Jesus was drawn to and loved broken people but He despised hypocrisy. He never holds us to a standard of human perfection but He does require us to actively pursue righteousness. *
DO WE embrace Paul’s “I press on” disposition ** as a condition for Christ-followers?
https://biblia.com/bible/esv/philippians/3/12-16
DO WE dare to invite God to search us as in Psalm 139:23-24 as part of humble self-examination? www.john2031.com/snippets_from_the_bible/three_layers_deep.html
Excerpt 3 of the June 17, 2017, self-examination quiz to our SS class is below. See it all, with scripture links at: www.10minas.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/self_exam.pd
– – – – – – – –
Do Jesus’ expectations matter? Are they realistic for today? Do we care about them? Are we willing to honestly consider these kinds of questions even privately if not as a group?
- I/we take the Great Commission (Mt. 28:18-20) seriously. – -. We live with the sense of being sent into the world, as Jesus was sent into the world. (John 17:18) – – We have a knowledge of and regularly experience the spiritual gifts (I Cor. 12) – -.
- Matthew 6:19-24 describes my/our attitude toward money and possessions. We trust God to supply our needs (Philip. 4:19). We are free of worry – –
- Our homes confirm the truths of Eph. 5:22-33, because our husbands love their wives as Christ loved the Church and our wives submit to their husbands. – – We are known to our neighbors as those who only use our mouth to speak wholesome words that can edify others. No complaining, no gossip, no slander, no angry, selfish outbursts. (Eph. 4:29)
In conclusion, when it is all said and done:
A) I believe that I/we at xxxxxxx xxxxxxxx Church are actually doing pretty well and that God would probably send Jonah somewhere else;
or
B) We need a “Jonah.” I/we would welcome our pastors preaching a message of repentance. We invite them to be direct about how our love for the world shapes our lives and to be specific about ways that we need to change in the affections of our hearts, and in the practical ways that we live out what it means to be an authentic follower of Jesus.
Ken Stoltzfus, xxxxxxxxxx (SS Class) xxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx Church, June 17, 2017
– – – – – – – – –
* See Lesson 6, THE PURSUIT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS in MORE LIKE JESUS, from www.john2031.com/books/mlj/main.html Remember, it’s yours for free.
** Phil. 3:12-16
Ken Stoltzfus
Kidron, Ohio USA
June 9, 2022
CLICK HERE for a printable pdf