The Duty Of All Mankind

The anchor:

So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have.

—2 Peter 1:12 (NIV)

Memorized Precepts

1. As we feed our minds (Psalm 1:2 NIV), we acquire a taste for Him (Matthew 4:4 NIV). We become familiar with Them (John 14:23 NIV) to a point where we can recognize Their action; and honor Them with our lips; and see examples of God’s will at work around us, thus fueling our praise of Him! We become familiar with Them to the point where the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:4 NIV) can use us within any situation we find ourselves in, to deliver ministry (2 Corinthians 5:18 NIV), which by its very definition is only as needed.

2. When our minds are liberated (Romans 12:2 NIV), we no longer view the church as the building nor as a group of people who meet in one place for various activities. Instead, we view the church as a universal body fully established with its mature parts serving the functions designed by the Holy Spirit, who establishes the body to be the bride who is worthy of the Bridegroom (Luke 5:35 NIV).

We view the Word as authored by One Person (2 Peter 1:21 NIV), the Holy Spirit, and not by different people, which latter idea creates a foothold for disunity (1 Corinthians 1:12 NIV).

3. Victorious living is about using a compilation of spiritual attributes (Galatians 5:22–23 NIV) so as to work within one’s space and time under the guidance of the wisdom that comes from above (James 3:17 NIV). In so doing, we discern and practice (John 14:15 NIV) the will of God (Romans 12:2 NIV), which allows us to recognize and resist (James 4:7 NIV) the will of the Enemy. Victorious living is the depiction of love at work (Colossians 3:16 NIV).

4. Be careful with hypothetical situations, as they may outline a person’s imaginative experiences, which may fall far away from any possible reality. Rather, keep discussion to real-life situations, for which we have a guaranteed covering by the Word of God (Mark 12:18–27 NIV).

5. Context is not only linear, as in confined to book, chapter, and verse. It has depth.

How do we recognize depth? By accepting that the absolute true author of the Word is the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 3:16 NIV), which eliminates the idea that context is confined to proximity.

Scriptures enhance other scriptures by strengthening the roundness of the meaning to be grasped, as they add knowledge to one another, from which the Spirit gives revelation. Their union completes the meaning to be grasped.

Scripture also gives definitions that are to be plugged into other scriptures for the correct meaning to be understood.

6. Any good work we, as soldiers for Christ, are well equipped for (2 Timothy 2:21 NIV). There is no situation we will ever come into that God has not foreseen (1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV); therefore, we are well prepared to handle all situations (2 Peter 1:3 NIV).

7. Corporate worship affects the entire way of how we currently spend time together within our congregations.

The idea of having everything in common (Acts 2:44–47 and 4:32 NIV) is the setting in which we practice the elements of worship mentioned in 1 Corinthians 14:26–39. The church, as recorded in the book of Acts, met every day (Acts 2:46 NIV), either in the temple court or in their homes, not only for the purpose of singing hymns and edifying one another with words of encouragement (Hebrews 12:5 NIV), but also for the purpose of breaking bread, praying, and engaging in fellowship (Acts 2:42 NIV).

All of the activities the believers engaged in when they met, where they met, and the frequency with which they met point toward one single element of the behavior of the church: time spent with fellow believers. They spent a lot of time together. This element (of course like all the others) is absolute and must be evident within the practices of our modern-day congregations.

It is no surprise that the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved (Acts 2:47 NIV). It is no surprise because they were doing what He wanted them to do: they were behaving out of faith in obedience to God’s good, pleasing, and perfect will.

The personal worship is just that, personal, so I will not touch on it other than to say that you must make absolutely sure, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that everything you do comes from faith (Romans 14:23 NIV).

8. We have to be considerate of the babes in and among us (Romans 15:1, 14:13 NIV).

As an example, say, “As we spend time with God getting to know Him, our minds are renewed in preparation to be used by the Holy Spirit to provide discipleship,” instead of, “We will embark on training that will allow us to become mentors.”

In our speech, we must remain true to the meaning conveyed by the Word so as to rule out as much as possible any ambiguity, which can lead to misinterpretation, misrepresentation, and misleading those who have never encountered, accepted, or built up their trust in God on the subject matter.

9. Keep an open mind about your interpretations, because you could be wrong (1 Corinthians 10:12 NIV).

Take nothing for granted (1 Corinthians 11:31 NIV). Filter your total experience only by determining if an occurrence is of God or not of God (1 John 4:1 NIV). Then test your decisions. Examine yourself, don’t be afraid that you may find yourself to have been in error (2 Corinthians 13:5 NIV). Leave no stone unturned in your quest for truth (Proverbs 4:7 NIV).