140914 Choose Holiness and Peace

2 Peter 3:14-18 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.

As we come to the end of Peter’s second letter we find him pressing this point home: We have a responsibility to focus on a life that honors God. Peter began this letter with a call to add to our faith qualities of life that every Christian should reflect. Peter assures us that everything we need pertaining to life and godliness has been given to us by God’s divine power. Much of the second letter is written as a warning to avoid false teachers and false teaching. Peter wants his beloved Christians to remember the words of the prophets, and the prophetic words of Jesus Christ and the apostles. Especially we should remember that Christ is coming again! Now let’s look at the last words in the letter.

Since we are waiting on the day of the Lord and the end of all things as we know them. Jesus is coming again! A day when the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved! And according to his promise we will see new heavens and a new earth that will be a dwelling place of righteousness. I suppose part of the problem is that many Christians are not waiting for these things. Folks, let’s get with the program! We need to be expectantly waiting for our Lord to return and in the process there are several things that we should be doing. First of all…

We must apply our faith diligently. Turn with me to Paul’s letter to the Philippians chapter three verses twelve through sixteen. Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. ¹³ Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴ 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.

Since we know that Jesus is coming again we must apply ourselves to living out the Christian life. Paul points us in the right direction. This side of heaven we will never be perfect. Paul said that he counted everything as loss that did not point him to Jesus Christ. The most important thing in life for him, and for us, is to be found in Christ Jesus. Our righteousness comes through faith in Christ not through our good works. Our righteousness grows out of our faith and is a gift from God. We should join the apostle in laying aside all our human achievements in order to know Christ.

When I first came upon this passage of Scripture I was impressed with the idea that the apostle Paul talks about “knowing Christ” or “that I may gain Christ” and as a result be found in him. Paul, who wrote most of the New Testament, felt the same things we feel and desired, spiritually, the same things we desire.

So he said “I press on to make it my own”. And he can do that not because he was a Pharisee or a persecutor of the church but because Christ Jesus has made him his own! This is an amazing thing! That the man who was looked to as “a Hebrew of the Hebrews” should feel a need to lay aside all his achievements in order to put the past behind him and press forward, in faith, toward the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. If anyone had ever “attained it” or “obtained it” that person would have been the apostle Paul. I love the fact that he is positive that God will reveal to us what we need so long as we hang on to what we have. We must apply our faith diligently and…

We must seek to be blameless. Turn with me to 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24.  Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴ He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

There is an awesome unity in the Word of God. Peter refers to us being found in Christ “without spot or blemish”. That is a pretty high goal for anyone. To be without spot or blemish is referred to by the apostle Paul in Ephesians chapter five. There he refers to Christ loving the church and giving himself up for her so that he could sanctify her, washing her with the word, so that he could present the church to himself “without spot or wrinkle” being holy and without blemish. Notice that in this Thessalonian passage Scripture speaks of our being completely sanctified. Sanctification is a work of God and man, cooperating with each other, making us more and more free from sin and more and more like Christ in our lives. Now before you start organizing a “sanctification plan” with a series of actions and goals that we are to complete in our own strength look again at this passage. It is the God of peace who will completely sanctify us. Not by works of righteousness that we have done, it is God who does the work in us. As verse twenty-four says, “He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it.” Please allow me to quote from Bill Gillam’s book Lifetime Guarantee. We need to keep in mind Bill is talking about believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who have confessed with their mouth that Jesus is Lord and believed in their heart that God raised Him from the dead and are saved. Listen to this! It is a very important concept!

All your needs are met. Your Father has everything under control that happens on earth. He is totally accepting you and loving you. You are a son or daughter in the Father’s forever family. You are “holy and blameless before Him”. You have become a “partaker of the divine nature”. Think on these things. Focus your mind on this truth.

It’s reality! “When Christ, who is our life...” (Colossians 3:4). Wow! He is your life! Right now, He is the only life you have. If He were ever to leave you, we’d know it right away, because your earthsuit would fall over dead. Your soul and spirit could not reside in your body without His life, because your old life died in Him at Calvary. So much for losing your salvation. Since Christ is your life, wouldn’t it be a normal thing for you to let Him express His life through you? Jesus is the only one who ever lived a victorious life, and His indwelling Holy Spirit is the way He can now express that life through you. That wouldn’t make you a little Jesus, as some teach, any more than you were another Adam when you were once in Adam. It’s just that now, instead of Adam’s life of self-service, you have Christ’s life of serving others. It’s His life we have, not His personality.

We may never be faultless but we are blameless in Christ. As long as we live in this world system we will do things less-than-perfect. As long as we’re less-than-perfect there will be fault in what we do. But as long as we allow the life of Christ to be lived through us we will be without blame. Because we are in Christ we are without spot or wrinkle — holy and without blemish. Praise God! He does the work!

We must apply our faith diligently, seek to be blameless and…

We must make it our goal to be at peace. Turn with me to Romans 14:17-19.  For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸ Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. ¹⁹ So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.

Throughout my adult life I have never seen more conflict and quarreling in the public arena than we have today. Jesus said that the peacemakers will be blessed. I wish I could see a peacemaker in our social society. These conflicts spill over into the church. We are supposed to be at peace with one another and, along with that, able to encourage and strengthen one another. I think it’s very interesting that being found by him without spot or blemish leads to the idea of being at peace. Of course! When Satan attacks us he goes after our peace. If Satan can convince us that our faults are part of our personality and our salvation depends on our good works he can take away our peace. If he can move us into the idea that we can earn our salvation if we can be good enough then he will certainly be able to take away our peace and drive us into depression! Remember, it is God who is faithful! He will do it!

We need to lay aside all concept of anxiety and by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving make our requests known to God and then the peace of God — it’s beyond all understanding — will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus!

We must apply our faith diligently, seek to be blameless, make it our goal to be at peace and…

We must avoid getting carried away with error. Turn with me to Colossians 2:6-8. Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, ⁷ rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. ⁸ See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.

The world we live in is filled with error! We have the responsibility to stick to the truth and avoid being taken captive. The greatest danger does not lie with the secular world. The greatest danger is in religion. The deceived and the deceivers twist the word of God to their own destruction and the destruction of those who follow them. It is an easy thing to be deceived. For instance.

You find yourself in money problems and then you turn on the TV or radio and hear someone say all you have to do is… and your financial problems will be solved. I once had a friend phone to tell me about an evangelist that he heard that day on a popular Christian radio station. This person said that if you are having trouble paying your bills it is because you don’t trust God enough. The evangelist instructed his listeners to add up all their monthly bills, send that amount of money to him, and destroy the bills. He then said God would give them one hundred times what they sent to him. That is error! The radio station should have removed him from their listing and someone should have sued him for libel against God!

You watch as you ride through the village and you will see two nice-looking young men dressed in dark slacks, a white shirt and a tie. They are deceived and they will deceive you if you will let them. They are Mormons and not Christian!

It may be on a Sunday morning when you didn’t feel like going to church that some nice lady, or gentlemen, will come to your door and offer you some literature and ask to be invited in. They feel like they’re pretty safe when they call on Sunday morning! They believe that the people who are home then are not active Christians. They are Jehovah’s Witnesses and they are deceived and will deceive us if we let them.

The apostle John in his first letter said that we are not to believe every spirit. We are to test them! He went on to say that confessing that Jesus Christ has come into the world in the flesh is the standard we must use to measure truth and error. (1 John 4:1-6) Paul warned Timothy that in the latter times (we live in them) some would come devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons. They will have consciences that are seared, forbid marriage, and impose dietary restrictions.  (1 Timothy 4:1-5) They are all around us and we need to watch out for them. As far as teaching is concerned the Bible is the only Book that is without error. Every other book, or teaching, needs to be approached the same way you would a fish dinner. When you approach a fish dinner you need to be careful to avoid the bones and eat the meat. Pretty much every Christian book which you find yourself picking up will have some bones in it. Don’t throw the book away — throw the bones away! If it’s really, really, bony then throw it away. Don’t bother with it. It’s a waste of time!

If you’re confronted by someone in your church that you believe to be in error correct them in love. Try to determine if their error affects something that is essential to salvation. If it is simply a matter of preference for a particular view of the second coming, or of spiritual gifts, then encourage them not to make that a test of fellowship. A long time ago I was told by someone much smarter than me that everyone has the right to be wrong and I have accepted that as my policy. Everyone does not have to agree with me in order for me to fellowship with them. But, those who are in error must not try to drag others into their error. That is the way cults develop.

We must apply our faith diligently, seek to be blameless, make it our goal to be at peace, avoid getting carried away with error and…

We should rejoice in God’s patience. Turn with me to Romans 2:4. Let’s see what God’s patience is intended to do.  Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance.

There’s an old saying, “only the good die young” and I believe there’s a certain truth to it. Of course it is not absolute. Only God knows whether a person will come to faith if they are given more time. The warning found in Romans is that we are not to take God’s patience for granted. Today is the day of salvation! There may not be any more days! God’s kindness and forbearance and patience is meant to give everyone an opportunity at salvation. Not everyone will take advantage of God’s patience but some will.

Let me tell you a story about Johnny. When I was in college, studying for the ministry, one of our activities was to go out on a Saturday night into a particularly rough part of town and preach on the street corner. While one of us would preach others would go along talking to individuals. One night while I was preaching a premed student, I wish I could remember his name, stopped an elderly man as he was coming out of a saloon. I couldn’t hear what was being said but I watched as this man knelt in the gutter and gave his heart to Jesus Christ. We had no plan for follow-up except to pray for these people.

About a year later a couple of us, Don Degarmo and myself, took our families and went out to a rural area near Richton, Mississippi. There was a church there that had closed down. We met with a couple of people who had been members of the church in the past and we agreed to resume worship services there. I’m glad to report to you that that church is still in existence after more than 40 years.

One Sunday morning, after the service had begun, I looked up and saw three people come into the back door and take a seat. One of them was the elderly man that I saw giving his heart to Jesus in the gutter. At the end of the service we extended an invitation to give a public confession of faith in Christ and this gentleman stepped out and came down the aisle.

I thought I knew who he was and he immediately confirmed it because he said that he had come to know Christ one night in the gutter in front of a bar. He publicly gave his testimony and asked to be baptized. I rejoice that God’s patience was present with Johnny to give him an opportunity to be saved after he was 70 years old. Not only do we rejoice in God’s patience but we soon discover that He has implanted that same quality in ourselves. Listen while I read Galatians 5:22-24. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. ²⁴ And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

The fruit of the spirit is implanted in every Christian’s life. It is not something that happens to you after salvation it happens at the time of salvation. I believe that the fruit of the spirit is love showing itself in joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. God’s kind of patience grows in our life because He has implanted His spiritual fruit in us. As we mature in the Christian faith one of the evidences of the presence of Christ in our life is the patience with which we are able to be with others.

We must apply our faith diligently, seek to be blameless, make it our goal to be at peace, avoid getting carried away with error, rejoice in God’s patience and…

We are to grow in grace and knowledge of Christ. Listen while I read 2 Timothy 2:1-2. You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, ² and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

Peter has instructed us to maintain a steady footing in our spiritual life. We are to do this by avoiding the error of lawless people and applying ourselves to spiritual growth. Peter continues to urge the addition of spiritual qualities to our life. We are to grow in grace. In John’s Gospel we are told that though the law came by Moses grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. (John 1:17) There is a harmony in the Bible concerning the need for spiritual growth. Paul writes to Timothy that he is to be part of a chain of events that we also are part of.

Paul says that Timothy is to take what he has been taught and share with faithful men who will then be able to teach others. In this verse there is a four step process: Paul — Timothy – faithful men — others. That process of growing in grace, teaching one another, strengthening one another, caring for each other has continued without interruption for the past 2000 years! In fact Jesus prayed for that process go forward in His high priestly prayer found in John, chapter seventeen. Jesus said, “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word.”  (V. 20)

We see in these verses a continued emphasis by Peter on the need for spiritual growth. Many times people claim to come to faith in Christ and then there is no observable spiritual growth. In the first chapter of second Peter we see that the qualities of Christian growth are a key to the assurance of salvation. The qualities that Peter calls on us to add to our faith are: virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection and love. He assures us that possessing these qualities and growing in them will assure our effective ministry. If we lack these qualities we can come to the point in our life where we even forget our salvation. Are you adding these qualities to your life? Please make that a part of your day-to-day activity and you will never fall! (2 Peter 1:5-11) We have no assurance of tomorrow — today is the day! Don’t put it off any longer!

All scripture quotes are from: The Holy Bible: English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

140831 How Should We Live?

2 Peter 3:8-13 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. ¹⁰ 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. ¹¹ 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.

About two thousand years have passed since Jesus ascended into heaven. At the time of his ascension his disciples were told that he would return in the same manner. But, since so much time has passed, many people, even Christians, doubt that He is coming. There have been many explanations of why Jesus has not returned. Well, I am convinced we need to believe the Bible and stop explaining it. The word of God says that He is coming. Jesus Himself said that He will return and that’s enough for me. Since He is coming again how should we live?

That’s a question we should ask ourselves often. Not only is He coming back but in a very real sense He is here now. How should we live when we know that the Lord Jesus Christ is ever present with us in His Spirit? Jesus said, “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” That should have a very strong influence on how we live our lives. But more than that, He who is with us spiritually also promises to be with us physically.

Since Jesus will be here in person we should live…

In expectation and anticipation. Turn with me to Philippians 3:20-21 and listen while I read.  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.

We need to remember that our primary citizenship is in heaven. We may, or may not, be citizens of the United States of America. If we have confessed that Jesus is Lord and believed in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead the Bible says we have been transferred from the domain of darkness to the kingdom of Heaven. That change of citizenship should initiate a new set of loyalties and commitments. At this point in time we have several citizens of the United States of America being held in foreign countries. I can’t think of anything right now that would be more welcomed by any of them than for a representative of our government to come for them. Nothing would be more exciting than for the President himself to arrive.

Well, that’s what it will be like when Jesus returns, if we are still alive. The promise of Scripture is that those who are alive will be caught up together with those who have gone before to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord!

This little bit of life we have on earth will come to an end and we will be with the Lord either through death or through transformation at His return!

We should eagerly anticipate Christ’s second coming…

In holiness and godliness. Remember the qualities that Peter told us we would have to work at? Turn with me to 2 Peter 1:5-7. Listen while I read. 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.

The Christian life should be one of growth. We begin with faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Our faith tells us that He has paid the price for our sin on the cross and been raised again to prove that He has the power to deliver us. That faith is the beginning point in the Christian life and as we anticipate His return we should be making every effort to grow in grace. This growth in grace will reflect holiness and godliness. In fact, in Hebrews chapter 10 we are told that God’s discipline in our life, which is often painful, is so that we can share his holiness. When the apostle Paul asked for the thorn to be taken from his side he was simply told that God’s grace is sufficient for him. That “thorn in the flesh” was for his good just as our “thorns” are for our good and for our growth. We need not talk about the cross we bear but instead we should remember that many of the physical problems we have are not crosses, but instead are thorns. The writer of Hebrews goes on to encourage us to struggle for “holiness without which no one will see the Lord.” We are to be set aside for God. We belong to Him! The presence of Christ in our life and the gift of grace make us holy in God’s sight.

We are to live lives of eager anticipation, of godliness and holiness that is…

Free from bondage to material things. Turn with me to 1 Timothy 6:6-10. There is great danger in the influence that material things have over us. Listen while I read But godliness with contentment is great gain, ⁷ for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. ⁸ But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. ⁹ But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰ For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

Timothy was Paul’s “son in the faith” and Paul wanted him to be successful. He begins his admonition with an encouragement toward godliness and contentment. These are qualities that cannot be purchased but are part of the gift of God. Discontent exposes us to all kinds of evil influences. We need to remember that we can’t take anything with us.

Well, we can have it buried with us but it won’t do us any good. For example, this really happened. Before he died in 1899, Reuben John Smith of Buffalo, New York, made sure that he would spend eternity in comfort. He was buried seated in a leather recliner chair with a checkerboard sitting on his lap. Smith also requested that he be dressed in a hat and warm coat with the key to the tomb inside his coat pocket. I can assure you that all his preparations were for nothing. Long before Mr. Smith’s body was interred, along with his recliner, he was facing one of two realms. He was immediately in hell or heaven. What was done with his body meant nothing to him.

I heard about a man who all his life had desired to have a hundred thousand dollars in the bank. He reached that goal not too long before he was diagnosed with a terminal illness. This was very frustrating to him. He was not going to be able to enjoy the money he had accumulated! So, he asked his wife if she would put the money in his casket before it was closed. She said yes she would do that. True to her word just before they closed his casket she placed an envelope in his hand. A friend who knew about the situation asked her, “Did you really put that money in there?” The widow replied, “Yes, but in order for it not to take up so much room I wrote a check.” I suppose that the love of money had been no blessing to him.

We need to make every effort to be content with what we have. Money itself is not evil. But the love of money leads to all kinds of evils. A desire to be rich leads to covetousness and self-centeredness that dishonors God in our lives.

I have come to the conclusion that God will give us everything he can trust us with. I think that explains the condition of a lot of Christians! Not only are we to live lives of eager anticipation, of godliness and holiness as well as a life of freedom from bondage to earthly things we must be…

Using our time wisely. Turn with me to Ephesians 5:15-21. Listen while I read. Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶ making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. ¹⁸ And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, ²⁰ giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹ submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

This passage of Scripture is often misunderstood. It usually is only used in a discussion of being filled with the spirit. There is a lot more in this passage than just Holy Spirit fullness.

Whatever we do whether in word or deed should be done to the glory of God. Because, as Jesus said, we are to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be given to us. (Matthew 6:33)

Some people — in all seriousness — believe that we should use every moment of our time in some kind of “meaningful activity”. In the Psalms we are told that God created the great sea creatures to play in the ocean. (Psalm 104:26) In God’s admonition to Job he referred to the wilderness areas as being where all the wild beasts play. (Job 40:20) Since God allows his creatures to play it seems to me that he allows us to play also. I believe our lives should be balanced between work and play. Either one of these by itself, in excess, can lead to utter failure in our lives. Wise use of our time will cause us to focus on the will of God. We need to remember that there is a time to weep, and a time to laugh. We are to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. We are to live in harmony with one another rejecting pride and haughtiness. We should make every effort to live at peace with everyone. (Romans 12:14-21)

We are to live lives of eager anticipation, lives of godliness and holiness as well as lives of freedom from bondage to earthly things. We must be using our time wisely… With concern for those around us. Turn with me to Matthew 28:18-20. This passage is the Great Commission that Jesus gave His disciples just before he ascended into heaven. Listen while I read. 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.”

In the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ we are to go about our daily activities in such a way that those around us will listen when we witness. Notice how Jesus puts it. Since we are “going” anyway we should be willing to disciple other people.

I realize that “disciple” might be a scary term. The way we use the term “discipling others” in the church today implies a lot of learning and teaching. I don’t believe that’s what Jesus had in mind. Once you know the Lord Jesus Christ you have all the “tools” that you need to be a disciple maker. Our lives should be lived in such a way that others can imitate us and not be in the wrong about anything. In fact, several times Paul admonished his Christian friends to imitate him or to imitate other Christians. Paul intentionally lived his life so that he could provide an example to imitate!  (2 Thessalonians 3:9)

Friendship is one of the most important tools that we have. We need to spend time with other people as their friends. To paraphrase a popular saying at social events “friends don’t let friends drive drunk” we should say “friends don’t let friends go to hell”. When we do bear witness to another person they should know that we are concerned about them and want them to know what they need to know to get to heaven. Once they have placed their faith in Jesus Christ as Lord then, and only then, are they to be baptized and taught. You only need to know that you know Christ in order to introduce him to another. Baptizing and teaching should be part of the Church experience that naturally follows in our lives.

Paul, in writing to the Corinthians, had some instruction and a word of exhortation. Turn with me to 1 Corinthians 15:33-34. Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” ³⁴ Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.

This passage of Scripture should be a rebuke to us as well as the Corinthians. In Stamford, New York, there are people who have no knowledge of God and we should be ashamed. On any given Sunday there are more than one thousand residents of the village who are not in church.

In his book, “The Chaos of the Cults”, J. K. VanBaalen referred to the “cults” — meaning Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons, as well as other smaller groups, — when he said that they are the unpaid bills of the Christian church. His position was that if the church did its job properly then there would be no one willing to listen to these false teachers because they would know the truth — whatever they were doing with it.

Our lives should be lived in such a way that others would be inspired to find out what it’s all about. Paul told the Colossians, “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person”. (Colossians 4:5-6) this parallels what Peter said in his first letter. “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,”. (1 Peter 3:15)

We are to live lives of eager anticipation, lives of godliness and holiness as well as lives of freedom from bondage to earthly things. We must be using our time wisely with concern for those around us. Our concern for those around us should be first focused on their coming to faith in Christ. If we take care of their food needs and their clothing needs without taking care of their spiritual needs we will do them a great disservice. I heard one preacher say that taking care the physical needs without bringing them to faith in Christ just sends them to hell fat. I believe we are guilty of not speaking enough about Christ or of not living a life that will cause them to ask, “How do we do it?”.

The Bible is filled with direction as to how we should live our lives. We should not be passive simply waiting on God to do the work. We have an active role in our lives. We are to strive for peace and holiness (Hebrews 12:14). We are to abstain from sexual immorality. (1 Thessalonians 4:3; 1 Corinthians 6:18) We are to purify ourselves. (1 John 3:3) We are to avoid partnership with unbelievers. (2 Corinthians 6:14) We are to cleanse ourselves in the fear of God. (2 Corinthians 7:1) This is not a passive endeavor it requires effort on our part. I am not talking about earning salvation by works. I am talking about works that show our salvation. Real faith produces real work. Have you put your faith in Him? Today is the day of salvation. Now is the accepted time.

All scripture quotes are from: The Holy Bible: English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.