What Are You Carrying?

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Every minute carrying something. Are you carrying what not meant to carry? Or are you carrying something you are never meant to even hold? And take up your cross and follow him. Let's carry it.

The Third Pattern That Hides

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Welcome back, brother, to Patterns Down, a Gospel that lost its parts, a ministry that runs on appetite, and today, Paul gives us the third one, and sometimes, well, pretty regularly, actually, it's the hardest to see, because from the outside, everything looks right.

Paul’s List In 2 Timothy 3

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2 Timothy 3, Paul is describing men in the last days, and he gives a long, ugly list. Lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, brutal, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. And then verse 5 lands somewhere nobody expects that list to land. Having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Not having no godliness, but having the appearance of it.

Morphosis: Godliness By Shape

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The word there is actually morphosis. It means the outward form, the shape, the mold of a thing. Paul's actually describing something that has the exact silhouette of real godliness, the right vocabulary, the right building, right music, right Bible on the seat, the shape. Chef's kiss. That thing is perfect, right? And then denying its power. The word for denying is Arnaomai. And it's the same word used of Peter denying Christ in the courtyard. That doesn't scare you, I don't know what will. Now I want you to think about how strong that is, because Paul says you can deny the power of godliness without ever once saying a word against

Denying Power Without Saying So

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it. You don't deny it with your doctrine, you deny it by never expecting it to change anybody. Then verse 7 finishes the picture, always learning and never arriving at a knowledge of the truth. Perpetual students, right? Men who accumulate information about God for decades and never become different men. Paul isn't describing lazy people, he's just describing busy, engaged, attending, note-taking people who were exactly who they were ten years ago. Hmm. You been there? I know I have. And it was a horrible place to be. So here's the third pattern.

No Fruit And Nobody Notices

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And I'll say it plainly. No fruit, and nobody notices. You see, a church can be full. It can be warm, it can be friendly, it can have a solid doctrine on paper and preaching you'll defend. It can produce no repentance. You can have great people in the info booth in the lobby, but nobody's marriage is being repaired. You can have great community groups, but nobody is confessing anything to another man. You see, you can do all the right motions, but nobody's been lovingly corrected in years. Not shamed, but corrected. I want you to, because shame isn't good, but being corrected is. You see, men attend for a decade and come out exactly the same as when they went in. That's what he's warning about here. If you're a part of something like that, you need to run. Paul says that's not a slow church, brother. He says that's actually a denial of the power. And I want you to notice this pattern doesn't require a bad man in the pulpit. That's what makes it the hardest of the three. The first two patterns have a villain. This one can happen under a good man with good doctrine and a good heart in a room where everyone has quietly agreed that nothing's gonna change. Which means that it's the pattern most likely to be describing us. So, let me correct something gently here. Again, a nice rebuke. We've made, is the teaching sound, the whole test of a church. Well, it's the first test, and last week I put it first for a reason. But Paul just told you it isn't the last test. A church can be doctrinally correct and powerless at the same time. Right shape, no power. The full test has two halves. Is the truth being taught, and is anyone being changed by it? Here's where I have to turn this on you and me though.

Always Learning Never Arriving

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Because Paul is not describing an institution, he's describing men. Always learning, never arriving, is a diagnosis of individuals. So, how long have you been listening to sound teaching? And what specifically has changed in your life? If you've spent last week and this week with me now, a man on a microphone talking about apostasy and a church discernment, and it's produced opinions instead of repentance, well then I've become the appearance of godliness in your life, and that's not what this is about. If that's happened, well then this podcast has the shape of it. Five days a week, real likes of Jesus, Bible open. That's not power, that's just morphosis. Don't let this show be one more thing you learn from and never arrive at. And of course that leads us to today's charge.

Name A Man Who Actually Changed

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So here's the carry for today, alright? You ready for this? I want you to name a man at your church who is genuinely different than he was two years ago. And name what changed him. If you can name three, you're in a healthier place than you think. Thank God out loud for each one of those guys by name, alright? But if you can't name a single one, including yourself, that's the most important thing you're gonna learn this week. Write up down. We'll deal with it tomorrow. That's all the time we have for today, and I will see you back here again tomorrow, same time. Carry on, brother.

Carry On And Share It

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Thanks for joining us for today's episode. Share today's episode with a brother in Christ that needs to hear this too. And be sure to leave us a five star rating and review to help spread the word to more men just like you. This has been Everyday Carrie.