09.12.2021 - Back to School, Part 7: Add to Our Faith... Brotherly Kindness | 2 Peter 1:5-7

By Gale Nelson
Date: Sunday, September 12, 2021
Tags: #Philadelphia #TouchedbyanAngel #growth #directional #spiritual

Philadelphia (brotherly love) is a direct result of spiritual growth.

It is written, "And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity."

LESSON AT A GLANCE

• Faith is not "I think I can…"

• We have to come in knowing that we can add to our faith… Philippians 4:13

• Inward Growth: everything grows from the inside out--building upon our personal faith.

○ It would be odd for someone focused on growing to sit back and criticize someone else.

○ You can't grow spiritually and have a poor diet.

○ Striving for excellence is an individual goal.

○ Increasing in one's own KNOWLEDGE through investigation and studying our bible.

○ Controlling the passions and desires of our own flesh… TEMPERANCE. Check yourself!

○ Bearing trial and tribulations with a positive attitude… PATIENCE.

• Upward Growth: focused on Godliness.

○ We must keep working on the internal to excel upward.

○ As we live down here, our focus is on Heaven.

• Outward Growth: focused on brotherly kindness and love.

○ This light cannot be emitted unless there are things working on the inside, and it is connected to the source of the power.

○ Focuses on our interactions with other people.

• Brotherly Kindness (or "Philadelphia" in the Greek)

○ It means love (phileo) of the brothers (adelphos).

○ Brotherly love should continue; show respect to all (see Hebrews 13:1-2; Matthew 25:37-40)

○ Act like you are concerned about people (see Romans 12:10)

○ If you cannot emit Philadelphia, you are a liar (see 1 John 4:7-8)

○ Hostility should not exist in the Lord's church!

○ The world will know we are God's people by our love for one another (see John 13:34)


CALL TO ACTION
• Developing brotherly kindness… 1 Peter 1:22; 1 Thessalonians 4:9-10
• God's Plan of Salvation… https://miamigardenscoc.net/salvation.php
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RECOMMENDED LINKS
* Website: https://www.miamigardenscoc.net