Rebecca Inglis - June 10, 2018
Values in an Unholy Culture
When my three children were young, we travelled as a family for a month throughout Southeast Asia. Everywhere we went, people would stare at Bradley, Chloe and Emily, and some would even try to touch them. People were fascinated by them and they became the centre of attention so often because they were so different; they stood out. People would “Ooo” and “Ahhh” at them, in awe of their baby blonde hair and gorgeous blue eyes, which screamed that they were foreigners. It was obvious they were not Asian, they did not belong there and they certainly did not fit in. When the Apostle Peter was writing to a group of people that were severely persecuted in the First Century, he told them to live out their time on earth as ‘foreigners’ in reverent fear (1 Peter 1:17). Other translations say ‘temporary residents’ or ‘strangers.’ Peter, inspiring hope, reminds his readers again and again that this world was not their home; they were just passing through, they were sojourners. This world is not our home either. Peter reminds us that as citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven we are foreigners here on earth and therefore we will stand out. If you're a follower of Jesus, you're called to be different. You'll have different values, different passions, different uses of your time and different uses of your resources. You'll be different as a parent, you'll be different as a spouse, you'll be different in the way that you work. The result of a different life driven by faith should be that people are fascinated by you.
Scripture References: 1 Peter 1:13-21
From Series: "Different"
The letter of 1 Peter in the New Testament is a letter that encourages us to be different in the way we live our lives. Join us as we spend 4 weeks investigating the power of this ancient letter.
