Mysterious Seed by Bob Mumford

Author:Bob Mumford [Mumford, Bob]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780768489583
Publisher: Destiny Image, Inc.

ENDNOTES

1. Lange, J. P., and Schaff, P. (2008). A commentary on the Holy Scriptures: John (Logos Research Systems, Inc., Bellingham, WA) p. 638.

2. Ibid. p. 641.

READING 66

Living Intentionally in a Fix

…add to your faith… (2 Peter 1:5 KJV).

PETER’S Agape conversion clearly explains the more intentional path from the black chair to the white chair so we don’t have to make the same mistakes he did. The answer to the intentional route does not rely on human effort or willpower but on accepting the grace and peace God grants us so we can be conformed to His nature. All of the aspects of Kingdom transformation begin and end with a faith operation; we can only believe our way from one chair to the other. Peter goes on to show us that we start with faith and add virtue. To virtue we add knowledge, then self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and finally Agape. This sequence is not accidental; each of these consists of intentional choices we make in our life. It is a progressive journey that is neither boring nor dependent upon human wisdom. God’s purpose is that we will be “neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:5-8). This is Agape being brought to maturity—the fruit of the eternal, incorruptible Seed coming to fruition.

If we interpret what Peter is saying as taking up our self-willed determination to be holy and here are eight things you must do to get started, we are on the religious road and are missing his heart and intent. If someone adds another eight things to us, we are likely to collapse! Peter is explaining the process of transition from living accidentally into a mature lifestyle gained from never departing from the white chair.

Virtue is a Greek word for character—the ability to give your word and stand by it or to stay in the white chair. God uses the spontaneous, accidental events that happen in our lives in an Agape manner, enabling us to develop response-ability—an ability to properly respond. We cannot plan the Kingdom—it just emerges in front of us—but we can advance the Kingdom by responding to the events in an intentional manner.

Imagine reeling from some mega-saga in our life, one with some serious negative consequences. The tendency is to move into self-pity, which is one of the more damaging responses in all of life. With spiritual integrity, we can face it with a degree of intentionality, knowing that Christ uses “all things” to bring the Eternal Seed to maturity in us. Even if it takes a long time to see and embrace the lesson, we can learn to recognize and deal with our own Eros reactors and do so without condemnation. This is the lifestyle of faithfulness, and it is in these circumstances that we learn to function in Agape. When we miss the proper intentional response, God can and does redeem the circumstance in some providential way and puts us in another similar fix until we get it right.

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