Renewed Perspective

At Youth for Christ, our ministry team meets every Tuesday morning for a ministry meeting where we dive into Scripture, talk about it, work on some business stuff, then end with a good time of prayer.  I cannot put into words how much I benefit from and appreciate this time that we have together on Tuesdays, particularly when we study the Bible. With what I have learned about Scripture from my education at CSB/SJU, I have a renewed passion and desire for this book we call sacred and I feel equipped to dig deeper into it.

Anyways, the purpose of this blog is to share the profound truth that I have come to be quite passionate about and it was revealed to me in 1 Peter, which is the most recent book of the Bible that our ministry team has been studying.  I had the privilege of guiding our team through the first part of our study, basically giving an introduction to 1 Peter and its purpose and context.  It is in the purpose and context of this letter to the Christians – particularly Gentile (Non-Jew) Christians living in Greco-Roman cultures in the Asia Minor – that God really opened my eyes to some profound truth.  This set the table for a better understanding of what I was reading and its relevancy. 

The author of this letter remains anonymous according to scholars.  Though the salutation states that the apostle Peter wrote and sent the letter, it was common practice in the Greco-Roman culture to sign letters with a name that may hold more authority to it then one’s own (This happens many times with the Pauline Letters).  Beside the point, this specific letter is being sent to the Christians of this community because there is much social tension and suffering for their faith.   In this Greco-Roman culture, Christianity is a strange, foreign, and detested religion, which meant there was a lot of negativity towards those who followed Christ, even within families.  Often times, Christians were misunderstood and slandered by those who did not understand their faith.  This letter is not calling the Christians to lash out at or condemn those who persecute them, but to remain faithful to their convictions and to stand firm in the midst of suffering.  “Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence …” (1 Peter 3:15b-16).   Their example was Christ, who, being the Incarnate Word of God, suffered unjustly.  But what is significant and profound about using Christ as the example is the call to NOT ABANDON THE WORLD simply because it persecutes and doesn’t understand your faith.  This is what brought about a renewed understanding of my role as a Christ-follower. 

As Christians, we are called emulate Christ, and this means a refusal to abandon and forsake those around you, especially those who don’t believe.  This made me think of my favorite quote from John K. Falconer: “I have but one candle of life to burn, and I would rather burn it out in a land filled with darkness than in a land flooded with light.”  To me, this parallels the call in 1 Peter.   This call is very applicable in today’s world and it is something that I am very passionate about because I see many Christians who get caught up in their safe box of Christian lights that their lights are not reaching in the darkness.  Now, I’m NOT saying the being apart of a Christian community is a bad thing; it is very needed to commune with our fellow sisters and brothers in Christ.  But it is so very easy to stay where we feel familiar and safe that we don’t shine the light of Jesus in the darkness, frankly because the darkness is out of our comfort zone.  This can be seen in how we choose the people we hang out with or the school we go to.  When something is familiar, it feels safe and comfortable.  But did Jesus’ ministry look like that?  No!  He was reaching out to the underdogs of society and to the sick and diseased.  He was burning brightly in a very dark place.  We are called to do the same.  Make friends with the person whose behaviors or lifestyle choices make your skin crawl or with the people who don’t understand you or persecute you.  Those are the individuals you should be making friends with.  And when I mean being friends with them, I don’t mean being on a mission to convert this person and that is your sole reason and purpose for the friendship… That’s not friendship.  Christ was vulnerable and not only exposed his divinity to the people he ministered to, but his full humanity.  By being open and honest with people, that is where true relationships are formed and that very authenticity is where the seed of Christ is best planted.

Now, I could rant on and on about how you should not shelter your light from the world, but that would get redundant.  I get feisty over it because I have seen so much of it in people.  I will simply finish by saying that those friends that I personally have that don’t believe the same as me or make specific lifestyle choices I don’t necessarily agree with are some of the most amazing people in my life because they keep me on my toes.  I have to be ready to stand up for my faith and convictions when they challenge them and that refines my beliefs and makes them stronger and all the more relevant.  So thank you to those who stir the coals up in my life.  Keep stirring … because I will keep burning.  This light, won’t abandon you.

-Pip Q