Category: 1 Peter

“Of course, your former friends are surprised when you no longer plunge into the flood of wild and destructive things they do. So they slander you. But remember that they will have to face God, who stands ready to judge everyone, both the living and the dead. That is why the Good News was preached to those who are now dead—so although they were destined to die like all people, they now live forever with God in the Spirit.”

Anybody out there have some “former friends” that are surprised you don’t live a wild life anymore? In yesterday’s post, we talked about suffering. On the surface it may seem like you are suffering when you abstain from sin. But those who live destructive lives are the ones who are actually suffering. When they see that you are living a different kind of life with Jesus, they may talk about you and try to smear your reputation. That’s okay — it’s not a reputation you wanted to keep anyway.

These verses get a little confusing venturing into the words “the living” and “the dead.” Those who are “living” are those who have been saved by Jesus, now living a new life in the Spirit. Remember when we talked about the idea of being “born again”? We are living our eternal lives starting now. The “dead” are the ones who are not living this free life. They are still chained to sin and are destined to die. These “dead” people are the very ones who still need to hear the good news of Jesus — and it is a matter of some urgency.

Here’s your freedom for today: you are on an eternal life journey. If you have been born into the kingdom of God through the Holy Spirit, your life keeps going. Not only that, you keep growing and deepening into your union with God. We will never reach the end of the depths of God, even as we dwell in him for eternity. Don’t wait until you get to heaven to start really living. You are free right now to dwell in the Holy Spirit and let him consume your life.

“The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers. Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay.”

The end of the world was supposed to happen a few weeks ago. Another prediction (with billboards!) had the apocalypse coming a few years ago. I read one article this week (from the people who were wrong about the September date) who said they were “off by a few weeks” and if we wait until mid-October we “will not be disappointed…” Why are we so obsessed with trying to predict the end of the world? If it was “coming soon” almost 2,000 years ago, what does that mean for us today?

Ultimately, we all get focused on unanswerable questions. Our brains circle around in loop after loop chasing down the unknown, while at the same time we are too distracted to do what we are called to do. Be honest. Pray a lot. Love each other. Cheerfully share and open your home to others. That’s our to-do list from Jesus. “Predict the end of the world” doesn’t show up on that list, and in fact Jesus said we would never figure it out anyway. Can’t we just handle being surprised?

Here’s your freedom for today: God’s got the details. He knows when he’s coming back. And in fact, he’s here now. When we live in the Spirit and do the things Jesus told us to do, we don’t really have time to worry about the details of the apocalypse. God can figure all that out. But if my neighbor is going hungry, it seems strange to hole myself up in my house pouring over calendars and numbers in the Bible. There are a whole lot of other unanswerable questions we are focused on as well: How will such-and-such situation turn out? Why did this thing happen to me? What will life be like in 5 years from now? Just rest. Release the questions. Love others. God’s got this.

“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.”

One thing I love about God’s kingdom is that there are always presents. He loves giving good gifts to his children. Spiritual gifts are the kind of gift that keep on giving — the more you use it, the better it gets. The “stuff” of this world wears out, breaks, and gets added to the pile of other broken stuff. Eternal gifts are good forever, and these are the treasures we should seek most.

Peter gives us a few examples of spiritual gifts here, and you can find other lists in 1 Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4. I find it interesting that Peter mentions just two gifts: speaking and helping. Peter is testifying to the greatness of God that he, a former fisherman, turned out to be a bold speaker and persevering helper to the early church. Peter knew more than anyone else just how supernatural these gifts were. The first half of his life story did not include public speaking or helping anyone.

Here’s your freedom for today: God’s gifts are empowering. God doesn’t give us decorations to sit back and admire. He gives us gifts that advance his kingdom and empower ourselves and others to live fully. We bring glory to Jesus, just as Peter did, when we display his power in our lives. Every time Peter opened his mouth to speak, supernatural things happened. A gift from God flows out of you when you are walking in the Spirit. Go be the supernatural, kingdom-driven you today and just watch what God will do.

“Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world.”

I have to be honest, I am genuinely surprised by fiery trials. Perhaps it is a product of having lived a very blessed life, but things going wrong really throw me off. I have always seen faith and hope as a kind of spiritual optimism, and I carry this into every situation. If I were Paul or Peter, I would definitely be scratching my head wondering how prison or torture could possibly be part of God’s plan. Things seemingly going awry feels strange to me.

Peter offers an alternative here, which we covered when we studied the book of James: be glad. Not just plain old glad. Very glad. Trials make us partners with Jesus in his suffering. That may not sound too appealing until we keep reading: we also get to share in his glory. If we aren’t part of the building of the kingdom of God, we won’t be there to enjoy the fruits of that labor. We have a chance at something eternally valuable, and keeping this perspective brings gladness to our hearts.

Here’s your freedom for today: living for Jesus won’t disappoint. Perhaps you are struggling with disappointment right now. Maybe you are going through the fire in a way you never have before. Perseverance happens when our eyes stay fixed on the long game. When we grow in this perseverance, we mature and can make it through even when the fire gets turned up to full blast. Lots of people don’t make it. Spiritual war unfortunately involves casualties. Stay in the fight and stay connected to those who are able to fight alongside you. Victory is coming, no matter what.

“If you are insulted because you bear the name of Christ, you will be blessed, for the glorious Spirit of God rests upon you. If you suffer, however, it must not be for murder, stealing, making trouble, or prying into other people’s affairs. But it is no shame to suffer for being a Christian. Praise God for the privilege of being called by his name! For the time has come for judgment, and it must begin with God’s household. And if judgment begins with us, what terrible fate awaits those who have never obeyed God’s Good News? And also, ‘If the righteous are barely saved, what will happen to godless sinners?’ So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you.”

Peter is returning to the theme we have found throughout this letter about two kinds of suffering. Sometimes we suffer because we do the right thing, and sometimes we suffer because we don’t. Proverbs 11, quoted here by Peter, provides a similar contrast between the ways of the good and the evil. We live in divisive time, when the war between good or evil is only increasing in intensity. We do not have the luxury to keep one foot in each world — we have to decide which way to fight.

If you are fighting the spiritual war on Jesus’ side, then press on into deeper faith, greater hope, and more perfect love. Trust him with your whole life — he’s not going to let you down. You are not fighting any battle in vein, and you have the Lord of Heaven’s Armies fighting with and behind you. It is his war, not yours. Although everything screams the opposite at us, the reality is that the world does not revolve around you. Or me. We orbit in worship around the one true king: Jesus.

Here’s your freedom for today: the God who made you does not fail. Nations rise and fall, money comes and goes, people let you down. But our King does not give up, and he will prevail. Staying as close to him as possible is the surest way to victory. Every stray step can leave us in danger. For this reason, we must dwell in his presence as much as our feeble minds can manage. Cling to him like you never have before — do it his way and you’ll find victory.