I have spent the last seven months on the move. I haven't been in any one place with the same people for more than two months. If anyone had asked me before I left how difficult my time away would be, I would have probably given an answer about my confidence in the Lord and the blessings of Skype and Facebook. But now, though I am incredibly thankful for Skype and Facebook, I am finally home and reflecting on my time away.
The most difficult thing in being away from my community, my home, the church: personal holiness. I had no one to keep me accountable. I had no one to encourage me to read the Word. I had no one living my day to day life with me. No one had expectations of me. I could have been whoever I wanted to be, with no one the wiser.
And this is the lesson I've learned and am learning: personal holiness is an integral part of the faith and cannot be accomplished outside of the Church.
Personal holiness extends so far beyond just reading the Bible and prayer. One can read and not understand, one can pray and be talking to air. But true holiness is coming before God and allowing the Holy Spirit to align your heart with God's heart.
God calls us to this in Leviticus 20:26,
"You must be holy because I, the Lord, am holy. I have set you apart from all other people to be my very own."
He calls us to be set apart. He calls us to be His people. I recently started reading Kevin DeYoung's The Hole in Our Holiness. He so clearly calls out the importance and issue of holiness among all people in this excerpt where he summarizes from J.C. Ryle's Holiness:
"Because God's new world is free from every stain or hint of sin, it's hard to imagine how we could enjoy heaven without holiness. As J.C. Ryle reminds us, heaven is a holy place. The Lord of heaven is a holy God. The angels are holy creatures. The inhabitants are holy saints. Holiness is written on everything in heaven. And nothing unholy can enter into this heaven (Rev. 21:27, Heb. 12:14). Even if you could enter heaven without holiness, what would you do? What joy would you feel there? What holy man or woman of God would you sit down with for fellowship? Their pleasures are not your pleasures. Their character is not your character. What they love, you do not love. If you dislike a holy God now, why would you want ot be with him forever? If worship does not capture your attention at present, what makes you think it will thrill you in some heavenly future? If ungodliness is your delight here on earth, what will please you in heaven, where all is clean and pure? You would not be happy there if you are not holy here."
As I thought about this and chewed on this idea, I realized more than anything, I want to be with Christ. I want to understand the Father. I want to know Him, know how He thinks, know how He loves. And if I do not love what He loves, how shall I delight in Him? How could I claim to understand Him if I don't want my life to be in His will? And the Lord so clearly calls His people to be holy! Peter reminds us of this in 1 Peter 1:13-16,
"So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy."
And holiness is not legalism! Holiness is tuning our hearts to God's heart that we might join in His glorious song! He delights in right things, and we see that in the life of Christ who came to fulfill the law.
So where does the church play into this? What's the importance of community in personal holiness? Well, I'm glad you asked.
In coming home, I very suddenly realized there are a lot, a lot of expectations placed on me as a leader in the community. I was quick to panic, and think it unfair and then I realized: the expectations placed on me are good, and right and are not mine alone. What I mean by that is that I have the Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit who is dwelling inside me, guiding me, leading me! And the expectations placed on me by my community are there because they desire to not only see me dedicated to Christ, but to see me leading others to do the same!
We are a bunch of misfits who have been shown amazing grace. We have been called out of our evil desires, and called to live holy lives. We have been saved to live as we were intended to live: in harmony and community with a holy God! And the best part is that God doesn't expect us to do it alone! He calls His people together, that they might encourage each other towards Him! That we might grow in our understanding of the Lord and His delights together. And beyond giving us other people, He gave us His Spirit! Without the Holy Spirit, how would have I maintained holiness apart from community? By sheer will-power and stubbornness? My flesh would have ruled over me! Had I remained committed to the law, I would have been prideful. Had a succumbed to sin, I would have been just as guilty. But Christ saved me from my slavery to the flesh and granted me His Spirit!
I want to live a holy life because I don't want to be at war with the Spirit within me! I want to look to the life of Christ and see that He lived in perfect unity in God, and I desire the same for my own life. I want to be apart of a people set apart.
I encourage you to delight in the Lord. To seek out the things that He delights in, and tune your heart to this holy song. It's beautiful, strange, and at times trying, but the prize is dwelling in the rest and glory of the One that gave glory its meaning.
Hebrews 12:14,15
"Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord. Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many."
Jude 1:20-23
"But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.
And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives."
He calls us to be set apart. He calls us to be His people. I recently started reading Kevin DeYoung's The Hole in Our Holiness. He so clearly calls out the importance and issue of holiness among all people in this excerpt where he summarizes from J.C. Ryle's Holiness:
"Because God's new world is free from every stain or hint of sin, it's hard to imagine how we could enjoy heaven without holiness. As J.C. Ryle reminds us, heaven is a holy place. The Lord of heaven is a holy God. The angels are holy creatures. The inhabitants are holy saints. Holiness is written on everything in heaven. And nothing unholy can enter into this heaven (Rev. 21:27, Heb. 12:14). Even if you could enter heaven without holiness, what would you do? What joy would you feel there? What holy man or woman of God would you sit down with for fellowship? Their pleasures are not your pleasures. Their character is not your character. What they love, you do not love. If you dislike a holy God now, why would you want ot be with him forever? If worship does not capture your attention at present, what makes you think it will thrill you in some heavenly future? If ungodliness is your delight here on earth, what will please you in heaven, where all is clean and pure? You would not be happy there if you are not holy here."
As I thought about this and chewed on this idea, I realized more than anything, I want to be with Christ. I want to understand the Father. I want to know Him, know how He thinks, know how He loves. And if I do not love what He loves, how shall I delight in Him? How could I claim to understand Him if I don't want my life to be in His will? And the Lord so clearly calls His people to be holy! Peter reminds us of this in 1 Peter 1:13-16,
"So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy."
And holiness is not legalism! Holiness is tuning our hearts to God's heart that we might join in His glorious song! He delights in right things, and we see that in the life of Christ who came to fulfill the law.
So where does the church play into this? What's the importance of community in personal holiness? Well, I'm glad you asked.
In coming home, I very suddenly realized there are a lot, a lot of expectations placed on me as a leader in the community. I was quick to panic, and think it unfair and then I realized: the expectations placed on me are good, and right and are not mine alone. What I mean by that is that I have the Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit who is dwelling inside me, guiding me, leading me! And the expectations placed on me by my community are there because they desire to not only see me dedicated to Christ, but to see me leading others to do the same!
We are a bunch of misfits who have been shown amazing grace. We have been called out of our evil desires, and called to live holy lives. We have been saved to live as we were intended to live: in harmony and community with a holy God! And the best part is that God doesn't expect us to do it alone! He calls His people together, that they might encourage each other towards Him! That we might grow in our understanding of the Lord and His delights together. And beyond giving us other people, He gave us His Spirit! Without the Holy Spirit, how would have I maintained holiness apart from community? By sheer will-power and stubbornness? My flesh would have ruled over me! Had I remained committed to the law, I would have been prideful. Had a succumbed to sin, I would have been just as guilty. But Christ saved me from my slavery to the flesh and granted me His Spirit!
I want to live a holy life because I don't want to be at war with the Spirit within me! I want to look to the life of Christ and see that He lived in perfect unity in God, and I desire the same for my own life. I want to be apart of a people set apart.
I encourage you to delight in the Lord. To seek out the things that He delights in, and tune your heart to this holy song. It's beautiful, strange, and at times trying, but the prize is dwelling in the rest and glory of the One that gave glory its meaning.
Hebrews 12:14,15
"Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord. Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many."
Jude 1:20-23
"But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.
And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives."
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