June 2, 2024 -- I Peter 1:22 -- Purified for Obedience to the Truth

Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,
I Peter 1:22 ESV

There is a common comedic gag where a man will with a straight face announce he’s a member of a gym. Then after a suitable pause, he will add, with a wry smile, “I know it, because $22. a month keeps being debited from my account. I’m not even sure where the gym is anymore”. I wonder how many people who call themselves Christian are members of a church somewhere, but they are not sure where the church is anymore. If you ask them, they will tell you they belong to this church or to the one their grandmother attends, but they really can’t tell you anything more than that.

In contrast, the one whose soul has been captured by Jesus Christ is one who has met the Truth. Jesus is Truth (John 14:6). He has rescued your soul from blind slavery to sin and death. The evidence that a man or a woman has a purified soul is seen in the desire to attend church. One who is purified displays his sincere love for God demonstrated by his care for the people around him. Purity of love for God is displayed in a pure , selfless love for a brother or sister.

Why is church attendance so vital?

The believer can examine his life and see where he is failing in his obedience. When a golfer desires to improve his swing, his long and short game, he goes to the fairways and to the greens, and practices. A Christian longs to know where he can offer better service to God and more pure service to others, so he goes to church.

Church attendance allows the believer to join with other believers and declare the splendors of God. Imagine you have right in front of you the most beautiful rainbow. It  is close. It is brilliant, it is clearly defined. You want to tell someone. Sharing the experience of it completes the joy of it. So it is with our precious faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit, in the presence of other Christians, stirs us up to declare our joy, our hope, our love for Jesus and this completes the experience. Praising God the Father is something we long to share. In sharing with others this longing to praise, we are expressing the deepest joy of our hearts, sharing in community, affirming those who share our joys and will walk with us in our sorrows.

The act of obedience, of going to church, is often difficult. We are tired. We are lazy. We are not in the mood. The morning will be sunny, but the afternoon rainy and we want to do this or that. so it is tempting to skip church. However, it is the obedience to Jesus, Who is the Truth, and such obedience above all else, which demonstrates a soul has been purified by Jesus. When you push past all the excuses, you will discover all over again that Jesus is the strength of your soul and the longing of your heart. Your absence discourages other believers who miss you. Your presence is an incentive to love one another earnest from a heart purified in Jesus.

Ah, Father in heaven, You call us a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for Your own possession. By the Spirit Who lives in us, help us to proclaim the excellencies of Christ as we live in His marvelous light and walk in the purification He has won for us at Calvary. Spirit of God strengthen us to walk in obedience to the Truth, fighting the flesh’s laziness and the mind’s distractions and the heart’s coldness. Spirit, Who brings us to Jesus, rekindle in us a fire of zealous joy that leads us from one act of obedience to the next because of the imperishable seed of hope that has been planted in us. Amen.

The first two sentences are based on I Peter 2:9

https://youtu.be/N1DMIrqQVXI?si=f1I4lNVfofGPQ2Mn “O Lord, You’re Beautiful”