Chapter 6: The Heart of an Apostle

Page 28

Those with a heart of an apostle understand they need to stay strong in

God’s Holy Word. By abiding in the word of God, you will find yourself in fellowship with God daily. You may even talk to Him all the waking hours of your life. When Paul said to “pray without ceasing” in 1 Thess 5:17, he was telling us that we can fellowship with God throughout our day. I

certainly do and I cannot tell you the amount of joy it has brought into my life. You can find yourself being physically directed by the Holy Spirit just as the Spirit directs the fingers of my hands while I type. The combination of Bible knowledge and the Spirit’s help inside of us will provide you with

strong discernment. Then, be humble and willing to go do your homework when it is needed.

Finally, on sin, Timothy provides the following instructions.

“But God’s truth stands firm like a great rock, and nothing can shake it. It is a foundation stone with these words written on it: ‘The Lord knows those who are really His, and a person who calls himself a Christian should not be

doing things that are wrong.’ ” 2 Tim. 2:19 LIV

And James provides the following definition on SIN.

“So any person who knows what is right to do but does not do it, to him it is sin.” James 4:17 AMP

The above two citations illustrate the language of other modern

English translations. However, the verses cited have the same meaning in all the other Bibles I use. Note that the clear message from Timothy is that we are not to do wrong. Note also that James makes it clear that when we do wrong we sin. Do you remember the words of Jesus to “sin no more?”

I have come to rather appreciate James 4:17 and I now view it as a catch all for mankind’s sin. You see, what is right or wrong depends upon each individual’s perspective and knowledge. God will hold me to a much

higher standard because of my knowledge of the Bible and the resources I have to ferret out His truth—over that of a new believer.