Inside/Outside #19

The acts of the flesh are obvious:  slanderers…God-haters….insolent

On this Monday morning and before we develop our continuinginvestigation of those things which are quite natural to the inside and are observedon the outside, let me inform you a bit about where we are at in our 60th Anniversary celebration journey.  Today we are in San Diego preparing to board the Celebrity Cruise liner, the Millennium to embark upon our journey back to Miami/Zephyrhills via a 15 night cruise taking us through the Panama Canal.

But now for our look into what we basically are before we notice those things, which by God’s grace, we can be transformed into.

By definition, a slanderer is: a person who makes false, malicious, damaging statements about a person’s character and reputation. Within the framework of the church, these issues have to be dealt with but because of our tendency to do otherwise are often left unchallenged only, to fester and foster further disaffection, disruption, disablement, disagreement, disassociation, disbelief, discontentment and finally irrevocable disaster.

By definition a God-hater is:  a person whose actions, be they words spoken or deeds done or places to which he does or does not go reflects a known or unknown hostility toward God. In Peter’s denial which caused him to curse and weep over that which he had said and done it was required and necessary that he be restored, and he was.  Jesus Reinstates Peter John 21: 15-17

15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”   “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”  16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”  He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”   Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”  17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”  Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”

By definition being insolent is: a person who is rude, arrogant and showing a lack of respect.  Concerning this inwardly behavioral characteristic we find that this applies to authority structures found within the home place, the work place, the school place, the church place, the government place. And, indeed there is a societal breakdown at whatever place you choose to evaluate.