Last week I found that there is a common process and a common theme throughout the Bible. The process is found in II Peter 1.

“5) Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, 6) and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, 7) and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. 8) The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (5-8).

One problem that I have had with scripture (not that its scripture that needs to change; it’s my understanding) is that scripture seems to be too complex to make much sense. Let me explain before you call the pastor. When leading people to Christ, we use 5 or 6 different scriptures in the Bible but none that we use are together. We use most out of the book of Romans but we use one scripture out of multiple chapters. This always seemed to be confusing to me. So when you ask me what does God want with my life, well, there seems to be 40 million scriptures on how you should behave.

Verse 5 states that we are to add moral excellence to our Faith. Therefore before we can have true moral excellence we must first have faith. This list continues to add knowledge (of God) to our moral excellence which means that we must first have moral excellence before we gain more knowledge of God.

So here is the pattern that I have found to be consistent throughout all of scripture. Every scripture that I have found seems to be placed within this pattern of a believer. This is God’s plan to mold me into the servant that he wants me to be.

1. Faith leads to moral excellence.
2. Moral excellence leads to knowing God better.
3. Knowing God better leads to self control.
4. Self control leads to endurance.
5. Endurance leads to godliness.
6. Godliness leads to love.

In the next few weeks I would like to better explain what I believe each step.

What’s the deal Brian? How come you haven’t written any blogs lately.

Well, I have temporarly traded the keyboard for an ink pen. It’s hard to believe they actually make pens now days. God has been flooding me with things that are too deep to make into a couple of paragraphs. Once I get things down on paper and organized, then I will begin to share what God is doing.

Here is a peek of what God is showing me:

1. 2 Peter 1:5-9
2. Romans 5:3-5
3. John 10:10
4. Matthew 4:4
5. Matthew 5:3-9
6. Joshua 1-6
7. Galatians 5:22-23

All these verses have a unified theme for your life. All these verses are a unified plan of what God is doing through you. This is how God has planned to develop us.

Love ya - Brian

Here are a few of the pictures of our building.

Faith Pictures

Sorry, It’s too large to email.

Behringer Effects Pro

Here’s another lesson from the conference that I came back from.

Ephesians 4 lists gifts that God gives to the church. “11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.”

These gifts are different than the gifts that we find in Romans and the peace, love, and hope that we find in I Corinthians. These gifts are leadership gifts. These gifts are given to those who’s character proves worthy of the gifts.

Now these are gifts. These are not boxes nor handcuffs. These gifts are given from God for our pleasure and our benefit. Sometimes those who are given these gifts have to make hard decisions everyday. Some of these decisions go against what our flesh wants. But over these gifts comes the responsibility of God. So all of us who are under the authority should obey the authority with love and good attitude.