David Leventhal

“Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.”

I bet I’ve read this verse well over a hundred times and never seen them.  Shortly after the Lord got a hold of my heart I spent the summer of 1993 in Virginia Beach on a Campus Crusade for Christ Summer Project where for 12 weeks, among other things, we studied 2 Timothy.  That summer I read Paul’s little epistle every single day and I never noticed their powerful presence.  And over the past 16 years as the Lord has worked in my heart to purge out the selfishness, pride, immorality and wickedness I’ve returned to this verse over and over and over for encouragement and, until last night, I never noticed the two words that have unlocked the verse for me.  Two little words.  A preposition & a pronoun.

I have the great privilege & awesome responsibility of preaching this Sunday at The Branch Community Church in Buford, GA.  It’s a small congregation of people passionately pursuing Jesus Christ.  They are working through a series on the Ten Commandments & asked me to preach on number seven – do not commit adultery.  Last night I was sitting at the table – thinking through all the things I want to say and this verse popped into my head. As I quoted it over and over in my mind the light came on.  The two words – purposely placed, God-breathed through the Apostle Paul and unseen by me for 16 years came jumping out – screaming at me as it were – “we’re here!!”

Paul tells Timothy to run away from youthful lusts – those things that bring personal, relational & spiritual pain and destruction.  And being the good teacher Paul tells him not just want to avoid but what to run toward – righteousness, faith, love and peace – those things that bring life, hope & holiness.  You could stop there and the verse is timeless, powerful and able to bring true heart change.  But Paul doesn’t stop there – he adds these two power-packed words – “with those” – to put it another way, don’t do this stuff alone.  You don’t try to live out this command in isolation, relying on your own strength, your own discipline, and your own techniques.  You partner up with those people who are calling on the Lord from a pure heart.  The key to taking off the old and putting on the new is to do it in the context of community with those who are like-minded…who are recklessly pursuing Christ.

How many people try to master their youthful lusts…those sins that hold you down, tie you up, and make you feel as if they own you; by trying to muster the will-power needed to create heart-change?  How many people go at it alone – fearful of opening up with those closest to them and being brutally honest about the condition of their heart, their lack of motivation, and the momentary pleasure that sin brings?

I’m not advocating opening up the darkest recesses of your soul to every Tom, Dick & Harry you know.  I am, however, strongly advocating that you open up the darkest recesses of your soul with those whom God has strategically placed in your life to help you walk in holiness, purity and authenticity.  Let’s come to terms with the reality that we are jacked up….and not just a little.  That though we are redeemed our flesh is still active, our motives still impure, and our will still corrupt.  The things we want to do we don’t do.  The things we don’t want to do we do.  Let’s come to terms with this reality and then fall on our face, clinging tightly to the mercy and grace Christ freely offers with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.  Come to terms with the fact that you cannot, you will not and you were not designed to become like Christ in isolation.

This concept of living in authentic community does not come out of Scripture like a single shot rifle…it fires out of the Bible like an M-60 – verse after verse after verse exploding in our hearts – imploring us to live in deep relationship with one another.  Love one another, live in harmony with one another, accept one another, serve one another, be patient, bearing with one another, be kind and compassionate to one another, admonish one another, encourage one another and build each other up, spur one another on toward love and good deeds….and on and on and on the list goes.

Today as you go about putting to death the wickedness in your heart and bringing to life the fruit of the Spirit – make sure you are pursuing it “with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.”