DO WE HAVE THE GUTS?

disclaimer: this post is a bit ranty...

1 John 2:12-17
translated by LKSpringer
I am writing to you, little children,
“Your sins have been forgiven because of his name.”
I am writing to you, fathers,
“You have known the One From the Beginning.”
I am writing to you, young men,
“You have conquered the Evil One.”
I wrote to you, children,
“You have known the Father.”
I wrote to you, fathers,
“You have known the One From the Beginning”
I wrote you, young men,
“You are strong,
and the word of God remains in you
and you have conquered the Evil One.”

Make it your practice not to love the world system nor the things of the world system.
if anyone may love the world system,
the love of the Father is not in him;
because all that (is) in the world system,
the desire of the flesh
and the desire of the eyes
and the arrogance of life,
is not from the Father
but is from the world system.
and the world system is in the process of disappearing and its desire,
but the one doing the will of God is in the process of remaining into eternity.

“…You are…Make it your practice…”

We live in such a seductive culture. Sure, this has been the case since the serpent snookered Eve. But it seems we who claim to follow Jesus have forgotten that we live in a seductive culture. The structure of many of our churches more closely resembles Pepsi than the NT. Our pastors and leaders have a porn-addiction rate similar to the non-churched world. We teach sin-management rather than holiness. We impart facts and stories and neglect to teach why we care about them.

In this dangerous, seductive culture inhabited by this too-often seduced church, we watch happily as “young people” hang out “in Jesus’ name” and “love on one another” all the while shutting our eyes to their utter ignorance of their identity in Christ and their headlong pursuit of what ever pleasure can be afforded or gotten away with. We who are older have the same problem—though we are more skilled at putting on the “holy clothes” so no one suspects our crap-level.

This is not the way it should be. It may feel good for now, but the world system only brings death. That is the only lasting gift in its storehouse. Everything else is in the process of disappearing.

So, are we brave enough, honest enough, to step up, dump our crap at the cross, keep dumping our crap at the cross, help others dump their crap, and provoke one another to love and good works? Not some sweet, my-little-pony love and good works, but strong, sacrificial, brave, even blunt love and good works—are we willing to do that?


Tag(s): bible study

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