It’s About to Get Real

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In the year 304, Emperor Diocletian declared that he had destroyed the Christian church. Today over two billion people identify as Christians, and few people remember the emperor.

Over 200 years before Diocletian’s Great Persecution, Peter wrote to the early church to prepare them for extraordinary persecution. He warned them that even though persecution was coming, they would benefit from it.  

Over 365 million believers face intense persecution everyday in 2024, and I don’t think it is a stretch to expect persecution to come on the Western Church soon.  

How are we to prepare for and even respond to persecution?

In 1 Peter 4:12-19, Peter gives the church four instructions to follow in preparation for the persecution that is to come.

1: Expect Suffering (1 Peter 4:12)

Throughout history, persecution has been normative for those who live for Jesus. In Genesis 3, God declared war on Satan, and as a result, Satan has been attacking those who worship the one true God.

Persecution is not a strange thing for believers; in fact, the absence of persecution should be strange. But when we do experience persecution, we must remember who our enemy is. The person persecuting us is not our enemy; our enemy is Satan and his demons. Jesus died for the persecuted and for the persecutor.

2: Rejoice in Suffering (1 Peter 4:13-14)

Peter writes that we should rejoice when we are insulted for the name of Jesus.

Peter lists several privileges that come with persecution; these are reasons why we can rejoice in the midst of it.

i: Our suffering is fellowship with Christ.

As we read in Isaiah 53, Jesus came as the suffering servant; he is not removed from or unfamiliar with pain and suffering (see Philippians 1:29). God uses the refining fire for our good, and when we do suffer, Christ is with us in the fire. It is in those times of intense persecution that many Christians testify to the incredible nearness and fellowship with Jesus, and that is  a reason to rejoice.

ii: Our suffering means future glory.

In our Western mindset, we tend to believe that suffering is to be avoided, and the absence of suffering is glorious. But for the Christian, hardship is the path to glory. God doesn’t remove the suffering; He transforms it into something glorious (see John 16:20-22)

We see this displayed on the cross—the pain and agony that Jesus went through was changed into something glorious and powerful. There is always a purpose and a glorious outcome to the suffering we endure as a result of persecution. Sometimes we don’t see the outcome in this life, but it is always glorious, and that is a reason to rejoice.

iii: Our suffering leads to the Holy Spirit’s ministry (1 Peter 4:14)

There are many testimonies of persecuted Christians who say things that no human would normally say, even while being put to death for the name of Jesus. By the power of the Holy Spirit, they are filled with courage and boldness (see Acts 7:55).

This has been the experience of many believers, boldly singing, and declaring the Gospel even while they are losing their lives in an excruciating way. This supernatural power is a reason to rejoice.

iv: Our suffering glorifies the name of Jesus (1 Peter 4:16)

In our modern context, we lose the impact this verse would have had on the original readers. In the 1st century, being called a Christian was a term of ridicule, a slur. It is becoming increasingly more so today. Do you boldly bear the name of Jesus? Are you willing to suffer ridicule for claiming his name? This verse promises there is glory in bearing his name, and that is a reason to rejoice.

3: Let Suffering Refine You (1 Peter 4:17)

When in the furnace of persecution, the frivolous things of this world melt away, and we see the reality of where we stand with regards to holiness. God uses persecution to refine the church. We saw a little glimpse of this during 2020. Many people left the church when the authorities told us we were not allowed to gather to worship. Sadly, there was a falling away, an exposing of the heart.

The persecution of the church is used as God’s judgment to refine the Bride of Christ.

Every loving parent knows that shaping your child in the right direction involves times of discomfort. God the Father loves us enough to allow discomfort to come upon the church for our holiness, for our refining. If we don’t experience some opposition, we should be concerned. If we proclaim the whole truth of God’s Word, we will offend and experience opposition in this world.

4: Commit Suffering to God (1 Peter 4:19)

When called upon to experience persecution, we can commit our souls to our Heavenly Father. That word “entrust” is a banking term meaning to deposit a treasure for safekeeping in a trusted place.

When you commit your life to the Lord, you can be absolutely certain that you have a guaranteed eternal inheritance. The great news is that you can continue to add to that deposit in heaven, storing up treasures for eternity. 

Are you living today with eternity in mind? This is difficult because the present temporal world is so loud. We so easily get caught up in its trappings that we forget we are living for so much more than what we see around us.

It has been said, “unsaved people have a present that is controlled by their past, but Christians have a present that is controlled by the future.”  

Are you living with an eternal perspective?

Healthy Community

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Healthy community is a goal for every church, but cultivating it is challenging. Even the first century church that the Apostle Peter wrote to in 1 Peter had to be encouraged to work towards a healthy community. 

Watch and Pray

In 1 Peter 4:7, Peter writes, “The end of all things is at hand; therefore, be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.”

The state of the world today indicates that we are rapidly getting closer to the day of Christ’s return. As we see “the day” approaching, we need to be mindful of how we live. Preparing for Christ’s return does not mean hiding in a cave and isolating from the world while stockpiling food.  Rather, it means focusing on living as the salt and light of the world, being self-controlled and sober minded. To be sober minded is to use right judgment, to have steady and clear thinking. If you are sober minded in this world, you will not be drawn to false teaching regarding the return of Christ. Instead, you will be focused on preparing for his return. 

If our minds are confused, we will have an unfocused prayer life. It is crucial that we are people of prayer, watchful, alert, and sober minded as we see the day of the Lord approaching. Peter wrote these words with his own painful memory in mind. Jesus asked him to watch and pray, but Peter fell asleep and couldn’t pray with Jesus as he fought the greatest battle in human history before going to the Cross (see Mark 14). 

There is no place for listless prayers in the Church; we need to be alert and energized in our prayer warfare. 

Love One Another

Peter continued in verse 8, “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins”.

Within the body of Christ, we must prioritize loving one another earnestly and with intentionality. We can only love with the love that comes from God; it is a supernatural love by the Spirit of God. It is not an optional extra (see John 13:34). 

It is always humbling to realize how little grace we have for someone we don’t know and love, yet for someone we love, we are quick to overlook an offense. Out of relationship comes grace.

If someone is bothering you, take the time to learn about them. Get to know them and see how God has uniquely designed them to be a blessing to the church—including to you. 

Show Hospitality to One Another

In verse 9, Peter exhorts the church to be hospitable, which is a spiritual gift and essential for a healthy church community. This is not the sole function of a small team in the church; it is everyone’s responsibility. We cannot outsource this command. 

Serve One Another

In 1 Corinthians 12, the Apostle Paul teaches about the spiritual gifts given to the church for the health of the church. Peter underlines the fact that these gifts are for us to steward within the church family (see 1 Peter 4:10). 

If you are not serving one another, you are missing out by not exercising the gift God has given you. Everyone is gifted differently, and we all have differing roles to play. 

Two Spiritual Gifts

In verse 11 Peter highlights two gifts, “Whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies…”

  • Teaching: This is more than simply information transfer; this is declaration of the truths of God’s word. This is the crucial declaration of the Bible in the church. 
  • Serving: Serving one another in the Body of Christ. 

Why are these two so important?

In 1 Corinthians 12:31, Paul wrote, “…But earnestly desire the higher gifts.”

What are the higher gifts?

I would like to propose that the higher gifts are the servant gifts. The gifts done in secret, the “non-platform” gifts (see what Jesus said in Matthew 20:26). 

Prescription for a Healthy Church

In the context of the church, we value worship, prayer, missions, compassion and various forms of ministry, but what did the early church value?

In Acts 2 we see that the early church devoted themselves to a few things. 

Preaching of the Word

Acts 2:42, “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”

Recently, an increasingly loud group of voices say that we don’t need preaching in the church. They suggest that we simply gather, worship, and discuss the Bible together. 

But the Bible constantly shows us that preaching or declaring God’s Word has always been God’s method for equipping His people, even in the Old Testament. 

As the Apostle Paul trained and encouraged Timothy, his young church planter, he never focused on the worship band, the building aesthetics, the welcome team and the free coffee… no, he instructed Timothy to, “preach the word” (see 2 Timothy 4:1-2). 

Eric Spady preached on this text at my ordination in 2014, and it has always been my primary goal, to faithfully declare the truths of God’s Word by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

A church without declaration of the Word of God will starve to death. 

Sacrificial Community

Acts 2:44-45, “And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need”

This is not communism, rather it is how they voluntarily showed each other that they valued one another above earthly things. 

One of the most valued commodities in our culture is our time. We value “me time”; we want flexibility to do our own thing when we want to. But when we value community, we give of our time and serve one another. 

When you are serving the Lord, you have the promise of the Lord’s supply. You are tapping into a supernatural resource, and it brings glory to God (see 1 Peter 4:11). 

All for His Glory

This is what we were created for. This is our God ordained purpose, to declare the Gospel and to serve one another. 

And it is all for His glory. 

Suffering unto Holiness

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Everyone goes through suffering; no one is exempt. As Christians, we can be assured that God uses every moment of our suffering for a greater purpose. 

In Chapter 4, Peter encourages the believers to endure suffering because there is a purpose in it. He reminds them and us that while Jesus lived on the earth, he was a man of sorrows (see Isaiah 53:3-5). There was a purpose to Jesus’s suffering—our salvation—and there is a purpose to our suffering—our sanctification.

Armoring Up

Peter writes in verse 1, “…arm yourselves with the same way of thinking,”

To arm oneself is to prepare for battle. Arming ourselves with the knowledge of the Bible—the Sword of the Spirit—is the greatest way we can prepare for life’s battles. Peter wants us to arm ourselves with the same attitude Jesus had toward the world, sin, and suffering. 

If we face suffering without a biblical worldview, suffering will embitter rather than purify us. The Bible clearly says we will endure hardship in this world (John 16:33); we cannot dodge that bullet. If we want to live victoriously in the face of suffering, we must embrace a biblical worldview of the challenges we face. Restraining Sin Verse 1 ends with a somewhat confusing statement, “…for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.”

This doesn’t mean that the person who has suffered is no longer capable of sinning. Rather, it means that they are no longer enticed by temptations the way or to the degree that they once were. 

In Luke 15, the prodigal son came to his senses while in the literal pigpen of his sin. He realized that he was made for more; the slops and corn husks were not desirable to him. He left the pigpen and returned home to his father.

If you are a child of God, you will no longer enjoy living in the pigpen of your sin. Your tastes will have changed; sin will no longer hold the appeal it once did (see 1 Peter 4:2 & 1 Corinthians 5:17). When you find yourself tempted toward or back in the pigpen of your life before Christ, you will quickly run from it and return to the Father.

If, however, you live in willful sin without conviction, you are most likely not saved. You cannot be a child of God and enjoy living in the pigpen. 

Coming Judgment 

Peter looks to the future: our lives are short, and we must not waste time going back to play in the pigpen of sin and brokenness. 

He writes in verse 3, “For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry.”

Peter lists the specific sins that his audience saw all around them, the sins that enticed them. We can add to his list the sins we see all around us, the sins that entice us—gossip, lying on our tax returns, pornography, etc. 

The time is past for living in that pigpen. Walk in purity because life is short. The world is rapidly moving towards the judgment of God. 

Suffering Witness 

As you walk in purity, you will be countercultural, and that may attract attention, good or bad. “With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you,” 1 Peter 4:4 says.

When you live for Jesus, walking out the new life he has given you, your life will raise questions. Some people will be drawn to the peace of God in you by the power of the Holy Spirit. Never underestimate the example of your lifestyle.  

Other people will be offended by you. They will be convicted of their own sin, made aware of their own pigpen. As a result, they will try to pull you back. They will mock and scorn you. 

If you are a true follower of Jesus, you have a new nature—the nature of Christ, you have a higher calling to glorify the name of Jesus with your life. You have the Holy Spirit, who gives you the strength to live out that new nature regardless of what circumstances and opposition you face. 

Living for Eternity

Peter looks ahead with an eternal perspective, writing, “but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead” (1 Peter 4:5).

Every person must give an account before Jesus one day—even those who are in Christ for believers, this judgment will not determine salvation—that took place on the Cross—but it will determine our eternal rewards. In light of eternity and the day of judgment, what does it matter what someone thinks of you? They won’t stand next to you when you stand before Jesus.

Live for a higher purpose and r calling. 

Refining Purpose 

For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does” (1 Peter 4:6). 

Peter was referring to the fact that the Gospel was preached to people while they were physically alive yet spiritually dead. Some responded and were saved. Others rejected Christ and are eternally separated from God, facing eternal suffering in hell—this is the second death that Revelation 20 speaks of. 

These are the stakes. This is why we need an eternal perspective on every moment and the life that we are called to live. Often, that calling includes suffering by the grace and purposes of God. Many reading this are very much aware of this; you can see in your own life how God has used your suffering for His purposes and your good. 

Sometimes God uses suffering to discipline His children. Sometimes we suffer because of our own poor choices. But Peter is writing about the suffering God intentionally allows for the purpose of refining us and realigning our lives with Him. 

If that is you today, I encourage you to embrace the purposes of God for your life. Turn towards God in your suffering, and don’t give into the temptation to become bitter. God loves you and will not abandon the good work He is doing in you. 

Pray for America

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Over the last few decades there has been a lot of discussion about the separation of church and state. While I don’t believe a pastor should direct the congregation to vote for a specific candidate, I also don’t think that the church should stand idly by and allow corruption and immorality to govern our nation.

Dr. Adrian Rogers once said, “the church and state should remain separate institutionally, but the church should be the conscience of the state.

The church is supposed to be the moral compass of the nation; unfortunately, the church has largely compromised with culture to gain acceptance and numbers. As a result, the church has lost the authority to be the voice of morality. Churches and Christians see themselves as poor victims, a weak and marginalized minority. But Jesus said in Matthew 5:14, “You are the light of the world…” As Christians and as the church, we are Christ’s ambassadors, sent to represent Him in all spheres of life. When we do not represent His heart and morals, Satan continues to destroy this nation.

Great nations rise and fall. The people go from bondage to spiritual truth, to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency, from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependence, from dependence back again to bondage.” (Alexander Tytler 1747 to 1813)

Looking for Saving in All the Wrong Places

In 1 Samuel 8, the nation of Israel was going through a leadership transition. The great prophet Samuel was old, and the people began asking for a king. Under Samuel’s leadership, the nation had expanded, their enemies had been subdued, and the nation was at peace. But the people were not satisfied; they wanted a king. God gave them what they desired.

The Israelites saw the nations around them and asked for a king so they could be  like those nations (1 Samuel 8:5). The people were crying out for a savior. They thought that an earthly king  would prevent and solve all their problems. On the surface, the request for a king seems reasonable. Israel was coming of age as a nation and needed to fit the mold of a successful nation. But this request upset Samuel because he realized that the people had rejected God as their King. They were looking for an earthly leader to take His place (see 1 Samuel 8:7).

Israel was once again turning their back on God. God’s chosen people, the people of the promise to Abraham, the same people of the covenant that God made with Moses on Mt Sinai, wanted to settle for an earthly king to rule over them. Israel had forgotten who they were; they had lost their moral compass.

Sadly, in America today we are not much different; we look to a president or the leaders in Washington to solve our problems instead of turning to the only one who can solve the problems of this nation and the world – Jesus Christ.

Receiving What We Ask For

In response to their request, God tells Samuel to warn the nation that a king will do them harm. He would tax them heavily and require their sons and daughters to serve in his army and in his courts. Despite this heavy burden, they still demanded a king. God gave the children of Israel what they wanted. God in His severe mercy and sovereignty gives nations what they ask for because ultimately He uses the leaders of nations for His purposes.

God chose Saul, a Benjamite, to be the first king of Israel. It seemed that Saul was the right man for the job; he had amazing leadership skills and potential to be a powerful king. Unfortunately, Saul became a bad king and, just as God had said, the nation became Saul’s slaves. Bad leaders enslave their people, and that is what Saul did.

We need to prayerfully consider the choice of the election ballot; as a nation, God will give us the president we ask for. 

Finding Wisdom in the Word of God

As believers we have a divine voting guide—the Word of God. Don’t be misled for one minute into thinking that the Word of God does not apply to your choice on November 5; it has everything to do with it (see Psalm 119:105 and Proverbs 29:2).

Our nation is facing some incredible challenges. As Christians, who are we looking to? If we place our hope in the next president, whomever that may be, we will be disappointed. The day after the election, God will still be on the throne, ruling and managing the world’s affairs. God has never needed a king or a president; he raises them up and he puts them down for his purposes.

There are so many issues we can identify in the world that need fixing. There is no human leader who can possibly solve all of our nation’s problems. Our only hope is in Jesus Christ, the King of Kings, the Word of God.

Keeping an Eternal Perspective

There is nothing wrong with being involved in politics or voicing our frustrations with the leaders of our country, but we must view everything from an eternal perspective. As followers of Jesus, this world is not our home; we must put our trust in Him and in no one else. 

Some Christians are more afraid of their candidate losing the election than they are afraid of their friends and loved ones spending eternity in hell. 

Sometimes we get so anxious about the temporal kingdoms here on earth that we forget about God’s eternal Kingdom (1 Peter 2:9-10).

Do you have an eternal perspective?

Join with me in praying for our nation to turn back to God in repentance.