We Must Never Forget
What perfect timing!!! This PODCAST coming not a moment too soon!
Last week you might remember, I referenced the fact that so many of our precious Safe Haven family—You, not to put too fine a point on it—are going through profoundly challenging and difficult times.
Well guess what? In God’s perfect timing, that just happens to be the theme of 1 Peter.
“God’s Sustaining Strength Through Our (Your!) Sustained Sufferings.”
Be it physical, mental, emotional, relational, or spiritual—I know that many of us come stumbling into Safe Haven on a Saturday night, or click the link to this podcast—some of us feeling as though we are teetering on the breaking point.
Here is what I want you to hear: So did Peter’s original readers. This is a letter written specifically to them/to us/to you!
Get this: In the five short chapters that make up this beloved little letter, Peter will reference the suffering of his readers (including you!) 16 times.
“God’s Sustaining Strength Through Our (Your!) Sustained Sufferings.”
By way of this podcast, welcome to Peter’s world.
And this is how Peter’s first Biblical letter begins:
This letter is from Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ.
I am writing to God’s chosen people who are living as foreigners in the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. 2 God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and his Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ.
May God give you more and more grace and peace. (1 Peter 1:1-2)
Wait… where is all this suffering and strength? Well, for starters, one example comes a mere four verses later:
There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. (1 Peter 1:6)
Now, keep in mind, when Peter says “for a little while”, he’s not talking about a couple days or weeks. He is viewing time on an eternal scale. But, we’ll dig deeper into that in a future episode. Then there are these statements Peter makes:
For it is a grace when someone, because he is mindful of God, bears up under the pain of undeserved punishment. (1 Peter 2:19)
Don’t be hateful and insult people just because they are hateful and insult you. Instead, treat everyone with kindness. You are God’s chosen ones, and he will bless you. (1 Peter 3:9)
Even if you have to suffer for doing good things, God will bless you. (1 Peter 3:14)
Christ suffered here on earth. Now you must be ready to suffer as he did (1 Peter 4:1)
Dear friends, don’t be surprised about the fiery trials that have come among you to test you. (1 Peter 4:12)
you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. (1 Peter 5:9)
So, just by this handful of examples from this one letter, the readers of Peter’s letter were enduring trials, undeserved punishment, hate, insults, suffering as Jesus did, fiery trials… and this was taking place all over the known world to Christ followers!
And, as committed Christ followers today in the 21stcentury, this is our heritage. It is a heritage we must never ever forget.