Thursday, May 3, 2007
What do we want to be known for?
We could be known for lots of reasons, but what should Mercy's Cross Church be known for? What activities or attributes should define us? Who, what, or how, are all words we could use to question how we present ourselves to people. How about generous, caring, or compassionate. What would we most like to be known for?
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How about an unquestionable force for good in our community.
1 Peter 3:15-16
"….Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander."
Peter writes this as the church, especially in Rome is literally being burned at the stake to be used as lighting for Caesars parties at night. Caesar Nero burned down a good section of Rome so he could rebuild it as he wished. The palace he built had a garden roughly the size of Burns Park in NLR, he even had an artificial lake created because he wanted his palace to be “sea side”. He would throw these extravagant parties that would last for days. Well remember this was well before the invention of the light bulb. Caesar Nero was not very popular among the Roman Senators so he blamed the fire in Rome on the Christians. He would systematically arrest hundreds of Christians before these parties, tie them to large telephone pole sized stakes that had been placed in his huge garden and as it got dark light these Christians on fire so he and his parties goers would be able to see.
So it’s to this group of people that Peter says, that even when people are speaking lies against you and your community (the fire Caesar says they started) be ready to give a reason for the hope you have. Peter makes an assumption here. He assumes you’re living in such a way that people are asking you (not you telling them) about the hope you have. Peter is assuming that in the face of this awful persecution that you as a follower of the Messiah Jesus are living in such a way that people are asking you what the deal is.
In a lot of systems of Christianity today, especially in Western/American Evangelical Christianity the emphasis with evangelism is (or tends to be) “how many people have you told about Jesus today/this week/this month/this year?” . Now that’s not a bad impulse, let me be clear. However, Peter is saying, rather than how many times you’ve told someone about Jesus, how many times have people come to you to ask you about the hope you have.
IMO, that’s the better question, and the more pointed one today in our society, when was the last time you were asked to give a reason for the hope you have? If you couldn’t say another word for the rest of your life, would those around you still know you’re a follower of Jesus?
Our Love
John 13:34
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
John 13:35
By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
Ephesians 4:2
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
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