Yesterday I had the privilege of sharing with New Hope Church on Sunday morning in addition to sharing at our church on Sunday night. New Hope is a church just a few blocks away from us in East Dayton. The church is actually a re-plant of the former Otterbein United Methodist Church which is now Target Dayton Ministries. I really appreciate the pastor at New Hope, and I am really encouraged by the work they are doing in their community. It was a joy and pleasure to be able to share God's Word with my brothers and sisters in Christ in the city.
My sharing yesterday was a simple message on I Peter 1:3-9. Peter's letter is written to a group of Christians who are living as aliens and strangers in the world because of their faith in Jesus Christ (see this blog). They are surrounded by people ("Gentiles") who do no think like them, talk like them, or act like them. In this kind of situation, it can be difficult to stand firm in your faith and do the right thing. Peter's letter is, therefore, an encouragement and a challenge to these believers. I call it "good news" and "bad news."
The "good news" (or Gospel) is that God is doing a good work in the lives of the people. God has given them new life in Jesus Christ ("born again"), given them the hope of resurrection, and filled them with the Holy Spirit, a downpayment on the inheritance to come (see this blog). Knowing this is an encouragement when facing difficult situations. If God is at work in our lives, then we know that God will bring us through whatever trials we have in our lives. This also tells us that God has a good end in mind. God is working all things for our good (Rom. 8:28). The "good" in this case is forming us into the image of Jesus Christ and bringing us into final salvation.
Peter also has a bit of "bad news," or I might call it sobering news. While television preachers are always promising us health and wealth if we follow Jesus Christ, Peter is promising something else. Throughout the letter, Peter assures us that we will face trials, ordeals, sufferings, and testings if we are Christians. This is just part of the Christian life. In James 1:2-4, we learn the same thing. We should consider trials a joy because they lead to our perfection and completion in Christ. Hebrews 12:7-11 has a little different emphasis, but it fits as well. In this passage we learn that God disciplines all of his children. If we come into the family of God, we should expect to experience trials and tribulations. These things are actually the discipline of the Lord. God uses experiences that seem bad on the surface to shape us, change us, and transform us. Peter says all this so that his readers will not lose heart when they face trying times. Instead, they can take comfort that God is with them in the midst of trials, bearing them through and using trials to strengthen their faith.
One final comment is in order. As a Christian growing up in America, I feel like I have always been told, consciously or subconsciously, that I will not suffer as a Christian. In fact, you can almost imagine someone saying, "Praise the Lord that we do not have to suffer in America!" When we consider what Peter is saying, this is actually a very ironic (prophetic?) thing to say. If we are trying following the Lord, Peter basically guarantees that we will suffer in some way. The Christian life is not meant to be something easy and comfortable. While we may not face overt physical persecution, there are other kinds of suffering we should experience as Christians, even Christians in America. If nothing else, we should be suffering against our sinful and selfish desires and striving to love God and neighbor. That kind of suffering is universal amongst all Christians.
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