A Holy Life

Several years ago, I attended a worship service at a large Pentecostal church in Kansas City, Mo. My friend had attended there, and had invited me to go with her. We went, and honestly, it was a real eye-opener for me! We stood up and sang for well over a half-an-hour, and twice the songs were stopped so we could all ‘pray,’ meaning that it was time for us to ‘speak in tongues.’ I had never participated in anything like this, so I just chose to watch. I looked around for the next 15-20 minutes, wide-eyed, as almost everyone stood, swaying to the music and mumbling some sort of “angelic language” I could not understand. This was their way of praying “in the spirit,” I was told, and was part of pursuing a sense of holiness in their private lives. I left that night, never to return to that church or that kind of experience. For me, being holy was something very different!

 

What do you think of when you hear that someone, or some activity, is ‘holy?’  

 

In his first letter to the church, the Apostle Peter wrote concerning their pursuit of faith. He said this: “Like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am Holy:’” (1:15-16) Over the years, I have learned quite a bit about this, so let me share something about this thing called ‘holiness.’

 

First, holiness is very practical and life-affecting; it is not just a ‘spiritual exercise.’ In the passage I mentioned earlier, Peter spoke of several actions to help one pursue holiness. Here are the things he mentioned: 

 

Think clearly (“gird your minds,” v.13): 

Exercise Self-control (“keep sober in spirit,” v.13); 

Look forward to Christ’s return (“fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you,” v.13); and, finally, do not go back to your old ways (“do not be conformed to the former lusts,” v.14). 

 

These are more than just things you think about – they are practices and ways of relating to others that can affect your life and influence you in profound ways.  

 

Later in the passage, Peter explains that holiness is more than just something you “do;” he taught that we were to be holy in all our behavior – but the words that he used in his old language meant that being ‘holy’ was something that God did within us. In other words, even though our own choices and discipline are helpful in the pursuit of happiness, the only way to achieve the holiness Peter was talking about was to open ourselves up to God’s work in our life – it was an act of God!  

 

Isn’t that amazing? 

 

You cannot control everything in your own spiritual life – you must apply your decision-making in making good choices, and even more importantly, you must be willing to open your heart to God’s spirit and let him change and shape you in whatever ways He chooses!

 

People are not ‘holy’ because they are better; they are better because they are holy. It is an act of God!

 

The challenge for each of us is to “live the life of faith” and to open our hearts to God’s influence. Join me in this process of achieving holiness!

  

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Thank you for listening. We will see you next week.