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God trusted Peter (and us) to speak of his wonderful acts
Saturday, 26 August 2017
1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people,[1 Peter 2:9 Isaiah 43:20; Deuteronomy 7:6; 10:15] the King’s cohanim,[1 Peter 2:9 Exodus 19:6; Isaiah 61:6] a holy nation,[1 Peter 2:9 Exodus 19:6] a people for God to possess![1 Peter 2:9 Isaiah 43:21; Exodus 19:5] Why? In order for you to declare the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; before, you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.[1 Peter 2:10 Hosea 2:25(23)]
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Peter carried a profound sense of responsibility. Jesus had called him, not just to relax and bask in God’s love, but to “fish for people.” That was the calling for all the Christian converts to whom he wrote, too. “Peter uses OT words and images to apply Israel’s special identity to his Gentile audience. Israel is God’s chosen race (Isaiah 43:20), royal priesthood (Exodus 19:6), holy nation (Exodus 19:6) and a people who are God’s own possession (Exodus 19:5). The same can now be said of these believers in Jesus.” * Peter knew that God calls all Christ followers, like Israel, to be a blessing to all the people of the world.
Ø As one of God’s people (“a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people who are God’s own possession”—wow!), how do you or will you live so that others can know God’s love and mercy? How can the faith community to which you belong show God’s grace and light in ways you can’t do alone? How can a sense that together we are God’s hands in the world help you more clearly and deeply understand the meaning of “church”?
Ø As one of God’s people (“a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people who are God’s own possession”—wow!), how do you or will you live so that others can know God’s love and mercy? How can the faith community to which you belong show God’s grace and light in ways you can’t do alone? How can a sense that together we are God’s hands in the world help you more clearly and deeply understand the meaning of “church”?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, you changed Peter from an ordinary fisherman to a man from whose life and writings we learn over 2000 years after his death. Empower me to live in ways that will have eternal value as a member of your “royal priesthood” on earth. Amen.
* Jeanine K. Brown, study note on 1 Peter 2:9-10 in The CEB Study Bible. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2013, p. 464-465 NT.
Family Activity: Jesus was an incredible encourager. He saw the best in everyone no matter what they had said or done, as he did in Peter. Read 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17[2 Thessalonians 2:16 And may our Lord Yeshua the Messiah himself and God our Father, who has loved us and by his grace given us eternal comfort and a good hope, 17 comfort your hearts and strengthen you in every good word and deed.]. As a family, think of the people who see the highest potential in each of you. Create a list of those encouraging people in your lives. Talk about who cheers you on, builds you up and offers you hope. What characteristics do they have that identify them as encouragers? Find a way to thank those people this week. You might bake a treat, create a card or simply thank them for who they are in your lives. Ask yourselves how you can be more encouraging to others. How can you lead others by living out this quality of Christ? How can you see the best in people? Pray together, thanking God for seeing the best in you and in everyone. Ask God to help you grow as an encouraging person.
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Mike Ash
Mike Ash is the worship leader and Director of Community Life at Resurrection's Blue Springs location.
"You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation?"
It’s hard to imagine what the early church thought when they read these words from Peter. Maybe something like “Yeah, right, Pete. It’s easy for you to feel that way. After all, you were with Jesus all the time! He even called you the Rock!”
Peter was conveying the truth that we are all called to proclaim the good news of Jesus. Essentially, he was saying because of God’s mercy you have become a holy people.
Ephesians 4:12 tells us that one of the main tasks for ministers is to equip the people for the work of the kingdom. A leader’s job is not to do all the work. There is no possible way that a pastor can serve all the needs of the people. Together we make up the body of Christ and the priesthood of all believers is an exciting reality. We can all pray, serve and be used by God to proclaim God’s truth and love.
In his book After You Believe, N. T. Wright says, “Worship and mission are the church’s primary tasks. They share the same heart. The heart that loves God, the world and those who bear his image. This heart can be trained in the practice of virtue.”
To be a people who are God’s own possession means becoming more like Christ. When we become more like Jesus it impacts those we come in contact with. The fruit of the spirit in Galatians 5:22 is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, giving and self-control. This fruit is evidence of God’s Spirit at work in and through our lives. Most of the time we don’t get zapped by the Holy Spirit and suddenly, we have more patience. It’s something we practice by making big and small choices every day, and then we find we are more patient. Kind of like believing that we are royalty, and others need to know that they are too, and it’s up to us to show them they have dignity and worth.
I went to school with a guy who was an amazing basketball player. He could shoot from anywhere on the court and was a fantastic ball handler. He played basketball every day--you could see him practicing whenever you drove down his street. I envied him his skill on the court. To this day I don’t know why, but he never played on the team. He wouldn’t go out for basketball and didn’t want to play in a real game. Looking back, it’s kind of sad that he practiced but never really put his talent to use.
Because of God’s mercy we are chosen, royal, and holy. We need to believe that we are who God says we are and call others out of darkness into God’s kingdom of hope and love.
God is inviting us to live out all that we’ve heard and learned, to join God’s mission of restoring and loving the world.
Heavenly Father, empower us today to be your kingdom people who delight in telling others about your grace and goodness. Help us to believe that we are chosen by you, and give us the courage to join you in your mission of restoring the world with your hope and love. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Mike AshMike Ash is the worship leader and Director of Community Life at Resurrection's Blue Springs location.
"You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation?"
It’s hard to imagine what the early church thought when they read these words from Peter. Maybe something like “Yeah, right, Pete. It’s easy for you to feel that way. After all, you were with Jesus all the time! He even called you the Rock!”
Peter was conveying the truth that we are all called to proclaim the good news of Jesus. Essentially, he was saying because of God’s mercy you have become a holy people.
Ephesians 4:12 tells us that one of the main tasks for ministers is to equip the people for the work of the kingdom. A leader’s job is not to do all the work. There is no possible way that a pastor can serve all the needs of the people. Together we make up the body of Christ and the priesthood of all believers is an exciting reality. We can all pray, serve and be used by God to proclaim God’s truth and love.
In his book After You Believe, N. T. Wright says, “Worship and mission are the church’s primary tasks. They share the same heart. The heart that loves God, the world and those who bear his image. This heart can be trained in the practice of virtue.”
To be a people who are God’s own possession means becoming more like Christ. When we become more like Jesus it impacts those we come in contact with. The fruit of the spirit in Galatians 5:22 is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, giving and self-control. This fruit is evidence of God’s Spirit at work in and through our lives. Most of the time we don’t get zapped by the Holy Spirit and suddenly, we have more patience. It’s something we practice by making big and small choices every day, and then we find we are more patient. Kind of like believing that we are royalty, and others need to know that they are too, and it’s up to us to show them they have dignity and worth.
I went to school with a guy who was an amazing basketball player. He could shoot from anywhere on the court and was a fantastic ball handler. He played basketball every day--you could see him practicing whenever you drove down his street. I envied him his skill on the court. To this day I don’t know why, but he never played on the team. He wouldn’t go out for basketball and didn’t want to play in a real game. Looking back, it’s kind of sad that he practiced but never really put his talent to use.
Because of God’s mercy we are chosen, royal, and holy. We need to believe that we are who God says we are and call others out of darkness into God’s kingdom of hope and love.
God is inviting us to live out all that we’ve heard and learned, to join God’s mission of restoring and loving the world.
Heavenly Father, empower us today to be your kingdom people who delight in telling others about your grace and goodness. Help us to believe that we are chosen by you, and give us the courage to join you in your mission of restoring the world with your hope and love. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
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Prayer Requests – cor.org/prayer Prayers for Peace & Comfort for:
• Ruth Jones and family on the death of her sister Elsie Maxine Majewski, 8/12
• Tiffany Anderson and family on the death of her husband Stanley L. Anderson, 8/11
• Laura Gray and family on the death of her mother Carole Gray, 8/11
• Sheila Gill and family on the death of her father David Cole, 8/11
• Timberly Apple and family on the death of her husband Craig Apple, 8/10
• Tony Collichio and family on the death of his nephew Mike Marino, 8/5
• Katie Howe and family on the death of her father Daniel Rollheiser, 8/4
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You might also like
Jesus: God’s final word
The apostle Paul’s thoughtful quoting of the Bible
Jesus lived the Bible’s eternal principles
“Open my eyes”
What the Bible is meant to do
Or download this week's printable GPS.
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©2017 Church of the Resurrection. All Rights Reserved.
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224, United States
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You might also like
Jesus: God’s final word
The apostle Paul’s thoughtful quoting of the Bible
Jesus lived the Bible’s eternal principles
“Open my eyes”
What the Bible is meant to do
Or download this week's printable GPS.
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©2017 Church of the Resurrection. All Rights Reserved.
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224, United States
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