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Your Best Life Now Pastor Athol Barnes | 9.8.2024
Manage episode 439745274 series 3563817
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Who doesn’t want to live a meaningful life full of peace and joy? The Bible gives a prescription for us to live life to the fullest.
Peter is preparing the church for further suffering, preparing them to be strong and healthy as they endure hardship. The Western church is not familiar with persecution, but that may change soon. For a church to remain strong during persecution, they must operate according to the principles of the kingdom of Heaven.
Living Healthily
Peter lists five essential characteristics of a healthy church in 1 Peter 3:8.
1: Unity: Unity is not uniformity. We all have different spiritual gifts and different parts to play in the church. We need to be united around the mission of the church. The mission that Jesus gave us has never changed and we are to rally around that call (see Matthew 28:19-20).
2: Sympathy: This is having care and compassion for the needs and pain of others in the church. We need to be careful that we don’t simply come and go while overlooking the needs of our fellow brothers and sisters. It is tempting to become hard hearted towards one another, but we must never stop caring (see Romans 12:15).
3: Brotherly Love: The Greek word for brotherly love is “philadelphia”. This word is only applied in the context of love within the group of believers. Peter encourages his readers to love earnestly from a pure heart.
4: Tender heart: Love in the church is revealed in our tenderness towards one another. Sadly, tenderness is viewed as a weakness today. Tenderness is a heart attitude of actively engaging with the pain of others. Not simply glossing over it with an, “I will pray for you”. Having a tender heart means that we see people and show that we care.
5: Humility: A humble person puts others first and listens first. Humility is the opposite spirit of the world, and it is the mark of a healthy believer and a healthy church.
Responding Well
Peter continues in verse 9, “Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing”.
Jesus was our perfect example as he prayed for those crucifying him.
This is turning the other cheek, even if another believer says something about you that is untrue.
I have had the privilege to meet some amazing leaders over the years working with various mission organizations. One of the essential character qualities that I have found in respected Christian leaders is that they don’t defend themselves. Even when they are falsely accused.
I know this is easier said than done. We need to learn to commit accusations to the Lord. Sometimes an accusation is warranted, and we must receive it and make corrections. But if it is false or malicious, hand it over to the Lord.
Blessing Others
In the face of reviling, Peter exhorts to live in the opposite spirit, “…on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing,” 1 Peter 3:9b.
There are so many ways that we can bless others and as we do, we are promised a blessing from the Lord.
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