ECC-Evangelical Covenant Church
For those of us who seek to follow Christ, we can sometimes feel out of place, like we don't belong, or don't always fit in--as if we are exiles, foreigners in strange land. Worse, we can face persecution--as many do in parts of our world today.
First Peter is a letter written by the Apostle Peter to several churches who were dealing with just this kind of strangeness. While persecution was not yet full-blown and formal, Christians in his day had to deal with misunderstandings, peer pressure, and the ups and downs of life on a fallen planet in a hostile land. Join us as we seek to hear what Peter had to say to his first readers and how it might apply to us, today.
Strangers in a Strange Land: Do What is Right, Regardless of How You Feel
May 28, 2023
Pentecost
Pastor Chuck Potts
1 Peter 2:18-25 NIV
A Question to Ponder.
Pastor Chuck talked about the Hebrew word "Tzedakah", which mean's "righteousness" or doing what is right regardless of how we feel. Where else in scripture do you remember seeing this underlying theme of "doing what is right" regardless of how you feel? Where in your own life have you seen this biblical theme played out?
A Question to Ponder.
Why do you think Peter doesn't directly call out the "slave masters", chosing to speak to the enslaved people instead? Does this high call to "do what is right" still fit alongside other passages that talk about freedom, like John 8:36, Galatians 5:1, or even the passage just before it in 1 Peter 2:16-17.
A Question to Ponder.
Do you think Pastor Chuck's call to simple acts of kindness and love are really able to confront such evil in our own world? Does it feel too simple and not enough? What examples from your life can you think of where kindness and love have made a significant difference?
Pentecost
Almighty God, on this day you opened the way of eternal life to every race and nation by the promised gift of your Holy Spirit: Shed abroad this gift throughout the world by the preaching of the Gospel, that it may reach to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.