Journal 2 Pet 1 (all references are from the ESV; changes in punctuation and notes are mine)
Scripture: May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises—so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your:
Faith with virtue,
Virtue with knowledge,
Knowledge with self-control,
Self-control with steadfastness (dedication),
Steadfastness with godliness,
Godliness with brotherly affection, and,
Brotherly affection with love.
For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they will keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Pet 1:2-8)
Observation: Who, what, why, when, where, and how—the Holy Spirit is thorough in giving instruction on how to progress in maturity.
Too bad I don’t pay as intense attention as I ought.
Application: I have been paying attention to the Asbury Revival. It is very similar to the Revival of the late 60’s and early 70’s that led to the Jesus Movement.
Will this move of the Holy Spirit spread, even to Manatee County? I dunno, it is up to the Spirit.
What is pertinent and relevant is that a spirit of revival isn’t limited to a particular location or locale: it is the visible evidence of longing hearts.
What happened at Asbury today and other locations is what happened at Calvary Chapel, Asbury, and other places back 50 years ago. It happened at Azuza Street Mission at the turn of the 20th Century, and what is called the Great Awakening in the mid-1700’s.
From my experience, there are four attributes: A desire to be godly, or holy; grow in knowledge and expression; share; sing to confirm doctrine and celebrate the Savior.
Peter emphasized and repeated one word more that any other in this Letter: Knowledge.
The Jesus Movement back then had folks who emphasized the “sizzle over the steak”, but there were core folks who preached and taught that if I were to worship God, then begin to grow in the knowledge of what I am worshipping about. Beginning as a child with childlike knowledge and understanding is good; staying at a childlike knowledge and understanding is not.
I want to grow in knowledge but not lose any enthusiasm; in fact, I look to have growth in knowledge fuel enthusiasm—just like Pete wrote.
Prayer: Lord God, let my confession and intent be as I wrote—only in You and to celebrate You.
Bring revival, O God. Holy Spirit rain and reign.
AMEN.
Ricky Two Shoes