1 Peter 2:1–3 (NKJV)
1 Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking,
2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,
3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
What things are keeping you defiled? What do you desire?
Do you love, truly love other believers, “with a pure heart fervently” with passion and intense enthusiasm?
Have you laid aside all malice? Is there any wickedness lying in your heart? Any wickedness lying inside your heart is sin.
As a follower of Christ do you desire the pure milk of God?
Jesus did not cater much to the hypocrites. He says in Matthew 23:14
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, HYPOCRITES! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore, you will receive greater condemnation.”
Billy Graham wrote, “the concept of giving one’s heart to God goes beyond the physical organ that pumps blood. When Christians talk about giving their heart to the Lord, they are not referring to the muscle itself; rather, they are speaking of their entire inner being.”
The world needs Christians who live the talk. The church is more than a building of people who profess Christ. Jesus says in Matthew 16:18 that the church belongs to Him. It is Christ who founded the church. The church is built upon the “Solid Rock”, Jesus Christ Himself. It is in the church the newborn baby in Christ is nourished and fed the Word of God. The baby Christian does not stay a baby but grows into a mature follower of Christ. The church is not made up of perfect people. It is made up of those who have accepted Christ as Savior and Lord and depend upon Him to lead and guide them in love and obedience to God. The church is not a purveyor of hypocrisy. It is an organism of love, hope, and growth in Christ.
The Christian life points people to Jesus, not self. It is all about Jesus.