Thursday: Proclaiming the Praises
The parallels with the Old Testament church didn’t end with just salvation and our being called out and chosen by God. The question is, Called out and chosen for what? Peter quickly gives the answer.
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Peter points out that this special relationship is for a purpose. Christians are to “proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Pet. 2:9, ESV). This is what ancient Israel was to do. God called them to be witnesses of Him to the world. God’s purpose was to bless the whole world through ancient Israel, His covenant people.
Read the following texts. What’s the one point that they all have in common? Deut. 4:6; Deut. 26:18-19; Isa. 60:1-3; Zech. 8:23.
Ancient Israel, as the covenant people, had a mission to reach the world with the gospel, the salvation offered by the Lord. Christians have the same divine mission. They are called to share with others their experience and knowledge of God and what He has done for the world through Christ.
Read 1 Peter 2:10. Why is this text so central to the whole mission and purpose of Christians?
The world is steeped in sin, in death, in impending doom. But Jesus gave His life to save everyone from this destruction. As with Israel of old, the terms of honor are also terms of responsibility. Christians have an extraordinarily high status: that of the people of God. But this brings the responsibility to invite others to share in that high status. As 1 Peter 2:10 states, Christians now form their own people. They once were not a people, but have now received mercy to become a holy people (see Hosea Chapters 1 & 2). In the Bible, “holy” usually has the meaning of set aside for the purpose of worship. Therefore, as a “holy” nation, Christians are to be separated from the world, a distinction seen in the kind of lives that they live. They are also to be like a fire on a cold night, which will draw others to its warmth. Christians are tasked with the responsibility of sharing with others the glorious salvation of which they have partaken.
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The verse reflects the point of being born again. When one realizes the gift of the mercy from God is given when you decide to follow Jesus. Im a believer our thoughts manifest. I choose to sponsor faithful thinking & encourage others to be a asset to the kingdom of God which results in our salvation in this life.
Praise God..
Walking with Jesus has to demonstrate the real christians we are! The more contact with Him, the more powerful is the witnessing...
The fall of man filled heaven with sorrow. Doomed to misery and death, there appeared no escape for man. This was the lot for man had not been for our loving and kind Saviour who offered to redeem man. The transgressor of God's was to die. The law has to be followed/fulfilled.
But not withstanding the mercy and love of God that transcends beyond our understanding, a way of escape for man was found.....laid even before man was brought into existence. A substitute was there... a man who had no mercy now has found mercy! What an amazing love!
This has to be a song for every christian, a song to be sung aloud to the world of darkness, world of misery, world of hopelessness, a world stepped into sin and doomed to death.
The joy and mercy we have found in Christ has to be broadcasted to every part of this earth.
His Holiness, kindness- His character should be our lot who are called by His name.
Unreservedly we need to surrender our lives to Him so that He fills us with His Life,once filled with His life, it will be easier for us to do His will- spreading the gospel of salvation. Let our characters/life styles be open epistles read by all so that people will acknowledge us as being true followers of Christ and be drawn to Him - the Saviour of mankind. Let every soldier of the Cross stand up for Him.
This is how central this mercy should be to a mission and purpose of a christian.
The common point of the scriptures cited? “Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God”(Isa 43:12)
Is that what THEY see in us?
I have been wrestling with this question for a while 'born again for what?'
I think the lesson helps me to see it clearer for the first time. With the blessing comes a responsibility to share Christ with the world...- to be 'like a fire on a cold night' drawing others to the warmth of Christ -is a beautiful way of describing our purpose. I think for the first time am beginning to feel the sense of this mission as a privilege and not another obligation to fit into my busy life.
My prayer - Lord...guide me from this point to where you need me to be. Amen...
Invited into the Royal Kingdom army to be used by the King in extending the Kingdom
Overally ,we ought to be truly converted christians that live according to what the Lord clearly states in His holy scriptures and we ought to obey if at all we truly love our God who loved us when we were dead in sin.The Holy Spirit is there to help us ,guide us and teach us as long as we heed to the voice of God that speaks to us to lead us to obedience to God's law.i want to believe it is still possible for us to live a holy life as we are told of the likes of Enock,Elijah,Noah they walked with God and i am sure we can if we forsake all and just pick up our crosses and follow Christ whole heartedly.We are a chosen generation ,a royal priesthood and a perculiar people!!!!how wonderful this world would be if we lived upto the expectation of God as said in 1Pet 2 vs 9,10 i am very much sure the whole world would want to follow our God if we were upholding our christian standards and stop copying what the world does and doing what we ought to do so the world can copy from us!!!!There is no way the world will be attracted to our God if we talk,dress,eat,listen (to misic) ,watch(worldly prog on tv) like the world do ,the world then does not see the perculiarity in us because we are sometimes even worse of than the world !!!Let us do some self-reintrospection and let us ask God to help us uphold the christian standards as He expects us to do so that one day we shall be part of the crowd that will gain eternal life!!!Help us God!Amen.
If one would refer to himself/herself as a "Seventh-day Adventist " Christian, instead of a just a "Christian", I am confident that that type of Proclamation would let ones Immdiate sphere of influence know what you would be proclaiming as a "Marvelous Light". If you are being Obedient to the "Law of God", you would be a "Living" witness for all to see. (Even so Lord Jesus.. Come).