Tag: 1 Peter

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Thinking About Suffering

Not long ago I was asked to teach a Sunday school class. The assigned topic was suffering. I had to admit to my friends that although as a pastor I had spent much time with people who were suffering, I have had little personal experience with suffering. At this point, my Parkinson’s symptoms are not as severe as they might be. My past injuries and surgeries do not compare with the serious health problems others have experienced. I am a novice when it  comes to suffering, so I was not teaching from my own experience.

Suffering is part of the human condition. That is why the apostle Peter wrote his first letter. He wrote, “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials” (1Peter 1:6). He also said, “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering as though something strange were happening to you” (1 Peter 4:12). In fact, every chapter in 1 Peter has a reference to suffering or persecution. He wrote to prepare the Lord’s people to face suffering with courage and hope.

There are various ways to think about suffering. Escapism and denial are one way. Some preachers want you to believe that suffering is never God’s will and that healing is always God’s will. Just say the word, name it and claim it, and instantly be free of sickness or trouble. If deliverance doesn’t happen, it is because the sufferer does not have enough faith to be healed. This flatly contradicts 1 Peter which says that suffering is sometimes the will of God for a believer (1 Peter 4:19).

Suffering is inevitable because we live in a world that is broken. Innocent people suffer because of wars, accidents, injustice, disease, natural disasters, and other tragedies. I was living in Oklahoma City thirty years ago when the Murrah Federal Building was bombed by domestic terrorists. 168 people lost their lives, 19 of them little children. Hundreds more were injured. What are we to think of events like this? Jesus told his followers that tragedies happen in our world but victims should not be thought of as greater sinners than anyone else (Luke 13:2-5).

In some parts of the world believers are being persecuted and martyred because they are Christians. I am humbly grateful that I live in a nation where we are still free to express our faith. I fear that we may become so used to our comforts and freedom, that we have no theology of suffering. We American believers have much to learn from fellow-Christians in places like North Korea, Iran, Myanmar, Nigeria, Somalia, and Afghanistan.

God has a purpose in our sufferings. 1 Peter 1:7 says that one purpose is to refine our faith. James 1:2-5 says that suffering tests our faith and produces maturity, if we respond with perseverance. We should never doubt the goodness of God. He does have a good purpose in whatever he allows to reach us (Romans 8:28).

Many New Testament passages tell how the church’s sufferings identify us with Jesus. When Peter tells us to follow in the steps of Jesus (1 Peter 2:21), he was talking about following in the way of suffering. “Rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed” (1 Peter 4:13).

One of the sacred responsibilities of being a local church pastor is accompanying God’s people as they experience suffering. I have witnessed great fortitude and courage in the face of overwhelming pain and sorrow in ordinary folks who had entrusted their lives to Jesus. I hope my presence and prayers reminded them of the compassion of Jesus. I also hope that when I am called to suffer, that I may do so with the same faith that I saw in them.

Pastor Randy Faulkner

 

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A Joyful Response to the Doctrine of Election

A Joyful Response to the Doctrine of Election

Warren Wiersbe whimsically told of a man who wanted his help to get a book published, “God has given me the pen of a ready writer,” the man claimed ostentatiously. He caught up with Wiersbe at his hotel room, interrupting a badly needed afternoon nap.

When Wiersbe opened the door to his room the man blurted, “I have a book manuscript here in which I prove that John 3:16 does not teach that God loves the whole world.”

“‘Really?’ I replied, with an obvious yawn which he ignored. ‘Then what does the word world mean in John 3:16?'”

“‘The elect!’ he almost shouted.”

Wiersbe answered, “You know, brother, life has enough problems even when we believe that God loves the world. What would happen if we didn’t believe it? Life would be unbearable! I don’t suggest that you publish that book.”

This illustrates the lengths to which some extremists go to try to promote their version of the doctrine of election. And this is a reason some believers react so strenuously against its teaching.

In point of fact, we cannot deny that this teaching is scriptural. Whatever else we might say about it we must all agree that the election of God’s people is because of his love (Ephesians 1:4-5). An appreciation of the doctrine of election leads to right living (Colossians 3:12).

In today’s blog, I want to call attention to what the apostle Peter says about it in his first letter. He is writing to Christian Jews of the diaspora and to Gentiles who have recently been converted from paganism. They are being persecuted for their faith and Peter is writing to give them encouragement and stability in the face of suffering.

Peter fortifies their faith with the great truth of election. They are God’s chosen ones, his special people, the “people of God” (1 Peter 2:9). Though they are “strangers” and “scattered,” as far as the world is concerned, as far as God is concerned they are his elect people “who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father” (1 Peter 1:1-2).

To me a high point of the letter is 1 Peter 2:9 — “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

He went on to say, “To this, you were called…” (2:21) and “God called you to his eternal glory…” (5:10). Therefore they are to “Stand fast in the true grace of God” (5:13). The “call” to which he refers is the election of God, his special choice of those people whom he calls his own, by grace alone through faith in Christ alone.

It is not my purpose here to address all the questions that may arise. It is to remind you of a truth that is in the Bible to bring us comfort and joyful assurance. In many ways, we are like those first-century believers who needed the stability and hope that comes from strong doctrine. We need it too!

So meditate today on 1 Peter, chapter one. There it says that God’s elect people are: strangers in the world, chosen in keeping with God’s plan, sanctified by the Holy Spirit, cleansed with the blood of Christ, born again, given a living hope and an imperishable inheritance in heaven, shielded by God’s power, believers in Jesus, even though they have not seen him in person, and given the present assurance of ultimate salvation.

Peter says that all this should fill us with an “inexpressible and glorious joy!” Let that be our response instead of extremism, rancorous arguments and division. If there are questions or misunderstandings, let us bring them to the Lord. In quiet reverence, let’s ask God to give us the same thankful response that is recommended by the apostle Peter.

    –  Pastor Randy Faulkner Randy 2019-spring

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Read it! Over and Over Again

Read it! Over and Over Again

There is more than one way to profitably read the Bible. A friend of mine recently set out to read the Bible through in one month. He committed himself to a schedule of reading 54 pages a day.

Several years ago my wife enjoyed reading through the Bible in three months with a group of friends. They met weekly to discuss what they were learning and to encourage each other to finish well.

Many Christians make it their goal to read through the Bible in a year. The benefits of such comprehensive reading plans are significant: grasping the storyline of redemption history, prophecy and fulfillment, the centrality of Jesus and the cross, foundations of Christian theology, and developing a God-centered worldview. There are many additional benefits.

Some prefer to read the Bible more slowly, allowing time for meditation and application. This is good too. Another friend, Keith Roberson, has devoted himself to a mastery of the psalms. He has enriched his spiritual life by exploring the theology of the psalmists, gaining a deeper understanding of worship, and recognizing the psalms as responses to life’s circumstances.

In recent months I have been reading some of the shorter books of the New Testament all the way through in my daily quiet time. As I read I write down impressions that I can carry with me through the day or thoughts I can share with others to encourage them. Here are a few reasons to spend time in one book of the Bible and to read it over and over.

  • To notice repeated words and themes the writer emphasizes (such as “suffering” in 1 Peter)
  • To memorize key verses in the book (to help a suffering friend you might want to memorize 1 Peter 4:12-13 or 19)
  • To hear a fresh word from God from familiar words you have read many times before (Here’s an example: Suffering may cause some to doubt God’s goodness. No. “The Lord is good.” 1 Peter 2:3)
  • To know God as the book describes him (I recently counted 13 attributes of God in 1 Peter alone; a rich meditation)
  • To think more deeply about difficult passages and to be motivated to study them thoroughly (1 Peter 3:19 has that mysterious phrase about Christ preaching to the spirits in prison. How long has it been since your pastor preached on that text? Maybe you should study it for yourself!)

It is said that the famous expositor G. Campbell Morgan decided one day to spend less time reading books about the Bible and to invest more time reading the Bible itself. He determined that he would not preach through a book of the Bible until he had read it through consecutively forty or fifty times.

Marinating our minds with a single book of scripture, as my friend Keith has done with the psalms, is not so we can boast of acquired knowledge, but so we may love the Lord who is revealed in his Word and be better equipped to bless others by sharing it (1 Peter 3:15).

Blessed Lord, you have caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning. Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God, forever and ever. Amen. (from The Book of Common Prayer)

    –  Pastor Randy Faulkner

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