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Peter & John — 1 Peter 2:11-12

09 Jan

1 Peter 2:11-12 NIV
[11] Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. [12] Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

Dear God, I absolutely believe in choosing to abstain from sinful desires, but I also think it’s important to admit when we’ve failed. As I get ready to speak to a group of men this weekend, the thing that keeps coming to me is that I don’t want to come off as holy and perfect. I don’t want to be impressive. I want at least some of them to find something from the struggles through which you have brought me that will speak to them and give them hope in you.

It’s always interesting to try to find that line. One of the interesting things about my job is that I end up being publicly recognized for doing good works. And I get too much of the credit for the hard work of my coworkers. I don’t know how much of an effective example for you I can be in that light. Yes, I can use my position to encourage others in how much they serve the community, but my best moment with a donor last year was when they came for a tour and our conversation turned to our struggles as parents.

Father, you make me strong through my weaknesses. Of course, none of that would be possible with Jesus’ love and redemption. Without that I am nowhere. But I have your grace and that helps me to deal with my weaknesses and sins honestly and then use them to help draw others to you. Help me to do that, both this weekend at the retreat and every day.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on January 9, 2019 in 1 Peter, Peter and John

 

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Peter & John — 1 Peter 2:4-10

07 Jan

1 Peter 2:4-10 NIV
[4] As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— [5] you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. [6] For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” [7] Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” [8] and, “A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for. [9] But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. [10] Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Dear God, what I see Peter emphasizing to the new Christians and early church in this passage is the importance of community and coming together to build a church—with Jesus as the cornerstone. They weren’t to do it alone. They needed each other to grow closer to you and then be salt to the world.

I visited a new church plant yesterday. At one point the pastor said that their emphasis is going to be Jesus, Bible, and then Community. He has a couple of graphics on each corner of the stage that he said will remain there. He mentioned that they would try to avoid the organizational traps of becoming inward focused and thinking more about their programs that about the people within and outside of the church. Yes, I thought, that is good. Of course, it will be hard, but it is good.

I currently am responsible for an organization that gets bigger and bigger, but one of the things I have to ask myself is, do we do more and more? Are we helping more and more people or are we just growing in inefficient areas. I think churches and all groups can struggle with this concept and trap. I know the pastor from yesterday wants to avoid it and I do as well.

Father, help me to keep Jesus as our cornerstone at work and as the cornerstone for my individual life. Help me to be a voice within my church that will help others to make Jesus our cornerstone there as well.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on January 7, 2019 in 1 Peter, Peter and John

 

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Peter & John — 1 Peter 2:1-3

06 Jan

1So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech. 2 Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, 3 now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness.

Dear God, I know someone who was recently baptized as an adult. I know she grew up in a Christian home where her parents did a lot of Bible lessons with her and through middle school she went to church, but I don’t know how much of that initial spiritual nourishment remained after her years of wandering away and trying to figure out her faith for herself. I know she examined other religions and toyed with the idea of not being “religious” at all, but ultimately she came back. Not to the faith of her parents, but a faith that seems to be her own. It’s not necessarily different than her parents’ faith, but it is not because of her parents that she has this faith. That’s a very good thing.

At the same time, my prayer for her is that she will crave pure spiritual milk. My prayer is that the Holy Spirit will help mold her into the woman you want her to be and that, ultimately, she wants to be. It starts, I believe, with her being baptized in the Holy Spirit—having that pivotal experience of being truly transformed in you. It was eight years between my water baptism and what I consider to be the point in my life when the Holy Spirit changed me. For those who have deep spiritual walks, I think there is usually some sort of a lag. And maybe that lag can be that the Holy Spirit baptism happens before the water one. But I learned long ago that water baptism and baptism in the Holy Spirit is not the same. And I’m not talking about speaking in tongues or anything like that. I’m talking about a time of revelation and experience in relationship that is beyond description and lifechanging.

Father, I pray for this friend that she would know how to be nourished—both with milk and then how to move on to solid food. Put people around her who will be your voice and guidance. Direct her on her path. And direct me on my path as I continue to explore what I still don’t understand about you and your nature. In no way do I think I am where I need to be in my understanding of you or in my interactions with the world around me. Give me this day my daily bread.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on January 6, 2019 in 1 Peter, Peter and John

 

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“Castle On The Hill” by Ed Sheeran

05 Jan

“Castle On The Hill” by Ed Sheeran

When I was six years old I broke my leg
I was running from my brother and his friends
And tasted the sweet perfume of the
Mountain grass I rolled down
I was younger then
Take me back to when

I found my heart and broke it here
Made friends and lost them through the years
And I’ve not seen the roaring fields in so long
I know I’ve grown
I can’t wait to go home

I’m on my way
Driving at 90 down those
Country lanes
Singing to “Tiny Dancer”
And I miss the way you make me feel, it’s real
We watched the sunset
Over the castle on the hill

Fifteen years old and smoking hand-rolled cigarettes
Running from the law to the backfields
And getting drunk with my friends
Had my first kiss on a Friday night
I don’t reckon I did it right
I was younger then
Take me back to when

We found weekend jobs, when we got paid
We’d buy cheap spirits and drink them straight
Me and my friends have not thrown up in so long
Oh, how we’ve grown
I can’t wait to go home

I’m on my way
Driving at 90 down those
Country lanes
Singing to “Tiny Dancer”
And I miss the way you make me feel, it’s real
We watched the sunset
Over the castle on the hill
Over the castle on the hill
Over the castle on the hill

One friend left to sell clothes
One works down by the coast
One had two kids but lives alone
One’s brother overdosed
One’s already on his second wife
One’s just barely getting by
But these people raised me
And I can’t wait to go home.

And I’m on my way
I still remember these old country lanes
When we did not know the answers
And I miss the way you make me feel, it’s real
We watched the sunset
Over the castle on the hill
Over the castle on the hill
Over the castle on the hill

Dear God, well, this song is most certainly not scripture, but it taps into an emotion within me that I’d like to explore with you this morning.

I was fortunate to have had a great group of friends, especially my senior year in high school. We would spend all weekend together. My memories are that at least one night of the weekend we would go to someone’s house and stay up most of the night and well into the early hours of the morning laughing, watching movies and playing games. Unlike Ed Sheeran’s depiction in this song, we didn’t drink or smoke, but I think we got the same emotional constructs for ourselves that Ed and his friends got from each other.

High school is an interesting mixture of responsibilities and irresponsibility. For most of us, we have the responsibilities of school, preparing for college, chores around the house and maybe an outside job, but we still don’t have to worry about where our next meal is coming from and how we will pay our rent/house payment (notice I said, “most,” because I know there are tragically too many youth who have to worry about these things). And we have a choice as we are making friends. We can identify our values and then find people who fit those values (I think that’s what I did) or we can identify people with whom we want to be friends and then adopt their values.

In my case, there are little phrases of this song that hit me–well, I just looked back and that won’t work. The whole thing hits me. My parents could only do so much to influence me. They set the standards within which I had to perform (grades, work, chores, college applications, etc.), but, in retrospect, I can say that at one level they had a tremendous influence on who I became (taking me to church), but on another level how little of it had to do with them.

So let’s see how I would lay out his last “where are they now” section:

  • One got married young and had several children. She is a college professor
  • One survived breast cancer
  • One has had several health struggles for her and her husband
  • One is a missionary in Thailand
  • At least a couple have had children with special needs
  • One is gay and has been rejected by some of the group
  • Several are on second marriages (there might even be a third in there somewhere)
  • One lost a son to suicide

As for me, my life has been a surprise to me. I’m happily married for 26 years, but we’ve had our struggles. My career has seen ups and downs. And I’ve seen ups and downs in my relationship with you. I guess one of the reasons this song speaks to me so much is that it takes me back to a part of my mind where I am young, naïve, idealistic, judgmental, ignorantly confident, hormonal, and scared. I think about the exuberance of youth and how, now that I’m older, I can spot it in a young person. I always have two thoughts: 1.) Good for you and 2.) you’ll probably experience pain that will take that away.

One thing I remember telling both my daughter and my son when they were in high school is that they will be surprised at how they drift apart from their friends. At that stage in life, it seems like those friends are your whole world and you’ll never lose what you have, but we all go off and touch different parts of the world you have for us. In Ed Sheeran’s case, he has probably seen more of the world through his career than 99% of the rest of us. But he can’t wait to go home. I’ll admit, the first time I heard this song and the part at the end about where everyone is now, I wondered if it’s awkward for him to go back as such a financial and famous success. Did that change his relationships with them irreparably?

Father, while it’s true that that group my senior year, as well as previous best friends throughout my school years helped to raise me, what I didn’t understand at the time is that, if I stayed in pursuit of you, you would be the one who would continue to raise me, even until this day. You are shaping me and molding me. And you have sometimes used me to encourage one of these friends, and you’ve continued to use them to encourage me. Thank you for how you’ve built me. Thank you for helping me to get something positive, to this very day, from those memories and songs like this. But thank you also that you’ve continued to guide me to new scenes beyond the castle on the hill.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on January 5, 2019 in Hymns and Songs, Musings and Stories

 

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Peter & John — 1 Peter 1:22-25

04 Jan

1 Peter 1:22-25 NIV
[22] Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. [23] For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. [24] For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, [25] but the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you.

Dear God, so it seems that Peter’s message to the Gentiles church so far is to appreciate their faith in what they didn’t see with their own eyes, encourage them to take their grace and use it to live holy lives, and now, with this passage, to love others richly.

Yes, if I were him and I wanted to get a message out to Gentiles new to Jewish/Christian faith I can see where those would have been my leadoff messages. So what does it mean to love one another deeply from the heart and how am I doing?

I suppose loving others deeply from the heart means to first consider others with empathy and to not just extend kindness, mercy or live for selfish gain. For example, I have a staff member who go injured this week while she was at home. She is fairly new to our staff and this is going to require us to work around her a little. I think it has really pleased her to see that our style is to do what we need to do to ensure that she is cared for first and then figure out how to have as little impact on our clients as possible. I have another staff person who experienced some trauma over the Christmas break. I’ve spent some time with her this week to try to help get her some access to counseling. Not because it benefits our organization, but because I care about her and it’s what she needs.

Okay, so those are the good examples. What about when I fail others? I would really like to improve in the area of taking my personal time to reach out and bless others. I tend to be pretty protective of my time outside of work even though I end up wasting a lot of it watching TV or whatever. My wife and I have also talked about the need to improve our hospitality.

Father, help me to love others deeply and from the heart. Touch them through me and touch me through them. Help me to experience all of this growth so that I might descend deeper into your presence and that my heart might grow closer to yours.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on January 4, 2019 in 1 Peter, Peter and John

 

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Peter & John — 1 Peter 1:13-21

03 Jan

1 Peter 1:13-21 NIV
[13] Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. [14] As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. [15] But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; [16] for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” [17] Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. [18] For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, [19] but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. [20] He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. [21] Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.

Dear God, Peter seems to be emphasizing the fresh start we can get through Jesus’ grace and how we should move forward in holiness as much as possible. Accepting his grace is our reset button, but we have to do our kart if we are going to live transformed lives from that point on.

As I sit here on January 3, it kind of makes me think of New Year’s resolutions. We get in our heads what we resolve to do for the new year and more often than not (much more often than not) we fail after a short period of time. In this case, we resolve to be holy, but do we count the cost? Do we play the tape to the end and really think through what our resolution to be holy will cost us in terms of actions and denying ourselves?

Father, as I resolve to be holy, help me to assess what that will mean in terms of the media I consume, the ways in which I judge others, and the love I am called to show. Help me to also dedicate myself to the worship of you that you deserve from me. It’s easy to say that I will be holy, but it’s another thing to resolve to think through what that means and then submit myself to that process.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on January 3, 2019 in 1 Peter, Peter and John

 

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Peter & John — 1 Peter 1:8-12

02 Jan

1 Peter 1:8-12 NIV
[8] Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, [9] for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. [10] Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, [11] trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. [12] It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

Dear God, it seems like it really impressed Peter that there were so many people believing in Jesus, his death, and his resurrection without actually seeing it for themselves. He had lived such an amazing time as part of Jesus’ earthly ministry that I can see that this would be a big deal to him.

I suppose a modern equivalent is the person who comes to Christian faith without having grown up in it. They either grew up with no faith or from another tradition. I know a young woman who, to some extent, walked away from the Christian Faith her parents raised her in, lived a little and even evaluated other faiths and ended up recently getting baptized in a Christian church. She said that the thing Christianity offers over the others is mercy and grace. She didn’t find that in a lot of other religions.

Father, help me to be the ambassador for Christianity that you need me to be. Be glorified in me. Love others through me. Give grace and mercy through me. And help me to face the challenges coming at me today. This will be a complicated day. Make me an instrument of your peace.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on January 2, 2019 in 1 Peter, Peter and John

 

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1 Peter 1:3-7

01 Jan

1 Peter 1:3-7
3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, 4 and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. 5 And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.
6 So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. 7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

Dear God, as I look at what Peter wanted to communicate to these early members of the church, it seems like his lead-off hitter is to tell them to endure the trials because there is a great reward coming one day. Of course, this makes sense in this context because there was a persecution happening to them that the church today in America (including me) could never understand or appreciate.

As for me, I have never focused on the reward of the afterlife in my relationship with you. First, my reality isn’t really that bad so I am fortunate to not need to focus on heaven in order to emotionally survive my day. There are plenty of people out there in my own community that live with that kind of pain. Yes, one day this struggle will be over. One day, those that live in regions around the world that are experiencing persecution for their faith (I’m thinking about any number of countries including Syria, North Korea, China, etc.) will be free from that persecution. One day, my neighbors who are living in terrible daily situations (from sex trafficking to domestic violence situations) will be able to rest and be at peace, worshipping you in person and in your full glory. And one day my race will be run and I will be home. I think I’m at peace for whenever you have that scheduled for me—whether it is today or 40 years from now. The question is, will I have run my race well? Will I have learned what you needed me to learn and used the talents you gave me to maximum effect for your glory.

Father, thank you that there is something to look forward to when this is all said and done, but thank you also for the course you have laid out for all of us. Thank you for teaching me through struggles. As I think about starting 2019 and how I pray for myself, my wife, and my own children, I pray not that you will make this a good, stress-free year, but that you will make it a year that continues to lead all of us closer to the Center of your heart.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on January 1, 2019 in 1 Peter, Peter and John

 

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Peter & John — 1 Peter 1:1-2

31 Dec

1 Peter 1:1-2 [NLT]
1 This letter is from Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ.
I am writing to God’s chosen people who are living as foreigners in the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. 2 God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and his Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ.
May God give you more and more grace and peace.

Dear God, in my little quest to learn more about Peter and John, now that I’ve gone through all of the references to them in the rest of the New Testament, I am going to look at the letters that each of them wrote. I’ll start with 1 Peter.

The first question I have in mind is, to whom was he writing this letter? While he specifies some regions, I am taking it that he is writing this to all of the Christian church because he says in verse two that he is talking to people who “have obeyed [Jesus] and have been cleansed by [his blood]. With that as my starting point, I think I can say that he is, in essence, talking to me as well.

His first words to me are that he hopes that you will “give [me] more and more grace and peace.” I personally feel like that is what life is all about.

I saw a social media post by a friend today who said that he recently had some realizations that life goes by fast so he wants have a renewed vision for 2019 of living life to the fullest. To him that means spending time with friends and family and treating himself to travel and the occasional extravagance. I’ve known this friend for a while and it seems like he is always in search of everlasting joy and happiness. He had a life-threatening illness a few years ago and I had hoped you would use it to teach him about charity and giving of himself. Instead, he told me that when it was over he was going to focus on having some fun.

I say all of this because what Peter is wishing upon us here is grace and peace. I will not find either if I am indulging my own wants and building a life that is about my experiences. The “pursuit of happiness” as mentioned in the constitution’s preamble is a fallacy. Grace is found by first repenting and receiving grace, and then taking that experience and turning around to extend that grace to others. Peace if found through uniting my soul with you and allowing you to use me however you see fit. If I do that, then I will have no regrets, regardless of how much or little travel I did or toys I bought during my life.

Father, I don’t want to sit here in judgment of this friend, but I want to figure out how to reach out to him without coming across as sanctimonious or holier than thou. At the same time, I want to focus on my own journey in you. I want to use my life to worship you and knock over the dominoes that you need my life to knock over so that my presence in this world will have the impact you need it to have, regardless of whether or not my name or identity is ever tied to it. I want to decrease as you increase through me. I want to do it for you, my God and my King.

I pray all of this through the power of Jesus’ blood and through his name,

Amen

 
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Posted by on December 31, 2018 in 1 Peter, Peter and John

 

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Peter & John — Galatians 2:11-13

30 Dec

Galatians 2:11-13
11 But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong. 12 When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile believers, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision. 13 As a result, other Jewish believers followed Peter’s hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.

Dear God, it’s interesting to see Peter give into peer pressure and Paul chastise him for it. It must have been tricky for Peter to lead in this environment. I wonder if there was a part of him that just had a hard time being certain that it was okay to eat what Gentiles ate. Did he believe, but Paul had to help his unbelief?

It makes me think about some of the issues that Christians currently differ about. Abortion is one issue where there are a lot of people who love you, but think it’s okay, while others who love you believe it is murder and it is the political issue that makes up 90% of their decision for whom to vote during an election. Homosexuality is another one. Is it okay or isn’t it?

I have a friend who is an associate pastor at a large church in a small town in another state. I asked him over lunch while he was in town recently how his church (it could be considered an evangelical Bible church) deals with this issue. He said that while they don’t condone it, they don’t call it out. He said that they are free to worship there, but cannot have any leadership roles. He also said that they would not be able to join as members. In retrospect, this feels to me a little like Peter in this story. Are you going to draw the line or aren’t you? At the same time, I can appreciate their dilemma because I am not 100% sure about this issue myself. I have homosexual people in my life whom I love and adore. I feel no compulsion to make them change to be in relationship with me. At the same time, I am not completely comfortable with their lifestyles, but I cannot tell if that is your conviction or the teaching I learned growing up.

Father, I don’t want to be a hypocrite, which is what Paul accuse Peter of in this passage. I don’t want to accept someone to their face and reject them to others. I suppose that is the most important thing I can do in situations such as what I described above. At the end of the day, I love these people and I am not in a position to judge or convict them. That is the Holy Spirit’s job. My job is to encourage them in their relationships with you and then count on the Holy Spirit to work with them in the various aspects of their lives the same as how the Holy Spirit works on me. I confess that I have grieved you as much sexually at different times in my life as much as any homosexual might have, and it has nothing to do with preferring the same or opposite sex. It goes back to the sexual immorality that Peter mentioned to the church back in Acts 15:28-29. It takes all forms, and it is important that I not use judgment of others to make me feel better about my own failings in this area.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on December 30, 2018 in Galatians, Peter and John

 

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