| Our church has one Sunday School class right now. The class leader and I meet together and stream the class to an online audience. He prepares a lesson each week. I just chime in as we go along and run the media side of the class. I noticed something this weekend in our conversation. It also dawned on me during the sermon I preached. Yes, during. The class topic was obedience. My sermon was about God’s peace. Somehow, both of them got around to talking about the need to read scripture and prayer. It occurred to me I talk a lot about those things. Isn’t there anything else to talk about? Of course! But so much of what we learn about faith comes from the Bible. Likewise, prayer deepens our trust in God like nothing else. As I was preaching, I got to thinking about what other topics I bring up all the time. Without looking up anything, I reflected on what’s always on my mind: discipleship; community; obedience; Bible; prayer. Is there another point you always hear me go on and on about? Well, if we’ve recognized there are a few faith subjects that come up all the time, we’re in good company. Let’s look at 2 Peter 1 to see. Peter opens the first chapter with a call for Christians to grow in their faith. “Support your faith,” he said, “with goodness, and goodness with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness, and godliness with mutual affection, and mutual affection with love.” He wants his readers to receive these traits as fruit of their walk with God. They are important elements of our faith in Christ. So, “be all the more eager to confirm your call and election,” he said. That is, make it your goal to pursue these characteristics as evidence of your faith in Jesus. I’d say as individual believers and as congregations. These attributes are so important Peter has a plan. He said, “I intend to keep on reminding you of these things, though you know them already and are established in the truth that has come to you.” It’s only right, he continued, “to refresh your memory.” That’s what we’re doing when we repeat these common faith topics. We’re refreshing our memories. Peter’s audience needed that reminder. Are we so sure we don’t? Our sanctification depends on it, actually. We won’t grow in faith and in the knowledge of God if we won’t pursue the things of God. God won’t just make you faithful one day. The Lord doesn’t have a magic spell to make you obedient. There’s no secret sauce to make you a faithful giver or a dedicated servant. No, all that happens only as you and I remind each other of what’s important about our walk with God. Stay blessed…john |
John Fletcher
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