Essentials For Kingdom Growth

1
Essentials For Kingdom Growth

• Strong Bible Teaching Christian Character2
  Peter 15-7

2
Christian Character

• Peter says that we must be DILIGENT to ADD seven
  character traits to our already existent FAITH
• Virtue - moral courage or excellence
• Knowledge - understanding of truth
• Self-control - self-discipline
• Perseverance - enduring trials over time
• Godliness - prayerful devotion to God
• Brotherly kindness - love toward brethren
• Love - active goodwill toward all people

3
Christian Character
2 Pet. 1 8 These seven character traits must
be increasing for us to be useful and
fruitful in the knowledge of Jesus Christ.
4
Add Virtue

• Virtue is not just moral excellence in general
  it is the strength and courage required for brave
  choices in service to Christ.
• Under adverse conditions it is the choice (by
  faith) to do what is right (simply because it is
  right), regardless of the consequences.

5
Add Knowledge

• Definition
• Abbott-Smith 1. a seeking to know, inquiry,
  investigation. 2. knowledge in NT, specially of
  spiritual truth.
• Liddell-Scott 1. a seeking to know, a judicial
  inquiry. 2. knowledge wisdom.

6
Add Knowledge

• Definition
• Knowledge of spiritual truth that results from
  seeking to understand the will of God Ephesians
  517
• My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
  Hosea 46

7
Add Knowledge

• All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are
  found in Jesus Christ (the Word).Colossians
  21-3
• The Scriptures not only make us wise unto
  salvation but also make us completely equipped
  for every good work.2 Timothy 214-17

8
Add Knowledge

• Three Concepts Involved
• Desire for Truth Wisdom
• Mental Industry
• Practical Application of Wisdom

9
Add Knowledge

• Desire for Truth Wisdom
• If you seek her as silver,And search for her as
  for hidden treasuresThen you will discern the
  fear of the Lord,And discover the knowledge of
  God.For the Lord gives wisdomFrom his mouth
  comes knowledge and understanding.
• Proverbs 23-6(see 1 Peter 22)

10
Add Knowledge

• Desire for Truth Wisdom
• A person with this attitude will...
• Make daily Bible reading a priority in their
  life!
• Use every opportunity to study the Word of God
  alone and with others!
• Not take such opportunities for granted!

11
Add Knowledge

• Desire for Truth Wisdom
• We can and must believe and know the truth. 1
  Tim. 41-6
• The Spirit of Unbelief Is Running Rampant in
  the World AND in the Church.

12
Add Knowledge

• Desire for Truth Wisdom
• We can and must believe and know the truth. 1
  Tim. 41-6
• To be enlightened no longer means that one has
  recognized truth, but rather that one has
  recognized that the truth may never be known.

13
Add Knowledge

• Desire for Truth Wisdom
• We can and must believe and know the truth. 1
  Tim. 41-6

A person of conviction, however intelligent,
sincere and humble he may be, will be fortunate
if he escapes the charge of being a bigot.
Nowadays the really great mind is thought to be
both broad and open broad enough to absorb
every fresh idea which is presented to it, and
open enough to go on doing so ad infinitum. -
John R. W. Stott, Christ the Controversialist, p.
13
14
Add Knowledge

• The Spirit of Unbelief
• We all know that language is often vague and
  sometimes ambiguous. It is further known that
  the mind of man is not capable of omniscience.
• From this it is argued that the human mind and
  communication through ordinary language are not
  sufficient to assure that Gods will can be known.

15
Add Knowledge

• The Spirit of UnbeliefANSWERED
• The gospel, AS GOD GAVE IT, is appropriate for
  man, AS GOD MADE HIM.

16
Add Knowledge

• Desire for Truth Wisdom
• Who adds knowledge?
• Only the diligent, faithful, virtuous Christian
  who desires to know the truth above all else
  who has a seeking, inquiring, investigating
  spirit. John 831-32 2 Thess. 210

17
Add Knowledge

• Desire for Truth Wisdom
• One who lacks virtue does not seek honest
  answers to moral and doctrinal issues HONEST
  ANSWERS CAN BE TOO LIMITING. 2 Tim. 43-4
• Prove all things hold fast that which is good.
  1 Thess. 521

18
Add Knowledge

• Desire for Truth Wisdom
• If any man willeth to DO his will, he shall know
  of the teaching, whether it is of God, or whether
  I speak from myself. John 717
• This is a big part of the explanation for how
  even those who know the Bible well can be so
  deeply mistaken in their understanding of it.
  Matt. 913 Rom. 101-3

19
Add Knowledge

• Mental Industry
• The Principle of Sowing and Reaping if one is
  lackadaisical in Bible study and sows seeds of
  mental laziness, he will reap only limited
  understanding.
• The Virtuous Christian is aware that the Bible
  has profound depths of meaning that cannot be
  reached by mentally sluggish and shallow-minded
  people. 2 Peter 315-16 2 Tim. 215

20
Add Knowledge

• Mental Industry
• The diligent, faithful, virtuous student of Gods
  word is willing to use all of the tools he can
  find to improve his understanding.
• He learns HOW to study the Bible.
• He invests money in books that will benefit him
  dictionaries, atlases, concordances, books on
  Bible evidences, etc. 2 Timothy 413

21
Add Knowledge

• Mental Industry
• Be diligent handling accurately the word of
  truth. 2 Tim. 215
• Principles of Logic
• Principles of the Use of Language
• Principles of Induction (letting the Bible
  interpret itself)

22
Add Knowledge

• Mental Industry
• If one is diligent in their study of Gods Word,
  their progress will be evident. Of course, the
  reverse is just as true.
• 1 Timothy 415-16
• Meditate on these things give yourself entirely
  to them, that your progress may be evident to
  all. Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine.
  Continue in them, for in doing this you will save
  both yourself and those who hear you.

23
Add Knowledge

• Practical Wisdom
• Not mere head knowledge, but the intelligent
  application of Gods truth.

24
Add Knowledge
Practical Wisdom In His Word the Lord does not
spell out all the specific problems that will
confront the Christian and all the specific
choices he must make in his daily life. But He
does give the Christian the principles of right
conduct that make it possible for him to face
every problem and to make every choice in harmony
with the sanctity of his relationship with
Christ. And what the Christian preeminently
needs is a keen sense of moral discernment, of
life knowledge, of wisdom. - James Tolle, The
Christian Graces, p. 36
25
Add Knowledge

• Practical Wisdom
• Philippians 19-11
• Colossians 19-10 45-6
• James 15-6

26
Add Knowledge

• Final Remarks
• The virtuous man who knows Gods truth and
  applies Gods wisdom is always head and shoulders
  above the virtuous man who does not know it and
  therefore cannot apply it.
• Plato said Better to be unborn than untaught,
  for ignorance is the root of misfortune.

27
Will You Become A Christian?
Hear the Gospel (Rom. 1017) Believe that Jesus
is the Son of God (Mk. 1616) Repent of Your Sins
(Acts 1730) Confess Jesus as Lord (Rom.
109-10) Be Baptized for Forgiveness of Sins
(Acts 238) Live Faithfully until You Die (Rev.
210)