This July 4th weekend, we come to a remarkable command in Scripture:
I urge you, as foreigners and resident aliens (i.e., Jesus-followers), to abstain from sinful desires. Live such good lives among the nations that, though people accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your good deeds and glorify God… (1 Peter 2:11–12)
|
{hwdvideoshare}id=88|width=601|height=338|tpl=lightbox|thumb_width=200{/hwdvideoshare}
|
{hwdvideoshare}id=116|width=601|height=338|tpl=lightbox|thumb_width=200{/hwdvideoshare}
|
| Series Introduction | Week 9 Introduction |
Today we celebrate the birth of the nation we live in, even though we are, in some sense, “foreigners” here. We will express thanks for the freedoms we experience in the USA. At the same time, we will remember that we who follow Jesus are to live lives that set us apart from most people. There seems to be a tension in this, doesn’t there? We come to the text in the Bible that speaks more clearly than any other in Scripture to the issue of how those committed to Jesus are to live in the world. Look at a list of ways that the first century of believers stated that they wanted their lives to be different from the world:
- They were good citizens, keeping their nations’ laws.
Except when human law contradicted God’s law. - They prayed for their governmental leaders.
Even when those leaders persecuted them. - They refused to go to bloodthirsty entertainment venues.
Thus they were therefore labeled “antisocial”. - They cared passionately for the poor—
Even those outside their family of believers. - Their gatherings demonstrated a mingling of races and classes—
And were considered “scandalous.” - They insisted that sex was to be practiced only between
a man and a woman committed to one another in marriage. - They allowed women to be involved significantly in their gatherings.
This was unheard of in ancient Rome or Greece. - They believed that Jesus was the only way to God.
This put them at odds with culture that believed people could have many gods. - They opposed killing children.
Rejecting the common practice of families ridding themselves of unwanted children. - They had marriages that lasted.
If we were to make a similar list about how the 21st-century Southern CA church is different from the world, what should we include?
To His Glory,
Dr. Greg Waybright
Senior Pastor