Revelation

 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.

And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. I John 5:19-20

For some, Heaven is like a dream, Earth is real. Actually, only Heaven is real. Earth is like a dream. For the saints, our citizenship is not on this planet, but in the Heavenly City. 

For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. Philippians 3:20-21

John invites to an understanding. What we experience here on Earth, al the vileness, the violence, sin, wars - fill in the blank. All of that is the result of the deception of the evil one. And it is indeed very dark. Our subjective experience lies to us. The devil tries to convince us that based on what we see on Earth, God is not good, He is not kind, He is not love. When we get into trouble, we might offer up prayers of desperation, but we inevitably give up. This is because this hideous lie is imprinted on our hearts. Thus strongholds entrap us. Unforgiveness. Bitterness. Idolatry. Vanity. All based on the lie that God is not good. How can we break free, saints?

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5. 

Our victory begins first of all with a revelation of the nature of the battle. 

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Eph. 6:12.

This makes sense. You don't fight a chemical fire with water. No, firemen use firefighting foam. Water is useless. In the same way, you don't fight spiritual battles with carnal weapons. Someone may be going through a hard time. If we offer up human compassion and help, the battle might abate for a while, but the devil will be back later. If on the other hand we speak the truth, in love, we equip that person with the tools to set back the enemy's lies, rendering them useless. 

The armor of God is not some etherial myth. No. The weapons of our warfare may not be carnal, but they are very real. Once we have identified the lie that the enemy is using against us, we fight back. The helmet of salvation protects us against any thought that is not true, rejecting it immediately. The breastplate of righteousness protects our heart against accusations, knowing that in reality we are His, and answering the enemy by standing on that fact. The shield of faith extinguishes the weapons thrown at us because we know they are lies, and by faith we see beyond the immediate battle to the victory Christ already won. The sword of the spirit, God's Word, tears down the strongholds of evil. The shoes of the Gospel of peace ensure that our feet are standing on Truth. And finally the belt of truth holds all the armor together. 

My greatest desire is to so pray that there be, as it were, a hole in the darkness. I would that the Light of God would pierce the darkness and show people God's true nature. He is LOVE. He is GOOD. He is KIND. He is full of compassion. He is steadfast. He is true. Because here's the thing - if only they could see, they would run TO God, not AWAY from Him. 

My friends, we should all be filled with holy indignation. The devil's future is the lake of fire and brimstone, Revelation 20:10. But we don't need to wait to undo his lies. By the power of the Holy Spirit in us, we can set back the schemes of the evil one. We can see every chain broken, every stronghold smashed when we speak the Truth, in Love. Let's get started!

Life Chain Reaction

 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. II Peter 1:4-8

Partakers of the what, brother Peter? Can the very nature of God be found in His saints? Well, saints, this is what he is saying. How to understand this? To me, a list such as the above text seemed to be very flowery and other-worldly. I mean yes, brother, in Heaven after we shed away this body of sin, sure. But the Bible is not written to the dead, but is a guide for the living. 

The foundation is faith. This is "The evidence of the unseen, the assurance of what we hope for" per the writer of Hebrews. So this chain of character begins with something that is NOT seen, but is nevertheless the most real thing about the saints. With this foundation as a starting point, Peter invites us to "add to" our faith qualities that take it from the invisible to the visible. 

1. We add to faith virtue. Because we have faith, we can reject the lies that tell us we are less than what we are. Sure, our natural experience falls far short of the character of God - but what of it? The Word says if we are in Christ, we are new creations. The old has passed away. We can take this promise to the bank, and must reject the devil's lies. We may not yet see this in our experience, but the first step is to affirm what the Word says about us, and to stand on that. 

2. We add to virtue knowledge. We know our faith will be tested. When it happens, we are not lost in the dark, nor are we tempted to jump ship. We have taken our stand on the promises of God, and knowledge of what is going on when we are tested is like a helmet around our thoughts. This does not alleviate the suffering with which we are being tested, but it does give us an opportunity for praise. Yes, Paul, our outer selves are decaying, but our inner selves are being built up (2 Corinthians 4:16). This is how "Faith is the victory that overcomes the world" (I John 5:4). 

3. We add to knowledge temperance. This is not the calm before the storm, but the calm within the storm. Why? We KNOW that the storm is only temporary. Though all around us rages, we stay still. Jesus does give us peace, but NOT as the world gives. The world only understands being calm when there is no wind! But the calm Jesus gives is WITHIN the storm. "I am with you, I have overcome the world". No amount of temporal tempest need shake us off our base. Here we stand. Here we praise His Name. 

4. We add to temperance patience. There is no need to run from our trials. Indeed, as James writes, we even consider them all a JOY, knowing that the testing of our faith produces that patience. We have stood up in the midst of the trial, knowing that we are already winners in the Eternal City. The body they may kill, God's Truth abideth still, His Kingdom is forever. Amen. This is the source of our patience. 

5. We add to patience godliness. So here the faith is beginning to be visible to others. No person rejoices in the midst of a trial, unless he has an understanding of what is going on. The world will surely notice this. They have no playbook for someone who is actually happy about suffering. I suggest this really shouts at them, "here is one who really knows the God he claims to worship". When struck in one cheek, we turn the other one. When forced to go one mile, we go two. When we are hated, we love. Blows every fuse worldly people have. They can only give the glory to God. 

6. We add to godliness brotherly kindness. The Greek word here is "Philadelphia", loving our brother. Jesus told us this is how the world would know that we belong to Him. The Roman Tertullian was writing to his Roman superiors about the Christians. He writes, "See how they love one another". The world again has no answer for a body of believers who may be quite diverse, yet move in unity with love for one another. All glory to God!

7. We add to brotherly kindness charity. The Greek word her is agape. This is the highest form of love. Totally selfless. Expecting nothing in return. We love because we know God, and have become love. Love is the greatest. Faith is the foundation, and hope carries us through, but when we love we are most like our God, who IS love. 

This then is the progression Peter has in mind. Let us then not fall short of the mark, saints!