Rosi

My eyes water thinking I'm going to live so far away from her... and to think she has no idea.

I was able to get incredibly cheap flights from Kansas City, where I was on a team retreat, to California, to visit my niece. I'll see her once more, when she's nine months in May, and then not again for 10 months. That's over half her life. 

I am her Tia, her Madrina (Godmother). She's awesome and has no idea how she warms my heart. Other than her, my grandparents are the ones that make me sad about leaving. But Rosi, my joy, breaks my heart. 

I hope she will grow up to understand that in the will of God is the best place to be. That God loves her and works everything for His glory, which is our good. I pray that she would know Him and love Him. I pray that I can be a big part in her life and that she will love me even half as much as I love her. I hope that I can continue to minister to those I leave behind as I follow God through life and that this would be a testimony to His goodness, sovereignty and power.  I hope that not only the Italians will come to know Jesus, but the people I leave behind at home, and even Rosi.

The Bug from God

I've just spent the past week in Kansas City. It hasn't felt like much at all. I think it's mostly because I was sick for some of the time in the middle. It was really bad sick.

I'll spare you the details, but suffice it to say I haven't been that sick in a long time. But I am pretty sure I know why I got sick. Not how (though I think it might have been from the plane), but why.

Last time I was in Italy (2006), I got sick and even had a fever. It got so bad, I was taken to the hospital by the missionaries I was staying with (thanks Les & Margaret! I owe you soo much!). When my mom found out, she was on the internet looking up flights to Italy, ready to fly out there if I just said I missed her or wanted her there. 

But I was fine. Miserable, but fine.

And then here I was in Kansas City, under the care of myself and my team, and though there's really nothing you can do when you've got a stomach virus but wait it out, I was given patience, understanding, encouragement and even chicken soup. My team, without complaint, let me lie on the couch all I needed be as miserable as I needed and allowed deadline to pass and pass because sitting up was not an option. 

The virus lasted about a day and a half (what's with the whole 24 hour thing?) and by Tuesday night I was on my feet, laughing and running like I do. 

I believe I got sick for my mom. So that she can see that my teammates can take care of me. While I'm a 6 hour plane ride away (not to mention the wait at the airport), she can rest knowing that my team is taking care of me. Getting me the needed meds and nutrition, and letting me rest. 

God doesn't take away our worries by taking everything away. It is not like I will not be sick in the next five years while I am away in Torino. Instead, we can be assured that God gives us small hurdles now to train and grow us to persevere during the harder hills later. When I get sick in Italy, we can all look back at this week and see how one of the worst sicknesses went away. 

Faith is only the beginning

I've been sick the last few days which has kept me from finishing this and posting it. My apologies. 

As you hopefully know, we've been reading through 2 Peter 1 lately. Not only that, we've come to understand that Peter's purpose in writing was to his audience so that they would GROW! Because we have the testimony of the apostles, the Scriptures, both Old and New - these testimonies are reminders call the believers to action. God has acted in the past according to His Word and we know what He will do in times to come, we should be growing! 

Peter says, "For this very reason, also, make every effort to add to your faith..." Faith is the starting point in becoming like Christ, it is that which makes us eligible to know Christ in the first place, and we cannot grow in Christ and grow to be like Him unless we know Him intimately. And we do that, through faith. And if faith is the starting point and there are things to be added, faith is not the conclusion of our relationship with God.

What then is to be added?

MORAL EXCELLENCE can be translated virtue, or goodness. It means the “proper fulfillment of anything.” For example, a knife is to cut, a light is to shine. This is what man is to do. Faith is not something you can have and put away. The proper outgrowing of faith is goodness.

Moreover, we have seen this already in verse 3 in reference to Christ’s excellence. It was by His own virtue (goodness) that He called us.

KNOWLEDGE, in the way that it is used here in Greek, is more along the lines of wisdom than book knowledge. It is the knowing between right decisions. When you are practicing goodness, wisdom will naturally follow.

SELF-CONTROL is the practical part of the knowledge mentioned above. When you know how to make right and wrong decisions, it will be easier to choose right because the answer will be clear to you. It is controlling your passions and not being controlled by them.

PERSEVERANCE is being patient and enduring in situations and with people. It’s not just taking everything that comes our way, uncaring. But through self-control and faith, etc. we begin to see all of our trials having their root in God’s will and can have the ability to stand firm in His will.

GODLINESS pertains to the right reverence of God, not just merely recognizing Him in our lives, but putting Him before all else. This has been seen before, also in verse 3 – that Christ has given us everything we need for godliness.

BROTHERLY KINDNESS is the next characteristic that a Christian should display. So far all the rest have been inward, dealing with one self’s relationship with God and the outworking of faith in their personal life. Now the Christian life is not meant to be lived in a box, without other people, but with a love for others. When God is placed first in our lives, a love for others, just as Christ loves all people, comes to the surface. I John 4:10 says that if anyone loves God but hates his brother, he is a liar. This brotherly love is manifested in kindness towards others, care and affection.

LOVE is the final quality Peter mentions. This is not like the brotherly love above, but a love that comes from within. Brotherly kindness is giving to others what is humanly due to them. Love is self-sacrificing and limitless. True love is the epitome of the Christian life. Love forgives, hopes, endures all things and is patient (1 Cor 13:4-8).

So what? Many of us have faith. We believe God at His Word. That He Is who He says He Is. That the Father and the Son are One (John 1:30). That Christ is the very image of the invisible Father (Col 1:15; John 14:7). And so on.

But are we growing? Jesus has said (in Matthew 7:15), 

"Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does no bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. This, by their fruit you will recognize them.

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down and the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the stream rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.

Don't be like the foolish man. Put into practice the words of the Lord. Add to your faith.

2 Peter 1 - Making sense

Many of us read the Bible and if we're not reading about Jesus or maybe some stories in the Old Testament, it's not very clear what the author is trying to say. None of the paragraphs or thoughts really seem to line up or make sense.

Last post I wrote about the author and the introduction of 2 Peter. I want to expand on that a bit and then go further. 

Though we are only studying/reading the first chapter - it fits into the whole book. Peter has one clear purpose in writing and he delivers it's importance in three ways. There are a few things that everything Peter says ties back to and those few things make his major argument. He himself admits that his purpose of writing is as a reminder of what they already know (1:12-13; 3:1-2).

1. Looking back

Peter is constantly in this letter (key word:) reminding the people of the things of the past. 

First, that he was an eyewitness of Christ's life (1:16 - "we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty").

Second, he reminds them that they have not only his testimony, but that of the Scriptures, which was given to men by God (1:19-21 - So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place... But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men - moved by the Holy Spirit - spoke from God"). 

Third, in chapter 2, he reminds them of the acts of God. God did not spare Sodom and Gomorrah, but condemned them to destruction (2:6), he did not spare the angels who rebelled against him (2:4), and neither did he permit the sins of those in the time of Noah to continue (2:5). He also spared Noah from the flood(2:5) and Lot from Sodom and Gomorrah (2:7-8). These things of the past serves to remind them that "the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment" (2:9).

2. Looking forward

In this letter Peter also constantly reminds his readers of the future.

First, he tells them of the future destruction of the ungodly (2:3, 9-10; 3:7). Their punishment is sure to come.

Second, he reminds them of the promises of rescue to the godly. He rescues his own from temptation (2:9) and is patient, wishing for all to come to repentance (3:9).

Lastly, Peter tells his readers of what is to come of the earth. He says, "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up" (3:10). 

These reminders of what they already know concerning the future is used as an exhortation. He asks the believers: "Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness?"

3. Looking in

Peter's third reminder is of the Scriptures. 

First, he reminds them that the Scriptures weren't just some man-made invention, but that it is the word of God (1:19-21; see above). 

Second, he reminds them to "remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets (the Old Testament) and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles (the New Testament)" (3:2). 

Putting it all together

Since Peter spends SO MUCH of his time going through these things, we do well to pay attention to why. What's the point of him telling us to remember the past, the future and the Scriptures? Up until this point, Peter is just reminding us. But reminders are useless unless they are put to action. 

So what is he calling the believers to do?

To grow! He says he reminds them, though they already know, so that they never forget, even when he's gone (1:12-15) to grow. And he explains how to grow: "Applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love" (1:5-7). Why? "For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1:8). 

NEITHER useless NOR unfruitful. I'll tell you something, I don't want to be called useless by God. I want him to use me! I also don't want to be busy and doing something, but bear no fruit. Like the fig tree which out of season showed it's leaves, but it was deceiving, because though it had leaves, had no fruit (Mark 11:12-14). 

Diligence

In the beginning of his letter Peter tells his readers to "apply all diligence" (1:5).  And at the end of his letter he says, "be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless." Why? Because as we know, God's condemnation comes to those who are not found in Him, who distort the Scriptures, revile angelic majesties, greedy, deceiving, forsake the right way, speak arrogant words of vanity (2:10-19). These will see their condemnation. 

But, those who have received the faith, the same as Peters (1:1), have been given "everything pertaining to life and godliness" (1:3) and we must only be diligent to grow so that we will be found useFUL and fruitFUL.

So what now?

Remember the things Peter has asked us to remember: the things God has done, the things God will do, and the testimony of Scripture. One way we can do this is by reading the Bible everyday. Has reading this chapter been a chore? What about reading 5 verses a day? Five minutes a day? Start somewhere. You will see that God will bless you by remaining in Him and in His Word.

And grow. Peter spells it out plainly in the chapter we are reading. Do you have faith? Do you have a morality that reflects the Bible? Do you know God and His characters? Do you practice self-control, abstaining from sin? Do you persevere in righteousness? Are you characterized by godliness? Do you exhibit brotherly kindness? Do you love as God has taught us? You know the answers. And really, you know what to do to keep yourself from being useless. 

2 Peter 1 - A bit of background

Have you been reading? A few people have informed me that they are reading 2 Peter 1 along with me. If you haven't, let me encourage you to do so. Read one chapter, twenty-one verses, for 21 days. Read it once to yourself and once aloud (or have someone read it to you). Stay with us, we're reading 2 Peter 1.

As we encounter in the first verse, the one who is writing this letter is Simon Peter, the impulsive disciple of Christ. As you can probably deduce, this is his second letter. Interestingly, in that letter, he introduces himself as "Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ." A bit different from his second letter in which we have been reading, "Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ." 

When you write a very important letter, or give a speech, every word is important. Every word carries meaning. A misplaced adjective, a grey verb, any double meaning, intentional or not, speaks. And so it is with the Word of God - every word is meaningful, every word was placed there intentionally.

Purpose of Writing

In the first century, when this letter was written, the introduction gave a sort of synopsis of the whole thing, hinting at themes and topics that the other would discuss and unpack. In his second letter, Peter is writing knowing that his time is short, he will be dying soon, as Christ predicted (1:13-14; cf. John 21:18-19). And so Peter is reminding the flock (1:12-13) of validity of the Christian faith, which is not based on fairytales (v. 16). 

Greeting

And so, Peter begins this letter, not introducing himself simply as "Peter" but as "Simon Peter" recalling to the minds of his readers that he has been transformed by Christ, who renamed him. 

Who is he writing to? "To those who have received a faith of the same kinds as ours." That is, Peter's faith is not any greater than the faith of the recipients of that letter. We each have equal access to God, all receive complete cleansing at repentance, and why? Because we have "received" this faith - it is not our own to boast of or measure. 

Introduction

So what is it that he says? "His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness"... did you catch that?

EVERYTHING pertaining to life and godliness - EVERYTHING that we need to live this life as God has wanted, in godliness... we already have. How do we have it? "Through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence." We have through God's enablement, not through our own attempts. It is ONLY through the knowledge of Christ and the power of God that we are able to attain godliness - the righteousness we have is that of Christ's (verse 1).

And Peter continues, "For by these" - God's glory and excellence - "[God] has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises" - which, as hinted at in 3:9, 13, is His promise to come back and redeem everything (Heb 9:28; 1 John 3:2; Rev 22:20; et al.). Why?

So that we may grow! Those who have repented and believe have "escaped the corruption that is in the world" as the image of God (the divine nature) is restored in us - the divine nature that we have been given, which enables us to be godly. 

Overview

Simon Peter, completely transformed by Christ, symbolized by his name change, calls the believers to remember the faith that they were given that can change them, too. When life and godliness seem to hard, he reminds them that they already have what it takes to go on. They have it because it has been given to them. It isn't simply Peter who is writing to them, but Simon Peter, the one whom Christ took and turned around.

Has it been given to you? Peter writes these things to encourage those who have the same faith as his. What is his faith? That Christ, the perfect sacrifice because He is God, and the only substitute because He became man, was given in death to purify us. It is only through His perfect righteousness, given to us not because of any merit of our own, but through His grace, that we can be made whole, that we can have communion with God. And this is only given to those who both repent of their sins and believe that God has acted according to His Word.

To those, a godly life is acheivable. A perfect life is beyond our scope on this side of death, but a life of godliness can be had. Because God has granted it. And so we must live not from defeat to defeat, but knowing that victory is within reach because Christ has stretched His arm out for us. Next time trials and temptations come your way, ask yourself: Have I put my complete trust in Christ? If so, Christ can overcome this in me, and I can be victorious. I have received EVERYTHING.

Seeking the Kingdom of God for 21 days

Last week I posted on how it only takes 21 days to make a habit. 

And yesterday I posted on how I / we need to stop worrying about all the things around us and focus on the One who holds everything in place - Jesus.

So, in lieu of all the new years resolutions already broken, let's make a 21 day commitment.   A small one. 

What do you think of reading 21 verses of the Bible a day for 21 days? And we'll do it together. 

The first chapter of Peter's second letter has 21 (coincidentally) verses and I was hoping to memorize it recently. But then I thought of including you, my readers. And when I say memorize, I don't mean for you to be able to spew out every word, by heart, verbatim, at the drop of a dime. 21 days may not be enough. But, as you read it everyday for the next 21 days, you'll be surprised how familiar you are with the passage, even being about to recite parts of it!

The writer of Hebrews says, "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart (4:12). 

And Paul tells Timothy, "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16).

Even in the very chapter that we will commit to our minds, Peter says, "no prophecy was ever made by an act if human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God" (2 Peter 1:21).

One way that we can seek the Kingdom of God is to soak in what He has told us in His Word. 

And I'll help you out from time to time. Every few days I'll be posting, providing some insight into a word or phrase in the chapter, pointing you to other places in the Bible that Peter is referring to or explain the Greek word that Peter uses (remember, they didn't write the Bible in English!). 

And, of course, I'll also be posting about Italy. The main purpose of this blog is to get you closer to God while informing you on how to get the people of Turin closer to God as well.

Here's the passage for the next 21 days. Read it at least once a day, but try to hear it once a day as well. Read it aloud or have someone read it to you as well as reading it on your own. And stick to the same version for best results.

Storms

Last night I spent much of the evening balancing out my checkbook, figuring out where the bulk of my expenses went, calculated if I had come out even in my budget and all other not-so-fun things when the economy is down.

However, I set myself up well. Mostly.

I finished college with a small amount in my savings account, it wasn't much and wouldn't support me for too long, but it was something that I could put away for Italy, grad school, my kids. I then received more than double that amount in graduation gifts. And since I've been living at home and working as often as able (and scheduled), I've been able to save most of it. 

From the beginning of signing on with Avant to start churches in Turin, where Jesus is desparately needed, I decided to pay my own way through support raising (paying for flights, materials, handouts, etc.). These costs are necessarily to raise the support needed to get to Turin and bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to this city that has so much, but in the end, has nothing without Jesus. Many missionaries like me, before arriving in country use their incoming support to raise additional support, as this is a ministry both now and for later. 

But, as many people are already skeptical about what I'm doing, I decided to forego the explanation of why this support raising is a valid ministry and pay for all the costs myself. Making less than I hoped, my total income since I graduated was almost exactly what I've spent on the initial steps on getting to Italy, in that way, I broke even. God has provided the funds needed through working at Barnes and Noble to pay for all the costs of support raising.

And then there was gas. And Christmas. And so, my bank account is lower than it was in May.

This morning I went to West Pines Community Church and heard a great message delivered by Pastor Robey Barnes. The passage he spoke from was Matt 14:22-33, where Jesus walks on water. This was the final message on the series about storms in our lives. 

That historic day, after feeding 5,000 men (plus women and children) with five loaves and two fish, Jesus sends the disciples off on the Sea of Galilee and goes up on a mountain to spend time with His Father. Afterwards, He starts catching up with the boat by walking on water. Mind you, there's strong wind driving the boat and it's sometime between 3 and 6 in the morning. The disciples see a figure on the water, and never having heard of or seeing anything like this in all their lives, they think it's a ghost. Jesus says, "Take heart; it is I. Don't be afraid." And Peter asks Jesus if it's really Him, to command Him to come out. And Peter joins Jesus on the water, walking toward Him.

We aren't given the specifics of what happened. Did the water become solid? Did they hover over the water? Did they splash or even get wet? But we do know one thing: when Peter saw the wind, he got scared and began to sink.

It was never about the water. The water wasn't  holding him up. The water was just water. It has no power in itself to hold standing people up. 

And it's not about faith, either. Many movies talk about just having faith and things will happen. There is no good universe that wants good things to come to you. Faith, by itself, changes nothing. And faith in something with no real power (a false god, the orbit of the stars, the universe, yourself), cannot make water hold a standing man up.

It is, has always been and always will be about Jesus. 

Jesus held Peter up in the water. It is in Him that all things hold together (Col 1:17)... even in the molecular level. He can cause the chemical properties of water to turn to those of wine (John 4), command water to hold Himself and Peter up, He moves atoms to walk through what we call solid (John 20:26).

By the looks of everything, Peter depended on the water to hold him up. He was not hanging onto Jesus. In fact, when he got out of the boat, he was not even near Jesus. But He had to step onto the water and with each step trust that the water was going to hold him. But all along it was Jesus holding Him up.

By the looks of everything, it's our finances that feed us, clothe us, and make sure we are provided for with good health and entertainment. 

Jesus said (Matthew 6:25-33), 

That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life - whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn't life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren't you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? (Note: these are the same words He said to Peter.)

So don't worry about these things, saying, 'What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear? These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously and he will give you everything you need.

I've thankfully come out even so far and hope to continue. I'm a penny pincher and proud to be so. But as I look at the whole of my life savings and realize that I am asking people to support me in this ministry or showing others how wonderful our God is who provides for all our needs, physical, emotional, eternal, I realize my finances are out of my control. I am slowly falling short of where I need to be. 19 weeks and I need to be in Italy for my team, for Torino. But I know that God will supply all my needs. And if this is indeed wht He has called me to, He will provide (1 Thess 5:24).

How will you wait out this storm? Waiting in the boat for something to change your life that is actually waiting for you, standing in the water? Will you set out in faith in the wrong thing and sink? Will you worry about things that you have no control of?

Or will you trust God and look to Him, seeking His kingdom above all else and watch life fall into place more beautifully than you could have planned for?