acts 19:1-7 reads,
And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. 2 And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John's baptism.” 4 And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. 7 There were about twelve men in all.
John’s baptism was one of Jewish tradition, it declared a person’s repentance of sins. When John baptized, God had not yet revealed Jesus as the Messiah, people being baptized just to repent from sins were not being baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They were being baptized to say, “I repent from my sins and will live a new life.” John was baptizing to prepare the way for Jesus. He told people, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2) Repentance was laying the groundwork for Jesus, making the paths straight so that the person would more easily believe the Messiah was here Matthew 3:3 says it this way,
For this is he [John] who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said,
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
    make his paths straight.’”

But until Jesus was revealed as Christ, no one could believe He is the Lord, no one could be baptized in His name and believe His message; He had not yet given His message or died and resurrected. He had not even begun His ministry as the Messiah.
John’s baptism was a statement of belief in John’s message to repent and prepare for the Messiah, it was not a statement of belief in The Gospel. When Jesus commanded baptism after His death and resurrection, He said to baptize “ in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). The baptism of Jesus, in His name declares, “I believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I am a disciple, also called follower, of Jesus.” It identifies the believer with the triune God, and it is the first act of obedience that declares the person will now obey the rest of what Jesus taught us to observe. The entire command is known as The Great Commission, it was Jesus’ assignment, His command to us given before He ascended to be at the Right hand of the Father. Matthew 28:16-20 reads,
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
John had more to say about the difference between his baptism and the baptism that would come later. After preaching repentance John said,
 “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
Jesus’ baptism would indeed be with the Holy Spirit. It is not the water that cleanses us, forgives, and saves in Jesus’ baptism, it is the confession as Jesus as Lord and belief in who He is, raised by God. (Romans 10:9). The Holy Spirit enters in and He sanctifies us, cleanses us with His fire. He is often compared to fire (Acts 2:3-4, Isaiah 4:4,). And the fire of the Holy Spirit is in direct contrast the unquenchable fire of hell. Either way there will be fire, one is part of eternal life, the other eternal death.
Jesus’ baptism is not without water, but it is not about the water, it is about God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is depicted in Jesus baptism by John. Jesus did not have to repent from sins, yet He still went to John to get baptized when it was time to begin His ministry on earth. Although John performed the act of submerging Jesus into the water, it was not the same as his other baptisms. We can read an account of it in Matthew 3:13-17
Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him;17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
First, John immediately recognized Jesus as the Messiah. He very rightfully said, “I need to be baptized by you.” Jesus did not refute the fact that John needed to declare his belief in Jesus as Messiah, but said, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” In other words, ‘You’re right, I am the Messiah, it’s not time for you to be baptized yet, right now, it’s time for my baptism, I need to satisfy my Father’s righteousness and do His will. I need to start my new life as the Son of God.’ Jesus Himself declared, He was being baptized not in John’s name or message but in His Father’s name and Righteousness. At the moment Jesus came up from the water three amazing things took place. Heaven was opened to Him, He stepped fully into the role of the Christ. The Holy Spirit descended and rested on Him, He stayed, marking Him as Christ and empowering Jesus with all the authority and power of God. His Father spoke to and acknowled Jesus as His Son who pleased Him.
This is what the baptism of Jesus Christ does for us. We acknowledge Jesus is the Christ in public. We are anointed with His Holy Spirit sealed as belonging to Christ and given authority and power. And we are claimed as sons and daughters of God who is pleased with us. When we are baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we are saying, “I believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” We are identifying with the worldwide church as a son or daughter of God and disciple of Christ. And we are performing a ritual of obedience to the command as a symbol to us and the world that we will continue obeying, learning, and identifying with Jesus.
Jesus’ baptism is also symbolic of His death and resurrection. We die with Christ to our old selves and are resurrected with Him to our new selves, born again. Those verses which began our journey today state that baptism corresponds with God bringing Noah safely through the water, out of the certain death that the rest of humanity experienced to new life and salvation. It is an appeal to God for discipleship under the Holy Spirit through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Those verses again read,
because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. 21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 3:20-21).
Paul also taught that baptism is symbolic of our dying to sin and resurrecting to new life in Christ. Romans 6:1-6 reads,
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.
 
Baptism also identifies us as members of the family of God, the Church. 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 reads,
For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
Baptism is the act which allows the believer to receive the Holy Spirit. After Peter taught the Gospel in Acts 2, many people were convicted and believed what he said. Acts 2:37-39 reads,
 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”
Baptism does not save, confessing with your mouth and believing with your heart that Jesus is Lord is what saves  Salvation is by grace through faith, (belief to the point of action) and not by works at all. Baptism is our assertion our affirmation of our faith, our belief that Jesus is Lord and Christ.
Baptism is a commandment from Jesus and He included baptism naturally as a testimony to one’s belief. In Mark 16 when Jesus was giving us His commission, He said, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.  Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” But that is not all He said. Baptism includes certain signs, Jesus continued saying “ And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover” Mark 16:15-18[i]
In other words, believers will be filled with the Holy Spirit and He will manifest and prove Himself in the Believer through His gifts. Such as speaking in tongues, the gift of healing and casting out demons in Jesus’ name; the believer is given supernatural protection against the enemy and persecution will not be able to hurt him. As believers, we choose to walk in faith and enjoy these gifts or deny them, quench the Spirit, and even give permission for injury from the enemy or persecution. Jesus said that baptism is a natural partner to belief and as we acknowledge Him before men, He will acknowledge us and the manifestation of His recognition and acceptance of us is being filled with the Holy Spirit.
In Matthew 10:26-33 Jesus said,
“So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 32 So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.
In one of Isaiah’s Messianic prophecies the Messiah is connected to baptism and forgiveness of sins, guidance and protection by the Holy Spirit. Isaiah 4:2-6 reads,
In that day the branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land shall be the pride and honor of the survivors of Israel. 3 And he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, everyone who has been recorded for life in Jerusalem,4 when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains of Jerusalem from its midst by a spirit of judgment and by a spirit of burning. 5 Then the Lord will create over the whole site of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, and smoke and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory there will be a canopy. 6 There will be a booth for shade by day from the heat, and for a refuge and a shelter from the storm and rain.
 
I hope this has answered some questions about baptism for you. It has for me. What is baptism? What is the difference between the baptism of John and the baptism of Jesus? Why do we get baptized and what does it mean? I am so excited about the things the Holy Spirit has revealed to me and I am thrilled to have a deeper understanding of Jesus command to baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.


[i] These verses are not in some early manuscripts and their authenticity is questioned, but research convinces me that they are authentic. For my research notes on the subject please feel free to email me.
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1 Peter 3:18-22 The Power of Loving Your Enemies

8/23/2018

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But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. Matthew 5:44-45
But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. Matthew 5:44-45
​Today we read 1 Peter 3:8-22 in our Bible devotional. It encourages us to remember to whom Peter is writing; he is writing to exiles of the Dispersion, persecution from Nero, persecution from governors, and from the many who had accepted that hatred of Christians was a good and acceptable prejudice. These people, our brothers and sisters before us were subjected to animosity in their new homes, but it was at least not what they had experienced under Nero, whose loathing of this strange sect called Christians was so extreme that he dreamt up new and terrible ways to kill them.
Throughout his letter, Peter has both encouraged the church, reminding them that their home is not here on earth, but in Heaven, in the kingdom of God, and exhorted them to behave as God’s chosen people even through their terrible circumstances. I know we all go through difficult and arduous times. Sometimes our walk can feel like a trudge with grueling step after grueling step. Remember Believer, you are not alone, you have your Father, Redeemer, and Comforter with you. You have your brothers and sisters in Christ. The walk never has to be us slogging through the mire, we walk together with our eyes focused on Jesus above the sludge and our feet on the water. We need each other. Verses 8-12 reads
Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 9 Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. 10 For
“Whoever desires to love life
    and see good days,
let him keep his tongue from evil
    and his lips from speaking deceit;
11 let him turn away from evil and do good;
    let him seek peace and pursue it.
12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
    and his ears are open to their prayer.
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

It is together that we can encourage one another and exhort each other to respond with the Spirit of Christ, the fruit He brings out in us, and the love He has perfected in us. When someone in the world is abused, they console each other not with love but with vengeance and hate. They cheer one another on to imagine ways they can hurt the person who hurt them. But that is not who we are; we are children of the Living God who made us and made them, who loves us and loves them. We respond like our Lord and we love them. We trust that what God said is true in Deuteronomy 32:34-36.
Is not this laid up in store with me,
    sealed up in my treasuries?
35 Vengeance is mine, and recompense,
    for the time when their foot shall slip;
for the day of their calamity is at hand,
    and their doom comes swiftly.’
36 For the Lord will vindicate his people
    and have compassion on his servants,
when he sees that their power is gone
    and there is none remaining, bond or free.

We are free to love our enemies, because we know God is just. Paul said it this way in Romans 12 :14-21
 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Loving our enemies does so much more than we might imagine. It might make them think twice about trying to hurt us since it doesn’t seem to be affecting us the way they thought it should. It can convict their hearts that perhaps we are not as bad as they imagined and perhaps do not deserve their persecution. It can lead them to Christ as we love them the way He loves us. And if nothing else works, if they do not reconcile with the Lord then He will repay them for their evil, He will avenge us. In Luke 6:27-31 (TLB) Jesus said,
“Listen, all of you. Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. 28 Pray for the happiness of those who curse you; implore God’s blessing on those who hurt you.
29 “If someone slaps you on one cheek, let him slap the other too! If someone demands your coat, give him your shirt besides. 30 Give what you have to anyone who asks you for it; and when things are taken away from you, don’t worry about getting them back. 31 Treat others as you want them to treat you.”
Is it easy to love our enemies? No. When Jesus taught that, it was radical. People were blown away by the very idea of turning a cheek and inviting more abuse instead of hating back. It is a hard teaching, and can only be followed by disciples of Christ, filled with His Spirit, trusting God to completely. He wasn’t just talking about that mushy gushy don’t have to prove it feeling, but real tangible love, acting in love, being beyond kind and good to people who are abusing and stealing from us.
Imagine a mugger, beating you and trying to steal your wallet. To respond as Jesus says, is to not fight back but freely give him your wallet and your coat, offer him your shoes as well. Then to say, “Can I pray for you? Do you need anything else?” Someone cannot steal what is being given; this kind of love forgives so completely that the crime was never a crime, it was an opportunity for kindness and compassion. That is not easy; in fact, I will quote Jesus again, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God” (Mark 10:27).
Do you know how much God loves you? Do you know He wants the best for you? He wants you to enjoy this amazing relationship with Him to luxuriate in the riches of His kindness and become the image of Christ He created you to be. He loves the mugger, the thief, and the murderer too. He loves the ex-spouse, the broken drug addict, the egotistical megalomaniac, and the neighbor whose dog will not stop peeing on your lawn. Can you love them too?
Sure they can hurt you, but can they really affect anything other than the physical or emotional you? Even then, they can’t take the joy, hope, faith, or love God gives. Can they take anything from you? Even if they took your life, they haven’t taken anything real from you; you have eternal life. Verses 13-17 say,
Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good?14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil.
 
Your response to suffering and persecution, to the evil that hatred puts on you is your opportunity to love your enemy. You may even have a chance to share the wonderful Gospel with the one who hates you. When they hurl another injury at you and instead of returning it, you offer yourself to them, they may ask, “How can you just take this?” “Why are you giving me this?” “What’s up with that?” You can answer with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, though I urge you to know what the Gospel is, so that you will speak truth, not fairy tale. You can answer with, “I love you because of Jesus. He loves you so much!” When you acknowledge Christ as the reason for your active love, The Holy Spirit will give you the words to follow with, He will whisper them to you and you can obediently speak His love to the person who so desperately needs to hear it. (Luke 12:8-11).
Jesus isn’t just watching from afar, He is at God’s right hand interceding for us. He knows what we go through because He suffered more deeply than we can possibly fathom and His Spirit is indwelled in us, working in us and through us, and sealing us. Jesus suffered the Crucifixion for us, for you Believer and for those who are hurting you. Verses 18-22 read,
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, 19 in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, 20 because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. 21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.
We could get really deep into these verses. The love I have for God’s word and all the wisdom, faith, knowledge, and discernment that understanding it gives makes me want to delve in right now. But, this is not the time. Perhaps tomorrow is the time for hanging out with this passage. Today, understand that Jesus died for us and them, so that we would no longer be us and them but all His. He saves, He baptizes us in our act of obedience as a statement of belief and identity as a member of the household of God, and a symbol of agreeing with the Lord in His death and resurrection for forgiveness of sins and gift of eternal life. But He also baptizes us by anointing or sealing us with the Holy Spirit, and filling us up so that we can walk or operate in His love, power, and authority. He enables us to love as Jesus loved us, as Jesus loves us.
To love the world, to love our enemies, even to love one another can only be done in earnest and in reality by His power. His love heals, His love speaks truth, His love saves! And really, if we cannot love others like this, then we have to question if the Holy Spirit is living in us, if we have proclaimed Jesus is Lord and Christ, and if we actually love the Father as we claim to love Him. John said it like this in 1 John 4:20-21
If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
Not only are you saying you do not love God if you cannot love your brother, but if you are tantamount to a murderer if you don’t tangibly love others. 1 John 3:13-18 says,
Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
To not love your enemy is to be okay with sending him to the eternal death of Hell. That is murder. The world is filled with haters, thieves, and murderers. The world will hate you and the world will persecute you. The persecution we are experiencing now is nothing compared to what the exiles experienced, and nothing compared to the persecution that is coming. It is building, and we can feel it. But we have the Lord. We have God, our Father, Savior, and Holy Spirit to help us love those who hate us and be the image of Christ, love perfected in us. 
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1 Peter 3:1-7 Femininity and Masculinity Empower Equality

8/22/2018

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God said, “It’s not good for the Man to be alone; I’ll make him a helper, a companion.”  Genesis 2:18
God said, “It’s not good for the Man to be alone; I’ll make him a helper, a companion.” Genesis 2:18
​Our Bible devotional of 1 Peter continues today with 1 Peter 3:1-7. As a woman, though not a wife, I often skim over the passages that read, “wives submit to your husbands” (Ephesians 5:22-24, Colossians 3:18, 1 Peter 3:1). It is because I don’t always see how those verses relate to me, and because it is difficult to hear that this command must be given so very often. But there is a reason they are given, it is not an anti-women sentiment; it is a building up of relationships sentiment. It is not about telling women to be subservient, it is about galvanizing women to be women and men to be men as we were meant to be. And these verses apply to us whether we are wives or husbands, men or women, single or married.
Many women in the world use these verses as the reason to believe the Bible and Christianity are patriarchal, anti-women, and likewise. The truth is, the Bible is quite up on equality. God sees all people equally, He shows no partiality (Galatians 3:28, Acts 10:34). But He does see the wonderful fact that though equal, we are unique. Men and women are different, with differing strengths, personalities, and roles. I personally think that it is wrong of the world to force women to give up the distinctiveness of their roles and the essence of their femininity to be equal. Should a woman have to give up what makes her a woman and make men redundant in order to be considered strong? In the world this is often the case, women are not free to be feminine because the moment they are, they give up the equality that the workplace and the men have told them they have achieved. In Jesus Christ, I know who grants me freedom and who makes me who I am. I know who I am in Christ, in God’s kingdom, in the church, and in the family, not because men or rules grant me that identity but because God grants me my life, name, abilities, talents, aptitudes and blessings. He wants me to use every one of those gifts to live up to the potential He has made. There is no glass ceiling, there isn’t even a ceiling. Our potential is much more than the world thinks is possible.
Men are men and women are women. We are who we are, we have inclinations for a reason. A man enjoying lifting weights to show off his muscles is natural. A woman enjoying having that man’s strong arms around her is natural. I would guess not too many men would want the muscular arms of a woman holding them. In the kingdom of God, men are allowed to be men and women allowed to be women. Women played key roles in Israel’s history, in Jesus’ ministry, and the early church. The Bible and Christianity are not misogynistic, quite opposite, women are held in high regard, encouraged to be powerful, and encouraged to be who we are meant to be.
When Peter and Paul wrote their instructions to husbands and wives it was to foster true relationships, to nurture Christ-like behavior, and to be different than the world where pride, arrogance, and self-glory are more important than submission to the heart of another or loving a person with kindness and sacrifice. Let’s get today’s passage. 1 Peter 3:1-7. Verses 1-2 read,
Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, 2 when they see your respectful and pure conduct.
Firstly, the likewise reminds us there is something before this. Just before this clause, Peter had told the Christians who had been exiled because of the terrible persecution of Nero that they must be subject to him and endure. Now, he says in the same way as you submit to authority as Christians who love Jesus and want to glorify Him, so you will also be subject to your own husbands. It doesn’t read women be subject to men. It reads” wives, be subject to your own husbands.”  The cultures the exiles were now exposed to were very different than the Jewish culture they had lived their entire lives. Though people married, marriage didn’t mean the same thing. Sex with people who were not your spouse was a part of idolatry. Men lorded their power over all women and could easily force a woman to kneel to his sexual desire and call it worship or freedom or a need. Does that sound familiar? If you’re a woman, it probably does.
Both men and women use sex for power still today. Men in the world feel more powerful when they lower a woman to nothing more than a sexual object. Women feel more powerful when they give up femininity and lord their sexuality over a man, bringing him down to his basal desires. Peter said not to give in to the worldly way of thinking. Wives were not to be subject to any man except her husband and a few verses later verse 7 tells men,
Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.
Men are to honor their wives, protect them and not allow the men of the world to take them in any way they crave, to demean or debase them. Husbands were are commanded to honor their wives. Honor means to value, to give the highest esteem, and to consider the most precious and costly.
So, wives are commanded to be subject to their own husbands and husbands are commanded to live with their wives in understanding. Understanding in this verse means knowledge, wisdom, and comprehension, specifically knowledge of the Christian religion. Remember at this time, women were not allowed to be educated in their religion. Women could go to the Temple on the Sabbath and sit in the women’s section, but the Temple was not a place where teaching was done, it was a place of worship and reading the scrolls. Teaching was done by the rabbis, it was done when men gathered in the courtyard and discussed and listened. The men had been allowed to study ,but until Jesus came, no one taught women what Judaism was about, except the husband. So naturally men understood more of The Way of Christianity than women, so part of esteeming the wife was to teach her and guide her in the discipline and practice of their religion.
Women are called the weaker vessel because they had not grown up being free to learn the scriptures. Jesus gave them that freedom and husbands could nurture it. Women are the weaker vessel because they do not have the brute strength of men and need protection from the predatory nature of some men.
Peter also reminds husbands the reason for this spiritual guidance and physical protection of wives is that they are co-heirs to grace and eternal life. For a man to somehow think he was better than his wife, more special in some way would hinder his prayers. He would pray from a position of pride and not from love. He would pray with the lie that grace was not for everyone and then what would Jesus life, death, and resurrection mean? How could he pray if he didn’t believe in the Gospel, grace, and Godly love?
Both husbands and wives can by their behavior as the image of Christ being spiritual benefit to the other. The husband by his knowledge, his understanding and honor of the wife, and the wife by her conduct. 1 Corinthians 7:12-16 in The Message has this to say,
 For the rest of you who are in mixed marriages—Christian married to non-Christian—we have no explicit command from the Master. So this is what you must do. If you are a man with a wife who is not a believer but who still wants to live with you, hold on to her. If you are a woman with a husband who is not a believer but he wants to live with you, hold on to him. The unbelieving husband shares to an extent in the holiness of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is likewise touched by the holiness of her husband. Otherwise, your children would be left out; as it is, they also are included in the spiritual purposes of God.
On the other hand, if the unbelieving spouse walks out, you’ve got to let him or her go. You don’t have to hold on desperately. God has called us to make the best of it, as peacefully as we can. You never know, wife: The way you handle this might bring your husband not only back to you but to God. You never know, husband: The way you handle this might bring your wife not only back to you but to God.
Reading these verses now, it is clear to me that men and women are equal under God, beautiful in his and her own ways and more so because of what makes men masculine and women feminine. Today, women give up what it means to be a woman so that she can be equal to man, she forgets that she is not the same as a man, she is his counterpart, peer, and mate. But today, she gives up the beauty of being a woman for the false beauty and false power of being attractive to men’s flesh, of painting herself as a sexual object instead of shining with the beauty of who she is. Verses 3-4 read,
 Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— 4 but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.
The ability to be yourself without being brash, aggressive, vulgar is a very womanly trait. Women are able to share their thoughts, express their opinions, and assert themselves with the gentle and quiet spirit that I have noted most men seem to be truly attracted to, not for a one-night stand but for a life partner. That gentleness and peace are a fruit of the Spirit, and take more strength than garish cries, forceful shouting, or temper tantrums. Men know they need the balance of the steadfast, tender, and calm to keep them walking in faith. Men can tend to depend on their own strength instead of God’s. We all can, but women are better at not leaning on their strength because so much of life has meant needing a man’s muscles or power.  A woman’s beauty doesn’t come from her clothes, jewelry, or make-up, it comes from her spirit of mercy and persistence, it comes from her ability to let her husband be the leader.
In the Christian home, the wife is not afraid to let the husband lead because she trusts God and she knows her husband loves her, values her, and so listens to her counsel; she knows her husband follows Christ, listens to the Spirit, and loves the Father. Verses 5-6 read,
For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, 6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.
What is it that women give up when they choose to submit to their husbands? It is not freedom, no one can take away what God has given. It is fear. A wife has no need to fear poverty, her husband will provide her needs as he trusts God to provide for them. A wife has no need to fear danger; her husband protects her as God protects them. She as no need to fear men; her husband has her as God has them. She has no need to fear death; Jesus has granted her eternal life.
I may not be married on earth. I do not have an earthly husband. Men do not have husbands on earth. Widows have lost their husbands on earth. But believers, we do have a Husband, He is God, our Maker and He is all the things an earthly husband should be and more. He is the LORD. Isaiah 54:5-6 reads,
For your Maker is your husband,
    the Lord of hosts is his name;
and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer,
    the God of the whole earth he is called.
6 For the Lord has called you
    like a wife deserted and grieved in spirit,
like a wife of youth when she is cast off,
    says your God.

God didn’t settle for you, He called you, He chose you, He redeemed you. There is no more shame, grief, or loneliness in Christ and there is nothing to fear. We can follow Him, obey Him, and trust Him because He is God our Husband. Believer, nothing can cause us to fear, there is nothing that can happen to give us reason to be afraid. Psalm 46:1-5 reads,
God is our refuge and strength,
    a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
    though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam,
    though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
    the holy habitation of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
    God will help her when morning dawns.

I hope I was able to clearly write what God has shown me today. I think it is a touchy and difficult subject when we explain why wives submitting to husbands is not misogynistic but empowering. Gender equality sounds great, but it is a lie. We are equal under God but distinctive in our genders making us equal. The exceptionality of our femininity and masculinity makes us ideally suited to be partners. Neither men nor women should have to give that up in pursuit of a perverted equality that really cannot and does not exist. God created you to be exactly who you are and in following Him you can become exactly who He purposed you to be, all your potential realized, and all your beauty appreciated. Psalm 139:13-18 reads,
For you formed my inward parts;
    you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made
Wonderful are your works;
    my soul knows it very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
    intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
    the days that were formed for me,
    when as yet there was none of them.

17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
18 If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
    I awake, and I am still with you.

 
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1 Peter 2:13-25 Endure Persecution, Hatred, and Oppression Like Jesus

8/21/2018

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Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. Hebrews 12:3 on still from Passion of the Christ
Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. Hebrews 12:3 on still from Passion of the Christ
​​We continue this Bible devotional of 1 Peter with chapter 2 verses 13-25. To put this into the proper context, we need to remember that the people to whom Peter wrote this letter were exiles of the Dispersion, they had fled their homes due to terrible persecution of Christians and were now living in strange places which were not their homes. They had every reason to be angry with the emperor who not only tolerated such maltreatment and discrimination, he encouraged it and carried out much of it. They had every reason to buck the authority of their new homes and old homes. Peter reminded them, that they were not the same as the people around them, they were not the same as their oppressors. They were followers of Christ, and their response would be different. Verses 13-18
Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. 18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust.
When we read these words, we might be tempted to say things like, “their emperor wasn’t like our leader. Peter wouldn’t have asked Christians to respect and honor a person like the one leading now if he had been alive to experience this.” Well, the emperor who Peter told the believers to submit to, respect, and honor was Nero. Yes, Nero the notorious and sadistic emperor who probably took part in the murder of his adopted father, so he could become emperor. He murdered his own mother and had his wife exiled and killed. He was passionate about persecuting Christians. He even blamed them for the infamous 64 A.D. fire which destroyed so much of Rome. His torture of the Christians ranged from having them torn to pieces by dogs to burning them and using the light of their blazing bodies as lamps for his parties. He built a golden palace on land which that fire had cleared. He depleted the Roman treasury building that complex and kept spending on his own desires. He was an egotist who threw extravagant parties where he sang and played instruments. He threw expensive public games to every five years in Rome and, competed in them as a charioteer. These are only a few of the terrible things this narcistic and power-hungry man did before his cowardly suicide in 68 when the Praetorian Guard and Senate pledged allegiance to Galba making Nero an enemy of the people. So, I seriously doubt, that Peter’s words would have changed if he had only known how ‘bad’ we have it. Even as it eventually gets worse before Jesus returns and we are persecuted the way these exiles had been, we will be expected to love and do good and honor God.
Peter exhorted the exiles to do good in order to put the ignorant to silence. He reminded the Christians that they were not truly under Nero’s thumb, nor under the rule of the governors. They were free and should live as free, not to sin, not to break laws, but to serve God, honor Him, shine the light of Jesus, and live out that powerful testimony to the ones living in ignorant darkness. We have the opportunity to do the same. Instead of spewing hate, instead of encouraging the chasm of hatred in our country we can live for the Lord, doing good, loving one another and therefore, glorify God. In this country and even in The Church, we answer accusations in a way that brings division and glorifies us rather than the Lord. We are free, our King is Jesus, our High Priest is Jesus. Our law is the Word of God. We are free to disrespect, and we are free to sin in any other way we choose. We choose not to sin, we choose to submit to one another, not because we are slaves but because we love each other. Galatians 5:13-15 reads,
For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.
Our choices to hold contempt for anyone, to refuse to love because Nero, the president, governor, police officer, pastor, or neighbor doesn’t deserve our love cannot and does not demonstrate the Gospel. Jesus took on our shame and endured the cross even though we didn’t deserve it. Peter wrote these words to the exiles in verses 19-22.
For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly.20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps
If the Christians had actually started the fire in Rome, they would have deserved punishment and though the deaths were horrific and too much, that was still the sentence for the crime. If you commit the crime and do the time, that is right but it’s nothing special. But to suffer when you do not deserve it, to be punished for doing good, following Christ, and ministering His love, that speaks volumes to the world. That is truly following Christ. Peter said it like this in verses 22-25
He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
Had Jesus deserved the death He received, it would have meant nothing to us nor done us any good. Jesus faced that horrible suffering with joy because He knew what it would mean for us and because He had entrusted Himself to God. Look at how God is described here, him who judges justly. That is Jesus! Jesus entrusted himself to God, not one part of God, not the Father, or the Son, or the Holy Spirit, but all of God. John 5:19-25 says,
So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. 21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. 22 For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. 25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.
 
Jesus entrusted Himself to God, whom He is, the one who judges justly. He entrusted Himself to God as He bore every strike of the whip, every bit of pain, and every insult hurled. He withstood it for us. Jesus suffered the curse of the tree, the curse of our sin, and the curse of terrible torture so that you and I and that person who hates us could be blessed, saved, and sanctified. Jesus told us to love those who hate us and He lived that out when He went through the passion of torture and death of the Crucifixion. In Luke 6:27-36 Jesus said,
“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.29 To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either.30 Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. 31 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.
32 “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. 35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. 36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.
Hebrews 12:1-4 reads,
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. 4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
So many people are watching us and taking note of how we live. Fellow believers both strong and weak in faith are encouraged when we respond like Jesus. The world is watching. They might believe because Jesus is revealed in our behavior. If you are reading this, you haven’t yet died for your faith, though one day you might. Doing good, answering well, and submitting to authority as Jesus did, well that might get hard, but it is always worth it. Someone will see, someone will take note, and God will be glorified.
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    Donna Campbell

    As I read the Bible every day, I take what God teaches me, what He says, and write it out. I then share that with you. It gives me a deeper understanding of the Word and I hope that it will encourage you as it does me, to put your love and faith into action.

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