2 Peter 1:4

2 Peter 1:4 Podcast

Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. (2 Peter 1:4)

2 Peter 1:4 is a reiteration of 2 Peter 1:3. The Apostle is telling us that our knowledge of God brings transformational power that is discovered in our yielded lives through God's promises. According to one account, there are 3573 promises in the Bible.

In our text today, we see that the promises of God liberate us from the results of feeding the flesh which brings corruption. According to our text, when the promises of God define us, we are given His culture resulting in the expression His very nature in our lives. It is not that we get His divine nature, but the expressions of His divine nature are realized by us. As a result, we are seen as godly.  

Today's text reminds us that day by day we must go to the Word of God and search it for God's great promises. As a result, through God's promises and His definition of things, we overcome temptation to sin and we live the life the Lord Jesus died to give us here on earth. 

At the end of v.4, Peter writes, "having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires."  Corruption is the product of feeding our "evil desires." The real question is: "what is defining me?" Will I be defined by the "promises of God" or my "evil desires?"

Everything that God offers mankind is in the form of a promise. Salvation itself, is based on God's free gift and promise to us. The gift of Christ is fully available to anyone who will take hold of the promise by faith. Without receiving the promises of God, salvation is totally impossible.  

The word promise(s) is mentioned five times in 2 Peter. One of these promises of God found here in 2 Peter is found in 2 Peter 3:9 which reads, "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."

This verse reminds us that God has our best interest at heart. He wants for us to see the wisdom of His ways and walk in them.

Recently, I went to lunch with a new convert. It is my practice to ask those who are just getting started with God questions that are pertinent to where they are in their walk with Him. So, I asked him what was the question about God or the Bible that he wonders about the most. He said, "How do we know that heaven is real?"

My response was, "Do you think Jesus rose from the dead?" He said, "yes." I asked him how he knew. He responded with biblical evidence such as the changed lives of the disciples and the fact that 500 saw Jesus at one time after He resurrected. I then said, "So, if Jesus rose from the dead, He overcame sin and death, right?" He agreed. Then I said, "Well, if He overcame sin and death, then what other opponents need to be overcome?" He said, "none." 

If God has vanquished our greatest enemy, sin and death, what can He not handle for us? We must determine to be in the word of God so much that He naturally defines us on a daily basis. And, as a result, we will discover the promises of 2 Peter 1:3-4, deliverance from our evil desires and a realization of God's divine power to live a life full of His wisdom.

#2 Peter #Discipleship #Divine Nature #A.C.T. Intl

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2 Peter 1:2-3 (b)

2 Peter 1:2-3(b) Podcast

2 Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. (2 Peter 1:2-3)

There is a formula in these two verses. The formula includes the call of God plus God's grace plus God's peace plus God's divine power equals a godly life. This formula underscores a progression we see in all relationships: Trust, Testimony and a Task.

What is God's call on our lives? What is His grace and peace? What is His divine power? The answer to these questions is the subject matter of today's blog. So, let's consider the answers to these questions.

What is God's call on our lives? God's call on our lives is the same, yet it has different expressions. The call on all of our lives is that we might know Him and then play a role in the reconnection of fallen man with his creator.

What is God's grace? The grace of God is accessed by receiving the free gift of God's forgiveness through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Grace is so powerful that it produces life and godliness in the believer. When our personal knowledge of God dries up, His grace does not flow in our everyday lives. This does not mean that we lose our salvation, it means that the settling acceptance of God in the life of the believer is limited in his experience. The believer accesses God's infinite reservoir of grace into and through his lives through his knowledge of God. 

What is God's peace? There are two parts to God's peace and we cannot know the peace of God until we know the God of peace. Our sinfulness created enmity or hostility between us and God. We gained peace with God when Jesus Christ died on our behalf and we trusted His payment for our sin. 

Paul writes in Romans 5:1-2, "Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand." This peace leads us into a relationship with God wherein we experience His peace.

Peace with God is different than the peace of God. The peace of God is something that fluctuates in the life of the believer. The more we rejoice, pray, trust, obey, give thanks, and present various requests to God, the more the "peace of God" seems to fill our soul. There is a strong correlation between our choices and our peace, or the lack thereof. Sometimes our heart is tranquil. At other times, our emotions are tossing and turning.

What is God's divine power? In 2 Peter 2:19-20, Peter says of the false teachers, "They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption; for whatever overcomes a man, to that he is enslaved. For if after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overpowered, the last state has become worse for them than the first." In other words, if the way of godliness is rejected so is the hope of eternal life. The hope of life and the way of godliness stand or fall together.

When it comes to life and godliness, we must have everything provided for us from outside. Of course, this does not mean we are passive. As Paul says, "Work out your salvation . . . for God is at work in you" (Philippians 2:13). But it does imply that we could never be godly or attain eternal life if we do not rely on God's divine power.

#2 Peter #Discipleship #Divine Nature #A.C.T. Intl

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2 Peter 1:2-3 (a)

2 Peter 1:2-3 (a) Podcast

2 Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. (2 Peter 1:2-3)

In our text today, Peter reminds us that grace and peace are bi-products of knowing Jesus Christ. 

The word used here for "knowledge" is "epignoskei" in the Greek. It's the combination of two words, "epi" (meaning above) and "gnoskie" (meaning high level relational knowledge). 

This word family occurs 62 times in the New Testament. The verb epignosko occurs 42 times while the noun epignosis occurs 20 times. 

Knowing God is experiential, requiring faith. This faith carries with it the idea that God is involved in intricate ways our lives, and He has our best interest at heart. 

In Hebrews 11:1, we read, "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." In other words, God is involved in our lives and He responds to us when we seek Him. Are you willing to try Him on this?

There is a story of a young man who listened to his Pastor speak about "listening to God and obeying the Lord's voice."

The young man couldn't help but wonder, "Does God still speak to people?" After service he went out with some friends for a meal and they discussed the message. Several different ones talked about how God had led them in different ways. It was about ten o'clock when the young man started driving home. Sitting in his car, he began to pray,"God, if you still speak to people, speak to me. I will listen. I will do my best to obey."

As he drove down the main street of his town, he had the strangest thought to stop and buy a gallon of milk. He shook his head and said out loud, "God is that you?" He didn't get a reply, so he started on toward home. But again, the thought came to him... buy a gallon of milk.

"Okay, God, in case this is you, I will buy the milk", said the young man. Even if it weren't God, he could always use the milk. So, he stopped and purchased the gallon of milk and started toward home.

As he passed Seventh Street, he again felt the urge, "Turn down that street." This is crazy, he thought, and drove on past the intersection. Again, he felt that he should turn down Seventh Street. At the next intersection, he turned back and headed down Seventh. Half jokingly, he said out loud, "Okay, God, I will".


He drove several blocks, when suddenly, he felt like he should stop. He pulled over to the curb and looked around. He was in a semi-commercial area of town. It wasn't the best, but it wasn't the worst of neighborhoods either. The businesses were closed and most of the houses looked dark, like people were already in bed.

Again, he sensed something, "Go and give the milk to the people in the house across the street." The young man looked at the house. It was dark and it looked like the people were either gone or they were already asleep. He started to open the door and then sat back in the car seat. "Lord, this is insane. Those people are asleep and if I wake them up, they are going to be mad and I will look stupid."

Again, he felt like he should go and give the milk. Finally, he opened the door and said, "Okay God, if this is you, I will go to the door and I will give them the milk. If you want me to look like a crazy person, okay. I want to be obedient. I guess that will count for something but, if they don't answer right away, I am out of here."

He walked across the street and rang the bell. He could hear some noise inside. A man's voice yelled out, "Who is it? What do you want?" Then the door opened before the young man could get away. The man was standing there in his jeans and T-shirt. He looked like he just got out of bed. He had a strange look on his face and he didn't seem too happy to have some stranger standing on his doorstep.

The man asked, "What is it?"

The young man thrust out the gallon of milk and said, "Here, I brought this to you," he said. The man took the milk and rushed down a hallway speaking loudly in Spanish. Then from down the hall came a woman carrying the milk toward the kitchen. The man was following her holding a baby. The baby was crying. The man had tears streaming down his face. The man began speaking and half crying, "We were just praying. We had some big bills this month and we ran out of money. We didn't have any milk for our baby. I was just praying and asking God to show me how to get some milk." His wife in the kitchen yelled out,"I ask him to send an angel with some. Are you an Angel?"


The young man reached into his wallet and pulled out all the money he had on him and put it in the man's hand. Then he turned and walked back toward his car and tears were streaming down his face. He knew then that God does still speak to people... and answer prayers.

My friend, the God of the Bible is still alive and active in this world. Our problem is we do not hear Him well enough. It is the word of God which modulates our heart's ability to hear Him. I encourage you to get into His word, learn to hear His voice. And, who knows, He may lead you to buy some milk.

#2 Peter #Discipleship #byoungministry #A.C.T. Intl

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2 Peter 1:1

2 Peter 1:1 Podcast

Simon 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.
(2 Peter 1:1)

On the Day of Pentecost in 33 A.D., the Apostle Peter preached to Jews who had come to Jerusalem. That day, as a result of thousands coming to faith in Jesus, many returned to their homes to start a church in their city.

Around 63 or 64 A.D., Peter visited Paul, who was then a political prisoner in Rome. Shortly before the great fire which destroyed the city on July 19, 64 A.D., Peter wrote his first letter to these churches
in Asia Minor, warning them of the coming persecution they would suffer under the Emperor Nero. 

A year later, Peter himself became a political prisoner in Rome. During his imprisonment, the apostle penned his second letter to these Christians. This time the apostle did not refer to suffering they would face from outside the Christian community. Instead Peter addressed problems which were arising from within their own churches. 

In 2 Peter we discover three divisions: 

1) remain faithful and grow spiritually
2) be aware of false teachers
3) be aware of the second coming of Christ and those who would deny that future event.

In 1 Peter, the former Galilean fisherman used the name Jesus gave him, Peter, meaning rock, to introduce himself. Sitting in prison, he wrote his second epistle. This time the apostle is looking back on his life remembering who he was before he met Jesus, back when he was called Simon, which means weak. 

In 2 Peter, Peter describes himself as a "bond--servant" of Jesus. This word has the idea of one whose will is swallowed up in the will of another.

Peter describes the recipients of his second letter as "those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours." 

These were second generation Christians who had never seen Jesus, yet they had placed their faith in Jesus as God incarnate, the Savior of the world. 

Peter continues, ". . . those ... who have received a faith of the same kind as ours." Peter adds that they received this faith "by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ." 

These Christians did not come to know Jesus because of their good works, they had the same faith as Peter and his companions, and that faith came by the righteousness of God. 

While on the cross, Jesus experienced the wrath of God for the sins of the whole world. The result of His sacrifice was that He satisfied the righteous demands of God. And, all who place their faith in Him as Lord and Savior are made righteous in the sight of God.

#2 Peter #Discipleship #byoungministry #A.C.T. Intl

Colossians 4:17-18

17 Tell Archippus: “See to it that you complete the ministry you have received in the Lord.” 18 I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you. (Colossians 4:17-18)

According to Paul's letter to Philemon (1:2), Archippus was most likely the son of Philemon. Paul exhorts Archippus to "complete the work." This work was the ministry that God gave him. All Christians have a ministry. When we were "born again", we were given spiritual gift(s) by the indwelling Holy Spirit. The strength of any Christian or any church is determined by believers exercising our gifts.

"There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” 
(1 Corinthians 12:4-7)

As Paul points out here, we are given spiritual gifts for the benefit of others. These gifts were not give for us, but when we think they are for us, the outcome can be detrimental to God's purposes.

Every believer - everyone who belongs to Jesus - is indwelled by the person of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9-11), who gives new life to our sin-dead spirits. It is only by His presence that we are “made alive to Him” (Titus 3:4-7).

As Paul clearly states, a spiritual gift is a specific way the Holy Spirit chooses to reveal His presence through the life of an individual believer. Do you know your spiritual gift(s)? It is imperative that you discover it/them and you exercise it/them. In order to help you discover your spiritual gift(s), click this link.  https://spiritualgiftstest.com/tests/

When you discover your gift(s), you must then ask the Lord to give you His eyes to see the ministry that awaits you. I have found the following words from Henri Nouwen to be helpful in the ministry God has given me.

"Ministry means the ongoing attempt to put one’s own search for God, with all the moments of pain and joy, despair and hope, at the disposal of those who want to join this search but don’t know how. Therefore, ministry in no way is a privilege. Instead, it is the core of the Christian life. No Christian is a Christian without being a minister. There are many more forms of ministry than the five I have discussed in this book [teaching, preaching, individual pastoral care, organizing and celebrating], which usually fill the daily life of the ordained minister and priest. But whatever form the Christian ministry takes, the basis is always the same: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

But why does a man lay down his life for his friends? There is only one answer to that question: to give new life. All functions of the ministry are life giving. Whether a man teaches, preaches, counsels, plans, or celebrates, his aim is to open new perspectives, to offer new insight, to give new strength, to break through the chains of death and destruction, and to create new life which can be affirmed. In short — to make his weakness creative."

Colossians 4:15-16

15 Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house. 16 After this letter has been read to you, see that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea. (Colossians 4:15-16)

For at least 250 years the early church met in homes, and when they met they read the Scriptures. Very often we see that the early church met in the homes of the more wealthy women in the city. Such is the case in Colossae.

Here, Paul is encouraging the Colossians to read the letters which were shared among all of the groups of believers in the area. These readings largely formed a great part of their time together, as it does in our churches today. These readings would create much discussion among the believers as these early Christians would learn of the Lord from the Apostle Paul.

You will notice that there is no letter to the church at Laodicea in our New Testament. Many scholars feel that the letter to the Ephesians is this letter to Laodicea, as the Ephesian letter was, in a sense, a letter read by all of the churches in the region.

The first and last of the seven churches mentioned in Revelation are Ephesus and Laodicea respectively, so that the letter to the Ephesians, as we call it, was sent first to Ephesus, then to the other churches on that circuit, and finally ended up at Laodicea. If that is the case then we have not lost anything in that regard.

Let me leave you with this observation: the word of God must be central to our understanding of the world. All things must be evaluated through the lens of God's word. If this happens, we come to understand the words of the Lord Jesus when He said, "It is not what goes into a man that defiles him, but what comes out of him. " It is at this point that we come to see that all things are sacred, and we will be known for what we believe rather than what we don not believe.

Colossians 4:12-14

12 Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. 13 I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis. 14 Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings. (Colossians 4:12-14)

The Lord used Epaphras to start the church at Colossae. Here in v.12 Paul tells us Epaphras wrestled in prayer for the Colossian believers. Prayer is a tremendous gift for accessing God's power. To wrestle in prayer is to agonize in conversation with God. No wonder God built His church in Colossae through this man of prayer.

The Greek word the Apostle uses for wrestle is "agōnizomenos' meaning to compete or to strive as in competition. This is no fly by night prayer. No, this is anguishing prayer stimulated by a deep love that is willing to go to the mat for someone. Epaphras was like Jacob in Genesis 32:26 where Jacob prayed: “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” This is the kind of fervency and persistence that needs to characterize our prayers. Jacob was saying, “You can’t make it rough enough for me to stop. I am holding on until You fulfill Your promises.”

The Apostle Paul also mentions Luke. In 2 Timothy, Paul writes, "Only Luke is with me." All the others had left, but Luke remained to the end. To this humble man, we owe both the gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts.

In contrast, Demas is mentioned. He too was from Thessalonica and probably was part of that original band of Paul's disciples. But now, when Paul is in prison and all his disciples are in danger of being arrested, Demas is buckles under the pressure.

Paul says nothing good or bad about him in this letter, but later, in his letter to Timothy, he writes, "Demas has forsaken me having loved this present age, and has gone back to Thessalonica." This young man was one of Paul's closest friends left because he loved the the world more. And, as a result, he abandoned his faith.

Perhaps Demas' problem began with a lack of prayer. One can get so involved in the work of the ministry that he forgets from where the power comes.

In 1865, William Booth, a 36-year-old Englishman founded the Salvation Army, with the intent to evangelize the poor, and literally changed his society with the Salvation message of Christ. He once said, “You must pray with your might... That does not mean saying your prayers, or sitting gazing about in church or chapel, with eyes wide open, while someone else says them for you. It means fervent, effectual, untiring wrestling with God. It means that grappling with Omnipotence, that clinging to Him, following Him about, so to speak, day and night, as the widow did to the unjust judge, with agonizing pleadings and arguments and entreaties, until the answer comes and the end is gained.”

Colossians 4:10-11

10 My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him.) 11 Jesus, who is called Justus, also sends greetings. These are the only Jews among my co-workers for the kingdom of God, and they have proved a comfort to me. (Colossians 4:10-11)

The Apostle Paul is in prison in Rome, and he is not alone. In fact, Paul refers to a "fellow prisoner" named Aristarchus, who had become a Christian while Paul preached in his hometown.

John Mark is also with Paul, which is remarkable, given what had happened in Acts 13. During Paul's first missionary journey, when they arrived at the city of Perga, John Mark became afraid due to the works of a Sorcerer. As a result, John Mark forsook the mission and went back home to Jerusalem.

Then, a few years later, when Paul and Barnabas were ready to embark on their second missionary journey, Barnabas wanted to take John Mark on the journey, but Paul refused to allow him to go along.

Years later, Mark is with Paul in Rome. Somehow he gained Paul's confidence back. This may have been the result of completing the Gospel according to Mark, which he wrote under the guidance of the Apostle Peter. John Mark's story is a great reminder that no one is exempt from failure. It is also a great reminder that with God, failure is not the opposite of success.

We need to rethink our relationship with failure — most notably, how we can embrace it. Failure is a great teacher, it gives us blunt feedback. Failure tells us that we are not wanted. But, failure is a stepping stone to success, and if that success isn’t refined by failures, it’s not going to look that great.

Anyone who has achieved something great will tell you, the road to success, with very few exceptions, is anything but a straight line. And the disasters and disappointments along the way are essential learning opportunities that can help us live with more wisdom.

Colossians 4:7-9

7 Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. 8 I am sending him to you for the express purpose that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts. 9 He is coming with Onesimus, our faithful and dear brother, who is one of you. They will tell you everything that is happening here. (Colossians 4:7-9)

Tychicus and Onesimus delivered this letter from Paul in Rome to the church in Colossae. I wonder if they knew what they were carrying. Most often this is the case: when we think that what we are doing isn't significant, only to discover much later that it was monumental.

When I was sixteen years old, John Lennon died. I just so happened to work on the same isle as Joey, who had recently experienced a radical life change as a result of becoming a believer in Christ. The job that I had in M & M grocery store was to fill the shelf with baby food. It was a laborious and long job by God's design. Joey, on the other hand, worked the opposite side of the isle stocking health and beauty aid. The context lent itself to a long conversation which is what happened.

I am positive that Joey had no idea how deep that experience would go into my heart. I have thanked the Lord many times over the last thirty-seven years for that day, for it was that day that my journey toward becoming a follower of Jesus Christ began. We never know the significance of an insignificant moment. Heaven will render much with regard to how the seeming insignificant deserves more investment of our lives.

Tychicus was from Thessalonica. He was one of a group of young men who were trained in the faith by the Apostle Paul. This organic training involved taking people along on journeys and teaching them. It was an intense, personalized training with the apostle Paul himself.

As we learn in the book written to Philemon, Onesimus was a runaway slave from Colossae. Somehow he found his way to Rome and met the Apostle Paul who probably led him to faith in Christ. Yet another story which at the time seemed to be lacking in design but has produced results that are lasting for eternity.

Colossians 4:7-9 accentuates the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man which are likened to two ropes going through two holes in the ceiling and over a pulley above. If one were to support himself by them, he must cling to them both. If one clings only to one and not the other, well, down he goes.

Life is full of seeming contradictions which sometimes cannot be reconciled by the puny human mind. With childlike faith, we cling to both ropes, fully confident that in eternity we will see that both strands of truth are, after all, of one.

Colossians 4:5-6

5 Be wise in the way you act with people who are not believers, making the most of every opportunity. 6 When you talk, you should always be kind and pleasant so you will be able to answer everyone in the way you should. (Colossians 4:5-6)


The Apostle Paul gives us some wisdom on how we can be effective in reaching out with the Gospel to our communities. The first bit of wisdom that the Apostle gives us is "Be wise." The word Paul uses here is "sophia" in the Greek. Used six times in Colossians (1:9, 28; 2:3, 23; 3:16; 4:5),  it is clearly a key word in the book.

Sophia provides the Lord's solution for problem-solving. It solves basic human challenges by applying God's solutions from His word. Like faith, wisdom is a gift from the Lord for all who cry out to Him for it. It is the product of walking with the Lord through the troubles of life, thus garnering His angle about our challenges. Sophia is the art of forming the correct plan to gain the desired results.

The word used here for "walk" is "peripateite" which is a compound verb, composed of the preposition peri, “around" and the verb pateo, “to walk.” Used 97 times in the New Testament, it literally means to walk around. It describes every single activity that we participate in every day life. The picture is that of someone following the Lord in the ups and downs of life, being positioned to share the garnered wisdom with others who face like trials.

Walking is purposeful. When we walk, we're advancing toward something. The main part of his instruction here is focused on the way we interact with our friends who do not have a relationship with the Lord. The NIV renders v.6 like this: "Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt." Salty Grace is the concept that Paul is sharing. It’s friendly, forgiving and winsome. It is a disposition on life that causes others to thirst to have.

I love the end of v.6: "so you will be able to answer everyone in the way you should." When we experience God's grace, we will be able to authentically share what we have experienced with Him with others. And they will see it as real.

Otherwise, we make Christianity about the veneers of the Christian life. The veneers are the non-essentials the Bible doesn't declare in a black and white way. If the Bible is unclear as to what a Christian should believe about a particular subject, we consider that non-essential.

The emphasis here is not on having all the answers. No one has all the answers. The point here is that we are connecting with someone in relationship. If we are answering someone, that means that we've listened to them.

Answering means we start with listening to them. Few people really listen. A lot of people ask questions, and then move on. We don’t even wait for the answer.
Answering begins with listening, listening to people who have some things to say.

I love the progression in Colossians. It starts with a correct view of Christ, then what it means to walk with Him, then what it looks like to be part of a community, and then how does it look in our homes. Then, we’re instructed to pray for opportunities and how to love on people with the good news.

Thomas Merton once said, "The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them."