Process Spirituality: part 2

And while we are in Process we abide in Faith, Hope & Love

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13

Abiding in Faith

For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. Romans 8:24-25
These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:7-9
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11:6

Consider the timeless words of AW Tozer.

A real Christian is an odd number anyway. He feels supreme love for one whom he has never seen; talks familiarly every day to someone he cannot see; expects to go to heaven on the virtue of another; empties himself in order to be full; admits he is wrong so he can be declared right; goes down in order to get up; is strongest when he is weakest; richest when he is poorest; and happiest when he feels the worst. He dies so he can live; forsakes in order to have; gives away so he can keep; sees the invisible, hears the inaudible, and knows that which passes knowledge. The man who has met God is not looking for anything; he has found it. He is not searching for light, for upon him the light has already shined. His certainty may seem bigoted, but his assurance is that of one who knows by experience his religion is not hearsay. He is not a copy, not a facsimile. He is an original from the hand of the Holy Spirit.

Now true Biblical Faith contains a number of components.

Faith Component 1: Knowledge – we must learn what God has revealed about Himself, ourselves and the world we live in

Faith Component 2: Trust – we must respond to how God has revealed Himself with Belief

Faith Component 3: Action – we must Obey what God has revealed about Himself and His expectations for our lives

Abiding in Hope

Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. Hebrews 11:25-26

There are Those with No Hope

There are Those with a Misplaced Hope

There are Those with ill-defined Hope

And then there are Those with Proper Hope

God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, Hebrews 6:18-19
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1
For in Scripture it says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame." 1 Peter 2:6
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18

Abiding in Love

Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 2 Peter 1:4
For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. Colossians 3:3

FAITH	LOVE	HOPE
Appropriated in the PAST	Active in the PRESENT	Anticipating the FUTURE
Forgiveness & Grace (Gospels)	Love & Community (Acts)	Purpose & Hope (Epistles)
Salvation	Sanctification	Glorification
Positional (deliverance from the penalty of sin)	Progressive (deliverance from the power of sin)	Ultimate (deliverance from the presence of sin)
Significance	Satisfaction	Security
Hindsight	Insight	Foresight
History	Our story	His Story
Humility	Obedience	Trust
Knowing	Doing	Being
Mind	Will	Emotions
Seeing	Acting	Expecting
Life	Love	Light

 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13