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Tracking: Target by Abidan Shah, PhD

Abidan Paul Shah

TRACKING – TARGET by Dr. Shah, Clearview Church, Henderson, NC

Introduction:  One of my favorite TV shows is Bonanza, which began my love for the Old West. In fact, I grew up reading Bonanza comics, and only after coming to America, I actually saw the show. If you are familiar with Bonanza, there are two common elements in the show. One is the bond between the 3 sons of Ben Cartwright: Adam, Hoss, and Little Joe. They disagree with each other, even get into fights with each other, but, at the end of the day, they have a deep brotherly love. Second is their romantic love lives, more accurately, their “unlucky” romantic love lives, dad included. Whenever they start falling in love, the women either end up dying or leaving town. By the way, last year, Nick (our son) gave me one of the best birthday gifts ever – the entire Bonanza set (14 seasons and 431 episodes)! I tell people that I may be an Indian, but I’m a cowboy at heart! In our final message in this series called “On Track” from 2 Peter 1, the two major themes are also “Brotherly Love” and “Love.” Before we close out this series, I want to point out that God has used these messages to touch so many lives. So many of yall have shared with me how much this series has blessed you! I shared with our staff, “This series will serve as a marker for the next season of our church’s growth.” In this final message titled “TRACKING – TARGET,” here’s the Big Question: If love is the target of our Christian growth, how are you tracking? Do your family and friends think of you as a loving person? Do people who encounter you sense the love of Jesus through you? Have you experienced the love of Jesus in your life?

2 Peter 1       5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.

Context: Last weekend, we focused on “Level Three” of the virtues in our Christian growth: Patient Endurance and Godliness. Before we go to the “Target,” how are you tracking on “Level Three?” How did you do this past week with Patient Endurance and Godliness? Keep in mind that all these virtues are all built on the foundation of our faith in God, and each virtue is built on the previous one (sorites):

By the way, don’t forget that God only expects from us what he has already supplied to us in Jesus Christ. We are only working out what has been worked in.

With that said, let’s look at the “Target” of these attributes – 7 “to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.”: 

7. Brotherly Kindness – the Greek word is “philadelphian,” which means “brotherly love.” This comes from 2 Greek words: “philos” = “love” and “adelphos” = “brother. This is different from “philanthropia,” which is love for humanity in general. This is more than “I love people.” This is family love between brothers and sisters. 

Family love between siblings is a special kind of love. Sometime back, I saw a T-shirt – “I smile because you’re my brother. I laugh because there’s nothing you can do about it.” Personal Illustration: We had sibling rivalry in our home between me and my brother. We fought, and I usually got beat up. I was the instigator. But I remember this one time when I got in trouble at school. My brother came to pick me up, and a kid from the class ran up to him to tell on me. I was thinking that my brother would love this news and take it to my parents. Instead, he slapped the kid across the face and said, “Don’t you ever tell on my brother.” I learned that day that even though we fought with each other, if anyone from the outside ever tried to hurt either of us, we would fight for each other. 

I also realize that sometimes sibling relationships cannot go but so far because of selfishness and bad choices on the part of one of the siblings. In such cases, you can only do but so much.

In the Christian/biblical context, this brotherly love is regarding love for the church and the family of God. This is found several times in the New Testament:

Principle: When we are saved, we are born again in a new spiritual family. Yes, we should love our physical family, because we have a limited time with them on earth; but we should love our spiritual family, because we will spend eternity with them in heaven.

Question: How is your brotherly kindness level?

Qualification: This does not mean that we must excuse their bad behavior, whether earthly or spiritual family. Sometimes we have to lovingly but firmly hold them accountable. Jesus held his brothers and sisters accountable for their rejection of him.

8. Love – the Greek word is “agape.” If you grew up in church, I’m sure you’ve heard it explained as a “divine kind of love.” This is not completely true. There is no inherent meaning to the word “agape.” The meaning only comes from the context in which it is used. So, the meaning of “agape” in 2 Peter 1:7 is as follows:

Example of Corrie Ten Boom who was sent to Ravensbruck concentration camp for hiding Jewish people in their home in Haarlem, Netherlands. She wrote a book called “The Hiding Place” (The following is taken from Guidepost article from 1972): It was in a church in Munich that I saw him, a balding heavy-set man in a gray overcoat, a brown felt hat clutched between his hands. People were filing out of the basement room where I had just spoken. It was 1947 and I had come from Holland to defeated Germany with the message that God forgives. … 

And that’s when I saw him, working his way forward against the others. One moment I saw the overcoat and the brown hat; the next, a blue uniform and a visored cap with its skull and crossbones. It came back with a rush: the huge room with its harsh overhead lights, the pathetic pile of dresses and shoes in the center of the floor, the shame of walking naked past this man. I could see my sister’s frail form ahead of me, ribs sharp beneath the parchment skin. Betsie, how thin you were! 

Betsie and I had been arrested for concealing Jews in our home during the Nazi occupation of Holland; this man had been a guard at Ravensbruck concentration camp where we were sent. … 

“You mentioned Ravensbruck in your talk,” he was saying. “I was a guard in there.” No, he did not remember me. 

“I had to do it — I knew that. The message that God forgives has a prior condition: that we forgive those who have injured us.”

“But since that time,” he went on, “I have become a Christian. I know that God has forgiven me for the cruel things I did there, but I would like to hear it from your lips as well. Fraulein, …” his hand came out, … “will you forgive me?” 

And I stood there — I whose sins had every day to be forgiven — and could not. Betsie had died in that place — could he erase her slow terrible death simply for the asking? 

It could not have been many seconds that he stood there, hand held out, but to me it seemed hours as I wrestled with the most difficult thing I had ever had to do. 

For I had to do it — I knew that. The message that God forgives has a prior condition: that we forgive those who have injured us. “If you do not forgive men their trespasses,” Jesus says, “neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.” … 

And still I stood there with the coldness clutching my heart. But forgiveness is not an emotion — I knew that too. Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart. “Jesus, help me!” I prayed silently. “I can lift my hand, I can do that much. You supply the feeling.” 

And so woodenly, mechanically, I thrust my hand into the one stretched out to me. And as I did, an incredible thing took place. The current started in my shoulder, raced down my arm, sprang into our joined hands. And then this healing warmth seemed to flood my whole being, bringing tears to my eyes. 

“I forgive you, brother!” I cried. “With all my heart!” 

For a long moment we grasped each other’s hands, the former guard and the former prisoner. I had never known God’s love so intensely as I did then.

Question: How is your love level? 

only confronts is not love either.

We all have a long ways to go, but God will finish what he has started.

How are you tracking? Are you saved?

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