Tag: purity

1 Peter 1:13-16 – Be Holy

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment

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Therefore, your minds must be clear and ready for action. Place your confidence completely in what God’s kindness will bring you when Jesus Christ appears again. Because you are children who obey God, don’t live the kind of lives you once lived. Once you lived to satisfy your desires because you didn’t know any better. But because the God who called you is holy, you must be holy in every aspect of your life. Scripture says, “Be holy, because I am holy.” (GW)

 This is the Christian season of Eastertide. It is a time with a focus on new life in Jesus Christ. God did not save us only for a future life; believers are delivered from sin, death, and hell to also be holy in all we say and do in the here-and-now. The life of the Christian is to be characterized by holiness.

Everything comes down to God. As God’s image bearers we are to reflect God’s character in all things. Unity, harmony, love, and peace always exists within the triune God. Therefore, we, too, are to be characterized with these same qualities. We are to be holy because God is holy. Just as God separates himself from evil, wickedness, impurity, and all that is wrong in the world – so, we are to live a holy life separate from everything that creates and fosters division, hate, abuse, oppression, violence, pride, greed, theft, gluttony, avarice, adultery, and the host of human sins which bedevil the world. God is not at all okay with racism, favoritism, gaslighting, bullying, selfishness, hubris, and all kinds of crimes against humanity which destroy both creature and creation.

Thus, holiness of life involves both a separation from immoral and unethical thoughts, words, and practices; and, a connection with integrity and righteousness which becomes thoroughly grafted into daily life.

The Israelites of the Old Testament had a clear understanding of holiness. In fact, an entire book is devoted to holiness of life: Leviticus. The Apostle Peter drew from Levitical law when addressing the expectation of a holy life:

“I am the Lord your God; sanctify yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy.” (Leviticus 11:44, NRSV)

“Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” (Leviticus 19:2, NRSV)

“Set yourselves apart for a holy life. Live a holy life, because I am God, your God. Do what I tell you; live the way I tell you. I am the God who makes you holy.” (Leviticus 20:7-8, MSG)

The ancient Israelites, through a series of regulations about what to wear and not wear, what to eat and not eat, how to relate to one another, etc. were continually reminded of God’s holiness. The importance of a pure life free from the drag of unholy living is the Levitical aim. Rather than following the crowd into mob action that damages people and property, holy living goes against the grain of popularity to seek purity of life.

Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” (Matthew 5:8, NIV)

We are not to slide away from our new life in Christ when the going gets hard. That means holiness involves Stay at Home orders, to be separate, even though it is a rough economic hit. It means maintaining social distancing, to have separation between each other, even though it goes against how we have always operated. Holiness means finding creative ways of connecting to one another, making a living, and promoting the common good of all persons. Holiness doesn’t involve impatience, tunnel vision, and allowing our shadow selves to call the shots. Holiness does involve expressions of love, peace, and unity – the very qualities that characterize God himself.

Confidence is born of trust in God’s kindness. Clarity of thought comes from immersing ourselves in God’s non-anxious presence. A holy life arises with the awareness and acknowledgment that God is with us.

Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, that all my thoughts may be holy, as yours are holy.
Act in me, heavenly Father, that my actions, too, may be holy, as yours is holy.
Draw my heart to you, Lord Jesus, so that I love only what is holy, as you love what is holy.
Strengthen me, Mighty God, to defend all that is holy, as you are just and holy.
Guard me, triune God, that I may always be holy, as you are always holy.
Amen.

Click Take My Life by Scott Underwood as we express our desire to be holy.

Seven Christian Virtues

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Exploring Church Ministry BlogLeave a comment
            The Christian life is a struggle, a wrestling match of putting off bad behavior, and putting on good behavior.  Like a set of dirty clothes, we take them off and put on new clothes (Ephesians 4:14-5:20).  We must do both, putting off and putting on.  It does no good to take off dirty clothes and stand there naked.  Neither does it make any sense to just put clean clothes on over your dirty ones.
The seven deadly sins of lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, anger, envy, and pride are bad habits of vice which darken the heart.  From them springs the evil behavior of the world. We must put them aside.  In their place we are to put on the seven heavenly virtues of purity, self-control, generosity, diligence, forgiveness, kindness, and humility.
1.      Purity
 
The insatiable habit of committing mental adultery needs to be replaced with purity of heart.  The pure of heart seek to better themselves through confession, repentance, and accountability.  One reason many people do not experience victory over their lust is that they confess and repent without allowing themselves to be held accountable by a wise spiritual mentor or a safe small group of people.
“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10, NIV)
 
“Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.  Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:1-2, ESV)
 
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8, NIV)
 
2.     Self-Control
 
The glutton overindulges to the point of addiction.  He needs self-control.  Self-control is to engage in the good things of life in moderation, learning to say “no” before it’s too late.  Notice this is self-control, not others-control.  The way to gain mastery over yourself is not through controlling other people.  It’s tempting to blame others for our gluttony, but the path forward is through taking small steps of personal courage and faith.  Lent is the perfect season to intentionally plan to put aside one vice or besetting sin in your life.
“Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city.” (Proverbs 16:32, NIV)
 
“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:7, NIV)
 
“Control yourselves and be careful! The devil, your enemy, goes around like a roaring lion looking for someone to eat.” (1 Peter 5:8, NCV)
 
 
 
3.     Generosity
 
The greedy person only thinks about money and how to get more.  Greed can only be overcome with generosity toward others.  Not only are we to liberally give money away to those in need, we are to be generous with encouraging words, go out of our way to do humble service, and be effusive in spending time with those who need it.
“But if there are any poor Israelites in your towns when you arrive in the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tightfisted toward them.  Instead, be generous and lend them whatever they need.” (Deuteronomy 15:7-8, NLT)
 
“Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.” (Proverbs 19:17, ESV)
 
“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.  Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.” (1 Timothy 6:17-18, NIV)
 
4.    Diligence
 
A lazy and indifferent attitude doesn’t want to get involved.  It needs to be replaced with a diligent hard-working spirit.  Diligent people seek to make a difference in the world.  They roll their sleeves up, jump-in and get to work on the great problems of the day.
“The lazy have strong desires but receive nothing; the appetite of the diligent is satisfied.” (Proverbs 13:4, CEB)
 
“The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.” (Proverbs 21:5, ESV)
 
“So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9, NRSV)
 
“Whatever you do [whatever your task may be], work from the soul [that is, put in your very best effort], as [something done] for the Lord and not for men.” (Colossians 3:23, AMP)
 
 
 
5.     Forgiveness
 
Maybe it goes without saying that anger and forgiveness are mutually exclusive terms.  An angry person doesn’t forgive – she just wants to get even.  Putting off those angry clothes means putting on the clean clothes of extending forgiveness.  Forgiveness is neither cheap, nor easy. It can’t be done quickly or hastily.  It’s the difference between throwing on a few sweats – and getting dressed up in a tuxedo.  Forgiveness takes care and time.
“Put aside all bitterness, losing your temper, anger, shouting, and slander, along with every other evil.  Be kind, compassionate, and forgiving to each other, in the same way God forgave you in Christ.” (Ephesians 4:31-32, CEB)
 
“As holy people whom God has chosen and loved, be sympathetic, kind, humble, gentle, and patient.  Put up with each other and forgive each other if anyone has a complaint. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” (Colossians 3:12-13, GW)
 
6.    Kindness
 
Envy is the evil rot that separates people.  The antidote is kindness.  To be kind is to celebrate what another has achieved that you haven’t.  Kindness extends friendship instead of trying to knock another person down a peg so that you can try and have what they have.  Kindness creates connection and heals division.
“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.  Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7, ESV)
 
“And to your service for God, add kindness for your brothers and sisters in Christ; and to this kindness, add love.” (2 Peter 1:7, NCV)
 
7.     Humility
 
If pride is the root from which all other sinful attitudes break ground, humility is the herbicide that kills that root.  To be humble is to know that others have a valuable contribution to give.  Humility listens because it doesn’t think it has all the answers.  The humble among us quietly serve others without caring if it draws attention to themselves.
“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” (Ephesians 4:2, NIV)
 
“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” (James 4:10, NKJV)
 
“God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (1 Peter 5:5, NASB)
 
 
 
            Developing Christian character is more than identifying the vices and bad habits of life; it is replacing them with these seven virtues.  Cultivating true Christian virtue is in the struggle to be better, and not in the notion that one can achieve perfection.  It is the continual wrestling with one’s own shadow-self that allows the virtues to gain a foothold in the soul.
            Therefore, church ministry needs to be a place where people are free to struggle, doubt, and wrestle with their inner demons.  Genuine ministry is a hospital for the soul, resembling more of the messy triage work of the emergency room, than the sanitized antiseptic room on the top floor who hasn’t seen a patient in days.

 

            Try using these Christian virtues as a way of having a conversation about the nature, direction, and goals of your ministry.  Are these virtues evident in your context? Why, or why not? Which one needs the most attention? How will you address it?

Purity

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Exploring Church Ministry BlogLeave a comment
 
 
“The wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure” (James 3:17).
 
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” –Jesus (Matthew 5:8)
 
            All of the New Testament epistles are letters written by Apostles to particular problems and situations within certain churches.  When the Apostle James sat down to pen a letter to the Jewish Christian churches in Gentile dominated countries, it was to address the state of their fellowship, their Christian lives, and the unhealthy church dynamic that was taking place.  The believers faced a great deal of adverse circumstances as Christians.  Sometimes they responded well, and sometimes they did not.  The problem was that they wavered between having faith in Jesus and relying on other things besides God to deal with their problems.  James labeled this kind of thinking that worked itself out in not-so-good behavior as “double-minded” (James 1:8).  The term I would use that reflects what James was getting at is “fence-sitter” or “fence-rider.”
 
            The church was vacillating back and forth between knowing that God loves them and wondering where he was in all their trouble.  They would look into God’s Word, but then would walk away and not do what it says.  They would claim faith in Jesus Christ, and then turn around and scheme about ways to cozy-up to the wealthy so that they could have a healthy church budget.  They would claim to have faith, but then sit on the fence and do nothing.  The church was straddling between the two worlds of God and Satan, the church and the world, heavenly wisdom and worldly wisdom.
 
 
 
            James sought to knock them off the fence, to cause them to quit being in two worlds at the same time with one foot in each.  He wanted to set them on a path of real faith and true wisdom to live their Christian lives in a difficult world.  Whenever a church or body of believers settles for fence-riding or fence-sitting, they are in need of attaining some solid wisdom for living.  Perhaps you are not a fence-rider, but we all deal with them – people whom claim faith in Jesus, but it is only marginal to their lives.  How do we navigate this world and exhibit real faith in all circumstances, whether good or bad?  James tells us that the foundation to living a wise and godly life in purity.
 
Godly wisdom is first of all pure.
 
            James was making reference to moral and ethical purity.  The pure person is one who has a singular devotion to Jesus Christ – he/she pursues God’s will and seeks to do it in God’s way in everything without exception.  Purity means there are no mixed motives, no hidden agendas, no secret desires that are self-serving. 
 
            Those who are pure have received and experienced the cleansing of Christ’s blood.  The pure have come to the point in their lives of seeing that they have one foot in the world, or their entire self is immersed in the world.  They come to understand that this is a foolish world to live in and that it will only result in relational problems expressed in the false wisdom of envy and selfish ambition.  Only chaos and evil exist in this world.  By contrast, the pure have become so through receiving Holy Spirit power to jump the fence into God’s big world of grace, love, and compassion.  They joyously roll in the green grass of forgiveness.  Without this purification that comes through repentance of the old world and embrace of the new pasture through the cross of Jesus, no wisdom could be possible.  Only through being graced with turning away from the world and its unrighteous ways, and committing oneself to redemption through Jesus can true wisdom become possible both individually and as a church.
 
 
 

 

            “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10) is to be the cry of every person.  As we draw ever nearer to the season of Lent, such a prayer can prepare and shape us for receiving God’s grace in Jesus Christ.  Oh, that the church might embrace this work of the Spirit!  Amen.

Psalm 119:9-16

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            Pornography is a $12 billion a year industry in the United States.  XXX Church, an internet site dedicated to helping people to kick the habit of porn, reports that 9 out of every 10 boys have viewed some type of pornography by age 17.  In fact, teen-aged boys are the largest consumers of pornographic internet sites.  64% of all American men have visited a porn site in the past month.  1 in 6 women in this country have an addiction to pornography.  In the time it takes for you to read this sentence 84,774 people in this country will visit a porn site.  And this does not even mention the new wave of “sexting” that happens among people who have ready access to cell phones to take and upload pornographic pictures any time of day or night. 
 
            Into this terrible muck, enter the psalmist with his ancient, yet very relevant question for us today:  “How can a young man keep his way pure?”  The answer: by guarding his heart according to God’s Word.  “I have stored up your word in my heart so that I might not sin against you.”  The best thing parents can do for themselves and for their kids in this area of purity is for the entire family to do some old school bible memorization.  Yes, I mean getting down to rote memory work.  This is to be neither a legalistic practice nor some fetish that will keep evil away.  Instead, memorizing verses and large sections of the Bible provides a solid foundation from which to construct of base of operations for the work of meditation.  When temptation occurs there will be something to stand upon in the heat of the moment.
 
            These verses from Psalm 119 are a great place to begin.  Expand to memorize the entire psalm, all 176 verses of it.  When faced with the decision of viewing pornography or not, it would be wise to dedicate the time to memorizing Scripture so that there will be a delight in God’s statues rather than a depressed guilt over another fall into impure thoughts and actions.
            Merciful God, thank you for providing your Word to me so that I might read it, use it, memorize it, meditate upon it, and engraft it into my soul.  Fortify my spirit against the demons of pornography by the power of your Holy Spirit, to the glory of Jesus Christ.  Amen.