As a Spiritual House

1 Peter 2:1-3 ESV

“So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good."

As followers of Jesus Christ, we are to be those who are daily dying to sin and to self and who are following the Lord Jesus in obedience to his ways (Luke 9:23-26). We should no longer be walking in sin, but in holiness and in righteousness and in obedience to our Lord. Our old lives of living in sin should have been put to death, and now we should be living for our Lord.

So such things as malice (cruelty, meanness), deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander are to be put away from our lives. They should no longer have a part in how we live day to day. For we are called of God to be God’s holy people, living lives which are separate (unlike, different) from the world because we are being conformed to the likeness of Jesus Christ, by the Spirit.

And now, when this says, “like newborn infants,” this is not saying that we should still be living in spiritual immaturity. This is in reference to an infant craving for his mother’s milk. In the same way we are to crave the pure word of God which is our spiritual milk. We are to desire and long for and seek after the words of our Lord so that we might now live by them.

For we need not only to be reading the Scriptures daily, but we need to be putting the Word of God daily into practice in our lives. For it is not enough just to know the Word of God intellectually, but we must be applying its truths to our daily lives. For it is by putting the Word into practice in our daily lives that we are able to grow up (mature) into salvation.

For our salvation is not something we receive once in our lives and then we are good to go for eternity, regardless of how we live. Our salvation from our slavery to sin is something that must be lived out in our daily lives, and we should be growing to maturity in Christ in the process. But this is all conditional on whether or not our faith in Christ is genuine God-given faith.

1 Peter 2:4-5 ESV

“As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

As followers of Jesus Christ, collectively we are the church, the body of Christ. For the church is not a building, and it is not a church denomination, and it is not to be incorporated under the state, though many such gatherings are incorporated under the state, and they are of church denominations, and they are calling their buildings “the church.”

But the church is us, the people of God who are following Jesus Christ with our lives. And we are not all in one location, but we all form ONE universal church. And our building is not of brick and mortar made with human hands, but our building is of the Spirit of God and we are the living stones in that building with Jesus Christ as our chief cornerstone and foundation.

So, when we gather together, we are not “going to church,” per se, but we are the church going to gather together in a specific place which doesn’t have to be the same place every time, either. For we can gather together at a restaurant or out in any public place where we might be permitted to gather together, even on the internet, and also in private homes.

So, the growth of the church has little to do with how many people are at our gatherings. But it has to do with the salvation of human lives and our growing spiritually in Christ daily in dying to sin and in living to God and to his righteousness in the power of God. And we are to be God’s holy people, separate (unlike, different) from the world because we are becoming like Christ in character, and our lives are surrendered to Christ to do his will.

So, coming to Christ is not something we do once in our lives, done deal. Coming to Christ is something we do daily, in practice, in denying self and dying to sin, and in following Jesus in obedience to his commands (Luke 9:23-26). And this is of the Spirit of God and not anything that we can do in our own flesh, but we must cooperate with the Spirit in his work of grace in our lives by doing what he says to do in his power and strength and wisdom.

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

My Sheep  

An Original Work / June 24, 2012  

Based off John 10:1-18 NIV

My sheep hear me. They know me.

They listen to my voice and obey.

I call them and lead them.

They know my voice, so they follow me.

They will never follow strangers.

They will run away from them.

The voice of a stranger they know not;

They do not follow him.

So, I tell you the truth that

I am the gate, so you enter in.

Whoever does enter

Will find forgiveness and will be saved.

Nonetheless whoever enters

Not by the gate; other way,

He is the thief and a robber.

Listen not, the sheep to him.

Oh, I am the Good Shepherd,

Who laid his own life down for the sheep.

I know them. They know me.

They will live with me eternally.

The thief only comes to steal and

Kill and to destroy the church.

I have come to give you life that

You may have it to the full… 

They know my voice, so they follow me.

https://vimeo.com/114938263