2 Peter 1:13 Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance;
In our society today we use numerous methods and means to get people stirred up. In sporting events music, cheerleaders and bands move the emotions of people to get involved in and cheer for their team to win or perform better. In times of war people are stirred up by reports of either victory or great need, which brings people to action. In times of battle leaders have stirred their men to alter their course of action to win the encounter – i.e. Grant turns a rout into victory telling his men the enemy is trying to get away.
Today those in the news media desire to change history and engender false and liberal ideas by their false reporting and false facts that bring great emotions to the populace. Scare tactics cause people to be moved to action all in order to gain political advantage and power.
Stir up memories:
Peter desires those he is writing to that they stir up their memories about the things that have brought them to this point in their relation to the Lord. Our maturity and stability in this Christian life is fostered by the things he taught them in the preceding verses. In 2 Pet 1:3-7 he gives a list of additions to our walk in Christ. He tells us that we have been given all we need to live the Christian life and be victorious and escape the corruption in this world. We should add to our beginning: faith – virtue (general moral goodness; adding piety to our faith); virtue – knowledge (know why we do what we do); knowledge – temperance (self-control); temperance – patience (our attitude in the process of God’s working in us and others); patience – godliness (purity, holiness); godliness – brotherly kindness (affection for others); brotherly kindness – charity (agape love; proper treatment of others). If we do these things we will not be barren or unfruitful and will not have occasion to fall. If we do not it indicates we have forgotten our cleansing and God’s desire for and in us.
Stir up the gift:
In 2 Tim 1:6, Paul tells Timothy and us to stir up the gift given to us for the work God desires of us. All have been given gifts or gift for God’s purposes in the church and in this world. The word for gift comes from the word for “grace”, so Paul says to stir up the grace of God given to us in His saving work so that we may glorify Him by using it. This should remind us of the parable Jesus told of those given talents and how they were judged accordingly. (Matt 25:14-19).
Stir up pure minds:
In this passage Peter desires that we stir up our minds regarding truths about the end times and the present situation. We need this even more so today than they may have needed it in Peter’s day. Peter recounts the reason why so many will be lost: they willingly ignore facts of creation and Scripture; they scoff at the doctrines of the Bible and forget historical evidences of historical events – flood and man’s sinfulness. Today is even more evidence of man’s willing ignorance. The scientific evidence and discoveries all point to the Scriptural truth of a flood, recent creation, dinosaurs living among men and etc. But people do not want to hear truth – they prefer lies and the end result will be eternally disastrous.