Reformation: The vision of the Church

2 Peter 1: 1-3
" Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. "


Peter opens his letter first with identifying himself as a servant--one who had bound himself to Christ's service. He willingly chose to give up his rights in order to be a servant of Christ. A servant does not serve himself; He serves the Master and lives to see that the will of the Master is performed.

Next he states that he is an apostle. A person does not decide to be an apostle--he has to be called by God. A apostle is a messenger--one that is sent by God. Apostles are often reformers--they invoke revolution and change. The apostles were the foundation of the early church. The church was established through the apostles.

The interesting thing to note is that Peter did not use the title of apostle first, but rather used the title of servant. Sometimes in the church we can get caught up in titles and recognition. But Peter recognized that he was first a servant of God. If it were us writing the letter to the church, we might have left out the servant part altogether and just said, "Peter an Apostle of Jesus Christ." But Peter was not promoting himself. He was promoting Christ. He had come to a place in his spiritual walk where he recognized it was not his church he was building, but Christ's.

Next he addresses the reader. "To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ." Our faith is something we have received because of Christ. God gives us everything we need to succeed in this Christian walk. What pleases God? Faith. And then He provides the faith we need to please Him. How awesome is that?! We are believers together in faith. This is not some contest as Peter noted when he said "with us". God is no respecter of persons--we are all servants in the kingdom of God. To each is given a measure of faith. What we do with that measure is up to us. We can add to our faith by the hearing/reading the Word and applying it's truths to our lives. When you activate your faith--it is increased and multiplies.

Grace and peace are multiplied as we receive knowledge of God. The more we begin to know God--who He is, how He loves us, what He desires--the more grace is given to us. Grace is a state of well-being, spiritual prosperity, and freedom from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts. (Amplified Bible). How do we know God? Through the Bible (His Word). Through prayer--communicating with Him. As we read the Bible we can see the characteristics of God. The Bible is a story of love from beginning to end. It tells of God's love for mankind--His desire to have an intimate relationship with mankind.

As we know God, we begin to know peace, for we become established in His love, and perfect love casts out fear. When we get an understanding of God's love, we don't have to be afraid anymore. For we know that God is concerned for our well-being and He protects His children and shelters them. He delivers us out of trouble. He walks with us through the valley of the shadow of death. God never leaves us--He does not abandon His children.

God's divine power gives us everything we need to live an abundant life. God has given us everything we need to live a holy life. He has given us His Spirit who guides us into all truth. All we have to do is submit and yield to the workings of the Holy Spirit. As we yield to the Spirit of God, He begins to produce righteousness within us. We become partakers of the divine nature--the nature of God. We are transformed into the image of God.

Peter tells us that corruption is in the world because of lust. Corruption is moral decay--a lack of integrity. Lust is an unrestrained craving. In Galatians 5:16 we are instructed to walk and live (habitually) in the Holy Spirit (responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit); then we will not gratify the cravings (lust) and desires of the flesh. (Amplified) If we will walk in the Spirit--allowing Him to lead and guide us, we can live a life of virtue and holiness. As we walk in the light we begin to become a light in the midst of darkness.

Light belongs in the darkness. We are called to carry the light of Christ to the world. People are searching for a light. Why else would there be such a high demand on psychics and "spiritualists?" People are searching for God and they don't know how to find Him. They want to know that there is a reason for living. They want a personal God--one who is touched with their sufferings. This is why they search for "personal words." For too long God has been portrayed as one that is far off and unreachable. They want to have a purpose and a reason for living. This is evidenced when they ask what the future holds for them. They know there is more to life than what they are now experiencing--but they don't know where to find it--so they keep searching--trying to find it in wealth, power and fame. They are looking for love and searching for significance. We need to show them the way. To tell them they don't have to look any further than Christ. We need to share God's love with them--that God loves them with an everlasting love. We need to tell them that God's arm is not shortened that He cannot save them--that His ear is opened to hear their cry.

We need to get a revelation of the power of the blood of Christ--that it has the power to save even the most wicked sinner. We need to see the possibilities. We as a church have become overwhelmed with the darkness and have begun to lose hope. But we need to begin to carry the light of Christ out into the darkness. Isaiah encouraged God's people to arise and show forth the glory of God--even in the midst of a great darkness. (Isaiah 60:1,2) The glory of God is what changes things. It makes a saint of the chiefest of sinners. So arise, and shine--be radiant with the glory of the Lord! For even in the midst of dense darkness, the Lord shall arise upon you, and His glory shall be seen on you. (Isaiah 60:2)

We are called to be reformers. To reform something is to improve by alteration (change); to remove the defects; to put into a better form or condition. Through the power of Christ, we can change our neighborhoods, our communities, our cities, and our nation--even the world. We need to magnify God in our lives. To magnify something is to cause it to be enlarged--to glorify or praise. As we live a life of praise unto God, God is magnified and lifted up. As God is lifted up, men will be drawn unto Christ in us. As men are drawn to God's presence in our lives, the glory of God will hit their lives and they will be forever changed. If each one can just reach one--we can change our world together. The gospel of Christ is spread by "word of mouth." As we open our mouths and share the Good News of Christ, we can transform and revolutionize our world.