South Tampa Fellowship
1 Peter 1:1-12 NIV
The key word here is “strangers,” which is sometimes translated as “aliens," “sojourners” or even “foreigners.”
Genesis 17:8
“Abraham was called a "stranger" in Canaan.”
The Psalmist declared himself a "stranger" living for God in the world.
Hebrews 11:13
"All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth."
Peter tells us that Christians are strangers residing on the earth whose real home is in heaven.
The lifestyle of the "STRANGERS"?
· If you are a husband or wife and you have decided to love and be faithful to your spouse because you are a Christian, you are a stranger in the world.
· If you are a Christian Student, and you have decided to live for Jesus in the halls of your school and around your peers, you are a stranger in the world.
· If you are a worker at a job, big or small, full (or) part-time, blue or white collar—and you have decided to do your work as unto the Lord, not as pleasing men but in order to please God—if you have decided that money will not be the determining factor in your life, then you are a stranger in the world.
· If you are depressed and discouraged and you have said, “No, I won’t turn to drugs or alcohol to handle my problems,” you are a stranger in the world.
· If you are with a group of people where abrasive language, profanity, and inappropriate talk are the accepted norm and you have decided not to join in, you are a stranger in the world.
S – Sought out by God
T– The TRINITY has always been a part of the story
R – Rooted not in us but in Him
A– All we ADDED was the sin
N– No Compromise
G– Go Forth
E– Endure
R– Rejoice
S– STAND STRONG
Here’s the final word to all of us:
Stand fast.
Stand up.
Stand out.
Stand strong
