Just
started reading a new e-book last night from Hoopla - online library connected
to our local library.
(Holy
Spirit, Holy Living - by Antipas Harris)
Here are a
few excerpts from the book. Not sure it will all turn out to be good, but so
far I do like some of the points the author has made.
May God
help me to find truth and only truth as I take this book to His holy word and
make sure it doesn't contradict what God has said.
*******
'Holiness,
as a lifestyle, necessarily involves the desire to think as God thinks, love
what God loves, hate what God hates, and act as God intends. At the core,
holiness is love for God and everything that God has created--especially fellow
human beings. Jesus is our chief exemplar of a holy life. He lived according to
his Father's standards and loves unconditionally.'
'All of
those who profess to be a member of Christ's church are called to live and love
like Christ in practical ways.'
'The
courageous, uncompromising, corporate image of Christ-like distinctiveness
consists of people who are committed to living out faith in their everyday
lives.'
''Peter
and Paul address the need for believers to embrace the peculiarity of the
church in their own personal lives. Peter speaks of the church as a chosen
people (1 Pet 2:9) called out of the world and set apart as a people of God.
Paul charges the chosen of God to come out from the world and live a life of
distinction (2 Corinthians 6:17). Therefore, whatever negative images of
holiness have thwarted contemporary Christians' minds, holiness remains a
distinction that Christians must possess because we belong to the church of
Jesus Christ.'
'God sets
believers apart from the world to be formed into the likeness of Christ. In 1
Corinthians 12, Paul introduces the "body of Christ' metaphor
interchangeably with "church." The church is made up of a close-knit
group of believers, which forms the body of Christ. God summons the
"called-out ones" to be formed into the likeness of Christ. We are
formed into Christ's likeness through the profession of faith, the
transformation of the heart, behavior that is consistent with the teachings of
Christ, and through participation with a believing community.'
'Holiness
is the distinctive that separates the life of the believer and the church from
the rest of the world.'
'Regardless
of what language we use, Old and New Testament teachings emphasize holiness as
foundational to what it means to please the Lord. The two consistent categories
for holiness in the Old and New Testaments are purification and separation. God
has always intended for God's people to reflect divine purity and to live out
that purity with boldness in predominantly "pagan" societies.'
Lev
20:26 And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have
severed you from other people, that ye should be mine.
1Pe
1:15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner
of conversation;
1Pe
1:16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
'Peter is
teaching that personal piety must connect with how we live and the choices we
make on an everyday basis. Purity is not just an attribute of who we are as
believers but how we act as believers.'
2Co
6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the
temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in
them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
2Co
6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the
Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
2Co
6:18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and
daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
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