By Grace Know Your Place Part Four

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If we wish to be Christ like in our character humility is a must. Jesus humbled Himself, so we too must humble ourselves. This is an act of the will on our part.

True humility at work does not see others as stepping stones for something I need in life. Others do not exist for my benefit, I exist for theirs.

Humility enables me to serve others and feel grateful that I can do so on any level.

Humility enables us to fulfill Philippians 2:14 ¶ Do all things without grumbling or questioning,

Just imagine how much would get done in the kingdom of God if the body of Christ embraced in this type of humility?

In fact the way to be blameless and innocent children of God without blemish in such a generation as we live in can only be realized through humility.

If you want to be relevant in this generation and make your mark as a shining light then humility is the way to do so!

Do you know your place?

On the job? In the home? In the church? In your neighborhood? Among your friends? At school? In society at large? At this season of your life?

How do you respond to those in authority in your life?

It is one of the surest tests we have for evaluating the level of humility we walk in. Christ humbled Himself and became a servant and so will we if we walk in humility.

Superior minded people seek to be served by others, but the humble desire to serve others and delight in the privilege to do so.

By grace know your place and enjoy it!

By Grace Know Your Place Part Three

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In the order of things in life anytime something or someone gets this wrong it creates a situation that we define as dysfunctional. Original sin makes mankind by nature dysfunctional. Observe.

A marriage relationship where the wife lords over her husband is considered dysfunctional, a child who tries to force their will as opposed to the parents creates a dysfunctional home. An employee who thinks they can boss the boss creates a dysfunctional work relationship. We would think it strange if someone tried to arrest a policeman just because he gave them a ticket.

Where there is humility and mutual submission there is peace and harmony.

Leaders who lack humility can become manipulative tyrants or too timid to address or accomplish anything. Avoidance for the sake of convenience and comfort is self serving and lacking humility. Being a tyrant is about the same thing but achieved in a different but more obvious way.

Leaders aren’t perfect just as those who follow aren’t perfect. Leaders are placed in authority by someone else in authority. It always has to come from someone with greater authority. There will always be leaders and followers. Although it is true leaders aren’t perfect it is still possible to have good leaders and still have conflict and tension.

Knowing our place is important for more reasons than we realize.

Submission and a gracious response to authority on any level is most difficult where there is a lack of humility in either the authority themselves or the one under authority.

Philippians 2 has some very eye opening and heart challenging revelation about the character of Christ in it.

Philippians 2:1 ¶ 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 rivalry 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 made himself nothing, 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. 12 ¶ Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. 14 ¶ Do all things without grumbling or questioning, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,

Wow! Even Jesus knew His place.

By Grace Know Your Place Part Two

I often hear people trying to define or measure grace based on how tolerant of sin or obnoxious behavior in others we might be. The nicer we are to them the more grace we exhibit. Although it is true that grace can change the way we respond in situations involving sin it also enables us to understand our place in all areas of life and keeps us from barging into things we have no business being in.  Grace enables us to respond to authority with humility.

We are living in a generation that seems more and more out of touch with this truth in life. There seems to be a growing contempt for authority on any level.

For instance: Scripture teaches us to respect our elders due to their years of life and wisdom. A humble person is more than willing to extend this kind of courtesy to the elderly.

In the Scripture we are told that the older women in the church are to teach the younger women some specific things about life.

The only way this exchange of wisdom and practice can occur is if the older women are willing to impart and the younger women have the humility to listen, watch and learn.

If we remove the ability to know our place in the body we all will eventually suffer from it. Although we have all received grace and our salvation is on equal footing, there is an order to things.

In speaking to the church of Corinth regarding the issue of order the Holy Spirit moves Paul to use the analogy of the human body and express what kind of chaos would result if certain body parts started to think they no longer needed each other or decided they wanted to have a more honorable position.

1Corinthians 12:18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”

We need each other and we need each other through humility to know our place and by grace enjoy being there.

By Grace Know Your Place Part One

Luke 14:7 ¶ Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, 8 “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, 9 and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. 10 But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. 11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Jesus was watching the others in the room and observes something that opens a door to teach. Life is filled with teachable moments for anyone humble enough to be taught.

Jesus used this parable to teach two important things that should never be ignored:

1)  By grace know your place and enjoy it

2)  Humility leads to honor, high mindedness leads to disgrace.

The art of knowing ones place is based on an attitude of humility. Nothing teaches us our place in life better than grace. It is God who calls us and gives us our place in the body of Christ. It is by grace we have been saved through faith, it is not of ourselves it is a gift. We did not earn the right to be His because we possess some amazing ability to choose better than others. That would mean we were smarter and with that attitude we are likely to look down on those not as wise as ourselves in their choosing.

In this parable a lot of assuming was going on. A Pharisee was hosting a feast and obviously invited his religious elite friends to it.  Self righteous people can tend to be oblivious to the truth concerning their place and these folks were of that sort. They were coming into the feast and choosing the choicest seats without any thought that the seat they were choosing may be meant for someone the host has preferred to give it to.  They just assume the host would consider them of such great importance that they should take the choice seat. People who think too much of themselves and their abilities end up in humiliating situations over and over again from not knowing their place by grace.

Jesus portrays the one who invited people as the only one with the authority to determine which seats belonged to whom and what measure of honor they should be given. We do not get to determine the level of honor we are due. That is up to God and those He has placed in authority in our lives.

The Key To Personal Revival Part Five

Romans 12:16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be conceited.

Have you ever tried being friends with a conceited person? Superior minded folks are usually critics and are difficult to fellowship with. No one else ever measures up and they act as though they are doing you a favor by giving you five minutes of their time.

Remember the two thieves at the cross? One said, if you are the Son of God then get us down from here! The other one wouldn’t even look at Jesus and he said please remember me when you come into your kingdom. One was humble the other arrogant thinking he deserved better oblivious to his guilt and just punishment and unable to recognize the love, mercy and greatness of the one next to him. He had a sense of entitlement but he received nothing.

A lack of humility makes us blind and numb. It leads us to having a sense of entitlement in life. A, “you owe me” attitude. Entitlement treats others as though they owe us something and if they fail to deliver we become angry with them.

How many people have you ever encountered who are angry with God because he did not do for them what they felt they deserved and now they are bitter with Him?

Humility has always been and will always be the key to personal revival in our lives. Humility makes me able to realize I need you and you need me and we both desperately need Christ all the time. It is the gateway to grace being put to work in me.

My personal revival begins when I humble myself, approach His throne of grace boldly to get the help I need so I can also be of help to you even when I am weak. Humility such as this is the key to my personal revival and yours. I encourage you today to come boldly before His throne of grace and find the help you so desperately need! He still revives the heart of the humble!

The Key To Personal Revival Part Four

Have we forgotten the encouragement of Colossians 2:6&7?

Have we testified that we are rooted in Christ but neglected being built up in Him and established in the faith?

We are continually built up in Him by remaining receptive to His grace. When we receive we realize how it is of Him and not us. How can we discern we are receiving as we ought?

The common response to receiving is, “thank you.” This simple response reveals the level of humility a person walks in. It is not demonstrated when someone refuses to look you in the eye, or speaks in a timid monotone voice. Humility is most rightly expressed through thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is the recognition that I have received something from someone other than myself. I did not do this on my own and therefore it is right to say thank you to the one responsible for making it happen.

While my father and mother were alive it would have been most inappropriate for them to thank me for being their son. I did not choose them they chose me when they decided to bear a child together. Instead the appropriate response would be for me to thank them for giving me life in the first place.

You know you have been embracing a wrong gospel when it fails to produce in you a genuine gratitude for God that results in giving thanks to Him for His great mercy and generosity.

What kind of thanksgiving am I referring to?

Athletes who receive honors will out of courtesy say thank you. But it does not mean they have this same spirit of thanksgiving at work in them. They may feel that they earned the trophy or award by their hard work and amazing talent. Their “Thank You” is appropriate to say, but in such a case it is said based on their appreciation that someone noticed their achievement. This civility is accepted as an appropriate response in such situations. But it is not the thanksgiving spoken of here in Colossians.

A humble act of thanksgiving recognizes the contributions made by others realizing that without them one would not have achieved anything at all. An example of this would be reflected if that same athlete were say, “I want to give thanks to God who gifted me with certain abilities that have enable me to achieve great things in this sport, I wish to thank my trainer and coach who have helped me focus so I might improve at what I do, I wish to thank my Father and Mother who gave me life and sacrificed to make it possible for me to engage in this sport investing their time and resources into making my dream a reality, and I wish to thank the fans whose encouragement helps me strive to do better.”

Humility has always been a difficult practice to embrace in the church when people embrace wrong doctrine regarding the gospel. Paul had to ask the Corinthians, “what do you have that you did not receive from another?”

Humble people recognize the contributions of others and thank them for what they mean to them this is why without humility at work in us we are unable to experience genuine community and fellowship as the body of Christ. We miss out!

The Key To Personal Revival Part Three

James 4:6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble."


1Peter 5:5 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble."


We need to return to where we were when we first came to Christ.


ESV Colossians 2:6 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.


How did we receive Christ?


We had to come to the foot of His cross empty, sinful, helpless and humbled. We had nothing to give Him and we were made aware by His Spirit that He had everything to give to us.


We brought Him our unrighteousness, our self will, our independence, or brokenness. He gave us His righteousness, His love, His purpose, His life, His power, and His healing. We came to Him empty and we were filled. This is how we are to walk daily with Him. We are to empty ourselves out to Him so we might be filled with all His fullness. This is done in humility and faith.


A humble person never loses sight of their need for Christ and His willingness to love them and empower them with His grace.


This is what Paul spoke of when he was saying in his weakness Christ is made strong. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak, we ask God to help us in our weaknesses by filling us with His Spirit afresh.


We stumble when we embrace the deception that we could manage on our own and stop asking for His help.

The Key To Personal Revival Part Two

The prescription for restoration, for healing, for a fresh start, and for empowerment from God, is the same for all of us no matter where we find ourselves. If you are in this condition and needy today I have good news for you, there is hope! There is an answer!

First: we have to cease pretending to be something we’re not. This despair will not be broken by putting up a front that we have it all together. This is likely the greatest hindrance there is to personal revival. Honesty and vulnerability is the only thing that can help any man or woman, and yet, it is the hardest thing for someone who is struggling to walk in.

I am not superman! I am not a man of steel there are many things I can be weakened by in life. I am a man, a human being and I have weaknesses and frailties, emotions, and five senses that God gave to me for a purpose. These things can sometimes be an asset and sometimes they are my greatest weaknesses. Sometimes what we think to be our greatest strength can become our weakness.

No matter how weak I might feel, no matter how defeated I may appear to be, no matter how strong the snare of the enemy, the prescription of God remains simple, it stays constant, it never changes!

It is the solution to sin, to prayerlessness, to a lack of hunger for the word, to my avoiding Christian fellowship, to feeling inferior to others who seem more spiritual. It is God’s timeless answer.

What is it?

Humble yourself! God revives the humble!

Isaiah 57:15 For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.

Humility is not a last option when all else fails, it is our first and only option else we fail.

The Key To Personal Revival Part One

It would seem of late as though the only way one might be validated is if they have either had and are still having supernatural experiences or are being used to bring about such experiences in others. There can be an addiction to spiritual highs. I enjoy the spiritual highs as much as the next person. They are exciting!

But what about those who are in the midst of struggle?

What about those who feel very distant from God right now?
Seventy disciples had been sent out two by two by Jesus. When they met with Jesus they reported how demons were subject to them in His name and were all excited about it Jesus said in:

Luke 10:20 “do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice that your names are written in Heaven.”

Jesus gave them something constant to rejoice in because men of God have their mountain top experiences as well as their valley experiences and both spiritual experiences have their place and purpose in our lives. We all love the spiritual high times when we feel most like we have it together as we should, but they are not the constant in our lives, nor are the valley experiences, thank God.

It is the valley experience that gives validation to the idea of personal revival in the first place. The fact that I can struggle and need God can be a good thing. But there has been a strange ideology sweep through Christianity that implies that the less dependent upon God we become, the better off we are. Some propose it is Christian maturity. The fact is you and I need grace just as much today as we did when we came to Christ at the first.

Paul the Apostle boasted in his weaknesses because it was through those weaknesses that Christ was made strong. When Paul was in weakness and something was accomplished there was no mistaking it was Jesus who made it possible, the idea that others would have to acknowledge Jesus was doing it thrilled Paul.

Life has a way of making us feel numb sometimes. It has a way of beating on us until we begin to wonder if we are conscious or not. It can come at us so fast that we wonder what to do next.

It is in these weak moments that we least expect God will use us to do anything. It is in these types of moments that we, based on our feelings, feel far away from God. It is at these times that we question whether we can hear clearly from the Lord or not. We wrestle with ourselves and with the principalities. Sometimes we become disappointed and find ourselves tempted or even giving into sin in some area.

How can we ever be restored?
How can we who are in such despair get free?
Where is personal revival for those of us who feel as though we have forgotten what it means to walk with Jesus?

I can promise you this. The prescription for restoration, for healing, for a fresh start, and for empowerment from God, is the same for all of us no matter where we find ourselves.

If you are in this condition and needy today I have good news for you, there is hope! There is an answer!

An Exhortation to Disciples Part Seven

2Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

There are Three important things we should note here regarding the Scriptures we dealt with the first two in a previous post and will address the third in this final post:


3) The purpose intended in the proper use of them.

a. Making us competent (Competent is a loaded word here. It is translated in other versions as complete or perfect. The idea is that of it being a tool used of God in our lives to bring about growth in the life and righteousness we have received through faith in Christ. It is intended that what we have received within become outwardly expressed as we grow in the truth. It is used in the sense that we were custom made for a specific purpose and through knowing the truth we discover what we are fitted for in life and we become effective in the gift we have been given.)

b. Equipping us for every good work (It is in the Scripture that we discover: Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. 

God has a wonderful plan for our lives that is not discovered ambiguously by us but rather as we invest ourselves in knowing His word and allowing the Holy Spirit to use that word to unveil to us His heart and plan for us intended to be known though belonging to Christ.)

As you can see these few verses of Scripture are loaded with sound instruction for any disciple of Christ who is serious about knowing Him and desiring to live godly “in Christ.”

These passages will only prove to be frustrating for those intent on adding to what has already been done as opposed to desiring to understand what has been done so they might walk in fullness of faith regarding what has become their through knowing Jesus Christ.

These passages reveal their riches to those in relationship with God through Christ alone.

An Exhortation to Disciples Part Six

We should never seek to diminish or marginalize the importance of the Scripture in our lives. It is through the Word of God that we discover the truth concerning Christ. There is a reason the Holy Spirit moved on men to write it for us. There is a reason God has so well preserved it throughout the ages for us. It needs to once again become cherished in the church. Here we find that the Holy Spirit speaking through Paul to Timothy is going to promote the use of it in the life of a disciple of Jesus for some very specific reasons. It is true there are those who use it maliciously to abuse others or to try and control others with it but we should not allow the misuse of it by others to make us disinclined to being good students who use it properly.

2Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

There are Three important things we should note here regarding the Scriptures in this post we will cover the first two:


1) How much of it is God inspired. (Here the Holy Spirit makes it clear that all of it is God breathed. There are not portions that are more inspired than others, all of it is useful to us when properly used and understood.)

2) What things it is profitable for in the life of a disciple of Christ.

a. Teaching. (It is clear that it is intended that Scripture be taught. It is meant to instruct us in matters of relating to God through Christ, in matters pertaining to understanding life in this world being lived as disciples in Christ, and in matters pertaining to how to rightly relate to one another through love and the responsibilities that brings upon us. Our Father has not left us without a means of insight into His character and His direction for our lives.)

b. Reproof. (This word has more to do with getting something right than it does the typical notion associated with it. Most see this word and think of being set straight by someone. The idea here is a positive right discovery of the truth rather than a negative shaking of the finger in ones face and being told one is wrong. It speaks to the idea of our discernment growing and being fine tuned by the instruction of Scripture.)

c. Correction. (This word is just as it appears. The way we discover we have missed the mark in some area is through an understanding of Scripture. But this is not about becoming astute in the Law. It is about becoming astute in matters pertaining to the truth. We need adjustment in matters pertaining to the differences between the old and the new covenant for instance. It is through having the Scripture opened to us by the revelation of the Spirit now that we are in Christ that we discover the benefits of New Covenant grace.)

d. Training in Righteousness. (This language implies that it is already a done deal but now it is time to understand what the done deal is and how it is meant to work in our lives. This is training meant to make us righteous, we already are made righteous through faith in Christ alone. This is more to do with bringing us to the place of revelation understanding regarding what this imputed righteousness we have been given produces in us as we yield to the work of the Spirit and the life of Christ in us.)

An Exhortation to Disciples Part Five

2Timothy 3:14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

We are to know three important things: Vs14
 
1) Who we learned the truth from (herein lies the secret to exposing untested and possibly unreliable teachers that abound through the avenues of media and other sources. There are many good teachers and gifted men and women out there but there are also as many if not more unreliable ones. Here we find the Holy Spirit admonishing young Timothy through Paul to know who he has learned the truth from. There is relationship involved and it is supposed to count for something in our efforts to rightly discern who we should trust and what teachings to believe. When we know who we learned from we also know the way in which they have lived and the example they have set for us through practice. Embodied in this may well be the instruction found in:

Hebrews13:17 Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit.

If someone doesn’t trust the ones in leadership where they enjoy Christian community and are being taught the Scripture, then why would they wish to be there? A disciple should be able to trust that the men in charge of caring for their souls are genuine, sincere, equipped and discerning. Men able to teach who are sound in their understanding of Scriptural truth and committed to the gospel. A disciple engaged in Christian community should at least have enough knowledge to know and trust that the leaders follow Christ. This is why there is a list of credentials for elders and deacons in the church.)

2) We should know the benefit of being acquainted with Scripture from childhood (If you have had the privilege of growing up in the church or in a Christian home where the Scriptures have been taught to you then you are a blessed person indeed. There seems to be a growing number of people who speak about this particular privilege as being negative. They wish to marginalize this great experience. Truth is, those having this advantage should count it a blessing. In Timothy’s case Paul is viewing this to be of great advantage to him and a reason to expect that Timothy should conduct himself in a responsible and discerning manner. It is not a negative thing to be acquainted with the Scriptures from childhood. This to me this is a good basis for promoting the idea of children being taught to memorize the Scriptures. Familiarity with the Word of God is a good thing. On the flip side, if you did not have this privilege it is never too late to familiarize yourself with the Word of God. Begin to study it consistently and look for Christ being revealed in the pages of it. It will be a blessing to you in more ways than you can even imagine.)

3) We are to know that the Scriptures are able to make us wise regarding salvation through faith in Christ (Notice how the Holy Spirit stays consistent with the full purpose of Scripture. He makes sure Timothy sees the importance of being wise about salvation through faith in Christ. Any salvation that goes beyond being through faith in Christ alone is no real salvation for it is limited in both its scope and it’s power. The idea of promoting the understanding and study of Scripture is not so we can simply be smarted or possess a little more Bible knowledge. The end is meant to be that we become wise with regard to salvation and that we understand that it is through faith in Christ that we are saved. This text is not outside the gospel of grace but is rather rich with it.)

An Exhortation to Disciples Part Four

2Timothy 3:14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

We are to continue in two things: Vs14

1) What we have learned (Doctrine is important. The word doctrine simply defined is a structured teaching. Everyone has followed some sort of structured teaching along the way. The question is what structured teaching have you embraced? Can your structured teaching be defended soundly by Scripture as a whole? The ability to deceive others is heightened where the idea of not having sound doctrine is promoted. The conscience is undeveloped or deceived where the Scriptures are not properly taught. True and healthy discernment is the byproduct of sound teaching and belief. Sound teaching and doctrine take into consideration the whole of Scripture.)

2) What we have firmly believed (not a passing belief in something but a belief we are willing to contend for. Firmly believing implies that it is a belief that at this point and time is non negotiable and strongly set in us. Is there a body of truth that you believe so firmly by a convinced faith you are unwilling to let it go? We are for instance encouraged to earnestly contend for the faith. What faith? The faith once handed down to the saints. Faith in this case is not an abstract concept of believing for something but rather believing in something. More particularly a person, Christ Jesus. In such a case getting the gospel right would be a tremendous significance.)

An Exhortation to Disciples Part Three

2Timothy 3:12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
There are Four important things to note at the start of these two verses we just read, we've already covered the first three so now we will cover the fourth.

4) The places where this persecution is likely to occur: Vs 13


a. In the world (Since evil people aren’t likely to be found in churches it stands to reason that they would be encountered in our day to day affairs in this world. The work place, schools, the market place, our communities where we interact with people outside our church community.)

b. In the church (Imposters are pretenders and to be such they must be found in an environment where they can pretend to be what they are not. This means we should expect to sometimes encounter persecution even within the church when it involves an encounter with an imposter.)


Because of the growing threat regarding the ones desiring to live godly lives in Christ Jesus, a threat which is directly tied to the eminent worsening condition of the opposition that will be surrounding them, advice is given here that should be heeded by anyone who is serious about following Christ in these last days.
Consider the nature of corruption and decay if you will.

Ever noticed something that has been weakened by decay?

Would you be willing to cross a deep gorge on a dry rotted and frayed suspended rope bridge?

The ever worsening condition of evil men and imposters will be such that they will be like a dry rotted and frayed suspended rope bridge to all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus. They will seek to deceive those of us committed to Christ in an attempt to validate themselves, and the way they live. They will be very convincing since they will be deceived themselves already and therefore deeply believe what they practice to be true. They actually believe the lies they have embraced and can be passionate and sincere about them. It would be foolish for us to refuse to heed the counsel of Scripture regarding this.

2Timothy 4:1¶ I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom:  2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.  3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,  4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.  5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

An Exhortation for Disciples Part Two

2Timothy 3:12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

There are Four important things to note at the start of these two verses we just read I have covered the first two in a previous posting and will address the third in this post.

3) The reasons for this promise of persecution are simple: Vs 13 It involves; (a. & b.) two types of people, (c.) their declining conscience towards anything good, and (d.) their evangelistic nature regarding their deception.


a. Evil People (Evil people are those who are just plain bad, they enjoy sinful pleasures at the expense of others. You are not likely to find these people in churches but you will encounter them in day to day life.)

b. Imposters (Imposters are those claiming to have faith while practicing sin. They may very well go to church and seem sincere on Sundays, but during the week they live a different lifestyle.  They are also often symphathizers with the ungodly)

c. They will go on from bad to worse (They will not improve with time. They in fact will go from bad to worse.  Many attempts at reasoning do nt prove succesful in stopping their decline.)

d. They will be deceiving and being deceived (They seek to deceive others by dragging them into their own deception, a deception they too embraced from others. They are trapped in a cycle of deception. They are evangelistic according to their deception. They cannot be happy unless others are joining them in their ideas and opinions.)

An Exhortation for Disciples

2Timothy 3:12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.


There are FOUR important things to note at the start of these two verses we just read.  I will seek to cover just the first two in this post.  The first two are as follows:

1) Those who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. Vs12

     a. This is given as a guarantee, a promise if you will we know this based on the use of the word, indeed.
     b. The reason for the persecution is based on having the desire to live a godly life in Christ.

     c. This persecution is not random in its selection. It clearly says who and how many of them will experience this and it is “all who desire to live godly lives "In Christ."

2)  The issue presented has to do with desiring to live a godly life “in Christ.” (We should not read this as saying those who wish to be godly now that they have received Christ. That is not what is conveyed here. To miss the point of it being about being “In Christ” would be a great mistake to make. We are already made godly by being “In Christ” and our goal is to better understand what that means to us as we seek to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus. The attempts to move us away from this rock of truth that anchors the soul will be many and of great influence. Therefore it is of great importance that we understand just what is being instructed here. Great deception is predicted in the last days so we will do well to equip ourselves in the sound truth of Salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone. But make no mistake here, the idea conveyed is about a desire to live a godly life. Understanding it correctly enables us to realize that we are to do so not with despair when we miss the mark, but with joy knowing we are “in Christ” and therefore we do not become discouraged and give up as those without hope. We get back up and brush the dirt off our clothes and start walking again. We desire to live godly lives but we are “IN Christ.”)

Just A Thought

2Timothy 3:12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

It seems to me of late that the amount of publications and comments on persecution appear to be more geared towards sympathy for the ungodly as though they are the ones persecuted somehow. 

Those seeking to live godly lives in Christ become accused of being critics even if they live their lives quietly because a life lived for Jesus Christ declares righteousness even when the mouth is silent.  I will agree that those who make it a practice of being obnoxious or hateful should not claim they are persecuted for this reason stated.  No one likes arrogant, conceited and hateful people who speak down to others.  But can we honestly say that the arrogant superior minded believer is in the majority?  It hasn't been my experience.

Meanwhile, it would appear that the ungodly falsely accuse and criticise the godly and find sympathizers within the church to support their claims.  Some seem to wish to define love as never saying anything to another person regarding the danger of sin.  It is becoming more and more acceptable to think that living as the world does in order that they will not think Christians are mean or out of touch is the way to be relevant.  So those who think differently and actually seek to live differently in devotion to Christ are persecuted for it.

I have never known anyone to seek out a homeless man for advice on new home purchases or becoming rich, or an addict on how to kick a habit.  People who know they are in bondage, or who wish to succeed, generally seek out those who have proven themselves.  They look for the ones who appear to have an answer.

If sinners are to find the grace available to them through Jesus Christ they must observe it at work in the lives of His followers.  Should this not lead them to expect that believers in Jesus would be different in some way and speak the truth in love to them?  The Law will have to be used lawfully in proving that sin is exceedingly sinful and destructive before the grace offered through faith in Jesus Christ will be amazingly glorious and wonderful. This means, like it or not, morality will have to be discussed on some level with those who live ungodly lives.

To speak with any authority on the subject of morality grace should be effectively producing the fruit of righteous behavior in us.  We do not do good to earn anything from God, but we do obey the Spirit and cooperate with His work of sanctification in our lives. He leads us out of our old ways of living independent of Christ and doing our own things, into a life surrendered in obedience to Christ.  Living "In Christ" means we will be a reflection of His character and attitude in life.  Like Jesus we will live to bring honor to the Father.

This is why we must be reconciled to realizing that, "those who live godly "in Christ" will suffer persecution.

I seem to recall that most of the multitudes who at one time followed Jesus for the fishes, loaves and miracles deserted Him when the going got tough and may have been part of the crowd shouting crucify Him before Pilot.  To argue that only the religious leaders persecuted Jesus would be a complete denial of the facts represented in Scripture regarding the crowds at the trial of Christ.  Society turned out to turn against the Savior on that day.

If they persecuted Jesus, why not those of us who follow Him? 

Have you experienced the fulfilment of that prophecy and promise of persecution yet?