In this blog, we'll focus on the working being done at Sligo Presbyterian Church, Sligo, Pennsylvania. We'll also look at what's happening in Sligo, Rimersburg, Clarion, and all the other communities served by our congregation.
Showing posts with label Being the Church in a Challenging World. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Being the Church in a Challenging World. Show all posts
The First Letter of Peter was written to a church which was confronting certain challenges that it neither chose nor wanted. You see, they were living within a society that didn't share their focus and faith; therefore, they were facing the temptation to compromise what they believed, a situation that seems very similar to what we face as we try to be the church of Jesus Christ within a society that doesn't understand our fundamental values and motivation. And that's the reason we'll look at what Peter had to say about how Christians might be the church in a challenging world.
The Church Endures (1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11) - May 21
During the sixth service in this series, we used 1 Peter 4:12-14 and 5:6-11 to consider how, when faced with a challenging world, the church can endure. Below is a video of the service, a recording of the sermon and a copy of the bulletin. Next Sunday morning, you can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel at 10:00 a.m.
The First Letter of Peter was written to a church which was confronting certain challenges that it neither chose nor wanted. You see, they were living within a society that didn't share their focus and faith; therefore, they were facing the temptation to compromise what they believed, a situation that seems very similar to what we face as we try to be the church of Jesus Christ within a society that doesn't understand our fundamental values and motivation. And that's the reason we'll look at what Peter had to say about how Christians might be the church in a challenging world.
The Church Endures (1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11) - May 21
During the sixth message in this series, we used 1 Peter 4:12-14 and 5:6-11 to consider how, when faced with a challenging world, the church can endure. Below is a copy and recording of the sermon. Next Sunday morning, you can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel at 10:00 a.m.
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Now just in case you didn’t realize it, this morning we’re officially coming to the end of what’s called the Season of Easter. Of course, I recognize that’s usually not the way we generally see it. I mean, for most of us, Easter is over when the last of the dyed egg is finally thrown away and the last marshmallow peep is finally eaten and the last little bit of plastic straw is finally vacuumed up. Now, for most of us, that’s when Easter is over, but that’s not how the church has viewed the Season of Easter over the centuries, because traditionally it runs from Easter Sunday through the Ascension of the Lord ending on Pentecost. And brothers and sisters, since the day marking the Ascension was last Thursday and Pentecost will be next Sunday, we’re officially putting a bow on Easter 2023 this morning.
But, of course, that’s not the only thing we’re finishing today. You see, since, in the past, during the Season of Easter, Christians have sort of focused on the church, over the last five weeks, we’ve been using the first letter of Peter to think about how we can be the church in the face of a challenging world. And over that time, we’ve talked about how the Body of Christ can praise and remember and how it can grow and resist. And then last week, we looked at how it can follow, you know, how we can follow Jesus Christ by repenting because we trust that in the end, God will bless us. Now that’s the stuff we’ve been talking about during our Easter season.
But you know, it’s interesting. Even if we’re able to pull it off and we decide that we’re going to praise and remember, grow and resist and of course follow, even if we do all that stuff, although we may change in a whole bunch of ways, there’s one thing that probably won’t change at all: we’re still going to face a challenging world. And as we’ve talked about before, it really doesn’t matter whether we see the primary challenge being declining public morality or declining basic compassion or declining social relevance, I’ve got a gut feeling that most of us would agree that the challenges we face aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, right? And you know, because that sure seems to be the case, I think it’s easy, and I mean really easy just to give in and to give up, in other words, to recognize that, in spite of our best efforts, certain things are inevitable, you know, like death and taxes. I mean, we have a ready-made excuse simply to shrug our shoulders, and then either to stop trying to swim against the current or to retreat behind the stained glass. I’ll tell you, in the face of a challenging world, I think doing that kind of thing is really tempting, isn’t it? But you know, if that’s what we choose to do, I think we’re still left with a pretty uncomfortable question. I mean, somewhere down the line, I believe we’re going to have to ask ourselves if this is really what we were called to be and commanded to do? Now, in my opinion, that’s the question, and if we’re really honest with ourselves, I think we all know the answer, don’t we?
And I’ll tell you, that’s the reason we’re going to tie up this series by looking at some scripture that Peter used to tie up his first letter, a couple of passages that focus on how, in the face of a challenging world, the church can endure. In other words, for the next ten minutes or so, we’re going to talk about three things we can choose to do whenever we feel ready to either give in or to give up. And for each one, we’ll look at the what and the how and the why.
For example, first, when faced with a challenging world, the church can endure by being realistic, realistic in its expectations, and I’m talking about being brutally honest in what we can expect as we try to do the best we can with what we’ve got. And I think that was exactly what Peter had in mind when he wrote this:
Dear friends, don’t be surprised or shocked that you are going through testing that is like walking through fire. Be glad for the chance to suffer as Christ suffered. It will prepare you for even greater happiness when he makes his glorious return.
Count it a blessing when you suffer for being a Christian. This shows that God’s glorious Spirit is with you. [1 Peter 4:12-14, CEV]
Now that’s what he said, and when you think about how it can be done, you know, how we can be realistic in our expectations, I think it really comes down to two commands, one negative and one positive. I mean, we really never should be surprised, you know, surprised when we’re feeling a little heat, even when it seems as though we’ve having to walk through fire. Man, we shouldn’t be shocked when our faith is tested. As a matter of fact, we probably should actually be glad for the chance, for the privilege of experiencing a little bit of what our savior endured. In fact, it’s sort of like something Peter wrote a little bit earlier in his letter:
You have faith in God, whose power will protect you until the last day. Then he will save you, just as he has always planned to do. On that day you will be glad, even if you have to go through many hard trials for a while. Your faith will be like gold that has been tested in a fire. And these trials will prove that your faith is worth much more than gold that can be destroyed. They will show that you will be given praise and honor and glory when Jesus Christ returns. [1 Peter 1:5-7, CEV]
Now that’s what Peter wrote. You see, for him, realistically, we really shouldn’t be surprised that we might suffer because of Jesus; instead we should be glad that God’s given us the chance to suffer with him.
And why, why should we be realistic as we deal with the difficulties and discomforts that we might face following Jesus Christ through a world which is constantly telling us that we should be first and that losers come in last, why should we do it? Well, I think it all comes down to what the suffering actually is. You see, in the sight of God, it’s not a punishment or a sign of weakness. Instead, according to Peter, it’s a blessing. It’s actually a blessing from God himself, because “[it] shows that God’s glorious spirit is with [us],” [1 Peter 4:14b, CEV] And I’ll tell you, when you think about it, that actually makes sense. I mean, God wants his children to be strong and to be focused and to be faithful, and it’s by facing the problems and enduring the pain that we get toughened up. It’s like every coach I’ve ever had would tell us as he was trying to get us into some kind of shape: No pain, no gain. Now that’s what I think Peter was saying here. And you know, this isn’t all that different from what he wrote in chapter three:
Can anyone really harm you for being eager to do good deeds? Even if you have to suffer for doing good things, God will bless you. So stop being afraid and don’t worry about what people might do. Honor Christ and let him be the Lord of your life. [1 Peter 3:13-15, CEV]
Simply put, we must be realistic, realistic in our expectations. And for Peter, I think that’s the first way we can endure. But of course, that’s not all.
Because, when faced with a challenging world, the church must also be humble, humble in its relationship with God, and I’m talking about how it sees itself when standing next to the Almighty. According to Peter, I think that’s the second way the church can endure. And I’ll tell you, I believe that’s exactly what we see in Peter’s first letter when he wrote this:
Be humble in the presence of God’s mighty power, and he will honor you when the time comes. God cares for you, so turn all your worries over to him. [1 Peter 5:6-7, CEV]
Now that’s what he said. In other words, when it comes to God, man, we’ve got to put aside some of the arrogance that’s kind of crept into Christianity now-a-days. Of course, I understand how this happened. In fact, I think it’s pretty understandable for believers to feel a sense of pride when they’ve been told that their whole relationship with Jesus Christ is grounded on the fact that they’ve found God, as though the Lord and Creator of Universe is like a senile old man who somehow got lost in the mall and when they’ve been taught that God is incapable of saving anyone without them asking and allowing him to do it. With that kind of stuff floating around, how could some Christians not be at least a little proud? And yet, this isn’t the attitude that God wants us to have, certainly not when we’re in his presence, is it? Instead he wants us to be humble, assuming that same attitude with him that Peter said young people should have when approaching their elders. He wrote,
All of you young people should obey your elders. In fact, everyone should be humble toward everyone else. The Scriptures say,
“God opposes proud people,
but he helps everyone
who is humble.” [1 Peter 5:5, CEV]
Even though, in our modern world, arrogance is often rewarded, God wants his children to be humble.
And the reason why he wants us to have this attitude, in fact, the reason why it just makes sense to turn from the world and to turn to God, well, it’s because we can be sure that God will honor those who are humble when the time comes, but also because we can trust that he takes care of us right now. You see, God loves us and God listens to us; therefore, we really don’t need to worry. I’ll tell you, it’s like Jesus said to his disciples:
I tell you not to worry about your life! Don’t worry about having something to eat or wear. Life is more than food or clothing. Look at the crows! They don’t plant or harvest, and they don’t have storehouses or barns. But God takes care of them. You are much more important than any birds. Can worry make you live longer? If you don’t have power over small things, why worry about everything else? [Luke 12:22b-26, CEV]
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: God couldn’t love us more than he does right now. But brace yourselves, it’s not because of us; it’s because of him. You see, it’s because “God is love.” [1 John 4:8a, CEV] I’m telling you, as we try to make our way through this world, we must be humble, humble in our relationship with God. And for Peter, I think that’s the second way we can endure.
And third, in the face of all the challenges that out there, the church can endure by being alert, alert as it does its work. In other words, as the church continues to do what it’s been called and equipped to do, something we’ll talk about next week, we need to be aware of what we actually face and who is there to help us. We need to be alert. And I think this was what Peter was getting at when he wrote this:
Be on your guard and stay awake. Your enemy, the devil, is like a roaring lion, sneaking around to find someone to attack. But you must resist the devil and stay strong in your faith. You know that all over the world the Lord’s followers are suffering just as you are. But God shows undeserved kindness to everyone. That’s why he appointed Christ Jesus to choose you to share in his eternal glory. You will suffer for a while, but God will make you complete, steady, strong, and firm. God will be in control forever! Amen. [1 Peter 5:8-11, CEV]
Now that’s what Peter wrote, and just think about what it means. Right now, we really need to be on our guard and to be wide awake. We need to put aside the distractions and the confusion so that we can keep our eyes on the prize and keep our focus on the one who put us on this path in the first place. In fact, it’s a lot like what Peter already said in the first chapter of his letter when he wrote this:
Be alert and think straight. Put all your hope in how God will treat you with undeserved grace when Jesus Christ appears. Behave like obedient children. Don’t let your lives be controlled by your desires, as they used to be. Always live as God’s holy people should, because God is the one who chose you, and he is holy. That’s why the Scriptures say, “I am the holy God, and you must be holy too.” [1 Peter 1:13-16, CEV]
Now in my opinion, that was Peter’s definition of being alert.
And why should we do it? Why should we be on guard and awake? Why should we be alert and thinking straight? Well, I believe it’s grounded in a recognition that, in a very real sense, both the present and the future are out of our hands. I mean, whether we like it or not, right now, the devil is alive and active in our world. And even though, like a lion, he’s always making a lot of noise and looking for someone to attack, he’s actually more like a paper lion, because little old us, we have the power to resist him and to stay firm in our faith. As a matter of fact, in spite of what we see in a whole bunch of horror movies, the only real power the devil has is to whisper in our ears and to distract us from being the men and women God called and created us to be. But I’ll tell you, his ability to mislead us, man, he’s really good at tempting and distracting, and that’s why we need to be on our guard and awake. Now that’s what we face in the present. But I’ll tell you, that seems like nothing when we compare it to what waits for us in the future. You see, in spite of us doing our very best to mess it up, the future belongs to God. And without our permission or help, our destinies are in his loving and gracious hands. And as Peter wrote,
But God shows undeserved kindness to everyone. That’s why he appointed Christ Jesus to choose you to share in his eternal glory. You will suffer for a while, but God will make you complete, steady, strong, and firm. God will be in control forever! Amen. [1 Peter 5:10-11, CEV]
Of course, according to Peter, that’s going to happen whether we want it to or not. But think about it, wouldn’t it be wonderful to get a glimpse of our future right here and now? But to resist the devil and to catch this vision, man, we need to be alert, alert as we do our work. And I think that’s the third way we can endure.
Like I said back at the beginning of this message, we’re nearing the end of the 2023 Easter season. And next week, we’ll look at the coming of the Holy Spirit and how that Spirit still empowers us to do the work we’ve been called to do. But before we move forward, let’s take just a minute to consider where we’ve been and where we are. You see, whether we like it or not, we face a challenging world, one that can wear us out and break us down, if we’re not careful. And for that reason, as the Body of Christ, claiming the words of Peter, right here and now, we can choose to praise and to remember, to grow and to resist, to follow and to endure by being realistic and humble and alert. You see, in my opinion, that’s how we can be the church in a challenging world.
The First Letter of Peter was written to a church which was confronting certain challenges that it neither chose nor wanted. You see, they were living within a society that didn't share their focus and faith; therefore, they were facing the temptation to compromise what they believed, a situation that seems very similar to what we face as we try to be the church of Jesus Christ within a society that doesn't understand our fundamental values and motivation. And that's the reason we'll look at what Peter had to say about how Christians might be the church in a challenging world.
The Church Endures (1 Peter 4:12-14: 5:6-11) - May 21
During the final service in this series, we'll use 1 Peter 4:12-14: 5:6-11 to consider how, when faced with a challenging world, the church can endure. Below is a copy of the bulletin. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel at 10:00 a.m.
The First Letter of Peter was written to a church which was confronting certain challenges that it neither chose nor wanted. You see, they were living within a society that didn't share their focus and faith; therefore, they were facing the temptation to compromise what they believed, a situation that seems very similar to what we face as we try to be the church of Jesus Christ within a society that doesn't understand our fundamental values and motivation. And that's the reason we'll look at what Peter had to say about how Christians might be the church in a challenging world.
The Church Endures (1 Peter 4:12-14: 5:6-11) - May 21
During the fifth service in this series, we used 1 Peter 2:19-25 to consider how, when faced with a challenging world, the church can follow Jesus Christ. Below is a video of the service, a recording of the sermon and a copy of the bulletin. Next Sunday morning, you can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel at 10:00 a.m.
The First Letter of Peter was written to a church which was confronting certain challenges that it neither chose nor wanted. You see, they were living within a society that didn't share their focus and faith; therefore, they were facing the temptation to compromise what they believed, a situation that seems very similar to what we face as we try to be the church of Jesus Christ within a society that doesn't understand our fundamental values and motivation. And that's the reason we'll look at what Peter had to say about how Christians might be the church in a challenging world.
The Church Endures (1 Peter 4:12-14: 5:6-11) - May 21
During the fifth message in this series, we used 1 Peter 2:19-25 to consider how, when faced with a challenging world, the church can follow Jesus Christ. Below is a copy and recording of the sermon. Next Sunday morning, you can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel at 10:00 a.m.
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Of course, today is Mother’s Day. And I personally know that because yesterday we had the Mother’s Day tea in the Fellowship Hall, something to which I wasn’t invited. And just a minute ago, we heard Garth Brooks sing about how special mothers are. And although Maggie wasn’t able to come home, she ordered three presents for Debbie that are sitting on the table behind the sofa, and later this afternoon we’ll open them. And I’ve got to tell you, it really takes a load off my shoulders now that Maggie is old enough to do that kind of thing for her mom on Mother’s Day, because it wasn’t all that long ago when she wasn’t. And I can tell you from my own experience, that when the mother of your child asks you what you got for her on Mother’s Day, you better not say, “Nothing, you’re not my mother.” Although, I’ve got to admit, when I said it back about twenty years ago, to her credit, Debbie didn’t say a thing...for hours and hours and hours. Let’s just say, Mother’s Day is a big deal, especially for mothers.
But I’ve to tell you, for me, well, it’s more a time to remember than to celebrate, because my mom passed away about three and half years ago. And so, for the last few days I’ve been thinking about mom a lot. Now, I believe she was about as close to a stereotypical, 1960s mother as you could get. I mean, although trained as a nurse, she chose to be a stay-at-home mom for me and my sister and brother. Her focus was always on her home and family. And one of the things I could count on was that every day, when I got home from school, mom had some homemade cookies or brownies or gingerbread just waiting, something that, of course, I didn’t appreciate at the time. I still cringe when I remember how I asked her why we couldn’t have Oreos or Twinkies or Zingers like all the other kids. Yeah boy. But you know, even though in a lot of ways she sort of fit the Laura Petrie model for mothers, in a lot of other ways she didn’t. My gosh, often she was the emotional rock for the family, especially when we faced some special challenge. For example, I remember back when I was eleven, I had a pretty bad accident on my bicycle that ended up requiring about 30 stitches. And while my dad was in a panic, mom handled it in the same way she seemed to handle everything: calmly, rationally and with enormous compassion. Now that was my mom, and today I remember and miss her.
And you know, all this is related to what we’re going to talk about this morning, you know, how we can be the church when faced with the challenges posed by the world. In fact, that’s what we’ve been looking for the last four weeks. And during that time, we’ve talked about how, when confronted by certain values and assumptions held by a lot of folks within our society, we can stand up as the Body of Christ by praising God for what he’s done and for what praise can do for us and by remembering that we’ve been both rescued and redeemed by God. We’ve also looked at how we can stand firm by intentionally growing in our determination and dedication as well as our understanding and unity and by resisting the temptation to deny our identity and to ignore our purpose and to neglect our responsibility as the Body of Christ. Now this is what we’ve done.
And we’re going to continue our discussion this morning by talking about how, when faced by a challenging world, the church can follow. And as we’ve already done four times, we’ll use another passage from Peter’s first letter to figure out what this following business is all about so that, by the end of our time together, we’ll have a better idea about why we follow and whom we follow and how we follow.
For example, first, if we’re serious about being the church in a challenging world, I think we need to know why we should follow, in other words, why we should be willing to follow something other than ourselves or the values and assumptions often shown within our society, why is this something important for the church to do. And you know, I think Peter explains that in what he wrote right at the beginning of our passage. I mean, “to God’s people who are scattered like foreigners in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,” [1 Peter 1:1b, CEV] he said this:
God will bless you, even if others treat you unfairly for being loyal to him. You don’t gain anything by being punished for some wrong you have done. But God will bless you, if you have to suffer for doing something good. [1 Peter 2:19-20, CEV]
Now that’s what he wrote.
And in my opinion, that’s the reason we need to be really intentional in who and what we choose to follow. I mean, the world is constantly trying to define who we are and what we believe. In fact, and this should come as a surprise to no one, there are plenty of people who want to use the church and the Christian faith to promote their agendas and to demonize their enemies and to sell whatever product or person they want us to buy. And so they take the Word of God and cherry pick verses and passages that seem to support their ideas while dismissing and distorting those which don’t. In other words, they want us to conform ourselves to their image, something a lot of Christians end up doing because either they don’t know any better or it’s a whole lot easier just to go with the flow. Good night nurse, let’s get real, those who decide to run with the crowd, man, they don’t have to deal with the pressure and the opposition, the ridicule and the condemnation, the emotional stress and sometimes even the physical abuse that those who don’t conform may end up facing in a secular society, and I’m talking about one that, as it pushes it’s values and assumptions, says to the church, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” No, as we talked about last week, there’s a price when we resist the tug of the world. But in spite of that, there’s certainly a pretty powerful benefit to doing this, a benefit to turning off a lot of the noise with which we’re bombarded and seeking out someone better to follow and here it is: God’s going to bless us. You see, even when we’re treated unfairly, God’s going to bless us. And even when we end up suffering for doing something that’s right and good, God is going to bless us. I’ll tell you, it’s just like Peter will say near the end of this letter:
But God shows undeserved kindness to everyone. That’s why he appointed Christ Jesus to choose you to share in his eternal glory. You will suffer for a while, but God will make you complete, steady, strong, and firm. God will be in control forever! Amen. [1 Peter 5:10-11, CEV]
You see, in the face of a world that wants us to conform, God will bless us if we follow. And that’s why we do it, the first thing I think the church needs to know.
But even though it’s important, I don’t believe that just knowing “why” is enough. You see, if we’re serious about being the church in a challenging world, second, I think we also need to know whom we should follow. I mean, if we’re not supposed to just buy into whatever we’re being sold, we really need to have some alternatives. And even though I’ve got a gut feeling that everybody here this morning knows the one about whom I’m talking, let’s still listen to what Peter wrote so that we might better understand who he actually is and what he actually did. You see, continuing what he just said, Peter wrote this:
After all, God chose you to suffer as you follow in the footsteps of Christ, who set an example by suffering for you.
Christ did not sin
or ever tell a lie.
Although he was abused,
he never tried to get even.
And when he suffered,
he made no threats.
Instead, he had faith in God,
who judges fairly.
Christ carried the burden
of our sins.
He was nailed to the cross,
so we would stop sinning
and start living right.
By his cuts and bruises
you are healed. [1 Peter 2:21-24, CEV]
Now, that’s what Peter wrote.
And like I said, it’s really not a shocker that God chose us so that we could follow in the footsteps of Christ even though that’s going to result in suffering. But Peter didn’t just offer us a name, something a lot of folks out in the world are always dropping to convince us that the nonsense they’re peddling is Christian; he also explained exactly what Christ did that makes him worth following. You see, in spite of what he faced, he kept his focus. I mean, in spite of all the abuse, he didn’t sink to the level of his abusers. And even though he suffered at their hands, he didn’t seek revenge or make threats. Instead he kept his focus and trusted in God. And as a result, he did exactly what he came to do: Christ carried the burden of our sins. He was nailed to the cross, so we would stop sinning and start living right. [1 Peter 2:24, CEV] You see, he suffered and died for us, because it was through his suffering and his death on the cross that we were set free from the burden, the guilt, the shame that comes from the sin we carry with us from the past. And through that freedom, he’s given us the opportunity to live a life that’s good and holy and righteous. Now that’s what Jesus has already done. And I’ll tell you, it’s almost the exact same thing Peter wrote about in the third chapter of this letter. Just listen to what he said:
Christ died once for our sins.
An innocent person died
for those who are guilty.
Christ did this
to bring you to God,
when his body
was put to death
and his spirit
was made alive. [1 Peter 3:18, CEV]
You see, in spite of the abuse and in spite of the suffering, Jesus Christ kept his focus on God and as a result, he did exactly what he came to do: he gave us freedom from the past and a genuine choice as we look to the future. I’m telling you, he’s the one whom we follow, and as it faces the challenges thrown up by the world, that’s the second thing I think the church needs to know.
But you know, even that’s not enough, because when it comes to being followers, we may understand the “why” and we may understand the “whom” until the cows come home, but if we’re really serious about being the church in a challenging world, third, we also need to know how we should follow. And when you think about it, man, this just makes sense.I mean, it’s all well and good to decide that we’re willing to suffer for doing what’s right because that’s exactly what Jesus Christ did, but let’s get real, the rubber hits the road when we begin to understand how we can actually do it. And I’ll tell you, even though it’s only one verse and at first glance it might seem a little vague, I think Peter offers us some real direction right at the end of our passage. I mean, after telling us why and whom we should follow, he wrote this:
You had wandered away
like sheep.
Now you have returned
to the one
who is your shepherd
and protector. [1 Peter 2:25, CEV]
Now that’s what he wrote.
And like I said, at first glance, this seems vague, at least it does for me, but let’s unpack it a little bit. You see, I believe Peter was encouraging them and is encouraging us simply to repent. Now, having said that, I recognize that I don’t spend a lot of time talking about repentance, because frankly, I believe the word is often used to scare people into salvation, you know, that if you don’t repent, you’re going to Hell in a handbasket. Now, in my experience, that’s often how the word is used, but I’ll tell you, that’s really not what it means. You see, repentance simply means turning one’s attention from one thing to another, from something that’s bad to something that’s good. In a sense, it’s like changing your mind, which is literally what it means in Greek. And right here, that’s what Peter is challenging us to do, isn’t it? He’s telling us to stop wandering off like sheep and return to the shepherd, you know, the one who is also our protector. And you know, when you think about it, it’s when we return, man, that’s when our lives truly change. I mean, rather than being wanderers, we become followers. And as such, not only are we looking to the shepherd for guidance, we’re also willing to follow him forward, even if that might mean facing some abuse and suffering. And I’ll tell you, that was the kind of life-style I think Peter had in mind when he wrote this:
Can anyone really harm you for being eager to do good deeds? Even if you have to suffer for doing good things, God will bless you. So stop being afraid and don’t worry about what people might do. Honor Christ and let him be the Lord of your life.
Always be ready to give an answer when someone asks you about your hope. Give a kind and respectful answer and keep your conscience clear. This way you will make people ashamed for saying bad things about your good conduct as a follower of Christ. You are better off to obey God and suffer for doing right than to suffer for doing wrong. [1 Peter 3:13-17, CEV]
And so, claiming the freedom and opportunity we have in Christ, we’ve been challenged to repent, to turn from a life of wandering and confusion and to turn to a life with focus and purpose, one that’s grounded in the example left to us by Jesus Christ. You see, that’s how we should follow him, and that’s the third thing I believe the church needs to know.
And you know, it just seems right to be talking about this on Mother’s Day, the one time each year when we remember and celebrate those women who offered us an example that we can follow, because I believe that’s exactly what Peter challenges us to do. You see, we’ve been called to be followers. And we know why; we follow because we believe that’s what God wants us to do, and he’ll bless us when we do it. And we certainly know whom; we follow Jesus Christ, the one who died to set us free. And we even know how; we follow when we repent, when our lives reflect a turning from and a turning to. I’m telling you, in the face of a challenging world, the church follows.
The First Letter of Peter was written to a church which was confronting certain challenges that it neither chose nor wanted. You see, they were living within a society that didn't share their focus and faith; therefore, they were facing the temptation to compromise what they believed, a situation that seems very similar to what we face as we try to be the church of Jesus Christ within a society that doesn't understand our fundamental values and motivation. And that's the reason we'll look at what Peter had to say about how Christians might be the church in a challenging world.
The Church Endures (1 Peter 4:12-14: 5:6-11) - May 21
During the fourth service in this series, we'll use 1 Peter 2:19-25 to consider how, when faced with a challenging world, the church can follow the example of Jesus Christ. Below is a copy of the bulletin. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel at 10:00 a.m.
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