II Peter 2:1-22
For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved. (v. 19b) I have been attending Freedom Road for almost four years. The men and women in this group and at other Alcoholics Anonymous meetings will attest to the truth of Peter’s words herein. Whatever is a person’s addiction – alcohol, drugs, gambling, sexuality, etc. – that addiction rules him or her. And breaking free, once enslaved, becomes a lifelong chore. While AA speaks of a “higher power”, Freedom Road people know that the higher power is Jesus and His Holy Spirit at work in their lives. Still, the addiction temptation is always present… Sad.
… there will be false teachers among you … And many will follow their destructive ways …By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words… (vv. 1b-3a, NKJV) The ESV and NASB both used the word (and concept) “greed” instead of covetousness, leading my Study Bible to suggest that these false teachers were driven by their love of money. But the NKJV that I posted above suggests to me that these false teachers were motivated by power, not money, doing what they could to attract more followers so as to enhance their own stature. And as I think of St. Andrew’s (and as I report on same) I think of our desire to grow numerically and to generate strong revenues as we finish 2021 and strong pledges for our 2022 budget. However, I do not see any of this happening by deception, by false teachers, or by any sense of personal or corporate gain. I see us as sincerely following the Lord, seeking to grow others into the love-life that we have and using our abundant resources to enhance our ministries among those with need. In so doing we are following Jesus’ example: For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. (Luke 19:10)
See also: November 3 / II Peter 2:1-11 November 4 / II Peter 2:12-22