Rebecca Inglis - June 24, 2018
Perspective in Persecution
I find so many things in our world surprising. For example, cockroaches can live for weeks without their heads before they die of hunger. People spend more time sitting on the toilet each week than they do exercising. Apparently, we end up spending 1.4 years on the toilet during a lifetime? It’s pretty surprising to me that vending machines kill more people than sharks, and that the total weight of all the ants on earth is comparable to the total weight of all the humans on the planet. More seriously, it surprises me that in our world today, even though there is enough food produced worldwide to provide everyone with an adequate diet, nearly 854 million people, or 1 in 7, still go hungry. It is shocking that today 165 million people are suffering from childhood malnutrition. It’s almost unfathomable that more people have access to a mobile phone than a toilet. These facts should surprise and shock us. What should not surprise those who are Jesus followers, is that we suffer and are persecuted for our faith. Christians are called to be different, to be holy, to stand out, and so Peter tells early Christians, “Don’t be surprised or shocked that you are going through testing that is like walking through fire.” (1 Peter 4:12) Earlier, Jesus explained to his disciples that they too should expect opposition and persecution from the world. “If the world hates you, keep in mind that they hated me first… if they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.” (John 15:18,20)
Scripture References: 1 Peter 4:12-19
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.
