Living hope

When God says something one time, it is an eternal truth. And then, there are truths that he emphasizes with repetition. Today’s passage highlights God’s intimate fellowship with his people by using the simple word “with.”

You may have many great accomplishments on your resume—an outstanding athlete, a dazzling performer, an accomplished musician, a graduate of a highly respected educational institution, a leader of this or that, a native of Oklahoma (jealous, aren’t you)—but when it comes to your spiritual resume before Christ, forget the bullet points, italics, and pithy descriptions. One four-letter word is centered on the page— “DEAD!”

One of the amazing things about grace is that God chose us before “the foundation of the world.” He did not look down through the tunnel of time to see what kind of person we would be and then pick us for his team based on our future performance. God did not choose us because, in his omniscience, he knew that we would choose him. Fallen man does not seek God. This divine selection was based solely on God’s grace. And his choosing was for a purpose.

Tunch Ilkin was a fourteen-year veteran of the NFL, a three-time Pro-Bowler, and a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers All-time team. Not a bad resume. For years after his playing career, Tunch worked as a Steelers broadcaster and served as Director of Men’s Ministry at our church. As you might imagine, Tunch had some great stories.

In contrast to those who “disobey the word” of the gospel, Peter uses terms originally given to the nation of Israel to describe believers. Several of these terms are found in 1 Peter 2:9.

Suppose you are caught in a burning building. The fire has caused a fallen ceiling to block the only exit. Try as you might, you cannot escape. You are trapped without hope. Exhausted, you lie on the floor to wait for the inevitable. But then you hear an instrument pounding on the other side of the wall. Muffled voices are yelling for you to respond.

The power went out at about 10:30 PM. Lori and I were right in the middle of watching a movie. The movie was one someone had loaned to us and said we needed to watch it. To be honest, we didn’t mind missing the rest of the movie! But we did mind the darkness and cold. Our thirty hours without power made it feel like we were back in the pioneer days, out on the prairie living by candlelight and warming up by the fireplace. We own about ten flashlights, but only one worked, and it was a needed companion. Light cuts through the darkness.

The context of today’s passage began when an invalid beggar was healed by Peter and John as they made their way to the temple for afternoon prayers. Reports of the healing drew quite a crowd and quickly caught the attention of the Jewish leaders. They arrested the two disciples and brought them before a group of high officials with a demanding question: “By what power or by what name did you do this?” Peter’s answer is straight to the point— “Jesus Christ of Nazareth.”

I recently spent time in Thailand. It was amazing to see the work that is being done there. At Faith House, girls destined for the sex trade are rescued, educated, and introduced to Jesus. We are thankful for the Thailand staff and their ministry to these girls. Paul said it this way in Romans 10:14-15.