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When I write, I empty my mind and heart. That way there is no garbage or as the Bible might say, thoughts of the flesh to interfere. I let God then fill my mind. I know this sounds too easy. Well before getting to the subject for this post, let me explain. I became a Christian on June 23rd, 1993 at 1:30 in the afternoon. But we will save that for one of the Testimony chapters later. 6 months later, I was talking to one of my insurance customers in late December. I remember it as if it was yesterday. Appropriately, her name was Grace but for anonymity I won’t mention her last name. She asked me if I would speak at her church. Can you say FEAR? I mean shear terror overcame me. I told her, I had never spoken before formally and have nothing to say. She knew I had been Jewish and my story of coming to and accepting Christ. She said, just give your testimony. In a cold sweat, I looked for a way out and told her I would pray about it. I felt I was already the worst prayer on this Earth. I didn’t need validation that I was the worst speaker. The next month, when I saw her, she asked again. I agreed and immediately wished I hadn’t. That night I told my wife about the mistake I had made and the predicament I was in. She asked, what are you going to speak about? I had 8 weeks before the fateful date, and replied that I didn’t have a clue. The next Sunday, while we were at church, she asked again and once again I said I did not know. This was repeated almost weekly. The night before I was to speak, she asked that fearful question again. I said I had no clue, but that I would tell about how the spirit came upon me and when I got stuck on what to say, I would ask if there were any questions. The next day, we arrived. The butterflies were in the stomach, my 4 year-old son was with us sitting in the front pew, the palms were sweating, I wanted to be anywhere but there…and I still had no idea what to talk about. I was introduced and stood up front. I started telling about what you all will read in Testimony - Chapter 4 (which will be posted in one of the next 3-4 posts and about that day just 8 months back.) A very slow three and a half minutes had gone by and I still had 47 minutes left. With a half lowered head, I asked, “Are there any questions?” A lady in the 3rd pew shot up her hand excitedly and I called on her. She asked, “As a Christian now, where do I see myself going now?” My mind flooded with what to say and I spoke with ease for the remaining time. Ever since then, when I speak at a church, I do it the same way as the first time. The Testifying has gotten longer to about 10 minutes, but the message afterwards is always determined by where God leads me or what he fills my mind up with. The most common questions lead me right back to that very first talk and is what the rest of this is about. You see; I have had many Christians come to me in a quandary. The church and Christians all get excited when someone accepts the Lord. There is the excitement of joining a church, the thrill of being baptized, and all the newness. The problem is that when the excitement starts to wear off, myself and so many of us ask…So What Now? I even had a lady last week email me about her coming to the Lord last August and was wondering where to go now. What she was suppose to do. Four months after becoming a Christian and feeling this way too. I was sitting on my couch. I reached onto the coffee table for my Bible. When I opened it to search for where I had left off reading the day before, it first opened to a book I had never read. A few words caught my eye and I started reading that chapter. Without any more ado, here is what God taught me, and what I spoke that first time in front of a church about and many times since, including the last time I spoke at a church: 2 Peter 1 1Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours: Notice Peter says he is a servant, if you read my post on Submit does not mean slavery. means he obeys Christ. This is the first chapter of 2 Peter. He tells us in it later that he is about to die. So this is what a dying man wants to tell us which he feels is the most important thing he can tell and leave us with. So often, people say they have faith. It is like it was their decision to have faith. Take note that Peter tells us that because of the righteousness of the Father and Son, we received our faith. 2Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. Through Gnostic (Greek for knowledge) we get an abundance of grace and peace. Knowledge is key to so much. We will visit this word Gnostic/Knowledge again in this chapter and why so many preachers stress how important it is to read God’s word. John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Ephesians 6:17 “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” 3His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Once again we see 2 things. First God gives to us. And for the 2nd of 4 times in this chapter, knowledge is emphasized. But read this line until it sinks in. It says that through knowledge, we receive everything we will ever need. I bang my head against the wall when I think how many Christians have not read the Bible from front to back. God sends us an owner’s manual for the human life and so many never open it. I pushed myself to read it the first time because I pictured myself kneeling before our Father and him asking me why I did something and me saying I didn’t know. He replies, “I sent you the Bible, why didn’t you read it.” After the first time, my hunger for more knowledge never waned. 4Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. What a bonus this is. Not only do we get the promises, but also we escape the thing I hear Christians complain about more than anything else. There is an escape from the evil and corruption of the world. Now for what I call the “meat and potatoes” 5For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. God gives us the faith, but then tells us that is not enough. We must add to these 7 things. 1) Goodness or virtue. We have to strengthen virtue and strive to always become more virtuous when living and being surrounded by a world of evil. 2) knowledge, 3) self-control or temperance. We have to always practice restraint, 4) perseverance or patience. All things come in God’s time. I am reminded of the saying that “patience is a virtue” Interesting that both these are here. 5) godliness, 6) brotherly kindness, 7) love is in the NIV. KJV has charity. To me charity is a kind of love. 8For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. In the first few months of being a Christian, I was sitting on my pastor’s office. I told him I felt so far behind in knowing Christianity and that if Christ came back today, I would not measure up. He told me we none would ever measure up, but that God tells us and he tries to improve everyday and that will be what Christ see. In this verse, that is what Peter is saying in that we have to be gaining these in “increasing measure” and never give up adding to them, because they are what will make us effective and productive in our knowledge. Here is our word knowledge for the 4th time in 8 verses. Can there any doubt on the importance Peter places on it? 9But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. Keep in mind that in biblical times, they did not have contacts and glasses. The nearsighted and blind could not walk straight down the paths or roads. They swayed and bumped into things. They were ineffective compared to those that could see well. Peter is saying without these things we are ineffective. When we are ineffective we can easily forget that we once could do something well. There is no way to remember that we are saved by the grace of God and forgiven. Now are you beginning to see how this gave me direction and what to do as a Christian. And a day doesn’t go by without working at increasing my measure of these 7 things. 10Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, Calling and election are debated among theologians all the time. More than it should. What exactly is it? Here when Peter says to make them sure, he means to make them more sure. A married man does not have to lay awake at night and wonder if he is married. But to make his marriage meaningful, he has to work at it and not just once, but for a long, long time. Peter is telling us to work on increasing our measure constantly for a long, long time. It will make our Christianity meaningful and more sure of it. 11and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As if what he has already given us is not enough. Here we are told there is a gift we will get that all Christians strive for. To go to heaven, but even more so to go to heaven and have a rich welcome. 12So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. Here, as Peter starts his conclusion, he tells us this is what we know already; but, it is important enough to always remind us over and over again, that he… 13I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, 14because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. As mentioned at the start, Peter says all this near his death. He knows he is going to die and put this tent of a body aside. 15And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things. So important that he will always remind of these things even once he has died. After reading this, I printed these verses out on 50+ pages. I put one in my car, another above my desk, another on the refrigerator and on the wall of my bathroom. The rest went in my briefcase and were given out to people I met having problems with where to go with their Christianity. In the last 15 years, over 1000 have been given out. I don’t know if it helped all or even a few. I do know it has helped me and if it has only helped one other, then I would do it again. My sincere desire, hope and prayer is that it helps you as much as it has me. Blessings, Michael Christianity for Dummies: Chapter 4 : Go to Church Christianity for Dummies: Chapter 3 : Sin and Repentence Christianity for Dummies: Chapter 2 Salvation Christianity for Dummies: Prologue and Chapter 1 : Praying In the Heat of the Night: Testimony Chapter 4 Judging and Gossiping , Commitment and Covenant: For All (Part 15, 16 and End) Commitment and Covenant: For All (Part 13 and 14) , Commitment and Covenant: For Men (Part 11 and 12 ) Commitment and Covenant: For Men (Part 9 and 10 ) , Commitment and Covenant: For Women (Part 8 ) Commitment and Covenant: For Women (Part 7) , Commitment and Covenant: For Women (Part 5 & 6) Commitment and Covenant: Relationships (Part 4) , Commitment and Covenant: Relationships (Part 3) Commitment and Covenant: Relationships (Part 1 & 2) , Walk the Walk Self Esteem....and the 8-Cow Wife , I am a Christian…So What Now? Communicating According to the Scriptures , Friend vs. Spouse Christ in the cells of our body. , The Love-Hate list |
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5/16/2008 7:38 am |
Praise the Lord God Almighty. I sure needed someone to tell me this as a young christian. Maybe I would not have had all the strugles I had with myself. But, thank God, somehere he has seen showed me the way through the Holy Spirit. We are all so blessed that he loves us so............. We all need to live the life of christians. Love in Christ Jesus Ethel
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5/10/2008 3:59 pm |
Hi Deepest Faith, I enjoyed this blog very much. Whenever I read the Word, I pray for myself to become it. It is alive. I am eating Jesus Christ, as He said we would have to do to be in Him. It means not just the memorial bread and wine, but His Word, Himself. The very Word who created all things created. It comes into me and I become it. The old man is dieing daily and the new man is being made alive daily. This is what you are talking about I think as I understand scripture, and I enjoyed reading what you wrote. Blessings In Christ, LLW "There is no pit so deep, that God's love is not deeper still" Corrie Tenboom
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5/7/2008 6:17 pm |
I studied His scriptures, but I didn't know His character. I thought He was a hell, fire, and brimstone Father, like my dad...full of punishment because I was not perfect. When I came to know myself personally and then learned who He truly was...He became my friend, my protector, my guide, teacher, master, my deepest joy. The power is in His Word for He breathed it. We speak it and it has energy of His. Thank you for this post. I'm printing it out, study it, and make sure it is part of me not only in knowledge, but in heart.  Peace,Beth In all thy ways ackowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths. Prov 3:6
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 5/6/2008 12:54 pm |
Thank you Michael. I guess my favorite part is from verse 3 that says He has given us everything we need for life and godliness - it's like a gift sitting there waiting for us to open - it contains EVERYTHING we need - why are we waiting to open it - lets be like children at Christmas and just tear that package open and partake of it - like right now. Everything (not some things) is available to us - through His power - not our power - we just need to read the Book and partake in it's availability. How simple is that. Wow - if we could just take hold of that - can you imagine the signs and wonders and miracles we might see - at His hand - in His power. I hadn't planned on writing anything more than 'thank you Michael' but there it is. Blessings friend!! How can we NOT praise Him - Marilyn
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5/6/2008 4:57 am |
Praise God...what a treasure you have found in this passage of God's word that has helped you in your walk and be a testimony and an encourager for others...a much needed answer at that time... From conversion to being a disciple... To read God's word and be doers... not just hearers So true we can't ever measure up, but we can keep walking  Thanks so much Michael for this reminder and for your encouragement...will try and make a copy of it...thank you Man can make many plans...BUT it is the Lord who will direct his paths....
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