5For this very reason, make every effort
to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness,
and steadfastness with godliness, 7and godliness with
brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from
being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
If I've learned one thing about what it means
to be a follower of Christ, it's that there is a reason that I am still here
and not in heaven right now. One thing is very clear to me, and that is it
would be cruel of God to "save" me from my sins and then leave me in
a fallen world, full of suffering and evil, for no reason except to wait for a
natural death. What is that reason? The bible is clear that Christians have a
mission.
Let me describe what that mission
is NOT.
It is not to accept as true, that Jesus was real and was crucified, and then keep
those beliefs to yourself, so as not to offend anyone; then, to assimilate as
much secular culture as possible, so as to blend in and be accepted by that
culture. The mission of the Christian is not to be financially successful, with college degrees, a nice house, car,
and a perfect, beautiful family.
Is it wrong to have nice things and be
successful? Of course not! They just are not the mission of the
Christian. Is it wrong to enjoy secular entertainment? Sometimes. If you do not filter the things that you watch and listen to through the principles of
scripture, then you are allowing that to shape your thinking instead of the
truths found in scripture. By the way, as I read it, the bible condemns most
of what I see coming out at the movies and TV. This is the essence of Romans
Ch. 12:2. "Do not be conformed
to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing
you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and
perfect." ESV
Renewing of the mind happens when the
Christian reads, meditates, and studies the word of God much more than he
or she reads, meditates, and studies the worlds entertainment.
What IS the Mission?
Simply put, the reason Christians aren't
"beamed" straight to heaven, is that it's God's will that Christians
are the means by which He has decided to show himself to the unbelieving
world. That is our mission: To reveal the glory of God through
our transformed and distinctive lives and by opening our mouths and proclaiming His truth to everyone.
Getting back to our verses today:
The reason I went on the "Mission of the
Christian" rabbit trail is because it is the subject of today's scripture.
This list of virtues indicates the ways in which a Christian can reveal God's
glory through their life.
8For if these qualities are yours and are
increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Comments
Post a Comment