Elders

Posted on by korgrocker

“And now, a word to you who are elders in the churches. I, too, am an elder and a witness to the sufferings of Christ. And I, too, will share in his glory when he is revealed to the whole world. As a fellow elder, I appeal to you: Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly—not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. Don’t Lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example. And when the Great Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of never-ending glory and honour.”
1 Peter 5:1-4 NLT

Peter starts the next chapter in his first letter by writing directly to the “elders in the churches”. These men (always men in those days) are the church leaders, the “pastors and spiritual leaders” as the Amplified Bible version explains. What these church leaders are named today depends on which denomination we belong to, but every fellowship of believers will have a leader or leaders. Peter himself explains that he was an elder as well, but one with a special qualification. He walked with Jesus for three years and was “a witness to the sufferings of Christ”. 

The work of an elder hasn’t changed over the years since the first appointments in the First Century. It is a role that can be very demanding and time consuming. It involves interactions, sometimes painful, with the church members, dealing with issues, good and bad. But the elder’s role is essential for the discipline and spiritual growth of pilgrims everywhere. Elders can be involved in decision-making, as we read in Acts 15. In verses 1 and 2, we read how a dispute over circumcision was settled by a meeting of the apostles and elders in Jerusalem. An elder is also required to minister and pray for the sick people in the fellowship. We read in James 5:14, “Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord.” In our verses from 1 Peter today, we read an elder should, “Care for the flock that God has entrusted to [them]”. So an elder can end up taking services and preaching and teaching, leading Bible studies and prayer meetings, and generally building up the believers in their church. The role of an elder is an essential appointment in a church, as we can see.

Do we pilgrims know an elder? Are we in a church with one or more of them? We may even be elders ourselves. But we must always pray for our elders, because they have a heavy responsibility. We read in James 3:1, “Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly”. Many believers have been led astray by false teaching, and even Christian sects have been established and built on a wrong foundation. To take an extreme example, I read about a church that emphasised Mark 16:18a, “They will be able to handle snakes with safety … ”, with apparently disastrous results when they brought snakes into the meetings.

Thankfully, our Heavenly Father is always on hand to lead and guide us. He cares for His children, and we believers must always remember that we have direct access straight to His throne. 

Dear Lord. We pray for the leaders in our churches today, that You will lead and guide them in Your paths. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Insults

Posted on by korgrocker

“If you are insulted because you bear the name of Christ, you will be blessed, for the glorious Spirit of God rests upon you.”
1 Peter 4:14 NLT

Being insulted for their faith was a common problem for the Christians in Peter’s day. Much is recorded in historical accounts of those early years of the Way, the new movement initiated by God Himself through His Son, Jesus. Those new converts turned the world upside down, challenging the status quo and spreading the Good News about Jesus wherever they went. But it came at a cost. We have already considered the “fiery trials”, the persecution experienced by Christians, that frequently resulted in their martyrdom. But there has always been a low level of persecution – name calling, awkwardness in the workplace, and so on – throughout the centuries, then and since. The worldly societies have always resented Christians because they proclaim a life of selfless purity that challenges the selfish and sinful behaviour so prevalent within the cultures of the day. Today, superficially, society seems more tolerant of Christians here in the West, that is, until they emerge from the shadows and make a statement that counter-culturally upsets a “sacred cow” otherwise deemed acceptable. Take the issue of abortion, for example. The Uk society is quite accepting of Christians having a different Bible-based point of view, until they do something about it by standing and praying outside abortion clinics. Then the insults and mistreatment start. 

The question often asked is, “If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be sufficient evidence to convict you?” The Christian faith is one that, by its very nature, has to be visible to society around us. If it isn’t then we need to ask ourselves if we are truly bearing “the name of Christ”. Jesus said in Matthew 5:14, “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden”. But as we know, the godless societies in which we live do not like the “light” that believers shine with. It exposes the dark and evil ways of the society around us and we who shine in this way will attract insults just as the early Christians did in Peter’s generation. However, Peter encourages his readers with the reality (through faith) that any insults directed to them because they are Christians who “bear the name of Christ“, will find that they will receive Heavenly blessings and rewards. In fact, Peter stated that if they were insulted for their faith then it is an indication, even a proof, that the Holy Spirit is with them.

In the evangelical endeavours of those early believers, they promoted a Gospel as Peter himself preached in his Acts 2 sermon. He said, “ … Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit”. Four things that marked a true conversion, transforming a person from darkness to light. Following their repentance, turning to God, and water baptism, they then received the Holy Spirit. So the presence of God’s Spirit with them and moving in power in their fellowships, would have been a common experience. But fast forward to today. Modern evangelists have perhaps in many cases watered down the Gospel Peter preached and instead have moved the focus away from God’s righteousness to His love. Without the power of the Holy Spirit, who brought the blessings that Peter and the early believers experienced, the Gospel, that is the Good News about God and His Son Jesus, will have little effect and impact.

We pilgrims must always be aware that sharing our faith will often result in insults from those who don’t want to hear our messages of hope. But deep down inside each one of us is a compelling desire to tell others what Jesus has done for us. We can’t keep it inside. We can’t help sharing it. We do so in the knowledge that Jesus commissioned us to, “ … Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone” (Mark 16:15). But we know that when we expose others to the Gospel, the Holy Spirit is within us, and Jesus looks on, uttering a big “Yes” as the hearers face the reality of their sins.

Dear Lord, please help me to show the people with whom I share Your message Your love and attention in a way that they have never seen before. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Spiritual Gifts

Posted on by korgrocker

“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.”
1 Peter 4:10-11 NLT

We often associate spiritual gifts with something supernatural, like prophecy or healing. But there is a “great variety of spiritual gifts”, according to Peter. He gave two examples here in his  letter – speaking and helping. But there are many more, of course, and they are to be used for serving “one another”. Peter encourages his readers by telling them that by exercising their spiritual gifts, they “will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ”. But the important message from Peter is that each one of us has a spiritual gift. It was true when he wrote to the believers in what is now Turkey, and it is just as true today. And we know from other Scripture passages that we may have more than one spiritual gift.

So if that is the case, we pilgrims are obliged to determine what our spiritual gift is and then use it for God’s glory and the benefit of our fellow believers. We will, of course, have natural giftings, and will make good use of these generally in our lives. So to use my wife as an example, she has a gift of needlecraft and is always producing one garment or another, often with complex patterns, for the benefit of the family. But when she uses her gift for others, using it well, with the Holy Spirit helping the process, then it will become a spiritual gift. What potentially might have been a naturally lengthy and difficult process somehow becomes easier and more joyful when the Holy Spirit is involved in the process.

In 1 Corinthians 12, the Apostle Paul wrote in some detail about the spiritual gifts. 1 Corinthians 12:4, “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all”. In verse 7 of this chapter he wrote much the same as Peter did, “A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other”. And Paul finished this section with “It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have” (1 Corinthians 12 :11).

So how do we know what spiritual gift we have? There are various helps around that can focus our thinking and come up with an answer, but most times we can find our gifts through prayer, encouragement from those around us, who observe us functioning in our spiritual gift, and by asking the Gift-giver, the Holy Spirit Himself. We must of course avoid the temptation of seeing someone else moving in their gifting, and decide that we want to have that gift as well. I remember a young church member who decided that they had a gift of worship leading. So they learnt a few guitar chords and asked the pastor if they could lead worship one Sunday. But, sadly for them, the gift just wasn’t there and they ended up frustrated and demoralised. Thankfully, the pastor was able to lovingly and sensitively help them find out what their true gift really was. 

We must remember that the spiritual gifts are not for our benefit but for the benefit of others and for the glory of God. And Peter ended his thoughts excitedly exclaiming, “All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.” A good place to finish, giving glory to God.

Dear Father. Thank You for the gifts You have given us. Each one fits exactly with the person You want us to be. So all we can do is give You all the glory. Amen.

Christ in Heaven

Posted on by korgrocker

“Now Christ has gone to heaven. He is seated in the place of honour next to God, and all the angels and authorities and powers accept his authority.”
1 Peter 3:22 NLT

After the resurrection of Jesus, He spent time with His disciples for a few weeks and then there came that day when they all went to the Mount of Olives, one of their favourite places. The disciples asked Jesus when He would free Israel and restore His Kingdom – we can read the account of what happened in Acts 1. But after His final words we read from the Acts 1 account, “After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him. As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!”” (Acts 1:9-11). We of course do not know where exactly in the Heavens Jesus went to, but from Peter’s words in 1 Peter 3:22 we know that God the Father is there, together with “all the angels and authorities and powers“. We note that Jesus didn’t rise into Heaven as a spirit, but bodily as His disciples watched Him. So we can draw the conclusion that he is still in that body now, but without all the limitations that an earth-bound body has.

In Matthew 26:64 we read, “Jesus replied, “You have said it. And in the future you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven””. There are other Scriptures too that record Jesus’ place seated at the right hand of God. And then there is the amazing record of a conversation between Father and Son as recorded by David in His prophecy in Psalm 110:1, “The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit in the place of honour at my right hand until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet””. However, there is one Scripture that records Jesus standing next to His Father, which we read in Acts 7:56, “And he told them, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honour at God’s right hand!”” I can just imagine Jesus getting to His feet and cheering Stephen on as he finally called the Jewish leaders to account for their dreadful involvement in Jesus’s death and the other crimes Stephen accused them of. 

So Jesus may be in Heaven but He is still with us through His Spirit. He told His disciples that after He had returned to Heaven ” … I will send you the Advocate —the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me” (John 15:26). We read in Acts 2 the spectacular event that happened ten days after Jesus’ ascension. “Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability” (Acts 2:2-4). Nowhere in the Bible can I find a reference that documents the Holy Spirit’s return to Heaven, so we must assume He is still with us.

In Acts 1:11, we read that one day Jesus will return to this planet. We can read some specifics in Revelation 19 and Zechariah 14. But we don’t know when this will be. But with His Spirit within us, we are in a truly favoured time. Jesus Himself may be in Heaven, but He is still with us, day by day, hour by hour, as we continue our pilgrimage through our earth-bound lives.

Dear Father God. Not for us a dead religion with a god who died. We worship the living God, who is still with us today. Thank You. Amen.

Spirits in Prison (2)

Posted on by korgrocker

“So he went and preached to the spirits in prison— those who disobeyed God long ago when God waited patiently while Noah was building his boat. Only eight people were saved from drowning in that terrible flood. And that water is a picture of baptism, which now saves you, not by removing dirt from your body, but as a response to God from a clean conscience. It is effective because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
1 Peter 3:19-21 NLT

In a previous blog we asked ourselves three questions – what was the message that Jesus preached, what happens to our spirits after we die and why select just this particular group of spirits. We have considered what happens to our spirits when we die, and concluded that they go to one of two “compartments” in a place called Hades or Sheol. This is the holding place for spirits pending God’s final act of judgement, and believers end up in a compartment called Paradise and unbelievers in another compartment which seems to be a most unpleasant place, and is perhaps a taste of what hell will be like. 

But now taking the first question, what message did Jesus preach? Theologians seem divided on this and some have concluded that He made an announcement to a group of either demons or humans from the time of the flood. But what would be the point of an “announcement”? God will provide that soon enough on Judgement Day. Another suggestion is that Jesus preached in the spirit through Noah at the time of the flood, but they rejected His message. Yet another possibility is that Jesus preached the Gospel to a generation, now represented by their spirits, that otherwise could rightly complain that they were short-changed and unfairly treated. But literally, Peter wrote that there were people who were disobedient to God during the time leading up to their drowning in the flood and Jesus preached a message to them.

While on earth, Jesus devoted His teaching to the message of salvation through repentance of sins. The mechanics of how that message would apply to the spirits of dead people is a mystery, but there is no other logical explanation. The fact that His audience were imprisoned indicates that they were in a place that wasn’t the Paradise promised to the penitent thief. C S Lewis wrote a book called The Great Divorce which fictionally described a spiritual holding place, “hell”, from which the spirits, or “ghosts”, were given the opportunity to travel to Heaven, where salvation became an option for them. But it was of course fictional without any Scriptural basis.

We don’t know anything more about Jesus preaching to spirits in Hades, so we must draw our own conclusions. But we do know about the preaching Jesus did while He was here with us on Planet Earth. Faithful disciples recorded His many messages, often illustrated in a way that everyday people in His generation could understand. And Jesus underpinned His messages with practical deeds, such as healing the sick or raising the dead. As far as we aware, there is no post-death opportunity to hear the Gospel message in the world of spirits. If there was, what was the point of Jesus delegating the preaching of His Word to His followers? And people would become even more complacent than they are. Acts 1:8 reads, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth””. We pilgrims are at the sharp end of spreading God’s grace and love to those around us. The Holy Spirit will bring conviction of sin and repentance. So we must be ready and willing to share all that God has done for us.

Dear Father God. Please bring us to people who don’t know You. Please prepare the ground we pray and give us just the right words to say. For Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Spirits in Prison (1)

Posted on by korgrocker

“So he went and preached to the spirits in prison— those who disobeyed God long ago when God waited patiently while Noah was building his boat. Only eight people were saved from drowning in that terrible flood. And that water is a picture of baptism, which now saves you, not by removing dirt from your body, but as a response to God from a clean conscience. It is effective because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
1 Peter 3:19-21 NLT

These are verses that can cause people difficulties, and there are several theories about what they really mean. We know from 1 Peter 3:18b that Jesus was “ … raised to life in the Spirit” so taking these verses literally we conclude that in the period between His death and resurrection Jesus, in spirit form, preached a message to a select group of spirits who were imprisoned in some way. We therefore have to ask ourselves what was the message that Jesus preached, what happens to our spirits after we die and why select just this particular group of spirits.

After we die, the Bible indicates that our physical bodies are of no further use and can be disposed of. However, our spirits continue to live and go somewhere. The popular expectation is that Heaven is the final destination for people’s spirits – most people, regardless of what faith they have, if any, like to think that their loved ones, and themselves, will end up in Heaven after they die. Others assume that unbelievers end up in hell, but Scriptures tell us that this was a place created for the devil (Revelation 20:10). Unbelievers, unrepentant sinners, are not sent there until after the Great White Throne judgement we read about in Revelation 20. But the most likely place for spirits after we die is a place called Hades or Sheol. This is a holding place for spirits until they receive their new bodies. Hades seems to be compartmentalised with a part reserved for believers called paradise. We know that from the words Jesus spoke to the thief next to Him. Luke 23:43, “And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise””. We also read Jesus’ parable about Lazarus and the Rich Man, where Lazarus is in a place of comfort but the rich man is in a different place of anguish. ““Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to sit beside Abraham at the heavenly banquet. The rich man also died and was buried, … The rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.’” (Luke 16:22,24). 

So we conclude that after we die, our spirits end up in a holding place, compartmentalised in accordance with our response to God while we were still nalive. Those who repented of their sins and believed in Jesus will end up in a compartment called Paradise, and those who haven’t will end up in a compartment that will probably be a foretaste of what hell will be like. And there is no possibility of a transition between the two. But these are my personal theories, gained from a rather sparse selection of Scriptures – everyone must draw their own conclusions.

Thankfully, God has provided for us a way to avoid the hell-like part of Hades. Jesus came to Planet Earth so that, through Him, our sins would be forgiven. Peter, in his Pentecost day message, and in response to the question, “What should we do?”‭‭‭, said, “ … Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit“. It is important to note that the repentant thief had not been involved in any of the Jewish liturgies of his day. To bring it up to date, he hadn’t been to a Bible study or a prayer meeting. He hadn’t responded to an altar call given out by some trans-national evangelist. Instead, with his dying breaths, he came to a place of repentance and assured himself a future with Jesus in Paradise. All human beings have the same choice. Some may think it unfair that after a life of crime he should receive such a reward. But that is God’s grace. “All have sinned …” Paul wrote, and God will forgive everyone who come to Him. We pilgrims have made the right choice, but we cannot just leave it there. Many people around us have still to make the same decision that we did. Who are we praying for? Who are we telling of our hope in a Heavenly future? The harvest is ready, folks.

Dear Father God. We pray for guidance about who we should pray for, and witness to. We know that Jesus came to this world to save sinners, and is still doing it through His people. We pray for more “divine appointments” as we go out and about in our communities. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

A Clear Conscience

Posted on by korgrocker

“Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ.”
1 Peter 3:15-16 NLT

Our consciences are deeply embedded within our minds, and they are a very important driver of our thoughts and actions. A person without a conscience doesn’t exist, but a conscience can be trained to be more or less sensitive to certain behavioural patterns. Our thought processes can rationalise what we do and override our conscience-generated feelings and emotions. But, generally, our consciences make us feel bad when we do wrong and feel good when we do right. A big driver of how we feel and behave is related to our morality. The modern ideology of “if it feels right just do it” is a conscience-busting principle where our personal morals have failed in keeping us free of guilty thoughts.

So we must ask the question – what is our moral or values system? Where do we find the standard which we can use to programme our consciences? This is where the world view clashes with the God view. There is obviously some behaviours that are essential in society, driven by a pragmatic understanding of what Jesus said in Matthew 7:12, “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets“. This, called the Golden Rule, cannot be disputed even by those who are not believers. Bluntly, we don’t abuse our neighbours because they would then feel entitled to do the same to us. 

We must operate a system of self-evaluation within us, but we know that we can’t depend on ourselves in this process. We read all about this in Jeremiah 17:9-10, “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve“. We need that external guidance to eliminate any possibility of our consciences being tarnished by our own deceit. Paul, on more than one occasion, publicly declared that he had a clear conscience. Acts 23:1, “Gazing intently at the high council, Paul began: “Brothers, I have always lived before God with a clear conscience!”” 

So we pilgrims must work hard to maintain a clear conscience, and the only source of the data we need to ensure our consciences are in line with what God requires is through His Word, the Bible. We must constantly read the Scriptures, because we forget and are often in danger of being subtly lured away from the straight and narrow path by the whisper of the enemy bringing half-truths into our thoughts. Remember what the serpent said to Eve? “Surely God did not say …”. Thankfully God’s presence is always with us. By constantly flushing our thought processes with the water of His Word we will maintain a soft heart.

One final thought. There will be others around us in the family of God who will perhaps not be in the same place as us when it comes to matters of the conscience. We pilgrims treat them with love and compassion, as God does with us. 

Father God, we thank You for the way we are “wired”, with a conscience aligned to Your Spirit. Amen.

Tongues and Lips

Posted on by korgrocker

“For the Scriptures say, “If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies. Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it. The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil.””
1 Peter 3:10-12 NLT

In today’s verses, Peter included a quotation from Psalm 34, a psalm written by David during a difficult time spent with the heathen king Abimelech. This is an acrostic psalm, where each verse started with a different letter in the Hebrew alphabet. But in all that, it contains some good advice, particularly with regard to what we say, hence the reference to tongues that speak evil and lips that tell lies. Of course, we know that these organs in our bodies are just the messengers. The real problem lies with our thoughts, and so often we can get into trouble when, or if, we speak them out. 

The Apostle Paul knew the problem with a mind that seems to drift so naturally into the realms of evil thinking. To combat that he suggested, “ …. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honourable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise” (Philippians 4:8). The Apostle James went a bit further and devoted a large section of his epistle’s third chapter to advise on the importance of controlling our tongues. He wrote, “Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way” (James 3:2). Almost in desperation it seems, he finished, “but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right” (James 3:8-10). But he had a point. On a Sunday we might be in church singing wonderful songs about Jesus, or speaking our prayers of love and thanksgiving to God, but on a Monday sharing gossip or making up lies about a colleague. James wrote, “ … you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring” (James 3:12b).

It’s all about taking control of our thought life, and discerning what is right and wrong. We may be tempted to create an effect by speaking out untruths. We may be driven to an improper reaction when in a place of stress or tempted to tell lies to get ourselves out of trouble. I’m sure we can all remember times when we have been in such a place, remembering occasions that bring a flush of shame to our cheeks. But we bring our sins before God and receive His wonderful grace and forgiveness. 

Jesus went through much abuse at His trial and the events leading up to it. On reading an account of His responses, we very quickly develop a picture of a Man totally in control of His tongue. No lies came from His lips. No evil from His tongue. Instead He gave measured and truthful statements when He had to, and at other times He remained silent. Isaiah prophesied, “He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth” (Isaiah 53:7).

And so it should be with us pilgrims. We train our thought life to focus on things that are true and righteous, following Paul’s advice. And we will find that the temptation to lapse into evil and lying thinking reduces more and more. One day we will be perfect, like Jesus, as we join Him in our future Heavenly home. But in the meantime we follow in His footsteps, becoming more like Him.

Father God. We pray for more of You in our lives, because we know that when we are filled with Your Spirit there is no room for anything else. Thank You. Amen.

Wives

Posted on by korgrocker

“In the same way, you wives must accept the authority of your husbands. Then, even if some refuse to obey the Good News, your godly lives will speak to them without any words. They will be won over by observing your pure and reverent lives.”
1 Peter 3:1-2 NLT

Peter starts the third chapter of his first epistle with verses offering Godly advice about male and female relationships, particularly in the context of marriage. He starts with some advice for wives, and particularly for those in a marriage with an unbelieving husband. As I write this I can almost feel some people’s hackles starting to rise. Who is this man, Peter, daring to suggest how I should behave in relation to my husband, some of my female readers might be thinking. Of course, some also might say that the culture of Peter’s day was different then, and society in 21st century Planet Earth is very much different. Of course, that is true, but only up to a point. I believe the Holy Spirit inspired timeless truths in Scripture, and so we cannot discard these verses just because we don’t agree with them, or are offended or even challenged by them. 

Why did Peter single out women in the verses he wrote and the ones we are considering today? Part of the answer lies in 1 Peter 3:2, where Peter suggests that the wives’ behaviour will win over unbelieving husbands to the faith. It also should be noted that Peter wrote about husbands, not men generally. Peter wrote that wives should accept the authority of their husbands, but he didn’t say that they should always be obedient to them. If their husbands tried to impose something on to them that was contrary to God’s laws then the higher law would apply. 

The Apostle Paul also wrote about husbands and wives, and he put in the balance for a successful marriage relationship. He wrote in Ephesians 5:22-24, “For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Saviour of his body, the church. As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything“. Superficially, that seems a bit one-sided, but Paul adds the following verses, “For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. …  In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself” (Ephesians 5:25-26, 28). A blueprint for a successful marriage? I think so. There are more verses to come in 1 Peter 3 about the Holy Spirit’s teaching about husbands and wives. Watch this space!

Dear Father God. We know that marriage was in your plans for mankind right from the beginning. Please help us to stand firm and uphold this Biblical truth. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Shepherd

Posted on by korgrocker

“Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls.”
1 Peter 2:25 NLT

Peter introduced a pastoral theme into this last verse of 1 Peter 2. He compared human beings with sheep, who have behaved as sheep tend to behave, which is to wander off and get lost or into trouble somewhere. I remember a pastor of a church I once attended telling of the time when he was out jogging past a field early one morning. Just over the fence he noticed a ewe stuck in a thorn bush by its long hair, and unable to escape. He managed to free it after a struggle, and the sheep ran off, but it is perhaps such a story that was in Peter’s mind when he wrote this verse today. Sheep seem unable to avoid getting into trouble or danger.

Jesus had compassion for the people he met, as we read in Matthew 9:36, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd“. Jesus had been announcing to them the Good News about the Kingdom of God. He had “healed every kind of disease and illness” (Matthew 9:35b). But sheep, and people, are prone to wandering off and they eventually find themselves lost or in trouble. If a person follows their own desires, they will probably find that there is a downside to the choices they have made, like sheep. But what do people without God do? Who do they follow? The politicians won’t help. Most of them are only concerned about short term benefits, particularly to themselves. Social media advice can be misleading at best and, when followed, a “herd” mentality takes over. “Well, everyone is doing it” is a popular comment.

There is only one way to find a risk-free environment for our souls and that is to follow Jesus. It won’t be easy. But it will be exciting. Look what is involved. In Mark 1:17 we see that following Jesus costs Simon Peter his job as a fisherman, “Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!”” The early disciples were enthusiastic followers of Jesus. But others were invited and had excuses, as we read in Matthew 8:19-22, “Then one of the teachers of religious law said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.” Another of his disciples said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.” But Jesus told him, “Follow me now. Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead.””

In Jesus’ presence, and as we follow Him, He will indeed be the “Guardian of our souls”. In the Holy Spirit’s embrace we will find what we need. Matthew 11:28-30, “Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.””

Of course, not everyone we meet will accept the invitation to enjoy Jesus’ wonderful Guardianship. But that should not prevent pilgrims like us from introducing them to Him, the Master and our Lord.

Dear Lord Jesus. Only You have the power to keep our souls safe until the glorious day when You will come into Your Kingdom. We praise and worship You today. Amen.