Defending honor or just picking fights

The past couple of days I have heard and read many stories of pastors and ministers who have lost their way.  They seem to building for themselves earthly kingdoms under the guise of God's Kingdom.  They are making for themselves names and leaving legacies of destruction in their wake.  They aren't teaching or demonstrating the love and character of God in any sense of the Word.

This makes we rather up set.  Since I am a minister of the gospel, and so are you, I want to stand up on the street corner and defend the name and fame of God.  But this morning I was reminded of this passage and read it again, with more intensity and understanding (2 Peter 3.8-18).

Don't overlook the obvious here, friends.  With God, one day is as good as a thousand years, a thousand years as a day.  God isn't late with his promises as some measure lateness.  He is restraining himself on account of you, holding back the End because he doesn't want anyone lost.  He's giving everyone space and time to change.

But when the Day of God's Judgment does come, it will be  unannounced, like a thief.  The sky will collapse with a thunderous bang, everything disintegrating in a huge conflagration, earth and all its works exposed to the scrutiny of Judgment.

Since everything here today might well be gone tomorrow, do you see how essential it is to live a holy life?  Daily expect the Day of God, eager for its arrival.  The galaxies will burn up and the elements melt down that day--but we'll hardly notice.  We'll be looking the other way, ready for the promised new heavens and the promised new earth, all landscaped with righteousness.

So, (here comes the part for you and me...pay attention here--my thoughts) my dear friends, since this is what you have to look forward to, do your very best to be found living at your best, in purity and peace.  Interpret our Master's patient restraint for what it is: salvation.  Our good brother Paul, who was given much wisdom in these matters, refers to this in all his letters, and has written you essentially the same thing.  Some things Paul writes are difficult to understand.  Irresponsible people (these are the men that I've noticed more and more in the past couple days--my thoughts) who don't know what they are talking about twist them every which way.  They do it to the rest of the Scriptures, too, destroying themselves as they do it. (see God doesn't need me to defend His honor)

But you, friends, (here we go again--check this out--write this down--apply this to your life) are well-warned.  Be on guard lest you lose your footing and get swept off your feet by these lawless and loose-talking teachers.  Grow in grace and understanding of our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Glory to the Master, now and forever! Yes!

 I am reminded of the only fight I ever got into.  It was elementary school and I was defending my mom and sister's honor.  A kid started calling me names--that didn't bother me, I was used to being called names.  He then started in on my dad--as if that would work, my dad is big and can take care of himself.  Then he turned to calling my mom and sister names.  He was looking for a fight.  I punched him the eye and left with my heart pounding out of my chest.  What was I doing?

After school, he came looking for me.  I wasn't hard to find since I was a safety patrol and wore a bright orange belt around my chest and waist.  I was opening car doors for kids going home.  He skipped calling me names and went right back to my mom and sister.  I punched him in the other eye and went to see the principal.  I lost my belt that day and got in trouble at home for fighting.  I thought I was defending my mom and sister's honor.

The same is so true with God.  We think that we need to defend God's honor, name and fame when it comes to false teachers.  We need to focus that much harder on our relationship with God.  We need to do our best to be found living in purity and peace.  We need to take guard against losing our footing of faith and getting swept off our feet by these teachers.  The only way to do that is to know who God is and what He is about - growing in grace and understanding of our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Peter had it right.  It is a message that we need to heed today even more.  There are lots of false teachers out there proclaiming things that contradict the Word and character of God.  Become a student of the Word and know God more today than you did yesterday.

Peter's ending is so appropriate: Glory to the Master, now and forever!  Yes!