Are You Getting It Right?

Trying to imagine what it was like to be a Christ-follower in the early church is no easy task. It must've been so different than being a Christ-follower today. Of course, being a Christ-follower looks very different depending on which Christ-follower you're looking at.

Christ-followers in Peter's day had made a decision to follow Jesus, the God-Man who had only recently died and risen from the dead. Many of them were not eye-witnesses to the Messiah and his ministry. They'd been told by friends and relatives of what Jesus had done and who he claimed to be. They didn't have copies of the Bible on their bookshelves. In fact, the Bible had not even been put together yet in Peter's day. They had the Old Testament Law, but even then they had to listen to that being read at the temple - it wasn't available to every believer. Most met in homes of other Christ-followers. It was risky to follow Jesus for them. Many were being banished from their homes and cast out by their families. It wasn't uncommon for believers to be jailed and beaten and even killed for following Christ. But even the most sold-out believers didn't always get it right.

Last week I visited my brother and sister-in-law in Tacoma, Washington. Bobby is a church planter there. I remember when they moved to the Pacific Northwest and were helping out at another church near Seattle that had just been recently planted. They knew they were called to plant a new church, but they didn't know when or where or who or how. Then God showed them Tacoma. Then God called it The Pathway. Then God began to bring people together, first at a park eating hot dogs, and now at an elementary school on Sunday mornings and in homes across the city every night of the week. Many Christ-followers that are a part of The Pathway look and act a lot different than "typical" Christ-followers here in Texas. Some of them are covered in tattoos. Some of them have never held a hymnal. Some of them just talk out loud to the pastor in the middle of a sermon. Some of them cuss in church. (Gasp!) Many of the Christ-followers there have chosen to leave sinful lifestyles and friends and families behind in order to follow Christ. They don't meet in a church with a steeple and pews. (In fact, my sweet little 5 year old preacher's-kid/nephew said, "What's a pew?") One time a lady said, "Tell me more about this Jesus. I've never heard of him!" These Christ-followers are living life together, doing the best they can to walk alongside each other wherever they are while they encourage each other to make disciples and become more like Jesus every day. But even the most sold-out believers don't always get it right.

I live in Texas and on the same block as my house there are two different church buildings. Across the street is one more. In a mile radius from my house, I bet there are at least 10 different congregations who claim to follow Jesus Christ. Our church meets on Sunday mornings, Sunday night and Wednesday nights, what we consider to be a very traditional schedule. We dress our best on Sunday mornings, come and sit on pews and sit or stand while we worship corporately and then listen to the pastor preach a sermon. Some of us bring our Bibles, some of us don't. We put on our best faces and when someone says "Good morning, How are you?", we smile and say, "Fine, how are you?" (no matter how we are). We see each other throughout the week because this is a very small town, but usually we talk about the weather and our kids and the latest town gossip when we run into each other at the grocery store. Other churches in our area have similar schedules, similar dress codes, similar routines. Church sometimes feels more like a social club than a group of believers who are totally sold out followers of Jesus Christ. We have awesome ministry opportunities that reach large groups of people, like concerts and festivals. We have many high-quality programs that present the Gospel message and give people an opportunity to hear and receive the message of Jesus Christ. But even the most sold-out believers don't always get it right.

So which ones are doing it right? The early church? The newly-planted church? The old established church? The ones that have full bands and lights and contemporary songs? The ones that have pipe organs and hymnals? The ones that meet in homes? The ones that meet in parks? The ones that sit on pews? The ones that sit on dirt floors?

Here's what Peter says in 1 Peter 4:1-11. (You knew I'd get to it eventually, right?)

He says that because Christ suffered in the flesh, we ought to also arm ourselves with the same way of thinking. Be ready to suffer in the flesh too. (Have you ever wondered why you don't suffer like the early church Christ-followers or modern-day-Christians across the ocean? Could it be that we are not standing firm in Biblical truth in the same way that they were and are? Could it be that we are being too tolerant and too accommodating when people tell us what we can and cannot do and say when it comes to being a Christ-follower?) Peter says that our time of reckless living is in the past - we should leave it there and live for the will of God. He reminds us that unbelievers will wonder why we don't join them in their sin. (Has anyone ever been surprised that your behavior is different? If so, good! If not, maybe a change in behavior is in order!)

In verses 7-9, Peter tells us we are in the end-times, my friends. We need to be self-controlled and sober-minded and love each other (even the unlovable ones!) and we should be hospitable without grumbling. And then he tells us that as believers we've been given some gifts. Some are speaking gifts, like encouragement and teaching and prophecy. Some are serving gifts like helping and giving and mercy. And in verse 10, Peter says this:

As each has received a gift, use it....

What a concept.

My friend Megan just completed training camp for her 11-month mission trip, The World Race. They were working on some team-building activities to strengthen their team. One activity challenged them to work together to build a tent. Not too hard. The problem was that most of them were blindfolded. Megan said she did her part and then it was time for her to step back and hold down the corner of the tent while someone else did their part. She sat there in her darkness, holding down her corner, wishing that she could just go over and put that tent up because she KNEW how to do it. It was hard to sit in the corner in the dark and hold down the corner. But in her darkness, God met her there (as he always does, right?) and showed her that even when we feel useless in the middle of waiting, even when we know that we could just go DO SOMETHING, even when it would be easier to let go, He has given us just the right gift in just the right amount to fulfill just the right assignment that he has for us at just the right time.

That's who is doing it right. The Christ-followers who use their gifts to build up the body. The Christ-followers who love each other earnestly. The Christ-followers who are willing to take a God-given back seat assignment so that others can fulfill their God-given roles. The Christ-followers who are self controlled and sober minded. The Christ-followers who are hospitable without grumbling. The Christ-followers who are willing to stand so firm in the Truth that persecution and suffering are bound to come.

Ultimately, the ones who are getting it right are the ones who have armed themselves with the same way of thinking as Christ, who suffered in the flesh. The ones who no longer live for human passions but for the will of God. There are some in every crowd - the early church, the newly planted church, the old traditional church. Will you be one that gets it right? His precious promise comes in verse 11...

"...that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen."

Glory to God.

My prayer for you always is that God will give you a hunger for HIM. I pray that before you open up any book, you will open up The Word of God. I pray that before you watch any TV show, you will seek His face. I pray that before you call or text that special friend, you will whisper words to your Savior.

John Piper says it well, "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him."

Lord, please give us a hunger for you that only you can satisfy. Empty us of us. Fill us up with you. We long for You to be glorified in us. Satisfy us, Lord Jesus.

Peter's Laundry List

1 Peter 3

When I was a first-time mom, every once in a while I would leave Karalyn with a babysitter. I would leave detailed instructions of every single thing that I wanted that babysitter to know, from sleeping schedules to eating instructions to which toys and books she preferred. It was definitely overkill. Of course now that I’m a mother of six, when I get the chance to leave the kids, I just dump them off and run! As long as they’re alive when I get back, I call it successful!

1 Peter seems a lot like that long letter of detailed instructions. Remember, Peter is writing to the new believers in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). Because they don’t have constant connectivity via text messages and facebook and email and cell phones, he has to get everything he wants to say into these two letters, 1 and 2 Peter.  That’s why he tends to jump from idea to idea. He’s trying to fit everything in!

Husbands and Wives

First he has a few words for husbands and wives. As the good news of Jesus spread to Asia Minor, many Gentiles began to believe. But wives didn’t always convert at the same time as their husbands. That left many Christ-following wives married to unbelieving husbands. Given the accepted role of women in that culture as being subservient to their husbands, a conversion to Christianity by the wife proved to be a big problem in marriages.

Peter’s answer was simple. Wives, be subject to your own husbands. Don’t rebel, don’t nag or argue. He tells wives that their husbands can be won without a word when they see the respectful and pure conduct of their wives. But wouldn’t it be easier to talk about it- to discuss it? That’s usually our natural inclination as women. Husbands, be understanding of your wives and show honor to them as the weaker vessel and a co-heir with you in the grace of life. Wouldn’t it be easier to just let the women take care of everything and I can go hunt and grunt? That’s usually their natural inclination as men!

Think back to the Garden of Eden for a moment. Remember when Eve ate the fruit and shared some with Adam and he ate? God came and asked them what they had done and when it all came to light, God had a few choice words for Eve. In Genesis 3:16, God says “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” This wasn’t a curse just for Eve, this was a curse for the rest of womankind. (Thanks a lot, Eve!) Not only does childbearing HURT, our desire is for our husbands and they will rule over us! Now don’t get caught up in the word desire –this isn’t a sexual thing. No prophetic 50 Shades of Gray here. This desire for our husbands that we have is the desire to have their role as leader. Women now desire to be in charge, even though that’s not the way God planned for the family to function.  Can you imagine that women were created to lovingly and willingly and happily submit to their husbands? That sure isn’t the case today, thanks to sin. It’s our sin that causes us to desire the role that God intended our husbands to have.

Following Christ means that we die to ourselves.  Matthew 16:24 says “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” This means that we have to die daily to our natural desires. When we are tempted to desire the authority that truly belongs to our husbands in Christ Jesus, we must take those thoughts captive, make them obedient to Christ and choose death for ourselves. God’s design works much better than our own.

Peter starts verse 8 with the word “Finally”. He has taken time to give instructions to citizens and slaves and servants and husbands and wives and this is his final thought on matters of submission.  He wants these new believers to have unity and love and humility and to bless each other. He then quotes from Psalm 34:12-16, using Old Testament Scripture to support the things he’s written.  He reminds them about the blessings they will receive as they endure suffering for righteousness sake, a topic he spent a lot of time on at the beginning of this letter. He instructs them to always be prepared to give a gentle and respectful answer to anyone who asks them for a reason for the hope that is in them. He’s challenging them here to really live for Christ, not just giving lip-service to the cause, but to live it out every day, no matter what comes against them.

Christ Proclaims to Disobedient Spirits

And then we get to 1 Peter 3:18-22.  I’ll be honest. I’m not quite sure how to interpret this passage. But apparently I’m not alone because I found this quote by Martin Luther in reference to these verses.  Luther wrote, “A wonderful text is this, and a more obscure passage perhaps than any other in the New Testament, so that I do not know for a certainty just what Peter means.”  Well if Martin Luther doesn’t know what it means, I’m not sure that I have any hope for explaining it to you! But we’ll discuss what we can here. Read the passage and then read this:

There are many different acceptable theories about what this passage means – one commentary I read said there are 18 major theories. Verse 18 is pretty straightforward. It’s the gospel story. Jesus died for our sins, once for all, and made us alive with him in the spirit. Verse 19 and part of 20 says, “in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey…” This is the tricky part.

One theory is that sometime between Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, he went to the place where disobedient supernatural powers are imprisoned and proclaimed his victory and their defeat. 

Another theory (and the one that seems the most likely to me) is that this verse refers to Jesus speaking through Noah to those who lived in rebellion while Noah was building the ark. 

A third theory (and one I reject entirely) is that in the time period between Christ’s death and resurrection, Christ descended into hell and proclaimed salvation, offering a second chance to those in hell. This directly contradicts other passages of Scripture that make it clear that Jesus did not in fact descend into hell during this time (Luke 23:43) and no second chances will be given after death (Hebrews 9:27). 

One final theory is that this passage of Scripture refers to the Nephilim of Genesis 6:1-6, evil Spirits who came to earth and had sexual relations with human women. (Did you think the Bible was boring? Think again!!!) Christ would have been proclaiming to them his victory over angelic beings and spiritual powers.

When we come to a passage of Scripture that is just hard like this one, the important thing is not to nail down the exact right answer. There are biblical scholars and theologians who support each of these theories and not one single man or woman can be 100% sure that his viewpoint is the correct one. Some of you studied Seamless with us this summer and we looked at an overview of the entire Bible. While we were studying the Old Testament we read about how Jacob wrestled with a strange man throughout the night. Scripture makes it clear that this was a physical wrestling match with God himself and in the morning, Jacob walked away, but not without a mark of this wrestling match. From that night on, he walked with a limp, a sign that he had wrestled with God and had prevailed. Throughout the match he asked God to bless him, and in the end, He did. It’s okay for us to wrestle with God over hard things in the Bible. We aren’t supposed to know all the answers immediately. We’re not supposed to have it all together and understand it all. There is blessing in the wrestling! To read more about that, check out this post on the blog: The Blessing in Wrestling.

Baptism

The last portion of this section of 1 Peter continues the illustration of Noah and his wife and their three sons and three daughters in law on the ark.  Peter briefly mentions “baptism” here, which seems to merit more than just one or two verses, but remember, Peter is trying to get all of the instructions included in this letter. He doesn’t waste words at all. Verse 21 says “Baptism, which corresponds to this (Noah on the ark), now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ…”

Here Peter is telling us that in the same way that God carried Noah’s family through the waters of his wrath and safely into new life physically, baptism carries the new believer through the waters of God’s wrath and safely into new life spiritually. I asked Jesus to be the boss of my life when I was eight years old. I was baptized shortly after that. I consciously made a decision to make him my Lord and follow him in the example he set for us in believers baptism in Matthew 3:13-17.

There are two kinds of baptisms commonly practiced today. The first is infant baptism. Of course in infant baptism, the parents of a small child bring the child to a minister who usually sprinkles water on the child’s head for baptismal regeneration. One of the popular liturgies says, "Seeing now, dearly beloved brethren, that this child is regenerate, and grafted into the body of Christ's Church, let us give thanks." Many people view this as a "dedication" ceremony for their infants, not tied to salvation. But many others view this as the means of salvation for infants. Infant baptism is not found in Scripture.

The second form of baptism commonly practiced today is believer’s baptism. This occurs when a child or adult makes a decision to follow Christ as Lord and desires to follow through with baptism, most often by immersion, as an outward sign of an inward change. Believer's baptism occurs multiple times in Scripture, with Jesus being the most notable example in Matthew 3:13-17.

Peter makes it clear in verse 21 that there’s nothing in baptismal water that saves a person. Getting wet with water simply washes dirt off the body. What is important in baptism is that it is “an appeal to God for a good conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ…” In other words, it’s the heart that is important in baptism. The body can get wet all day long and it’s just wet. The difference between baptism and a bath is that baptism requires a heart change. Without a change of heart, it’s just a bath, washing the dirt off. The Bible teaches that baptism is for those with a changed heart, which is why infant baptism is not a reflection of salvation. An infant cannot undergo such a change.

This verse which says “Baptism…now saves you” is quite often taken out of context. If you only read that one verse, it seems that baptism is the only requirement for salvation. No grace, no faith, just baptism. However, if that were the case, it would contradict so many Scriptures that proclaim otherwise. Scripture DOES NOT EVER contradict itself. Ephesians 2:8 says that it's by grace that we have been saved and that it is not of works. There's nothing we can do to merit salvation on our own, baptism included. So there must be another meaning to this verse and it is this: Baptism itself is important because it is an outward sign of an inward change. Without the change of heart, the belief in what Christ did when he died and rose again for you, it’s just a bath, not baptism. Baptism saves you because it is the evidence of a heart that belongs to Jesus Christ.

And for a really great sermon on this passage of Scripture by John Piper, check out this link:

http://www.desiringgod.org/messages/what-is-baptism-and-does-it-save

I am very aware that many of my sisters in Christ in Community Bible Study come from denominations that practice infant baptism instead of believer’s baptism. I want to encourage you all (on both sides of the issue) to pick up your Bible and search for answers. Pray and ask God to show you the truth. Never accept a practice in your church as Biblically true just because it’s what you’ve always seen and heard and done. Ask questions. Search the Scriptures for answers. Talk to your pastors and your teachers and your friends. Wrestle with God. There is blessing in the wrestling!

Submission and Sin

1 Peter 2:11-25

Submission and Sin

Read 1 Peter 2:11-15

This section of Scripture really gets to the heart of the matter concerning sin and our attitude towards it on the inside as well as our behavior on the outside.

Luke 6:45 “…for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” (ESV) or “…for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.” (NASB) The words that come out of our mouths are a direct result of what fills our hearts. Think back to the parable of the Sower that we have referenced several times in our study. When our heart is made of good, fertile soil, full of the Word of God, our mouths will honor Him. But when our hearts are hard and full of thorns and rocks, our words and actions will reflect that too.

What’s on the Inside?

Sin. Yucky, evil sin. Remember all the sins we wrote down in our homework this week? Sexual Immorality, Envy, Lust, Malice, Deceit – all sins that keep us from having a pure heart. You’ve certainly heard it said that “people are generally good”, but the reverse is actually true. People are born into a sin nature. There is no one who escapes that, which is why a rebirth must occur.

The good news for those of us that have chosen to make Jesus the Lord of our lives and have received his gift of salvation, is that now our inside is full of JESUS! He has taken all of our sin, removed it as far as the east is from the west and covered us with His precious blood. No longer does sin define us - it's Jesus in us that defines who we are.

What’s on the Outside?

Hypocrisy. When these ugly things (sins) are on the inside, they show up on the outside too. Oh, we may think we’re doing a good job hiding what lies beneath the surface. But God brings everything to light. Most of the time, people can see right through the charade. That’s why Christians have been labeled as hypocrites so often. We are full of sin on the inside, but we feel the need to look good on the outside to hide what’s inside. When our inside doesn’t match our outside, that’s hypocrisy.

Peter’s Advice

These sins, these passions of the flesh, 1 Peter 2:11 says they are waging war against your soul! WAR! We can’t sit idly by while sin wreaks havoc on our lives. We must abstain from the passions of the flesh. That means we DON’T DO THEM ANY MORE. We are holy, set apart, a chosen people. STOP SINNING!

James 5:16 says, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”

Not too long ago I met an old friend for dinner. The last time we had caught up we had the whole family along, so our conversation stayed on the surface. This time however, it was just my friend and me. Within the first five minutes, our conversation had gone deep, to a level I haven’t reached with very few other people. She was pouring her heart out to me, sharing her struggles, confessing her sin, asking me about my sin and where I struggle, sharing Scripture, and we were praying for each other. It was a beautiful time together and it made me think of James 5:16. Most of the time when we think of confessing our sins to someone else, it brings panic and terror! I don’t want anyone to know what I’m really like on the inside! But God’s precious promise to us is that if we obediently confess our sins to each other, WE WILL BE HEALED! That sin that plagues you will be forgiven, that illness you’re battling will be healed. We are not meant to carry our burdens alone. I will tell you right now that if you need someone “safe” to confess to, I’m your girl. I will listen to you, I will pray with you, I will pray for you and I will anticipate your healing with you. I would love so much to be a part of that with you.

Submission

We have an interesting transition here in 1 Peter 2:13-21 concerning submission. At first it seemed kind of random to me, like a new story with no segue. But it fits in a lot better than I first thought! As we are talking about the need for our outer actions to match our inner hearts, we come to the subject of submission. Peter tells us that we are to submit to the authority of every human institution, whether honorable or dishonorable. This means our president, our governor, our Congress, our Senate, our mayor, our police force, our pastors, our elders – any authority over us.  In verse 16 he instructs us to live as people who are free, not using our freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.

Verse 18 talks about servants and slaves being subject to their masters, even in the midst of suffering. 1 Peter 2:19 says “For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly.” As we submit to authority, we must be mindful of God. That's the key to submission! We can't do it on our own. Our gaze must be fixed on Him. If we are focused on the people to whom we must submit we will not be able to endure. As we practice submission to those in authority over us, we must be mindful of God (v19), with our submission completely independent from the worthiness of the person to whom we are submitting.

So why all this talk of submission, when just a few sentences before we were reading about sin?

Your response to the leadership of the Holy Spirit in your life is a direct result of the condition of your heart and your willingness to submit to the Father. When our hearts are not fully submitted to the leadership of God in our lives, we will never be able to submit to any authority. In the same way, a person that will not submit to authority reveals a heart that will not submit to God. 

It’s as if a window stands between the heart and the body, revealing what is on both sides.

But it’s not just for our benefit. We don’t need our words and actions to match perfectly just so that we can check our boxes, right? Why do we need to pursue righteousness then? Verse 12 is the key – “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.” We need our outsides to match our insides so that unbelievers will see and recognize God and give Him glory.

Christ has left us an example (Read v21-25) so that we can follow in his steps. He is the only one whose forever-pure words overflowed from a forever-pure heart. He had no sin, he responded rightly to suffering, he died for us on the cross. It’s by his wounds that we are healed.

I’m Definitely a Hypocrite.

It’s time to confess.

Are you a hypocrite too? (Hate to burst your bubble, but we all are.) He wants to bring healing to you! He’ll do that when you confess your sins to each other and to him and ultimately submit to His authority. Life with Him is so much sweeter than life without. It’s for freedom that he sets us free. The same power that raised Jesus from the grave now lives in us! Romans 8:11 says “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.” Submit to Him and allow his power to work in you so that your heart will be cleaned and your actions will bring Him glory.

Listen to this song by Jeremy Camp called "Same Power" and be encouraged that you CAN conquer sin. You can learn to submit to the Father. And you will be healed. Hallelujah and Amen!

The Cornerstone, Living Stones and A stumbling block

1 Peter 2:1-10

The Cornerstone, Living stones and A stumbling block

Are you hungry? Do you desire more of God's Word to sustain you? Do you want to know more about your role in the body of Christ and how that fits in with the Church? This lesson is for you!

Start by reading 1 Peter 2:1-3. It begins with the word "Therefore" or "So", depending on your translation. Remember what that means? We need to remember what we've read in the verses just before this one. 

SO WHAT?

Because of all that we read in Chapter 1 (Remember, when this letter was written by Peter, it wasn’t broken into chapters in verses. It flowed like a real letter because it was a real letter!) we must do the following… Chapter 1 is mostly about the salvation that was given to us and the living hope we have because of Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead. Peter also calls us to be holy and to love each other in Chapter 1. SO, because of that, here’s what we should do!

Because of our salvation, our living hope, our holiness, our love for our brothers, we must put away all sin.  Peter lists out a few, but the point is that our sin (any sin!) should grieve us, just as it grieves the heart of God. When we see the depths of our sin, when we truly believe the good news of what Jesus has done for us and we decide to follow Christ with our lives, something in us must change. No longer can we be satisfied with sin remaining in our lives. Jesus brings it all to the surface in the sanctification process. As soon as we become aware of sin, we must confess it and repent from it. We “put it away”, never to be resurrected again because we are living sacrifices. What we want is no longer important. Our lives are dead so that He can live through us.

GOT MILK?

As believers, we should be craving the pure spiritual milk that is God’s Word, just as a newborn baby is hungry for his mother’s milk! Lord, give us a hunger for your word! And once we drink that milk, we realize that there is meat to be eaten! We eat more and are satisfied and then we are hungry again, so we eat more again! We have tasted and seen that the Lord is good and we just cannot get enough! If you’re wondering why this doesn’t apply to you, why you don’t feel this way, let me issue you a challenge. Ask God to make you hungry for more of Him.  John 14:13-14 tells us that Jesus will do anything we ask in His name. So in the name of Jesus, ask him to make you hungry for His Word! He will definitely do it!

Now read 1 Peter 2:4-8 to go a little deeper with old Peter. Here we see that Peter refers to Jesus as the cornerstone, but Peter's first reference to Jesus as Cornerstone is in Acts 4:1-13. Peter and John had been preaching the resurrection of Jesus to the people and were thrown in jail for it. At their hearing the next day, Peter let them all know the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection. He quoted Psalm 118:22, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” He was also referencing the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 28:16, which says “”Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation…” When the people saw their boldness, (and the fact that they were uneducated, common men), they realized they had been with Jesus! Peter lets them all know that Jesus Christ is the Cornerstone, the one stone that the whole church is built upon.

The definition of a cornerstone is “a stone representing the nominal starting place in the construction of a monumental building, usually carved with the date and laid with appropriate ceremonies.” Jesus is the starting place of the church! He is the one living stone that every other living stone was laid upon. Picture a tall building made of stone. At the bottom corner is one special stone, the cornerstone, on which the entire building was erected. 

LIVING STONES

Believers are living stones!

Under the old covenant (before Jesus), the physical temple is where the presence of God resided. That old temple points us to the new temple, under the new covenant. Since the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, the old temple building is no longer needed because believers are now the temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19)

Ephesians 3:19-22 – As believers, we are each living stones that are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. Each of us has a relationship with God, but we cannot neglect the importance of all of the stones together. We were made for community, for relationships. It takes all of us to be living stones together.

Now imagine what the building would look like if some of those stones were missing! We were created for relationships. Our first and most important relationship is with Jesus Christ, the Chief Cornerstone. But we were also created for relationships with each other. We need each other because together, as living stones, we create the temple of God!

A STUMBLING BLOCK

Peter could've left us with an encouraging message about our role as living stones, having received the living hope offered to us by Jesus. Instead he chose to include a few verses in his letter to clarify the difference between those who are alive in Christ and those who don't believe. The Gospel is a stumbling block to those who don’t believe! Check out 1 Corinthians 1:18-25.

Not only is Jesus Christ the Cornerstone of the Church, but the message he brings is a stumbling block to those who do not believe. Unbelievers stumble over the gospel because they do not obey the word. The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. God knew this would happen. In fact, He has always known it would happen. God knew that there would be people that would stumble over this news of Jesus. But He loves us so much that he gives us a choice and allows us to live with our decision.

EVERYTHING IS NEW

Read 1 Peter 1:9-10

Do you remember who this letter is written to? Believers! (Both Jewish and Gentile) Peter reminds us that we are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession! No longer is the nation of Israel God’s chosen people, the holy nation – now that title belongs to all believers everywhere! We are a royal priesthood with access to the throne room at all times. We are a people for his own possession, adopted as sons! Why? So that we can proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness and into his marvelous light! He is so worthy of our praise! Once we were not a people (we didn’t exist as a “nation” of believers in Jesus before his death on the cross!) but now we are! Once we had not received mercy - we were bound in a system of required sacrifices and offerings to redeem us – but now we have received mercy through the blood of Jesus Christ.

Jesus has taken all of the old and made it new. He has built it all upon himself, because of himself and for himself!

If you have chosen to follow Jesus with your life, ask Him to give you a hunger for His Word, to place you in the spot made just for you in the new temple made of living stones and remember that you are a part of his chosen race, his royal priesthood. You are His child, created in Him for good works and to fulfill your special role in the body of Christ. He will do it. These are His precious promises!