Hold Firm The Truth

For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.  For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the excellent glory: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."  And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.  And so we have the prophetic word confirmedm which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophesy of the scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophesy never came by thhe will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they moved by the Holy Spirit.
2 Peter 1: 16-21 NKJV

There are those convictions and deeply seated beliefs for which many of us will never turn.  Many of these truths are pretty acedemic, instilled in us from an early age.  The sky is blue, the grass is green, fire will burn and jumping off tall buildings is probably not such a good idea.  Of course, many of these truths which we hold close in our hearts have come to us with the heavy price of experience.  Whether we carry our physical or mental scars as a result of our experiences, we will definately have "Learned our lessons" when they presented themselves.  Then again, there are those who, despite repeated pitfalls, grudgingly refuse to learn from their experiences at all.  They choose to hang onto their deeply held beliefs despite where they may lead them.  This could be seen as either staunch conviction or foolishness.  Of course, this got me to thinking, just what would it take to challange our most deeply held beliefs and allow us to change our way of thinking?  Will it take some drastic circumstance, or just a more convincing argumant than we've yet heard?  I believe that this is a challange that many of us in the ministry of our Lord face daily.  In 2 Peter 1, the apostle Peter layed out a few of his deeply held beliefs which he would surely bring forth to anyone who would listen.  To Peter, these were not only beliefs, but undeniable truths.  They were truths to which Peter had been witness to.

Preach the word!  Be ready in season and out of season.  Convince, rebuke, exort, with all longsuffering and teaching.  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers, and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.  But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
2 Timothy 4: 2-5 NKJV

In our daily walk and ministry to our Lord, we are confronted with many people  who may be in desperate need to hear the truth about Jesus.  The popular belief is that this Jesus whom we serve was one of the greatest humanitarians in history.  He was kind, compassionate and had a heart for all men.  However, it is in these beliefs where we see the most common error which many today believe and trust in.  Looking at this description of our risen Lord we see one common truth that is often denied, JESUS WAS.  People often speak of Jesus in the past tense, as if He is no longer with us today.  Despite many scriptures which speak to the contrary, many with "Itching ears" continue to hold firm to this belief.  We do well to remember that Jesus not only gave Himself as a sin offering in our place, but also is risen.  As the angel told those who came to His empty tomb that morning, "He is not here; for He is risen."{Matthew 28:6}  It is not "Jesus was," but Jesus IS!  This is not only our ministry, but the undeniable truth in which we stand.

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
Galations 2:20 NKJV

There are those who believe that we need a closer walk with God, that we somehow need to perform better in order to gain access to His loving presence.  They see God as seperate from His children, waiting for them to somehow measure up to His holy standards.  As Paul instructed young Timothy, these have "Turned their ears away from the truth."  Our ministry, the truth we must shout from the rooftops to all who will listen, is that the Lord Jesus lives within us today.  We need only see who our heavenly Father chooses to bring to us to hear the truth of His Son.

~Scott~