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• Passion for Christ
• Importance of being self-feeders, not reliant on the church
• Concern about people taking distance from the church and potentially the Lord
• Need for individuals to be able to care for their own soul and not rely on others
• Comparison between mature children who don't need their mothers and churches being compared to mothers in scripture
• The importance of relating deeply and intimately to Christ
• The knowledge of what it means to be saved
• Recognizing oneself as a sinner and following the Savior
• Living, praying, and thanking God for speaking to us
• Praise for God's creation and his powerful word
• Asking for help in submitting to God's living word
• Seeing Jesus Christ for who he is and submitting to him
• Prayer for encouragement and reminder of one's identity in Christ
[0.00 --> 5.32] You know, I mentioned I'm semi-retired.
[5.32 --> 12.34] It's been said before, I work part-time for Resource Leadership International,
[12.72 --> 19.38] and resources involved with about a dozen schools in a variety of countries,
[19.52 --> 25.86] but with our partners in the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, and Europe,
[25.86 --> 31.64] we're in about 120 to 30 schools in 70 countries,
[31.64 --> 36.58] and we don't know of one school that didn't shut down.
[37.70 --> 43.72] And so we transitioned our ministry to doing what a lot of churches around the world had to do,
[43.88 --> 47.58] to help schools teach online.
[47.58 --> 54.44] And, for example, there's a school in Cairo, Egypt,
[54.44 --> 62.00] that had been getting invitations from the Arab world to help them,
[62.38 --> 65.20] and they just didn't have the potential to do that.
[65.32 --> 69.40] So we've helped them to improve their technology,
[69.90 --> 74.68] and so now they're beginning to teach people throughout the Arabic world
[74.68 --> 78.86] by first themselves having been forced to teach online,
[79.24 --> 84.30] and now being able to broadcast this into the world around them.
[84.40 --> 90.62] So there are upsides to what I would call a COVID operation,
[91.30 --> 96.10] but there's been many, many downsides as well.
[96.86 --> 102.00] Whereas in Vietnam, in the whole country,
[102.00 --> 103.84] I don't believe there was one death.
[104.50 --> 106.54] A couple weeks ago I heard of in Bolivia
[106.54 --> 110.96] that over a hundred pastors died due to it.
[111.56 --> 113.60] Now I can't verify statistics,
[113.98 --> 117.60] but it's such an unpredictable thing.
[118.66 --> 122.44] It's created such uncertainty in our own lives
[122.44 --> 124.38] as to how do you respond to this.
[124.38 --> 128.52] And so I experienced some of that own,
[129.02 --> 133.56] you might say, confusion in my own soul
[133.56 --> 134.78] as to what to do.
[136.54 --> 138.40] But we're privileged to worship,
[138.86 --> 144.92] and today I would like to turn again to the Scriptures
[144.92 --> 146.96] with a focus this morning
[146.96 --> 151.82] on the spiritual discipline of Scripture.
[154.60 --> 157.00] I'd love to do a little survey and ask,
[157.66 --> 159.90] how much do you actually read the Bible?
[161.58 --> 163.86] Is it as much as you watch the news?
[168.86 --> 170.96] Scripture is a primary means
[170.96 --> 175.64] by which the Spirit uses to shape
[175.64 --> 181.02] who we are into the person of Christ.
[181.28 --> 185.70] We're going to turn in a moment to Peter
[185.70 --> 189.94] and take up where we left last week
[189.94 --> 192.16] on 2 Peter chapter 1.
[193.34 --> 196.74] But there in the verses 12 and following,
[196.74 --> 200.80] he speaks to the importance of Scripture
[200.80 --> 202.22] in our lives.
[203.22 --> 206.12] And before we turn to it,
[207.18 --> 208.34] I'd like to remind you,
[208.36 --> 209.68] I mentioned it last week,
[209.74 --> 211.20] of this little acronym,
[211.98 --> 214.32] acronym VIM.
[215.18 --> 216.36] V-I-M.
[216.60 --> 219.16] It can, I think, be a helpful tool
[219.16 --> 221.62] in remembering the process
[221.62 --> 223.58] of spiritual formation
[223.58 --> 226.16] where V in the VIM stands for vision,
[226.72 --> 228.76] I stands for our own intent,
[229.20 --> 231.12] and M, which we're looking at this morning,
[231.22 --> 232.64] is the means whereby
[232.64 --> 235.50] God uses to shape us.
[235.76 --> 237.60] I think it's also a helpful tool
[237.60 --> 238.38] in understanding
[238.38 --> 240.68] what Peter's talking about,
[240.80 --> 241.56] writing about,
[241.82 --> 243.50] in 2 Peter chapter 1.
[243.98 --> 246.10] Because at the beginning of the chapter,
[246.40 --> 248.26] he speaks about getting really
[248.26 --> 250.00] this vision of Christ.
[250.00 --> 253.12] In verse 3, he said,
[253.98 --> 256.40] His divine power has given us
[256.40 --> 258.28] everything we need
[258.28 --> 259.50] for a godly life.
[259.62 --> 260.06] How?
[261.08 --> 263.76] Through our knowledge of Him,
[264.32 --> 264.76] Jesus,
[265.86 --> 267.16] who called us
[267.16 --> 269.70] by His own glory and goodness.
[269.80 --> 270.36] In other words,
[270.76 --> 271.88] we got a vision,
[272.10 --> 275.36] we saw who this Jesus is,
[275.70 --> 278.22] and by calling us into that,
[278.22 --> 280.82] we've been given this power
[280.82 --> 283.48] to live a new life.
[283.70 --> 284.40] In other words,
[284.88 --> 288.06] once we get the true vision
[288.06 --> 291.24] of who Jesus is,
[292.62 --> 294.30] that God of heaven and earth
[294.30 --> 295.84] come in the flesh
[295.84 --> 298.56] so that we body and soul people