1 Peter
2:11-12 “Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain
from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct
honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as
evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe,
glorify God in the day of visitation.”
Pastor Kyle continues, explaining that our conduct is
what makes up our character. Our character should over-whelmingly testify that
we love Jesus Christ. Our witness is our greatest evangelistic tool and our character
is what makes up our witness. We will not be perfect on this side of glory. In
fact, Christianity is always going to have a bad reputation because we are all
sinners. The difference between Christians and someone who doesn’t know the
Lord is that the Christians knows that they are forgiven from their past sins
and they are straight-forward about their sins in the present and they are
committing them.
So when, not if, we as Christian fall, we should be the
first people to say: “You are right. What I did was wrong. I repent and seek
God for forgiveness and I am dealing with the consequences of it.” A Christian doesn’t
need a perfect witness; what we need is an honest witness. The world
appreciates an admission of failure and it actually adds credence to our
witness, not less. Why is that? Because the natural thing to do is to cover up
their sins. We should put them out in the open, let God heal them and let that
situation speak to others who are dealing with it also.
Matthew 28:19-20 “Go therefore
and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all
things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to
the end of the age.”
Before the Lord ascended to Heaven, He left us with one great
commission and goal, make disciples of
all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of
the Holy Spirit. Christians are called to take those disciples and teach
them to obey everything Jesus commanded. Let us never forget this aspect of why
we are here. In the midst of this pandemic, how we move forward in this
situation of grayness around us, let’s keep this Great Commission the reason that
is front and center in our minds. We are here to make disciples, and our
individual witness determines how the people within our sphere of influence
think and feel about our Savior and Lord Jesus. We are so inundated with messaging
in this era, everyone has a platform to speak on whatever it is that they want
to talk about.
The Apostle Peter is saying that before we think about
social issues, be careful how you act before the unbelieving world. Our witness
for Jesus is at stake. If I could get only one message out of the world, it
would be “Jesus loves me. I love Jesus. And I love you”. That may be all we get
to say to someone and it is the one thing we want to say. One of the primary
ways that people are reached for Jesus is through a Christian’s individual gospel
witness to them. This means that our obedience in the small things really
matters. This means that our honesty, integrity, ethics, industry and manners
are important. Faithfulness, goodness, righteousness, virtuousness, kindness, decency,
loyalty, fidelity, dedication, devotion, dependency, reliability, and
authenticity are seen by a watching, unbelieving world that is asking what does
a true Christian look like. It means how we handle every individual decision involving
our character is not just important between us and God; it is important between
us and the world.
1 Peter 2:13-17 “Therefore
submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether
to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him
for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do
good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to
silence the ignorance of foolish men— as free, yet not using liberty
as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. Honor all people. Love
the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.”
A Christian’s overall posture towards authority and
government should be one of submission, respect and honor. One of the most
critical parts of every Christian’s witness is how they respond to authority
and the government. It’s not for the government’s sake that we should act and
respond in submission; it’s for the Lord’s sake. God will punish those who do
wrong in positions of authority. We are asked to submit to authority and act
respectfully towards them for the Lord’s sake.
In Christ, Brian
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