Joe_Applegarth

If people are always promoting themselves and pointing to how God is using them, what does that say about them? That tells me clearly that they are a show horse in nature. They do things to glorify themselves and give back none of the glory to whom it belongs. That (whom) is God! Their sense of self-worth? Their maturity? Their realism? Their humility? “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” If you’re promoting self before God, that’s certainly not humility and should be seen as such. Without humility, you need work because you are certainly not a mature Christian. Allow me to rephrase Jesus' words; render unto God what is God’s, the rest belongs to you. If you indeed give all praise to the Lord God there’s nothing left and you are a humble, mature servant. What spiritual gifts has God given you, and how are you using them to his glory? He’s blessed me with the gift of language and service to others and I thank Him every time He gives me an opportunity to use them. I ardently strive to use both of these gifts for the glory of God every single day. Every word that I say and/or write has been gifted to me to share with others for His glory. I strive to do just that and I pray that’s the way God sees it when my time comes.

Why don't non-Christians like the idea of giving an account of their actions? Like it or not, unbelievers will indeed stand accountable for their works and works alone will never save us. Those who are not saved WILL pay for their own sins for all eternity and that fate is unimaginable. So, why don’t they like the idea? In Revelation 20:12 John tells us that that the unbeliever “will be judged according to their works” and in 20:15 he expounds on that when he says, “Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.” Not a pleasant picture to be sure so in that light it would stand to reason that they wouldn’t like the idea of that final accounting of themselves so in life they do everything in their human power to suppress that truth. Why don't we Christians like it? I can’t speak for other Christians but I personally know and understand that, when my time comes, I won't be judged by human standards but by what Jesus expected out of me during my time on this planet. I know that I will be rewarded according to what I did or did not do for His glory. If my works are judged to be for my own glory rather than for the glory of God they are of absolutely no value and I will have absolutely nothing to show for my time in this body. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) The thing that worries me the most is that even though (verse above) I can be forgiven for the things that I’ve done, I will also be judged by what I have not done and that (to me) is an unknown that I’ll have to account for when I’m called. What should the realization that we must give an account of our actions inspire in us? Jesus said, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” (Luke 12:48) I’ve heard God’s word and I know that if I continue to sin I will be more accountable than an unbeliever because I knew what was required and didn’t do it. If I’m unfaithful and continue in my sinful ways on earth, how can God possibly expect faithfulness from me in His Kingdom? Luke says “to whom much was given, much will be expected and even more demanded.” Knowing that I will ultimately face judgment is all the inspiration I need to live as righteously as I possibly can. Matthew Henry said that “We should be zealous in making known the truth, for though divisions will be stirred up, and a man's own household may be his foes, yet sinners will be converted, and God will be glorified.” Judgement inspires me to do everything in my power to glorify God rather than myself. God Himself is being judged by my actions and/or inaction and I must be aware of that so that I will always speak and act accordingly. With what attitude should we live as a result? “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” (Philippians 1:27). I won’t even make an attempt to improve Paul’s words.

Why do non-Christians try to get you to sin with them? I suppose in a way you can blame it on human nature. When a person isn’t building something up for himself it seems to relieve the tension if he/she can tear down something someone else has built. When we’re committed to living a godly life it makes those who are not quite uncomfortable. In order to ease their discomfort they often try to tempt us into sinning right along with them. I really think they believe that if they can tempt a Christian to sin they would share in it equally so as to not feel so bad about themselves later on. Why are we tempted to do so? Satan understands the herd mentality of the human race and will always use it to entice us to put our morals on the shelf and follow the crowd. We want to feel “with it” and to be a part of the herd and temptation is Satan’s enticement to some form of immorality under the pretense that it’s really not that bad. Think about it this way, sin generally looks good, feels good, tastes good or smells good but more often than not it comes at us in the form of a combination of the four. Unfortunately when we face that kind of temptation and fall victim to the herd mentality we often try to deceive ourselves by directing our focus toward the positive aspects of what we’re doing while totally ignoring the fact that what we’re really doing is a sin. How can we resist this temptation? The easiest way to resist temptation is to not put ourselves in a position where we can be tempted. Our spiritual needs will be satisfied by spending time away from the temptations of the world in prayer and fellowship with other Christians. When our spiritual needs are met in that way we’ll feel a sense of well-being and contentment and the strength to repel all of those worldly temptations that are so offensive to our Christian values. Unfortunately attempting a one-on-one confrontation with Satan when our spiritual needs are lacking will always result in failure and we’ll become increasingly vulnerable to temptation.

When the scripture says "arm yourselves with the same attitude" as Christ had, how should this attitude help keep you from sin? What attitude are we talking about? The "attitude" that we're talking about is our attitude about sin and Christ’s “attitude” was to be done with it completely. As we reflect upon the suffering and the horrible way He died we know that this was the price for our redemption. It was a debt that we owed but He paid it in our stead so our “attitude” should be to repay that debt by being done with sin ourselves.

Have you pledged your faith in Jesus Christ and promised to serve him as his disciple? How does this pledge relate to your own baptism? Yes, I was baptized and pledged my faith in Christ Jesus as a young teen but when I was in my 20s until mid-30s, I was a terrible backslider. About 30 years ago, an event occurred in my life that showed me without a doubt that He had been there watching over me all along. It seems that He was waiting patiently for me to realize that He was there. Yes, I’m still a sinner (we all are) but today my faith is stronger than it’s ever been and I have dedicated my life to His service. My pledge to Jesus and my baptism are important to me because it’s important to Him or He wouldn't have commanded us to be baptized. Furthermore, if He didn’t feel that it was all that important, He wouldn’t have insisted that John baptize Him. “Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me? Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” (Matt. 3:13-15) I believe in my heart of hearts that baptism is necessary for salvation because Jesus said it is. After the resurrection, He told the disciples quite clearly to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:15-16) The words that Jesus spoke to the 11 that day leaves no room for debate. He said that to be saved you must do more than just believe, He said that you have to believe AND be baptized; all that's required of you to be condemned is to not believe. I've lived by those words and put my full faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and if he says baptism is important... well, that’s good enough for me!

Personalize it to imagine (1) your sins, (2) your unrighteousness, and (3) your reconciliation with God. My sins: I know that God can’t turn a blind eye to my sins and I know in my heart of hearts that He has to deal me and my sin just as He must deal with the sins of all mankind. Jesus took upon Himself the sins of mankind and rather than inflicting eternal death on me (the sinner) He died for me! That’s something that I reflect upon every day so His dying for me definitely personalizes His eternal love for me. (1) My unrighteousness: I understand that I have no righteousness other than that which has been given through my faith in Christ Jesus. “This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe… all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:22-23) I know that I’m a sinner and totally undeserving but Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice gives me peace with God and a hope for eternal life. I’m a mere mortal and I know that I probably will never fully understand His righteousness but I do understand the peace, love, and tranquility that I have in my life because of it. (1) My reconciliation with God: Jesus’ death doesn’t reconcile God’s relationship with me, it reconciles my relationship with Him. “The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification.” (Romans 5:16)Which of these three aspects of the verse has God impressed most strongly on you today? All of the above.

Why is it so hard for us to be a witness when we're persecuted? Although persecution can be physical, for the most part, persecution today targets us psychologically. Psychological persecution of ones ego forces us into a state of liberalism that at times causes even the most devout Christian to shy away or even totally avoid witnessing to avoid offending others. The truth is, if you’re not being persecuted, you’re practicing the wrong kind of Christianity. When a Christian loves the things of this world, he/she no longer has the strength to stand against the evils that it brings with it. By hiding their light under a bushel they believe that they can still stand in favor with God while maintaining the worldly status their ego yearns for and nothing could be farther from the truth. When it comes to being a true Christian, either you are or you are not, there is no middle ground. Why is it easy in tough places to be the wrong kind of witness? All too often when we see others doing wrong we look the other way rather than facing a potential confrontation. Instead of making it clearly known that someone has sinned before God it’s much easier and less confrontational to sugar-coat the offense. I personally can’t understand why it’s so hard for someone who lays claim to being a Christian to tell the sinner that he/she can never be saved when they’re outside the grace of God. Jesus died on the cross so our sins could be forgiven so why is it so hard for us to spread that good news. Why is it so much easier for us to sugar-coat sin than it is to tell people that they have to accept Him through faith in order to have eternal life? The Lord God expects us all to live a life of obedience and discipleship and someone needs to stand up and say it and that someone has to be us! Which one of Peter's four instructions do you find most needed in your particular situation? I guess I’d have to say giving the answer with gentleness and kindness. I do have a tendency to speak before I think things through and more often than not, that’s perceived as harsh. Truthful sure, but harsh none the less.

Which of the qualities Peter mentions in 3:8-9 are most evident in your congregation? Sympathetic, love one another, compassionate. Which are most needed? Being like-minded and humble and especially repaying evil with evil. Most of the congregation are acceptable but, unfortunately the actions of a few has a negative effect on the entire congregation. What can you and your friends do to change the relational climate at your Church so it is more Christ-like? Approach all things, positive and negative, with positive attitudes rebuking when needed but always with love and compassion rather than with anger and a mean spirit. Changing attitudes is a slow, tedious process but well worth the effort in the end.

We should all strive to show the honor and respect that’s due to all who are heirs of the grace of life. Married people (husband and wife equally) must take care to conduct themselves in a respectful, loving and peaceful manner so that their conflicts and disagreements don’t stand in the way of their prayers. Like you said in the text, you can’t hide from God and mistreating ones spouse is something that will stand between you and God and He won't hear your prayers.

Why should a husband relate to his wife with knowledge and wisdom? In what way does this demonstrate love? In what way does this demonstrate self-interest? Husbands and wives should relate equally to one another because they are “heirs together of the grace of life”; if they don’t, Peter says that their prayers will carry the burdens of an unsettled mind. When two people commit to one another before God their love will be established by the mutual giving and receiving of respect. The best gift any man can give to his wife is to love and respect her and let her flourish. Love is respecting and valuing her opinion, trusting in her wisdom and judgment and valuing her as a person. She should be valued for who, not what she is and she should never be looked upon as one of your earthly possessions. Why do men sometimes try to dominate their wives? Why do wives sometimes try to dominate their husbands? What harm does this do? How is domination of another person contrary to God's nature? Dominance is exerting power or influence over others. Whether an inherited or learned trait, men always seem to be seeking power and/or exerting authority over others. In a marriage, the man always seems to be sending the message that it’s he who wears the pants in the family and to me, that’s shows insecurity, weakness and ego. Marital insecurity is a two-sided coin though and the reasons are varied. Insecure women might feel secure by controlling every aspect of the family including controlling her husband. Man or woman, attempting to dominate one’s spouse is detrimental to the relationship between a husband and wife. In order to maintain balance in a marriage, both partners must work toward equality in the marriage. Men and women are equal in that we are both created in God’s image so we are all endowed by the Creator with spiritual equality. In Genesis 1:27 it’s written, “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” Previous to that in verse 26 it’s written, “Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

How does a person cultivate inner beauty? The cultivation of “inner beauty” requires an inner peace that arises out of a firm belief, trust and love of God. First and foremost, be humble, love others and always put your Christianity on display to glorify the Lord God. When you do people will see your inner beauty and feel safe and secure around you. That kind of love reflects your love of God whereas the love of self is egotistical, false and arrogant. Secondly, always be kind and caring and before you speak or act ask yourself this one question, “does what I’m doing (or saying), or about to do (or say) glorify God?” Third, always be humble. Inner beauty also comes from the recognition that you are a human being who has flaws and imperfections that can be overcome by living a life of service to God and to the people around us. The bottom line is, your inner beauty comes from true faith, godliness and a love of others but most of all faith in the Living God through His son Jesus Christ. How does one gain character? Why is true character so important and precious to God? Character is a collection of moral and ethical values that comes from faith in God, a strong Christian foundation and by living our lives with the full understanding that God created us for a higher purpose. Character comes by living a righteous, godly life. The answer to this question is in the words of Paul: “May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.” (Philippians 1:11)

How does a person cultivate inner beauty? The cultivation of “inner beauty” requires an inner peace that arises out of a firm belief, trust and love of God. First and foremost, be humble, love others and always put your Christianity on display to glorify the Lord God. When you do people will see your inner beauty and feel safe and secure around you. That kind of love reflects your love of God whereas the love of self is egotistical, false and arrogant. Secondly, always be kind and caring and before you speak or act ask yourself this one question, “does what I’m doing (or saying), or about to do (or say) glorify God?” Third, always be humble. Inner beauty also comes from the recognition that you are a human being who has flaws and imperfections that can be overcome by living a life of service to God and to the people around us. The bottom line is, your inner beauty comes from true faith, godliness and a love of others but most of all faith in the Living God through His son Jesus Christ. How does one gain character? Why is true character so important and precious to God? Character is a collection of moral and ethical values that comes from faith in God, a strong Christian foundation and by living our lives with the full understanding that God created us for a higher purpose. Character comes by living a righteous, godly life. The answer to this question is in the words of Paul: “May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.” (Philippians 1:11)

Why should women try to look their best? I agree with you. “Good grooming is always appropriate”, not only does it reflect positively on the person (man or woman), but it’s also a positive reflection on your husband/wife/family, and it reveals a level of pride in your Christianity which is a positive reflection on God. How can trying to look their best divert women from what is more important? What is the balance? Today there is intense pressure on women to look a certain way, pressure to look and act like the media’s perception of the perfect women. I’m a man so I may be speaking out of school but I believe that a woman should care about how she looks if she wants to realize degree of comfort in her life. God’s standards for beauty are infinitely different than the standards of the world, I believe His idea of beauty is a gentle and quiet spirit. When the importance of looking good externally escalates into vanity, ego and competition the gentle and quiet spirit is often forsaken. Matthew wrote: “You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.” (Matthew 23:26)

Why is submission so difficult for us humans? The word “submit” is undoubtedly one of the most unpopular and problematic words in the Bible because it implies inferiority and subservience to someone or something. In today’s world there’s a great deal of emphasis placed on equality in almost everything and, that little 6-letter word implies surrendering to the will of another which translates to weakness. Does submission require you to be silent when you don't agree or feel something can be improved? ? When is submission wrong for Christian? I’m not one to quote the words of other men, ordinarily I opt to quote scripture. In this case I’ll make an exception because it answers this question much better than I can. “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) Committing oneself to changing or improving a bad situation is our obligation as Christians. When we encounter things of this world that are completely at odds with our Christian values, it’s our duty to speak up with determination and commitment. Recently, our own government has opted to legislate good and evil and when there is a conflict between man’s law and God’s we have a duty to God to speak with one voice and make it known and not stand meekly by!

We are all endowed with the gift of free will and have the ability to choose between right and wrong. Simply put, sin still exists and has power over us because we continue to make poor decisions with that gift. Satan can’t “force” anyone into sin, all he can do is suggest and put the temptation squarely in front of us. All he has to do then is sit back and allow our free will to do its work. Giving in to that temptation because of poor decisions on our part is the reason sin has such power over our lives. Jesus Christ was perfect and we should all strive to be perfect too, but… we are human and in our humanity we are imperfect beings. Jesus took away our sins when He died on the cross and Peter said that we died to sin because of that supreme sacrifice. By his wounds we’ve been healed and that makes it possible for us to achieve something reasonably close to the perfection that God expects. But, only if we make good decisions. Resisting Satan and making good decisions requires prayer for strength and guidance and when we fall short, contrite prayers of confession and repentance. Righteousness is what distinguishes we Christians from the unbelievers of the world. God’s redeeming grace through Christ Jesus is empowering so living for righteousness to me is simply living my life in a manner that glorifies God, by doing good works and obeying the will of God. “We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them”. (1 John 5:18)