"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade..." 1 Peter 1:3-4
1 Peter 1:3-5, 13-16; 4:12; 5:10-11; 2 Peter 3:17-18; 1 John 1:5-7; 4:10-16; 5: 11-13; 2 John 5-6; 3 Jude 21-23
How far is your church's reach with kindness and truth?
Key point: The people in your care need to know the importance of our relationship with God and with one another. In this way, we can be positive with those who do not know Christ. We must be known for who we are in Christ, not just for what we are against. We have to show kindness and patience--the key characters of love--to those we 'feel' we must hate. We never will reach others for the Gospel by our negativity or argumentations. Our reach is effective by our kindness, by holding on to truth, by being patient with those who are ignorant or even hateful of the truth, the Word of God.
We are encouraged to remain faithful, live a life of submission, purity, godly living, and be steadfast and faithful even in persecution.
Grace and truth, the covenant that God has with humanity and His steadfast purpose to keep and fulfill it. The truth is that there is no guarantee of happiness as a Christian; our salvation only by faith in Christ Jesus is the guarantee. Our living hope is our new birth in Christ. Things will not always be what we want. In a fallen world, there will always be suffering.
There is Truth! There is ABSOLUTE Truth. God's Word-the Truth-remains unchanged and inerrant even when you may not feel it or when others proclaim otherwise.
We are called to learn and know the Truth and be on guard against false truths. He also reminds Christians to be faithful and prepare for the coming persecutions. Be diligent to live out and guard God's true Truth!
The Epistles were written to a Church under siege. The siege was both internal and external with bitter conflicts and schemes from within the church and attacks from militant pagans and some hostile Jews. Thus, the Apostles write to encourage how to cope with and prepare for the worst that would come-even more heinous persecutions. The encouragement is this: Heed Christ as Lord, His Truth, and fight against anything that comes against this! Be on guard and fight against heresies and false doctrines while being vigilant building faith and the Church.
The church was in a difficult place-surrounded by a Greek and pagan culture, they were having birthing and growing pains. They were being negatively influenced and confused by the spectacle of cults and false religions that surrounded them. They needed the Truth; they needed a Savior. They could not just retreat inward or run away; they had to fight with faith and model the love of Jesus for those who did not understand or want it. This was written for the early Christians; this is written for us.
Christ is our Redeemer who is our living hope even when we are hurting!
Jesus offers His forgiveness and grace; by, with and through Him, we are enabled and empowered to live holy lives. He, indeed, has a plan and a purpose for us! Life here-now-is preparatory and temporary. Our citizenship is to come in a glorious, wondrous eternity! Our God is in control and totally sovereign. He gives us the faith and the ability to face whatever comes our way, so we do not become the hurting who hurts others (1 Pet 1:3).
We are called to set your hearts. This means to have understanding, to think, and to have a desire for real, bona fide faith as well as Truth. We are to think about Christ and consider what we have in Him to experience our new lives. Truth is something we want to learn for triumphant lives and effectual churches, something we want to live in. As long as we are in Christ, our connection to purity is maintained; thus, we should not sin and live as we please. We have no right to sin deliberately, and we have no right in thinking, "I am already forgiven so it is OK to sin" (Col. 1:9; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 1 Pet. 2:2)!
We are called to set your mind. This means to place Christ first. Bad thoughts and actions lead to bad lives, so we are called to purposefully focus ourselves on Christ, His precepts, and His presence. When we focus on Christ, our attention is off other things and distractions--even sin! Heavenly values will translate into earthy values when we are centered on Christ, allowing His work in and through us (Matt. 6:33; Rom. 8:5; Phil. 1:23; 4:8; 1 John 2:15-17).
Christ is our living Hope that will never fade away!
We will face the sufferings and trials; we will even be persecuted for following the faith and being good witnesses. How we grow and what we learn through the trials is what matters to God and is the value to us. Jesus, being fully God, suffered on our behalf; we live in a world of sin that suffers due to the consequences thereof. Jesus bore our sins and took away our ultimate, deserved suffering.
We are chosen by God and by God alone! The Holy Spirit sets us apart.
We are able to hear and receive His Words of grace and life. We need to be reminded of what we have and who we are in Christ. If not, we will soon forget and replace His guidance either with our frailty or with the ways of the world. Our Lord modeled for us how we are to deal with suffering (1 Peter 1:16-21; 2:21, 4-25).
The key to the Christian life and spiritual growth is our faith that develops our trust in Christ, and our submission to His precepts which produces character and maturity (1 Peter 2:12; 5:10-11).
These early Christians were oppressed, confused, and struggling. They are seeking to live for Christ in a world that not only does not understand but also persecutes those of the faith. In the midst of the oppressions of the world and family, others come along who seek to deceive and entice them to live in sin and not for Christ. Thus, the need to be encouraged, challenged, and hope to remain in Christ. We need to be aware and be on guard to live for Christ, putting on His virtues and not the world's. These epistles are as relevant today as they were 2000 years ago; what they experienced, we experience! The early Christians needed hope and encouragement just as need these today; the Truth is for all for all time.
False teachings, mysticism, empty philosophies, legalism, and bad traditions also threatened the health and well-being of the Christians and their evangelistic opportunities. Sound familiar? The Christians were under siege by prideful men seeking sensationalism and mysticism rather than Christ as Lord. Christ's Deity was being challenged and rebuffed for more so-called "clever and newer" ideas (Acts 19).
These early Christians needed to understand that knowing God was not a one-time event. Knowing God is a continual and continuing relationship in which we constantly rely on Him. He alone is the Hope we have. He alone gives us grace and peace.
Our place and security is in Heaven to come; our joy can be declared and lived out. Christ is sufficient for faith and salvation; there is no other and there will never be. Yes, we do have hope beyond hope. If our place is secured in eternity-and, it is; if we have a Savior in Whom we can have faith and trust-and, we do, then we can lead lives of endurance no matter what is thrown at us. These are things we cannot accomplish by our own means; we need Jesus. He needs to be placed first!
These early Christians who were grateful for Christ, placed Him as LORD, realized we need to guard His Truth so to live in truth and love.
We are urged to put Christ first and move on to spiritual maturity. This creates a healthy church, prevents false teachings, and facilitates a mutual faith and hope that is contagious and effectual. We know His Truth, and we can still be triumphant in Him in the time we have here on earth. In so doing, we need to be known for who we are in Christ, not for just what we are against. The early Christians were positive with the Gospel and the call to love our fellow believers and enemies. They exercised kindness with one another and with outsiders. They were patient with the decadent society and persecutions they were in. However, they had to guard the Truth from those who come into the church, not seeking Christ, but who sought to destroy, wreak havoc, and to distract others with a prideful disregard for all that is Holy and Right and True.
© 2016 R.J. Krejcir, Ph.D., Francis A. Schaeffer Institute of Church Leadership Development www.churchleadership.org/