A challenge from Teen Extreme

Last week we took our teens from church to Teen Extreme Camp at PCC.  We had a great week, and we were able to see the Lord working in many of our teens' lives.  The preacher was Kenny Baldwin and we thoroughly enjoyed the preaching.  One of the messages that really challenged me was about adding to our faith.


2Pe 1:1  Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: 
2Pe 1:2  Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, 
2Pe 1:3  According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 
2Pe 1:4  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 
2Pe 1:5  And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 
2Pe 1:6  And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 
2Pe 1:7  And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 
2Pe 1:8  For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
2Pe 1:9  But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. 
2Pe 1:10  Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: 
2Pe 1:11  For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 

These verses remind us of the salvation that we have received and gives a blueprint for walking with God.  To our faith (salvation) we should be adding things.  It doesn't mean that we are working for our salvation-Christ completed that work, but we should be working to add to our faith.  The illustration that Kenny Baldwin used was a Christmas tree.  When we get saved it's like we get a Christmas tree,  we are saved but there is nothing on the tree.  The things we add are what make the Christmas tree more interesting.  

To our faith we need to be adding virtue (doing right), knowledge (knowing what the Bible has to say), temperance (self-control), patience (waiting), godliness (being more like Christ), brotherly kindness (love for other Christians), charity (love for others).  It is not a once in a lifetime adding though; daily we need to be adding these things to our lives.  Peter says that those that lack these things forget how they were cleansed from sin.  If we do add to our faith then verse 10 says that we will not fall.  

So often in our Christian life we are content with where we are.  We have learned lots of Bible in Sunday school, church, Christian home, Christian school, and Christian college.  We often imagine we have arrived  spiritually were we should be, but if we take a long hard look at our lives are we really?   Our goal should be being more like Christ, until we reach heaven we will not be able to be completely like Him, but we must work everyday to be more like Him.  We can't be content at the spiritual level that we are currently at.  We must add to our faith!