“Doing Church from the Margins”
By Pastor Rich Paradis
Introduction and 1 Peter 1:1
There
was a time when the world was a different place than it seems to be as we
gather today. There was a time in America when there was a fairly common
morality. Even those that didn’t do right seemed to know about this “right” way
to do things and to live. But in addition to the fact that some of this
thinking is merely the evidence of bad remembrance on our parts, the follower
of Christ is finding himself or herself more and more often on the margins of
society instead of a previous or desired place toward the center. And the
result of that is sometimes being excluded or even persecuted for this
position. That’s where we will find the group of believers that Peter addresses
in this letter before us. What will he tell them? What and who should they be
counting on from these “margins”? That’s the letter before us and I think it
will have tremendous application for those of us that desire a closer walk with
our Savior.
I.
Some
background and introductory remarks
a.
Of
the 12 original apostles, 3 of them were chosen to write inspired books of the
New Testament. (Matthew, John, and Peter) Of course, the apostle Paul wrote
many of our NT books but is not a part of the original apostleship.
b.
The
fact that Peter is writing only 2 of our NT books should give us no indication
of the importance of this man of God. He would spend over 30 years in public
ministry in locations from Jerusalem to Rome.
c.
Many
have considered Peter the apostle of Hope, while Paul is considered the apostle
of Faith, and John the apostle of Love.
d.
It
is both a forceful and a pastoral letter from someone who loves the recipients
of Peter’s letter.
e.
Some
have referred to 1 Peter as the Job of the New Testament because of its
consideration of suffering and difficulty for the one who desires to follow
God.
f.
Some
helpful information:
i. Writer of the
letter:
The apostle Peter, one of the earliest of the original apostles according to
Matthew 4:18. He was born Simon and was from Bethsaida, according to John 1:44.
Some have argued against his authorship on the basis that the Greek utilized is
too high a quality for someone with his “blue collar” background of fishing and
hard work. That concern would seem to be handled by 5:12 which notes that Silas
(or Silvanus) assisted in the writing or scribal work of the letter. Tradition
says that Peter would ultimately die by crucifixion upside down, feeling that
he was unworthy to be executed in the same way as his Savior Jesus. This
execution would happen in around 68 A.D.
ii. Date and place
of writing:
The dates would seem to be near the end of Peter’s life. It is before his
eventual arrest, while 2 Peter was written after his arrest and before his
execution. The date of writing seems to be somewhere in the area of 63-64 A.D. from
a place referred to as “Babylon”. While there is some conjecture as to whether
this “Babylon” is the ancient place of the same name literally, I think he is
rather speaking of a figurative “Babylon”, the city of Rome, where Peter spent
time during the latter years of his life. This city was without question all
that you would think of when you think of a place called “Babylon”. It was a
place of sin and godlessness to be sure. But, even if the location is literally
Babylon of old, the situation is very similar and the directives are as well.
The timing is also during the reign of the Roman Emperor Claudius as the word
of persecution of Christians was becoming well known and would be lived out
fully during the reign of the next Roman Emperor, a man named Nero.
iii. Recipients and
Reason for Writing:
According to Verse 1, the recipients
were both Hebrew and Gentile believers that were scattered throughout 5 Roman
provinces that roughly make up modern-day Turkey. The reason seems to be
persecution of these dispersed believers. The persecution is primarily social,
religious, and fairly localized at this point. It would again escalate
dramatically in the near future.
II.
Some
important themes in this letter
a.
1
Peter 5:12 would seem to indicate that a main theme of this letter is the grace
of God in and during difficulty.
b.
Additional
themes / ideas that would coincide with, but stand alone, in this letter:
i. Proper response
of the believer during times of suffering. (suffering is used 16 times in this
letter, 6 of Christ, and 10 of his children)
ii. The grace of God
in salvation.
iii. The doctrine of
Christ in relation to hope in Him in the day before you and the future to come.
iv. Some very
interesting titles given to believers in this letter. (aliens, strangers, a
spiritual house, a chosen people, etc.)
v. Triumphant faith
through the example of Christ.
III.
An
Application For All Of Us
a.
How
many of you are from somewhere else? You didn’t grow up in North Carolina or if
you did, you weren’t in the area around the Triangle? Let’s consider the difficulty
of merely being somewhere that is not “home”. (Discuss)
b.
Now
add to that the reality of persecution. The loss of income or opportunity
merely because of your faith and desire to follow Christ in your everyday life.
i. How would you
react?
ii. What would be
your response to those that are persecuting you?
iii. Would you be mad
or disappointed with God for not “protecting you”?
iv. Would your
theology be shaken by the injustices being done to both you and people that you
love?
v. What advice
would you need to hear so that going forward in faith would be your choice?
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