Suffer for doing good.

1 Peter 3:13-17

In light of the recent Supreme Court decision to legalize homosexual marriage or marriage equality, I felt that it would be important for believers to understand their role and purpose in this society. I would like to first declare that God is still on His throne. His power has not diminished. In fact, He knew that such a time as this would occur, and he still sent his son, Jesus Christ, to be the perfect sin offering for all of mankind. There is nothing that can stop that. There is nothing that can change that.

A prominent pastor recently commented on the Supreme Court decision by saying, “…we should not lose our mind over the world being the world…”. He speaks truth and wisdom in that statement. We should be concerned, however, when the Church is no longer being the Church. The freedoms that we enjoy in this country have created an atmosphere of entitlement for the Christian. This “entitlement” gospel has created a false sense of spiritual reality . Its almost as if the North American church should not expect persecution. Yet, in 2 Timothy 3:12, it says, “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” Indeed, our society is changing more and more everyday, and the child of God must be equipped to handle the change and exalt the name of Jesus Christ. But how?

There are at least three things the Apostle Peter encourages the church to do when experiencing persecution for doing the right thing. Can you imagine being persecuted for doing the right thing? Some of us might actually believe that this is a new concept, however, Christianity was birthed in persecution. Our Savior was crucified for being “too good” to be true. In 1 Peter 3:15 Peter tells us to:

• Sanctify Christ in your hearts. Our relationship with Jesus Christ is the core truth of being able to withstand persecution. It starts with an intimate and passionate relationship with our God. To “sanctify” means to “set apart” or to make something special. Our relationship should be something special to us. It’s not ordinary. Are you emotionally tied to your Lord? Can you see and feel difference between your relationship with him and with others? Is it sanctified? It is set apart? If not, why? I encourage you to spend more time with him. Speak with Him. Be challenged by His words. Your relationship with your Lord is the single most important relationship that you can ever have. It is the core truth of your existence.

• Be ready to make a defense. The word defense here is apologia. It means to “have a reasoned argument”. This should give you a mental picture of a lawyer arguing his case in the court of law. The Apostle Peter says that we should know why we have the hope that we have, and we should be prepared to articulate the specifics of our values, our morals, and our relationship with Jesus. Before we jump into a heated debate about homosexuality, we should study to show ourselves approved, and correctly handle the Word of God. Its not enough to be in love with the Lord…know why you are in love with the Lord.

• It should be done in gentleness and respect. What does it look like when the “Body of Christ” does not behave the way Jesus Christ behaves? Can you imagine a church filled with the gifts of the Spirit, but lacking the fruit of the Spirit? Peter encourages the church that even in the face of severe persecution, behave in a gentle manner and with respect. In fact, he goes on to say that our behavior should be so above reproach, that when our adversaries speak falsely against us, they will be ashamed because people will have a difficult time believing them. Believe it or not, our lifestyle is the true mark of the Word of God living in us.

Before your next post on Facebook or Twitter, consider the power of your words and actions…not as an individual, but as a member of the body of Christ. Before that heated debate by the water cooler at your job or by the grill at the family BBQ, consider that the world being the world is nothing new. Maybe the only thing new for the church is that the world being the world is exposing the fact that the church hasn’t been the church for a very long time.