The Congregational Code (1 Peter 5:1-11)

I want to read you a couple of profiles that describe a person, and see which one you like better.

The first description has words like these: considerate, good-natured, team-player, thoughtful, dependable, good listener. Do you like the sound of this person? Good. I don't want to brag, but this comes from a personality profile done on me.

Contrast this with this second description: stubborn, inflexible, hesitant, detached. How do you like the sound of this person? You may be surprised to know that this is from the same personality profile, actually from the same page, and it's also me, except under pressure, tension, stress, or fatigue. It's like I have these two sides: considerate, good-natured, thoughtful - but on the other hand stubborn, inflexible, detached. Same person, but different circumstances. And it makes all the difference in the world.

We all have this. We have our best selves - the people that we aspire to be, and maybe we succeed most of the time. Then we have the other side. I heard a young girl talking about her father one day. Evidently he gets a little grumpy at times. The word that she used for her father to describe wasn't grumpy, but stressed. We are different people when we are under pressure, tension, stress, or fatigue.

Maybe the same is true when it comes to churches.

I would like Richview to be known by words like these: biblical, loving, evangelistic, Christ-centered, people-focused. In our best moments we are these things. But churches face stresses too, and under stress it's possible for us to become like other words: grumpy, unloving, inward, program-focused. It's almost like two different churches, but it's not. It's Richview at our best and Richview under stress.

A couple of years after I arrived here, I started to discover the rhythms of our church's life. I began to discover that there are times that we shut down and that life is pretty relaxed around here. I also began to discover that there are other times - usually characterized by a budget crunch, busyness, or some stressful situation that we were facing - that we aren't who we aspire to be.

We're not the first people to face this problem. The passage that we're looking at this morning was written to churches under incredible stress. The stress came from the fact that the people around them were intolerant of their faith in Christ, and this put pressure on them at work and in their marriages and with their friends. They also faced the danger of having this stress affect the way that they functioned as they came together to be the church. Peter writes about this problem, and he sandwiches his instructions in between two passages on suffering. That's no accident. How we relate to each other is going to be affected by the situation we face.

So how should we respond when we're a stressed-out church?

It's interesting that Peter doesn't say to not be stressed. He doesn't say to light a candle or get a back massage or do aromatherapy to de-stress as a church. No matter what they did, they were going to continue to face stress, because their outside environment wasn't going to change.

I imagine there are times that we can look each other and say - in love - "Let's take a deep breath here." But there are going to be other times that we can't do anything about the fact that our church is under stress. Sometimes that is the reality that we face, and there won't be much we can do about the stress itself.

But there is something that we can do about how we respond in a time of stress. 1 Peter 5 gives us a congregational code, and it's all about our responsibilities to each other within the church, especially in a time of stress.

What is a congregational code? In Peter's day, they had something called a household code. In the Greek and Roman worlds, household codes outlined the way that the house should run. Instructions were usually given to the head of the house, the father, to rule over the household wisely. His wife, children and slaves were subject to him until his death.

Peter takes this household code and does something that the Greeks and the Romans didn't do. He applies it to the congregation, as if we are not just a collection of individuals but an actual household, connected by family ties despite all of our differences. This was unheard of. And Peter doesn't just write to the head of the churches saying that they have to rule over the church-households with a firm hand. Instead, he writes to the whole church and outlines responsibilities for all. He touches on areas that are especially appropriate when a church is under stress.

Let's look at the congregational code, or how to be function as members of God's family within the church when we're under stress. He addresses three groups of people: leaders, followers, and then everybody.

First: leaders are to serve.

Peter writes to "elders" in verse 1 as a "fellow elder", and in verse 2 he uses the word "shepherd" which is where we get the word pastor, and he talks about them "watching over" the church in verse 2.. Churches back then were based on similar leadership patterns based as Jewish synagogues and local ruling councils and in city government in the Greco-Roman world. So he's talking to the leaders of the churches.

To be a church leader in those days was a courageous act. They lived in perilous times, and serving as a leader meant that you were risking your position in society, even becoming vulnerable to the same fate as Jesus.

Remember that the codes in those days usually told the people in charge to take control and rule over the household. You can imagine that especially in a time of stress and pressure, leaders would have faced the temptation to become authoritarian and controlling.

But Peter says a couple of important things to the church leaders.

He first tells them what kind of leaders they are supposed to be:

• not reluctant, but willing leaders
• not greedy, but eager to serve
• not domineering, but a role model

In other words, leaders aren't to serve reluctantly as if they're doing everybody a favor. They shouldn't be motivated by a desire to get, but an eagerness to give. And they shouldn't see themselves as bosses but as examples. They're not kings; they're to be servants, even - especially - when the church is under stress.

Gilbert Bilezikian writes, "Leadership is a servant ministry." Although the pecking order is "an inescapable reality of daily life" in which people take their rank based on "birth, race, gender, fortune, and influence," the church is different. To be a leader in the church isn't "about the pride of who comes first," but "the humility of the one who comes in last." In the place of imperial leadership, we have the image of servanthood. We not only have the image, we actually have the example of Jesus, who took a basin and towel and washed his disciple's feet as a symbol of what he was about to do in dying for us. It's about a completely different attitude on the part of those who lead the church.

What could this look like? One pastor writes this:

I am pastored by my congregation. My struggles are often out in the open for everyone to see. I can be honest about my failures...I don't feel the pressure to "perform" for two reasons. First, "success" and "failure" are common property. We all share a responsibility for what happens...Second, ministry is not an event that occurs on a Sunday. It is a lifestyle of word-centered activity. Success is not judged by a sermon or service. It is judged in terms of growing Christians and gospel opportunities. (Total Church)

He goes on to say that this type of leadership feels scary, but "we should embrace this fragility because it forces us to trust God's sovereign grace."

And, if they serve this way, Peter says, then "when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away" (1 Peter 5:4). Their victory is assured. It depends not on their own efforts, but on the appearing of Christ. This is what leadership in the church is all about.

In a few weeks, we have the opportunity as members to choose those who will lead the church. You've already chosen me, and it goes without saying that I need your prayers to be this kind of leader.

As we select new leaders next month, we are looking for people who will lead in this way. That's probably why the Bible puts so much emphasis on their lives and doctrine. Leaders are to serve. As we select leaders, I'm going to ask you to evaluate them based on their ability to provide spiritual leadership for our church, not because they have reached the top of the pecking order, but because they are people of character who have servant's hearts.

Leaders are to serve.

Secondly, Peter says, everyone else is to submit.

Here's where it gets even harder. Verse 5 says: "In the same way, you who are younger [in other words, those of you who aren't elders], submit yourselves to your elders."

You'll notice that this section is a lot briefer compared to the previous section, but it's just as hard. It doesn't mean being a doormat. It's essentially a call to respect your leaders. On one level, this should be obvious. It may be obvious, but it's not easy. It may be even harder than it was back then. We live in a day in which the prevailing attitude is that leaders can't be trusted with power, and that nobody is going to tell me what to do. That attitude can easily carry over to the church as well.

I have a friend who pastors a congregation composed of a lot of people who belong to a generation that is not known for submitting to leadership. I asked him how that works at his church. He replied and said that he tends to see it as a fear that has come from the abuse of leadership. It's a fear of getting hurt. Our whole democratic system is built on checks and balances so that leaders can't lead without having safeguards in place.

But he keeps reminding his people that Scripture does not make concession for it, rather it calls us back to the gospel - to forgive when hurt, to repent when you hurt someone, and reconcile as brothers and sisters knowing leaders will give an account to God, so they submit to him.

"Our people need to trust God," he said, "who is placing leaders over the church. That is why character is the main thing in scripture about leaders. They are trustworthy men and women who lead. It can be abused of course but it is a good thing to submit."

Twenty years ago somebody wrote:

It seems rather strange that very few books on leadership have chapters on followership. As a matter of fact, followership is not even in the abridged dictionary. There seems to be a curious assumption that while leaders need special instruction for exercising their role, followers need no such instruction. (C. Peter Wagner, Leading Your Church to Growth)

1 Thessalonians 5:13 tells us to "Hold [leaders] in the highest regard in love because of their work." I know this is far from easy, and it goes against every cultural trend. But we're not called to follow cultural trends of distrust. We're to be an alternate community in which leaders serve and followers respect.

I know that this will get challenged almost every week especially when the church is under stress. Leaders serve, not rule. Everybody else submits, instead of distrusting.

Peter has one more instruction:

Third, everyone - leaders and followers together - be humble and faithful.

We get to the heart of the passage now. Peter says in verse 5, "All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another." And then in verse 6, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time." And then in verse 8, "Be alert and of sober mind." In other words, don't let the stresses that your church is under stop you from really humbling yourselves before each other and staying firm no matter what is going on out there.

Why? A few reasons. Because if we humble ourselves, then God himself will exalt us. If we don't humble ourselves and instead waver in our faith, then Satan just may find the opportunity he's been looking for to devour us. Because when we suffer, we're in solidarity with all God's people who have suffered. And finally, because despite the stresses, God is completing his work in us. Verse 10 says, "And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast." We know how it will turn out in the end.

This all reminds me of a story that's been in the news lately. Last year, insurgents in Afghanistan opened fire on a Canadian base around 2:00 early one morning. A siren sounded, and small arms fire was heard throughout the camp. Soldiers were woken and went out on patrol to rout the attackers - all soldiers, except for one.

Corporal Paul Billard, a stretcher-bearer, stayed in bed. Other soldiers tried to coax him from his covers, but Corporal Billard wouldn't budge. He refused to put on his helmet and flak jacket, and only got out of bed once to go to the washroom with a pistol. When his fellow soldiers banged on a locker to try to get him out of bed, Billard replied, "I'm immune to that. I'm going to sleep."

Corporal Billard has been sentenced to twenty-one nights. The military judge said to him, "You displayed a total lack of discipline and lack of respect by refusing to report to your assigned duty. I find your conduct reprehensible. You let your comrades down in a time of danger."

If we really understand that there's a battle going on out there, and if we really understand what Christ has done for us - not only in setting an example for us as a servant who washed his disciple's feet, but who paid the ultimate price so that we could be part of a community that is transformed by what he did at the cross - then we'll stay wide awake. We'll never doze off into leadership that isn't about service, followership that isn't about submission, and church that isn't about humility. Stay humble and faithful despite the stress, Peter says, and God will take care of the rest.

Living Faithfully When It Costs (1 Peter 4:1-11)

Last week, those of us who were here looked at the ways that Christians usually interact with culture. Some Christians withdraw from culture. They keep their noses clean and think that the real problem is that certain Christians allow themselves to get too involved with the world. They isolate themselves from anyone and anything that isn't Christian.

On the other hand, some accommodate themselves to culture. They live a lifestyle that's not all that different, and nobody even realizes that they're Christian.

We looked at 1 Peter, who suggests a third way. Don't isolate yourself from culture. Go to parties, make friends with those who aren't Christians, coach soccer, join the local community board, and integrate your life into that of the community. But live distinctively within culture. As you're in contact, allow people to see the hope that you have in Christ, and be prepared to talk about it. We talked about the fact that this is the hardest way to live - neither isolated from culture nor accommodating to what's wrong with culture, but it's the way we're called to live.

The Problem

But there's a problem with living this way, isn't there? Peter talks about the problem in 1 Peter 4. Read with me what he says in verses 3-4:

For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you.

Here's the problem. The people that Peter writes too didn't used to be followers of Christ. Some of them evidently walked on the wild side. Peter talks about their former way of life in pretty stark terms. They lived without restraints and did as they pleased, including drunken partying and sexual debauchery.

Peter says at the beginning of verse 3, "You have spent enough time in the past" living this way. If you have the lifestyle that Peter describes in your past, you know that it may sound exciting, but it's not really something that you need more of in your life. They've already spent more than enough time living that way, and now they're called to a new way of living.

The problem is that some of the people who remember the way they used to live are now astonished that they no longer live this way. Verse 4 says, "They are surprised." They're taken back. And they're not that understanding about it either. They can't understand why you don't do the things you used to do, and frankly they find you to be a bit of a killjoy, and "they heap abuse on you."

Some of you know exactly what Peter is talking about here. You're different, and they're pretty sure that they don't like it.

We live in a day just like Peter's in which it is offensive to follow Christ. People don't mind a lot of things. They like some things about Christianity. Almost anything goes today as a valid lifestyle choice - but people draw the line when it comes to taking the exclusive claims of Christ seriously. Say that you believe that Jesus is the only way to God, or that sex outside of marriage is wrong, and see what happens. Mention that you believe in hell and you may clear the room.

If you follow Christ, you will live and believe in a way that is out of step with the prevailing values of culture, and it will cause you some grief.

So this is the problem. We will be out of step, and we will feel the heat. If we live faithfully, it will mean that we reject the path of least resistance and suffer criticism and even condemnation. What then should we do? How do we endure and live faithfully when people are criticizing us for following Christ?

Peter says to do two things: to look forward and to look back.

Looking Forward

Peter says that we need to look forward. In verses 5 and 6 he writes:

But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to human standards in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.

Peter says that it's true that you are being judged - but Peter says that we should look forward, way forward. We may be hauled before judges, but one day they will be hauled before the Judge. God will judge everyone, and that means that today - right here, right now - his judgment counts for more than the judgment of those around us. We can handle being out of step with culture today because the scorecard that really matters is what God thinks, not what the people around us think.

So verse 5 says, "They will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead." Today most people believe that nobody can make a statement about faith that applies to everyone. People think that a Muslim can make a statement about Muslim faith but that it only applies to Muslims, and a Christian can say something about Christianity but it has nothing to do with those who aren't Christians. Here, Peter says that God's grace and God's judgment are universal truths that will apply to every single person whether they are Christians or not. We don't have to accommodate how we live to the views of other people because those people will answer one day to the same God that we answer to. Everyone is answerable to God, not just those of us who are Christians.

Then Peter says something a little hard to understand in verse 6 about the gospel being preached to people who are now dead. Don't get too confused. He's talking about those who are now dead who accepted the gospel when they were still alive. His point is that the gospel is effective even for those who have died. We have a hope that outlasts death.

When it looks like we're missing out, that we're missing out on a lot of parties and we're going to die just like everyone else, then Peter says, "Yes, it's true. We all die. But you have a hope that goes beyond the grave." As Paul puts it, "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18).

Then he says in verse 7, "The end of all things is near." We now live in the last stage of God's redemptive plan. The unfolding plan that we read about in Scripture is coming into its last stages. Therefore, Peter says, live in light of that reality. Think rightly so you can pray. Persist in loving one another, he says. Be hospitable. Serve one another with the gifts he's given you.

In other words, live backwards. Live from the reality of the consummation of God's eternal plan, and the eternal judgment, so that you can live properly today. That's what we're going to do in a minute as we celebrate the Lord's Supper. The Apostle Paul wrote, "For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes" (1 Corinthians 11:26).

One of the best examples I've seen of this is the story of a man named Hugh MacHale. In December 1666, Hugh MacHale, a very young servant of Christ was brought to his trial for his faith in Edinburgh, Scotland. He was given just four days to live and then marched back to the prison. In the crowd on the streets, many were weeping. But there were no tears in the eyes of this brave soldier of the cross. "Trust in God!" he cried to the crowd as he marched past.

And then suddenly he saw a friend of his standing on the edge of the crowd, and he shouted to him, "Good news; wonderful good news! I am within four days of enjoying the sight of Jesus, my Savior!"

This man saw the future so powerfully that it was more real to him than death. When we look to the future we have in Christ it will allow us to live faithfully for Christ today, even if it costs us.

Looking Backwards

But, Peter says, we also have to look backwards. That's what we're doing today as we come to the Lord's Supper. Peter writes in verses 1 and 2:

Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because those who have suffered in their bodies are done with sin. As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.

The "therefore" in verse 1 refers to what he's said in the previous chapter. Specifically, Peter wrote in 1 Peter 3:18, "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit." You have been baptized, which means that you have been united with Christ in his death and resurrection. Therefore, Peter says, look back to what Christ has done for you, and realize that when we're united with Christ in this way, we're done with sin.

It's not enough to believe this. Peter says that we have to arm ourselves with the attitude that Christ had. He's not saying that everyone who suffers is free from sin - we all know people who have suffered who are anything but free from sin. You can become bitter and resentful as a result of suffering instead of more godly.

What Peter's saying is that when we really see how Christ willingly embraced suffering for our sakes, and when we understand that we were united with Christ in his death and have the same attitude and the same resolve, then we'll be through with sin because we'd rather suffer than sin. We are both sinners and saints, but the more we grasp what Christ has done for us at the cross, the more we'll experience freedom from sin.

But one of the keys is to look back and think about what Jesus did for you at the cross. Somebody's written:

What this means is that the death of Jesus Christ, when understood, comforts me profoundly when I have fallen, but it can never never never lead me to temptation. To the one who is considering disobedience, Jesus cries out from the cross, "I did all this and completely so you would die to sins and live to righteousness. How then can you do this sin? Will you put your own hands around my throat? Have I not been struck enough by those who broke my skin open with fists and said, 'Prophesy! Who hit you?' Will you hit me one more time?"

"Will you account what I have done of so little value that you will do this to me? Will you design to frustrate and disappoint the goal and aim of all my suffering for you?"

The love and grace that we've received has been bought at an incredible cost. When we see what Christ has done for us, and what it cost him, it will change us.

John Owen said that when we take our sins to Mount Sinai - to the Law of God - and try to do better motivated by fear, we can expect the sinful desire to get worse. We never get rid of sin because of self-effort or fear. If we try to deal with the power of sin by beating ourselves up or by being afraid that God will beat us up, then sin will get stronger.

But if we want to be done with sin so that it has no power over us, then we take it not to Mount Sinai but to the cross. Remember how much he loved us.

Father, we come to the Table today. We live in the middle of a world that is not completely our home. You have called us to a completely different way of living, and if we are faithful it will cost us.

Help us today to arm ourselves with the same attitude as Jesus. When we're tempted to take the path of least resistance, help us see the future clearly so that we know that it's your judgment that matters, and that you will have the final word. And when we are tempted to sin, take us back to the cross where you dealt with our sins, and let that knowledge transform us. In Christ's name, Amen.

Engaging Culture (1 Peter 3:8-22)

We've been looking at the book of 1 Peter, which is a book written to small churches scattered throughout part of the Roman empire a couple of thousand years ago. They were massively outnumbered and were facing hostility because they believed in Christ. The question we have to ask is this: How does a persecuted minority end up eventually growing and transforming the entire Roman Empire of that time? How does a new religion on one end of the Mediterranean Sea spread to the whole of the Roman world in as little as 300 years? Rodney Stark's written a book called The Rise of Christianity with the subtitle How the Obscure, Marginal Jesus Movement Became the Dominant Religious Force in the Western World in a Few Centuries.

This is an important question for us because we in the church today are in a new position of becoming an obscure and marginal Jesus movement in a society that is becoming increasingly hostile to Christianity. It used to be that people were somewhat friendly toward the place of Christianity in society. We're living in a new day in the number one and two books on the Globe and Mail bestseller lists are God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything and The God Delusion. This isn't news to any of us. We realize that culture's becoming increasingly hostile to faith and at least wants Christians to keep their faith private. How do we not only live within a hostile culture, but actually think about transforming it?

Well, there are two ways that Christians typically think about living in a hostile culture. One is to withdraw from it. They believe that culture is so bad, so corrupt, that we have to be vigilant against it, be careful about being polluted by it. They think that the main problem with Christians today is that they've been too influenced by the world.

On the other hand, you have the opposite approach. Some call this the accommodation approach: to accommodate or to assimilate into culture. They believe that churches have become too isolated from culture, out of tune and disengaged.

When you live in a hostile world, how do you respond? Do you withdraw from it, or do you stay involved? So one of your non-Christian friends has invited you out to a bar tomorrow night for drinks with some of his friends. You know that the conversation is probably not going to be G-rated. Some of you may think, "The problem today is that too many Christians are comfortable going to bars who should really know better." Or some of you may think, "The problem with Christians today is that too many of them are sticks in the mud and they need to get out a little."

I hope you can see that both approaches have real problems. If we withdraw from culture, we'll never have any influence. We'll live in our little bubbles and nobody will really care. On the other hand, if we are too afraid of being different, we'll fit in and nobody will think we're different at all. So what would you do? What do you do?

Well, the Apostle Peter tackles this question. This morning I want to briefly look at the answers to three questions: how we're supposed to respond, what it will cost, and why we should be willing to pay that cost.

First, how should we respond? How do we interact with a world that's hostile to Christianity?

Do you notice what he says throughout this passage? Verse 9 says, "Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing." Verse 15 says, "But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect."

Remember what's happening here. Peter is writing to people who are facing some heat because of their faith in Christ. Frankly, it would have been easier if Peter had told them and us that we could withdraw from the world or be assimilated into it. Instead, he tells them not to withdraw from the world. At the same time, he tells them not to be assimilated by the world either. Even when it gives them grief and causes them problems, he tells them to be out there engaged and in relationship, and yet to be distinct by virtue of their faith.

Let's read verse 9 again. "Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing." Peter says, "To this you were called." To what have we been called? What is Peter trying to say here?

We have been called to return a blessing when we are insulted by people who don't understand our faith. When they ridicule us or poke fun at our faith, we are called to respond by blessing them.

So, for instance, a Christian soldier did this. He lived in barracks with his unit. Every evening he would read his Bible and pray before going to sleep. The soldier across the aisle would always make fun of him and insult him. One night a pair of muddy combat boots came flying at the Christian. The next morning, the soldier who threw the boots found his boots at the foot of his bead, cleaned and polished and ready for inspection. This Christian returned blessing for insult, and as a result several soldiers in this company became Christians as a result of this one man's action.

So we shouldn't withdraw. Instead, we should bless. But we also shouldn't just blend in. In verses 15 and 16 he says:

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

Peter says two things about living in a world that's hostile to Christianity. First, he says, don't be afraid of the opposition. Second, remain faithful to Christ. Revere Christ as Lord.

There's a saying supposedly attributed to St. Frances: "Preach the Gospel always and if necessary use words." Well, Peter says, it's not going to be enough for you to live differently and to preach the Gospel only through your actions. You had better be prepared to use words as well. If you're really living differently and you're not withdrawing from society, then you will likely be asked what's up, and you'll need to be prepared to verbalize why you live differently. We're to be engaged in the world - no closing the door to relationships. We're to live our lives for Christ openly in the middle of an unbelieving world, ready to explain the reasons why we live differently.

Hundreds of years earlier, when God's people were carted off into exile in Babylon, there were some who wanted to live outside the city of Babylon because Babylon was so evil, and because they hoped to go back to their own land soon. They had a point, because the whole purpose of carting them to Babylon was so they would be assimilated into culture. A false prophet even stood up and said they'd be back home within two years, so go ahead and stay separate.

But Jeremiah contradicted this and gave this advice to the people:

Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper. (Jeremiah 29:5-7)

In other words, don't withdraw like the false prophet wants you to. Move right in and live among the Babylonians and seek what's best for the city of Babylon, even though you're only exiles there. On the other hand, don't be assimilated into the culture like the Babylonians would like you to be. Stay distinct, and yet live among them, and be a blessing to them. This is much harder than withdrawing or being assimilated. It's what God has called us to.

The same goes for us today. Don't withdraw from our world. Make friends with those who aren't Christians. Go to parties. Hang out with people after work. Coach soccer. Join the condo corporation or the student council. Don't live in a Christian bubble. At the same time, be distinct. Live so that your devotion to the Lord is evident to everyone, and be ready to talk about it when it comes up. This is the hardest of all the options, but it's exactly what we've been called to. The best way to engage culture isn't to accommodate it or withdraw from it, but to bless it.

But second, Peter tells us the cost of doing this.

You know, if you're going to withdraw or assimilate, it's probably not going to cost you very much. You can go about your regular business and nobody will bother you. But if you don't withdraw but live out your faith, it will likely cost you. Peter implies that Christians will face insults. He says in verse 14 that we may "suffer for what is right." We may be threatened. He says in verse 16 that there may be "those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ." So there is a definite cost to doing this.

So you have an estimated 70 million people who have lost their lives as a result of their faith in Christ in the past two thousand years. 45 million of these are people who died in the twentieth century. Talk about a cost - 45 million people killed for their faith in the last century. It's estimated that more people have been martyred for Christ in the past 50 years than in the church's first 300 years.

Some 200 million Christians are suffering for their faith right now. Part of our responsibility here is to pray for them. Hebrews 13:3 says, "Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering."

Here, closer to home, we're not likely to face open persecution. But if we stay engaged - no withdrawal - and live out our hope in Christ, we're likely to get the occasional raised eyebrow, or be ridiculed. People love some parts of our faith. People generally think highly of Jesus and like his teachings about forgiveness and going the extra mile. But they may not appreciate a Christian view of sexual ethics, or they may not like if you believe that Christ offers a hope that can't be found through anywhere else. They may be okay with you having a faith as long as you keep it private.

You see, there's a cost to being engaged with culture and living distinctively. You may have seen the HBO series Band of Brothers about paratroopers in the Second World War. There's a scene in which Lieutenant Richard Winters is about to lead his troops into the most celebrated feat of the war, the Battle of the Bulge. A soldier pulls Lieutenant Winters aside and says ominously, "Looks like you guys are going to be surrounded."

Without hesitation Winters replies, "We're paratroopers, Lieutenant. We're supposed to be surrounded."

You know, we're meant to be surrounded. We're meant to be right in the middle of things, engaged with people and life, and yet living with hearts that revere Christ as Lord. That means we're going to be surrounded. Sometimes, as Jesus says, people will "see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16). But other times, as Jesus said, they will "persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me" (Matthew 5:11). When we don't accommodate culture or withdraw from it, but instead live within it distinctly, we will pay a price.

By the way, that's why it's so important that we become a community of faith characterized by the qualities that Peter mentions in verse 8: "Be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble." To really live this way, the church stops being a place we attend. It becomes a community of support in which we're free from the insults and hostility that come from those outside the church. It's absolutely critical if we're going to live in culture and yet be distinct.

So here's the last question. Why would we be willing to pay this cost?

I mean, if it's going to cost us, why not just go underground or assimilate into culture so that nobody knows the difference? Why would we be willing to pay the cost? It's a very real question because the cost is very real.

Peter answers this question in two ways, both of which are pretty obscure. In verses 10 to 12 he quotes Psalm 34. The interesting thing about Psalm 34 is that it seems to have been written by David when he had to flee for his life from Saul to enemy territory. David was scared because he could be killed as the enemy, so he pretended to be insane. It worked, and David came back safely and wrote this psalm praising God for delivering him as he lived in the middle of enemy territory. Peter picks up on this and says that as we live in a sense in enemy territory, "The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous" (1 Peter 3:12). God will watch over us just as he watched over David.

The other reason Peter gives us is found in verses 18-22. If you scratched your head as you read these verses, you're not alone. It talks about Christ "making proclamation to the imprisoned spirits" and about Noah. Martin Luther said, "This is a strange text and certainly a more obscure passage than any other passage in the New Testament. I still do not know for sure what the apostle meant." So we're not going to clear it all up in just a few minutes, but let me at least give you the bottom line no matter what interpretation you take.

Both Jesus and Noah lived the way that Peter talks about. They were both living engaged with the people around them, and yet they lived distinct lives because of their faith and suffered because of it. Both suffered, but both were ultimately vindicated by God. There's more that we won't untangle this morning, but this is the bottom line: we are united with Christ, and our commitment to him means that we will likewise suffer, but that we will one day be vindicated just as he was, because he now "has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand - with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him" (1 Peter 3:22).

That's why Peter says in verses 14 and 15, "But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. 'Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.' But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord." We're blessed when we're persecuted because we're just like Jesus, and we'll be vindicated one day just as he was. And we don't have to be afraid because we revere Christ as Lord much more than we revere the opinions of those who put us down.

Missionary Oswald Chambers said:

It is the most natural thing in the world to be scared, and the clearest evidence that God's grace is at work in our hearts is when we do not get into panics. The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything else.

There is one who has gone ahead of us, and who did not accommodate culture or withdraw from it. Instead, he lived in the world. He had relationships with all kinds of people. He was criticized and ultimately he was killed. But he has been made alive, and his victory has been proclaimed and one day will be known to everyone. He is at work in your life, and his victory is also your victory. The more that we keep our eyes on him, and see what he has done for us, and revere him as our Lord, the more we'll be able to engage our culture - not by withdrawing from it, not from accommodating it, but by living smack dab in the middle of it as we revere Christ as Lord.

Let's pray.

Father, help us see this morning whether our response is to withdraw from culture or to accommodate it. And whatever our normal response is, we pray that you would transform it. Give us hearts that want to bless our friends and neighbors. Help us to seek the peace and prosperity of the city and to be the best citizens of our city.

Help us see Jesus, who suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring us to God. We have been saved by his resurrection, and his victory is our victory. May we revere him in our hearts and Lord, and may this transform the way we live. We pray in Christ's name. Amen.

Marriage Transformation (1 Peter 3:1-7)

At first glance, the passage that we just read has absolutely no application to anyone sitting here. The apostle Peter was writing to address Christians in circumstances that no longer exist, at least not here. He was actually writing to address the intersection of two circumstances, and my guess is that nobody here lives at this same intersection.

The first circumstance is a patriarchal society that looked down on women - a society that no longer exists. In Peter's day, women were classed with slaves as inferior beings. Wives were expected to follow their husband's religions, whatever they may be. A husband could legally throw out babies that he didn't want to keep, visit a prostitute, and generally make his life miserable for his wife if he chose to. He wasn't allowed to beat her, but there's no doubt that it was a man's world.

The other circumstance was a wife's conversion to Christ. Women were coming to Christ before their husbands, which created huge problems. The fact that she would be adopting any religion other than her husband's would look like an act of open rebellion and would cause the husband embarrassment. People would accuse him of not properly managing his household. When his wife attended worship without him, with people who were not her husband's friends, it wouldn't look right. In a patriarchal society, a wife's devotion to Christ could cause huge problems in her family.

At the intersection of a patriarchal society and a wife's conversion to Christ, there were huge problems. Peter writes to address this problem, as well as a related one for husbands. So here's the issue for us today: nobody here lives at this intersection. Some of you may be married to an unbelieving spouse, and you deal with all of the issues that come from that. But thankfully we live in a society that values women. Sexism still exists, but our view of women is radically different from back then.

So what does this passage have to teach us? A lot - not just for those who are married, but for everyone here. Peter teaches us how to transform our marriages, and what he says will completely transform your marriage as well as any other relationship.

Let's look at what Peter says and how it applies to us.

The Context: Tensions in Marriage

The context of Peter's passage is that the wives and the husbands that he addresses are experiencing some tension in their marriages. The tensions are mainly because one spouse believes and the other one doesn't, which as we've said could cause all kinds of problems. So there's a whole other level to what Peter says here.

I've lived something personally and seen it in other couples. When my marriage is going well, it's not hard at all to be loving and considerate with my wife. Not at all. It just comes easily because there is no stress in the marriage. Things are going well.

But Charlene and I have been through periods of stress in our marriage as well. Most marriages eventually reach these dry periods, or even periods of crisis. It's incredibly hard to be gracious and loving and considerate in those times.

When we prepare couples for marriage, most people are pretty confident in their relationships and that things are going to go pretty smoothly for them. Eventually every marriage reaches that point in which there are tensions and hurts, and things are not easy.

Most of us who are married here know that marriages go through periods of tension, and worse. Some of you are married to unbelievers and know some of the stress that causes. When you're going through tensions and stress in your marriage, how do you respond?

How to Respond

The normal way that we respond to tensions in marriage is to focus on what our spouse is doing wrong, or to assert our own rights. It wasn't easy for these wives. Their husbands were resistant to the gospel. They may have ridiculed the message and insulted the wives. It may have even been impossible for the wives to speak of their faith to their husbands. How do you respond under these circumstances?

Some of us may be facing this exact same situation. For others of us, it's broader. It falls under the same general category of being treated unfairly or unjustly. John Piper says that it's about how to respond when your husband is not a Promise Keeper. You've heard about Promise Keepers? It's an organization that encouraged men to make commitments like honoring Jesus Christ, pursuing vital relationships with other men, building strong marriages, supporting the mission of the church. But he says, "Some Christian women are not going to have promise-keepers for husbands. They're going to be married to non-promise-keepers." What do you do when your husband is not the man you hoped he would be? When your wife is not the woman that you hoped she would be?

Peter says in verse 1, "Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands." That's not at all what you hoped it would say! When you are the victim of injustice, when you are experiencing stress in your marriage and you are even the victim of ridicule and unfair treatment, the last thing that you want to do. But Peter says that is what wives are to do, and he repeats it in verse 5: "For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands."

I bet you there are alarm bells going off right now. We object on the basis of thinking that submission is sexist, that we live in more enlightened times. But it's interesting that Peter doesn't base submission on a woman's role. He bases it on Jesus Christ. Verse 1 says "in the same way." In the same way as what? In the same way as he mentioned in the previous chapter, and it's all based on the submission of Jesus Christ to injustice. In the previous chapter Peter wrote:

To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

"He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth."

When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. "He himself bore our sins" in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; "by his wounds you have been healed." For "you were like sheep going astray," but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. (1 Peter 2:21-25)

Why submit? Not because you are inferior in any way. Not because you're a woman. Submit because that is what Jesus did for our sakes. The one to whom all people should have bowed willingly lay aside all of his rights and allowed himself to be mistreated for our sakes. And we who are privileged beyond belief can willingly lay aside our rights and our privileges for his sake. We are called to imitate Christ in willing subjection to service. The call to submit isn't based on sexism; it's based on imitating what Jesus did when he lay aside his rights for our sake. The call for a wife's submission is part of a larger call for submission from all Christians in different ways, as we'll see in a moment.

We need to be really careful here that we understand what submission is. Some have taken this idea of submission and twisted it to teach that women have to put up with any behavior. There is nothing in this passage that sanctions abuse or suggests that women should subject themselves to that kind of treatment. If abuse is taking place in marriage, submission does not mean that you put up with the abuse. You don't. It's entirely appropriate to get help and to take steps to put an end to the abuse.

John Piper has studied this passage and come up with a really helpful list of what submission is not based on these verses:

1. Submission does not mean agreeing with everything your husband says.
2. Submission does not mean leaving your brain or your will at the wedding altar.
3. Submission does not mean avoiding every effort to change a husband.
4. Submission does not mean putting the will of the husband before the will of Christ.
5. Submission does not mean that a wife gets her personal, spiritual strength primarily through her husband.
6. Finally, submission does not mean that a wife is to act out of fear.

Well, what is submission? Submission means that you are willing to lay aside your rights and imitate Christ's example in serving others, even when it's not easy. It means surrendering ego. As Karen Jobes writes, it is "the resolve to live one's entire life totally committed to the well-being of one's spouse in every decision."

And by the way, it's something that is offered but never demanded. A well-known evangelical leader said, "I believe in a wife submitting to her husband, but I don't believe the husband ever has the right to demand it...In fact, I know when I am unworthy of it, she does not. My responsibility as a husband is to be worthy." A wife's job is to live one's life totally committed to the well-being of her husband.

And in case the husbands think they're off the hook, Peter writes in verse 7: "Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers." We'll get to that weaker part in a minute, but notice that Peter says the exact same thing to husbands. Be considerate. Treat them with respect. See them as spiritual co-heirs. Peter is writing to men who have all the power in the relationship at that time, and he's telling them to treat his wife as a sister in Christ, as an equal partner in God's grace.

He says things like spend time with your wives. "Live with them." Somebody's said, "Nothing will transform your marriage like time." It is the currency of relationship. He said, "Be considerate" which means to understand your wife. Get to know your wife, her needs, her desires, her wants. Learn what she likes, what she doesn't like. Somebody's said, "You've got to have a Ph.D. in your wife by your tenth anniversary." If you don't know where to start, ask your wife. Sit down, and make it safe, really listen without responding, and ask, "Is there anything that I could learn that would make me a better husband?" "If our marriage could improve in one area, what would that be?"

"Treat them with respect," Peter says. Honor her. Praise her. I promised you that we'd talk about the weaker partner part. Women back then were in a weaker position of power than men. Women are weaker physically. This is not a reference to strength of character, morality, or mental power. Understand her needs, when she doesn't feel safe.

See her as an heir with you of "the gracious gift of life." That means to share with her in all the good things that life brings. Make sure that the blessings of your life are flowing to her equally. See yourselves as heirs of God, partners. As his children, we can expect to inherit his blessings. Do life with your wife. Share it all. Open up to her and share yourself with her. Live your life totally committed to the well-being of your wife. As somebody's said, you can complain about your wife for a few years, but after ten years you're responsible for the wife you've poured yourself into.

Don't forget, by the way, that Peter isn't writing to people who are on second honeymoons enjoying candlelight dinners. He's writing to marriages that are full of stress. He's writing to wives whose husbands don't understand their commitment to Christ. He's addressing marriages with tensions.

The last thing in the world we want to change when our spouse lets us down is ourselves. We want to put all our energy into changing them. Peter says that the best way to change them is to change yourself by laying your rights aside and putting the well-being of your spouse as your priority, even when they don't deserve it.

Here's why. A godly husband can transform a wife. A godly wife can transform a husband. Peter says in verse 1, "they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives." The best way to change your spouse is to change yourself - or more accurately, by allowing God to change you. As verse 4 says, it's about having your inner life changed. The best way to respond to stress in marriage is to allow God to change you - not your spouse, you.

And by the way, this applies to every relationship in your life as well. We're called to follow Christ's example in all of our relationships. We don't need to be concerned with maintaining our rights. Like Jesus, we can trust our heavenly Father, the righteous Judge, to do that. We are privileged beyond imagination, but we don't have to hold on to our privileges. We can offer our lives in service as Christ offered his life in service for our sakes when we didn't deserve it.

How?

Well, all of this is good, and I think we'd all agree that marriages would be better if we did this, but how? Nobody acts this way naturally. There's not a person here who naturally thinks this way in the middle of a marriage conflict. There are some of us here who would love to live this way, but we just don't know where to start.

Peter tells us how we can change to be this kind of husband, this kind of wife. It's to keep going back to Jesus that he mentioned in chapter 2, right before this section:

"He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth."

When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. "He himself bore our sins" in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; "by his wounds you have been healed." For "you were like sheep going astray," but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. (1 Peter 2:22-25)

The only way to love this selflessly is to meditate on and bask in and live under the love of the ultimate spouse, the one who loved us even more selflessly, who put up with injustice, insults, and even death so that we could live. And when we're really gripped by the love of the ultimate spouse, Jesus Christ, he himself will give us the power to follow his example. The Bible tells us that he at this very moment is in heaven interceding for us.

The only way to live like this is to be so captivated by the love of Jesus Christ for us when we didn't deserve it, that this same love will spill out all over our lives and into the lives of our families. The best way to respond to stress in marriage is to allow God to change you, and the best way for God to change you is to bask in what Jesus has done for you and live your whole life in light of that reality.

Let's pray.

Father, thank you for the One who had every privilege, and the worship of every creature in heaven, who willingly lay all of that aside to come to earth. He willingly suffered injustice and took upon himself our sins so that we could be forgiven, and by his wounds we have been healed.

May our lives be so transformed by what Christ has done for us that it changes every relationship we have, including our marriages. We pray this in the name of the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Real Life Community (1 Peter 4:7-11)

Albert Einstein once said, "Things should be made as simple as possible, but not any simpler." There is a power that comes from being simple in the right way, as Einstein said: by being as simple as possible, but not any simpler. That's what we've been trying to do these past few weeks as we've looked at the church and asked, "If you make it as simple as possible, what is the one thing that really matters as a church?"

The one thing that really matters, of course, is that we love one another. Jesus said, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:34-35). The last night that he was alive, he demonstrated this priority in his actions, his words, and his prayers. Scripture is clear that if we succeed at everything else but fail at loving each other, we've failed. It's over for us. But if we really love each other, this will be powerful evidence that we are disciples and that the gospel is true.

In other words, when we love one another in the church, we become evidence that the gospel is true. This is far more powerful evidence than arguments or books.

Imagine trying to explain the game of baseball to someone who has never seen a baseball field. You try to explain the pitcher's mound and the diamond and the outfield and the catcher. It would be far easier to explain all of this if you could take this person to an actual field, and walk around pointing to the diamond and the mound as you explain it.

Now imagine explaining the gospel to someone who has never heard of Jesus before. It is far easier to take a person to a group of people who are living the gospel, practicing love and forgiveness and trust, and explain to them what the gospel is like as you look at people who are living it, rather than giving them abstract principles about the gospel. We have the potential of living as the concrete expression of the gospel, so that people can point to us as evidence that the gospel is true - but only if we love each other. Jesus said that the world will know that we are his followers if we love one another.

So my question today is: what does it look like in reality? Maybe you've had the experience of going to McDonalds and looking at the pictures of what you're going to get on the menu. The hamburgers look amazing. Have you ever compared what you get with what's in the picture? I don't recommend it. The hamburger in the picture isn't real. It was real at one point, but somebody took a lot of time to make it look absolutely perfect. Then they sprayed it with stuff to make it look better in the picture. Then they adjusted the lighting, paid a professional to take its picture, and then airbrushed it in the lab. The hamburger you get at the counter was thrown together by a kid in the back and looks nothing like what's in the picture.

We could talk about the airbrushed picture of community, the ideal. As we close this series, though, I want to be more real than that. What does it look like in real life? How does it work in a church like Richview with real people and real life?

To answer this, I want to look with you at some real-life churches who faced the challenge of building real community in a real-life challenging situation. There is nothing theoretical in what we're about to look at.

Peter, a disciple of Christ, wrote this letter to churches in the area we would call Turkey today. If you read Peter's whole letter, you discover that the churches he's writing to were experiencing persecution. In other words, Peter is writing to churches that are experiencing stress. This is not some ideal community in perfect circumstances in someone's imagination. These are real people facing real challenges, and Peter addresses how they can truly love each other in this context.

This gives me hope, because we too are real people facing real challenges. We are not some ideal community. We are real people who disappoint each other and who face some challenging circumstances. So the question is: in real life circumstances, with real life people, what does it look like?

Well, Peter tells us. Let's read it together. It's found in 1 Peter 4:7-11:

The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms. If you speak, you should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If you serve, you should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Here's what I want to do with this text. I want this text to function as a kind of a vision of what Richview could look like as we develop as a community. I want to begin by looking at the big picture, which makes community possible, and then look at the specific instructions that Peter gives for how a group like us can become a true community. Then I want to look at what we can do to make this a reality.

This is a vision of what we could become as a church. It isn't the airbrushed ideal. This is real-life stuff of what we could become. But before we can follow his instructions, it's important, I think, that we see the big picture.

The Big Picture

So here's the big picture. Peter doesn't just say, "Act this way." he gives us a theological framework for how we are to act. We've already seen in previous weeks that the gospel is the basis for our community. The only way that we can love one another as Jesus commands is through is work at the cross. Peter gives us two other big picture items which frame our becoming a real life community of believers.

So here's the big picture. First, verse 7 says, "The end of all things is near." Have you ever been at home not doing what you're supposed to be doing when you hear a car in the driveway? Somebody returns home, and you go, "Oh man, I had better do what I am supposed to be doing before they walk in the door." It's exactly that dynamic that Peter talks about.

Peter says, "The end of all things is near." Look back at verse 5: "But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead." It reminds me of another passage, from James 5:8-9:

You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near. Don't grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!

Here is the big picture, and the motivation for becoming a real life community: because the Judge is standing at the door, and because we are about to be judged for how well we have loved one another. The picture of the coming judgment is a powerful motivator for us to love one another as Jesus has commanded us.

Now think about this for a minute. When we think of the day of judgment, if we think of it at all, we think about giving account for our individual lives, don't we? But there's a sense in which we will not only have to give account for our individual lives, but we will also have to give account as a church. One day, those of us who are part of Richview will have to give account for the type of church that we have been. Peter gives us the picture of Jesus standing at the door, and of having to give account to God at the judgment.

It's easy for us to dismiss what Peter says about the end being near, because it's two thousand years later and Christ still hasn't returned, and we still haven't had to give account. From a biblical perspective, though, Peter was exactly right. Biblically, the entire period in between the resurrection of Jesus and the second coming are referred to as "the last days." All the major events in God's plan have occurred. Now all things are ready for Christ to return and to rule. Therefore, in light of his imminent return, work your way backwards and be the type of community you're supposed to be today.

The other big picture concept is found in verse 11:

If you speak, you should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If you serve, you should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

If you go back to the baseball analogy again, it's important to understand the end game. What is the goal when you're playing baseball? If you think that the object of baseball is to keep the uniforms clean - and some baseball moms have thought this! - then you'll never dive for a ball, or slide into second base. If you think the object of baseball is to socialize with the other team, you'll play the game differently. If you think the goal of baseball is to win the game, and you buy in, you will do everything possible - even to the point of discomfort and injury - to win the game. Players have played with major injuries, with the help of painkillers, to win the game.

Peter says that the end game of the church is that God gets the glory and power for ever and ever. In other words, the end game of the church is the glory of God. That is why we exist. We don't exist to keep the uniforms clean for to socialize or to enjoy church. We exist to bring God glory. The minute that we think we exist for our own comfort or convenience, we've missed the point.

Put this together, and you have the big picture. The end of all things is near. We will soon give account to Jesus for how we live out our fellowship in the gospel. We exist not for our own comfort or convenience or for our ease, but for God's glory.

Given this big picture, what does community look like in real life?

Community in Real Life

Peter gives a list of seemingly unrelated commands in verses 7 to 11. Lists are some of the hardest parts of the Bible to preach or to apply. It's easy to come up with a laundry list of commands: "Wash the car, buy milk, pick up the kids, and peel the potatoes." What's hard is pulling together the essence of the seemingly unrelated commands.

I believe that Peter isn't just listing random commands, but that he's getting at something. Listen to what he says again:

The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms. If you speak, you should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If you serve, you should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Peter says that in light of Jesus' soon return and the upcoming judgment, and in light of our purpose as a church, this is how we are to act. But what binds these commands together? Why these commands and not others?

I don't know what you think, but I'd like to take a guess. The one thing that all of these commands seem to have in common is that they are about how we relate together within the church. This is how the church is to act as we relate to each other. A failure to do anything that he commands here will lead to a failure of community. On the other hand, if we do the things that he lists here, it will lead to greater community. These seemingly unrelated commands are about life together as God's people, in context of the end and God's glory as our goal.

In other words, this list gives us a bit of practical help. Instead of saying, "Just be loving to one another," Peter gives us four very practical things we can do to develop community within the church. These aren't unrelated commands. These are four very practical steps that we can take to develop community at Richview.

Let's look at how we're doing at each one.

Think straight - "Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray." Peter says that we're supposed to maintain cool and balanced heads, to exercise self control and moderation. We think about and evaluate situations maturely and correctly. Eugene Peterson puts it this way: "Take nothing for granted. Stay wide-awake." The way we'll know we've done this is if we're praying together. When God's people are praying, it's evidence that they have their heads screwed on straight.

A good, clear mind is the best foundation for prayer. When we believe that the end of history is near, and that we exist for God's glory, it will energize our prayer life and lead to a special focus.

So here's my challenge: what can you do to develop an alert and sober mind that is the foundation for praying that we will develop a church that loves one another and glorifies God? Prayer is essential for this to happen. Peter tells us to take whatever steps are necessary to get to this point of praying.

Love - Second, Peter says in verse 8, "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." This is obviously important. Love is the "above all" virtue. It's a perennial solution to the problems we face as a community of Christians. Love is not an optional extra, but a central part of the faith.

Peter says, "Above all, love each other deeply." The picture he uses is what was used in Peter's day of athletes straining as they tried to win the game. Peter's saying, don't slack off when it comes to love. Love one another strenuously. Again, Peterson translates it, "Love each other as if your life depended on it." If you think it takes work to love some people, you're right. But Peter says that we are to do the work necessary, to strain ourselves and do whatever it takes to love one another.

The idea is not that we develop feelings, although feelings are nice. The idea is that we work hard at acting in love. The way we'll know that we are loving is when we experience what Peter describes: "love covers over a multitude of sins." Have you ever been in a situation in which every word is viewed with suspicion, every action is liable to misunderstanding? That's the opposite of what Peter is talking about. When we love each other, offenses will happen, but they will be overlooked and forgotten because we love each other. We will relate to each other in an atmosphere of grace.

So here's the command: not to feel a certain way about others, but to act in love so that you treat others with grace. Work hard at it. Do it strenuously, not half-heartedly. Love each other deeply.

Show hospitality - Third, Peter says, "Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling." In those days, Christians would often travel. There weren't networks of decent hotels, and hotels were known for immorality. That's why it was important to be willing to entertain strangers, to have them in your homes. One of the qualifications for church leaders was that you had to be hospitable.

I love the touch of reality in this command: "without grumbling." I can picture the whispers: "How long is she going to stay?" "Can you believe his appetite?" Hospitality can be an exasperating task. It comes at a price.

Today, it's not so much about a lack of good hotels, but hospitality, or entertaining strangers, is more needed than ever. Take a look around you. Do you see any strangers? One of the things I hear a lot now is, "I don't know who everyone is at Richview." One of the best ways to fix that is to be hospitable. Hospitality has a cost. It will be exasperated at times. You may even feel like grumbling. But Peter says, "Be hospitable." At the very least, invite someone you don't know to Swiss Chalet. Even better, open your home to strangers so they won't be strangers any more. Be hospitable.

Finally, share the gifts God has given us - Verse 10 says, "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms." Peter then gives two examples of spiritual gifts: speaking and serving. Peter says that God has entrusted something to each of us that the whole body needs. Listen to that again: God has entrusted something to you that the entire church needs. Peter says, "Use what God has given you for the benefit of others. They need it!"

The picture he gives is that of a steward. A steward was responsible for managing someone else's property, distributing wages and food to its members. It is sort of like the payroll company that our church has hired. The church pays the payroll company, then the payroll company is supposed to take that money and pay each of the staff and the government. Imagine if the church paid the payroll company, and the payroll company said, "No, we've decided not to pay the employees this month. Something else came up."

That's exactly what it's like with us. God has entrusted each of us with something that the whole church needs. When we don't share it, we've taken something that God intended for everyone's benefit and kept it to ourselves. That's called stealing. Peter says, "Use what God has given you, which is different from what he's given everyone else, for the benefit of the entire church." We administer it, but it isn't ours. We are responsible, though, for how it is used.

Now put this all together. What does a church community look like that takes the gospel seriously? They pray, they act with love and grace, they show hospitality, and they share whatever God has given them. What will Richview look like when we take the gospel seriously and live out God's command to love one another? We will pray. We will create an atmosphere of grace. We will open up our homes to each other, even to strangers among us. And we will use what God has given us for the benefit of the whole body.

This is what it looks like in real life. None of this is hard to understand. The only question today is, will we do it? If we fail to do these things, we won't have community. If we do these things, we will be ready to meet the Judge who is standing at the door, and we will bring glory to God for ever and ever.

Here's what I'd like you to do. Look at this list and ask what you will have to do to make this happen. Then let's pray and commit to being doers, not just hearers, of God's Word. I'm going to give you a minute to look at these commands, and then lead us in a prayer of commitment as we ask God what we have to do differently, so we can live out God's commands for his glory.