[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Farticles\u002Fdon-t-play-with-fire":3,"\u002Farticles\u002Fdon-t-play-with-fire-surround":82},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"bibleBooks":8,"body":14,"columnName":64,"date":65,"description":20,"extension":66,"image":67,"meta":68,"minRead":69,"navigation":70,"path":71,"postType":72,"publication":73,"publicationUrl":67,"seo":74,"stem":75,"topics":76,"__hash__":81},"blog\u002Farticles\u002Fdon-t-play-with-fire.md","Don't Play with Fire",{"name":7},"Dave Faust",[9,10,11,12,13],"Matthew","Hebrews","Jeremiah","Ephesians","1 Thessalonians",{"type":15,"value":16,"toc":60},"minimark",[17,21,24,27,30,33,36,39,42,45,48,51,54,57],[18,19,20],"p",{},"It's one of the most famous sentences in history, and the man who said it was a fisherman, not a philosopher. It's arguably the most important sentence you will ever speak, if you say it from your heart.",[18,22,23],{},"Peter uttered this famous sentence to Jesus when he declared, \"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God\" (Matthew 16:16).",[18,25,26],{},"Every phrase matters here—indeed, every word.",[18,28,29],{},"\"YOU.\" Faith finds its focus in Jesus. Not in ourselves. Not in some vague spirituality. Not in some other religious leader, but in Jesus of Nazareth.",[18,31,32],{},"\"You are THE CHRIST.\" Not \"a\" Christ, but the one and only. And \"Christ\" isn't his last name. It's his glorious title—his job description. \"Jesus, you are the Messiah, the king, the anointed one, the promised deliverer foretold by the prophets—the highest authority in my life, the one I trust to save me now and forever.\"",[18,34,35],{},"Then Peter added, \"You are the Christ, THE SON.\" All of us can be sons and daughters of God in a general sense, adopted into his family. But Jesus is \"the\" Son in a specific sense, the only-begotten, holding a unique relationship with the Father. \"The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being\" (Hebrews 1:3).",[18,37,38],{},"Notice the last part of Peter's confession. Jesus is \"the Son of the LIVING God.\"",[18,40,41],{},"Some things have never been alive: rocks, air, water, cars. Some things are alive now, but won't always be: flowers, trees, animals, our bodies. But the living God always has been alive and he always will be.",[18,43,44],{},"S. M. Lockridge, who preached in San Diego from 1953 to 1993, challenged the \"God is dead\" philosophy by saying, \"Well, if God is dead, who assassinated him? What coroner was called? Who signed his death certificate? Who was so well-acquainted with the One pronounced dead that he could identify the deceased? In what obituary column did you find his name? And why wasn't I notified? I'm one of the next of kin!\"",[18,46,47],{},"Jeremiah chapter 10 unmasked the folly of serving lifeless idols. These made-up gods, the prophet observed, were as powerless as scarecrows. They had to be carried around and stabilized with hammers and nails so they wouldn't totter and fall. Men would cut a tree out of the forest, shape the wood with a chisel, adorn it with silver and gold, and dress it up with blue and purple cloth—then fall down and worship this \"god\" they had fashioned with their own hands! \"But the LORD is the true God; he is the living God, the eternal King\" (10:10).",[18,49,50],{},"Idols are more sophisticated today, but equally lifeless. Meanwhile, Peter's famous sentence still rings true. We serve \"the Son of the living God.\"",[18,52,53],{},"When the Holy Spirit came upon Peter and the other apostles on the Day of Pentecost with tongues of fire, his purpose wasn't to give these men an exciting religious experience but to empower them to be witnesses of the risen Christ. When we are \"filled with the Spirit\" (Ephesians 5:18), we aren't trifling with superstitious myths. Our Lord is truly alive to bless and to guide. He's alive to hear and answer prayer. He's alive to indwell us, empower us, and embolden us for ministry. He's alive to fill us with grace and mercy. He's alive to punish the unrepentant. \"It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God\" (Hebrews 10:31).",[18,55,56],{},"The Spirit of God is not a plaything or a toy, not an idol we can control and manipulate for personal gain, not a good luck charm or an impersonal force. He's a living, caring, holy, powerful person.",[18,58,59],{},"\"Do not put out the Spirit's fire\" (1 Thessalonians 5:19). No—but handle yourself carefully around this flame, for the Lord of heaven and earth is very much alive.",{"title":61,"searchDepth":62,"depth":62,"links":63},"",2,[],"First Look","2007-04-22","md",null,{},4,true,"\u002Farticles\u002Fdon-t-play-with-fire","column","The Lookout",{"title":5,"description":20},"articles\u002Fdon-t-play-with-fire",[77,78,79,80],"Biblical Theology","Church Leadership","Holy Week and Resurrection","Spiritual Formation","mmG_TaCZxplQw2oqgy6tBeASSweL3A0_it4LlZkQfh0",[83,88],{"title":84,"path":85,"stem":86,"description":87,"children":-1},"Don’t Play Favorites","\u002Farticles\u002Fdon-t-play-favorites","articles\u002Fdon-t-play-favorites","We all have likes and dislikes. Remember Julie Andrews’ song, “My Favorite Things”? The toolbar on my laptop keyboard contains a button called “Favorites.” I have a favorite baseball team (the Cincinnati Reds) and a favorite pair of sneakers (my well-worn Reeboks). I don’t care for eggs, but I like eggnog. You can start a vigorous discussion by getting your friends to debate favorite restaurants, movies, and ice cream flavors.",{"title":89,"path":90,"stem":91,"description":92,"children":-1},"Don’t Stop After You Pass the Baton","\u002Farticles\u002Fdon-t-stop-after-you-pass-the-baton","articles\u002Fdon-t-stop-after-you-pass-the-baton","Carmen is only in her twenties, but the years have taken a toll on her body and soul. She grew up around substance abusers, and her mother and grandmother abuse drugs to this day. From a very young age Carmen learned to use heroine and other drugs as a way to cope with problems and ease the pain. Numerous times she has been arrested for stealing so she could get money to buy more drugs."]