01/14/2025 – “Little children, we must not live in word or speech, but in deed and truth.” 1 John 3:18 / Comments included.
Werewolves In The Pews
Tuesday, January 14, 2025
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“that is how we will know we are in the truth, and will convince our hearts in His presence, because if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts and knows all things.” (1 John 3:19-20 – continuing verses)
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“Do you remember the Wolfman from Saturday morning television? His face would start to get hairy. Then he got fangs, ears, and nose like an animal. Some believers are very much like that – saints in church, but then undergoing a strange transformation as they drive home. The first hair appears as they leave the church parking lot and by the first traffic light, their face is covered. By the time they’ve reached home, their family recognizes the growling and snarling and says the Wolfman’s home. Too many believers lead double lives. If you’re a person of integrity, you have to be the same in the house of the Lord as in your home. Be a person of integrity especially with your family and the people who see you all the time. Be the same in service, in your home, or at work. That’s where the victory is. Be just as spiritual at home as you are in the service. Take the love and joy from the service and bring it home. Then you’ll be a light to your home which is what God called you to be – and not a monster. “
From Message #519 – The Untouchables
Scripture: 1 John 3:18
TODAY’S MISSION – Today, be a saint wherever you are and in whatever you do.
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Comment:
“for it is written, Be holy, because I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:16
Absent the LORD’s sanctification process, we just don’t want to be holy. I expect many of us want to sit on the sofa, waiting for “beam me up Scotty”. (rapture). Leave it to the remnant Jews to suffer martyrdom during the seven year tribulation. My premillennial dispensationalist rapture brothers may be right, but I choose not to grab onto that , for perhaps I am just weaker than they are. It would make me weaker still. There is a paradox here, but I am not going to go there. haha. Bottom line: In the grand scheme, I submit it doesn’t make any difference in this case whether or not you are wrong on the “rapture” . Quite frankly, wimpy as I still am, I am hoping for that. How about today!
Peter , through the Holy Spirit, is repeating: Leviticus 11:47. I submit , through reading the Word and prayer, the “werewolf” disappears. I have been a Christian for 60 years, but I experienced this in a significant way late in life. Stated in terms of statistics, the “werewolf” syndrome has an extremely high inverse correlation coefficient to the time spent in His Word and prayer. Sanctification, as in justification, is a gift from God, not by our own efforts. Likewise “regeneration”, the Holy Spirit implanting desires that weren’t previously there. That obviously accelerates the lifelong sanctification process, the Holy Spirit working in you to act according to God’s purpose. (express it in action).
https://www.monergism.com/blog/dont-confuse-justification-regeneration-or-sanctification
From the article – link above: I will share just a few short excerpt quotes:
“Regeneration is an act of God in us; justification is an act of God with respect to us.”
Backing up here:
“It is by righteousness of God that we are justified (Romans 1:17; 3:21; 10:3; Philippians 3:9). In other words, the righteousness of our justification is a God-righteousness. Nothing more conclusively demonstrates that it is not a righteousness which is ours.”
Distinguishing “regeneration” and “renovation” (a new term here): “Regeneration is usually in Scripture the change of the inward man, whereby we are born anew. Renovation is the change of the inward and the outward man, that is, both of heart and life. Justification is neither, but a certain action in God applied unto us, or a certain respect or relation whereby we are acquit of our sins and accepted to life everlasting.”
My favorite Christmas present of all time came from my bride: “Puritan Theology”, about 1,000 pages steeped in the experience of taking a drink of water from a fire hose throughout. haha. I would like to read it again; it expands the mind! Initially, it was akin to what Jesus told Peter: “…when you get old, I am going to take you where you don’t want to go.” No, it is not martyrdom in my case, although that could be coming. In a less intense way, it is clearly pointing to laser focusing on “witnessing to lost souls” as a mere messenger in place of theology study. (The Great Commission) But here again, the desire for witnessing is increasing, my sanctification process is clearly in play until I take my last breath in this world.
And on that note: “Soli Deo Gloria indeed for all of us!”
Thoughts? / Reflections? / Questions?