Care Group (Evangelism)

— If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone. But as it is, Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

We do have hope, joy, and purpose beyond this life only, because of Jesus‘s resurrection.

Adoption

Agape

Apostasy

Apostle

If that hope is real to us, then the way we live, the things we spend money on, the choices we make, and everything we do looks different in those on our mission field.

Atonement

When people look at our daily lives and see the things like

generosity in relative poverty,

Authority

joy in the midst of pain,

the way that we forgive and show grace to even the hardest people in our lives,

they shouldn’t just see this is a little different from themselves.

Instead, Paul is teaching that we should live in a way that makes folks wonder if we have a few screws loose.

They should see such a massive difference if they even me pity us, because they don’t get the seemingly strange decisions that we make.

This lifestyle has nothing to do with self glory or a desire to be seen but is instead the natural response to realizing the life changing reality of the gospel.

Because of Jesus His work in us, our

lives,

choices, and

the decisions

are marked by gospel abnormality!

I read this week of people whose children qualified for scholarships at the finest private school across town,

B

but instead they chose to enroll in their neighborhoods public school.

Baptism

children qualified for scholarships at the finest private school across town, but instead they chose to enroll in their neighborhoods public school. They spent time discipling their children through their homework. They realize that there was no better way to meet their neighborhood then to walk to the same school, join the same PTA, and go to the same event says them. We know the folks who sold massive homes, took the tax hit, and bought a smaller home in a rough part of town, to live among those to whom they were called on mission.

Blasphemy

Blood

Body of Christ

They spent time discipling their children through their homework.

They realize that there was no better way to meet their neighborhood then to

walk to the same school,

join the same PTA, and

go to the same event says them.

I read of folks who sold massive homes, took the tax hit, and bought a smaller home in a rough part of town, to live among those to whom they were called on mission.

I read of folks who make double the amount of food for dinner because their door is always open and the family never knew exactly how many neighbors and friends would show up to eat.

C

Calling (of God)

Christ

Church

Conversion

Covenant

Cross

People adopt and foster or orphans to try to reflect the gospel.

D

Death

But it goes against cultural (and churchy) norms to bring non-biological people into our families.

Deity of Christ

Depravity

Devil

Discpling

After explaining our right motives in the first one and a half chapters Peter shows us how that abnormality plays out in every day ways.

E

Eternal Life

Eternity

Ethics

Evil

Excommunication

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

Our view of human authority and our submission to it looks different from the world around us because we see God is sovereign.

X

So the ways that we speak about

national leadership,

school policies, or

parents

should reflect a trust in something deeper.

Our marriages look different, because we know that they reflected deeper covenant.

So we commit to a beauty deeper than physical, and

So we commit to a beauty deeper than physical, and we respect, forgive, and show grace to each other, buy a power that is not our own. We suffer differently (;,). God‘s people found joy in persecution, so Shirley a stub toe or frustrated boss shouldn’t ruin our day.

we respect, forgive, and show grace to each other, buy a power that is not our own. We suffer differently (;,).

God‘s people found joy in persecution, so Shirley a stub toe or frustrated boss shouldn’t ruin our day.

Y

We are either going to proclaim the praises of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light or we will proclaim some other hope, joy, and savior.

So in all of the (abnormal) choices that we make how do we proclaim the praises of God?

Z

How do we proclaim these praises in every day life?

As missionaries we are called to such a unique life that there is no way to explain it other than the massive change that God has made in us through Christ.

But here’s the catch: in order for people to see the gospel change in us we have to live out our mission in a way that people can see it.

So when does every day mission happen?

When God sends to us people to see the choices we make.

In chapter 2:11-12 we have some more foundational truths before we get to the practical side.

— Dear friends, I urge you as strangers and exiles to abstain from sinful desires that wage war against the soul. Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that when they slander you as evildoers, they will observe your good works and will glorify God on the day he visits.

I think that there are two extremes in Peters thought and that most Christians are better at the one while ignoring the other.

Verse 11 reminds us that we are strangers and exiles, and as such calls us to abstain from sin.

Misreadings of this verse have yanked some Christians out of the world around us.

Some Christians read “abstain from sinful desires” as “abstain from being around anyone or anything ‘non-Christian’.”

So they locked themselves away from their city, and a castle with a big cross on the drawbridge so everyone knows it’s a Christian castle when it is pulled up, in an attempt to stay unstained by the world outside the castle walls.

In verse 12, Peter breaks up that mindset. Where does he call Christians to live out that holy life? Among the Gentiles.

This is anyone who is not one of God‘s people.

Rather than keeping faith huddled in holy ghetto's, Peter calls Christians to live it out in public, in the midst of those who don’t follow Jesus.

The other extreme that we can slip into goes beyond living our faith among the Gentiles, two instead living like the Gentiles.

This extreme finds joy, hope, and satisfaction in the same things they do.

his is just as dangerous and misrepresentation as the first: it over emphasize his grace and rejects obedience of His radical, culturally pitiable call.

The two-sided principle in verses 11 and 12 encourages us to balance those extreme views.

Peter’s reason for living out our faith in the midst of not-yet-believers echo Jesus‘s words in the sermon on the mount and —

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

— In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

On the one hand, if we hide in our Christian castle, people can’t see our lives to glorify God because they can’t see our lives, period.

We must put down the drawbridge and live out our faith in public.

On the other hand, if in our decisions, choices, actions, and very lives people can see no discernible difference that Jesus has made in us, versus the lives of others,

people can’t see our lives and glorify God because our life’s and deeds aren’t proclaiming the glory of God.

Every day mission happens when our goals, time, resources, decisions, and day-to-day lives functionally proclaim what we mentally and verbally affirm.

When people can see the great change God makes and us, and when can they glorify God in it?

Often, it happens in natural, spontaneous moments of daily life.

In those natural, spontaneous moments of gospel display happens in the midst of such a unique abnormal lifestyle,

that there is no way to explain it other than the massive change they got his made in us.