Ladies Brunch - 1 Peter 2:9-12

Who are you?  When asked to introduce yourself what do you say?  Would it be positive or negative?  What defines you?  It is your role in someone’s life - mother, wife, daughter, sister or friend?  Is it your career - nurse, teacher, doctor, artist, lawyer, dentist, shop assistant or office worker?  Is it what you like to do in your spare time – a baker, cyclist, runner, cinema goer, knitter, walker or musician?  Who are you?

In Peter’s first letter, he was writing to Christians scattered in across territories in an area of Northern Turkey.  They were living with the threat of persecution and discrimination.  Peter’s purpose was to encourage them to endure.  To help He calls them to give themselves entirely to God and reminds them of who they are. 

Does his description match in any way how you define yourself?  Do you have a Biblical view of who you are?  And does it matter if you do or not? 

So what does Peter say?  You’ll find it in 1 Peter 2 verses 9-12 – “⁹ But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.  ¹⁰ Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.  ¹¹ Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.  ¹² Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”

Who are this scattered bunch of Christians and what does Peter mean?

Firstly, they are a chosen people.  Peter is making the radical claim that those who believe in Jesus Christ constitute a new race.   Not through random chance or any merit or goodness of their own.   Instead it was because they have been born again into God’s new kingdom.  God chose them to come together to be his people; a new family and a new community. 

Secondly, they are a royal priesthood.  In the same way as the priesthood in the Old Testament was a group set apart to live pure lives, serving God and his purposes.  So believers in God’s new community are to think of themselves as set apart from the world, to live and work for God’s purposes.  

Thirdly, they are a holy nation.  They are more than just a family and a new community.  They are now a holy nation.  A nation not based on ethnic identity or geography, but on allegiance to their heavenly king.  A nation set apart to be distinctive in the world.  A nation set apart to show the world the holy character of God. 

Finally, they are God’s special possession.  As God’s chosen people, royal priesthood and holy nation they are belong solely to God and are incredibly important to him.  He loves them with a fierce, jealous, protective love. 

What an incredible new identity, no longer are they a group of Christians scattered across Asia Minor from diverse walks of life.  Instead they are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation and God’s special possession.  And this is what Peter wants us to realise about ourselves.  As we have been born again into the same living hope as these Christians, this is our new identity.  We are not just a group of women brought together by this church, coming from a wide assortment of backgrounds.  Instead we are chosen, royal, holy, a priesthood, a nation and God’s special possession. 

And this should be an encouragement to you.  Often we can think that because we are just…a mum, a student, retired (fill in the blank yourself), that we are ordinary, insignificant and sometimes not worth much.  But God totally disagrees.  In his eyes we are extremely significant, we are extraordinary and worth a huge amount. 

So why did God give this new identity?  Look back again at the end of verse 9, “that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”  God forgives and redeems his people for his own sake.  He gave us this new identity so that we might declare his praise to the world around us.  This change does have huge and awesome benefits for us but none of our Christian privileges are given to us purely for our own gain.  We’re God’s special people to show the world who he is and to bring more people to him.  The change in our lives from darkness to light should cause us to praise God and to speak of him to the world, declaring to all what he has done for us. 

In verse 10 Peter sums up the change that has happened in the lives of the Christians he was writing to.  Once they were not a people, once they had not received mercy.   But now they are a people, now they have received mercy.  Now they are God’s people, with a new identity and a new home, welcomed into his new Kingdom. 

So why was it so important for the Christians Peter was writing to, that they grasped rightly who they were?  Why is it important for us grasp who we are?  Well, because this new identity changes who we are in relation to the world around us.  According to Peter we have become foreigners and exiles.  Our earthly home is no longer our true home.  We no longer belong.  We have become citizens of a new homeland, not something we earned or acquired by passing a citizenship test, but because we have been born again.  And as members of another kingdom we are now foreigners here.   With values, lifestyle and priorities which will be radically different from the surrounding culture.  We should/will live differently.

So what characterises that different lifestyle?  In the next four brunches we will look at how we behave distinctively in specific circumstances.  But in these verses Peter gives us two guiding principles which can help us to live rightly and distinctively.  Peter does not want us to separate ourselves instead he wants us to be a fully fledged member of society.  His guidelines help us to live out our lives as God’s chosen people in a kingdom that is not our own.

So what are his two principles? 

Firstly, resist sin – “‘I urge you, to abstain from sinful desires.”

Sounds simple!  However, this is often easier said than done.  While we live in this world we can so easily drift with the flow of society, adopting its values and behavioural norms.  We no longer see some behaviour as sin or against God.  Therefore to resist sin we must know God’s word and check whether what we are doing is in line with his will.  Discerning what is right and wrong is one thing, but the real battle comes resisting the temptation to sin!  This happens everyday and we need to be on guard to ensure we don’t fall.  For each of us the particular sins we need to resist will be different but it is important we take time to examine our hearts.
Secondly, do good – “Live such good lives among the pagans”.  
What Peter is getting at here is that, as Christians, we should have a reputation for our good behaviour and, in particular, the practical expression of that in doing good deeds.  What are ‘good deeds’ – the scope is limitless!

It is important that we are clear on this.  We don’t do good deeds to be seen, we do them because we want to do them for people, but inevitably they will be seen, there will be an impact.  People will ask: ‘Why are you doing this?  What’s the reason? And what’s the answer we’re ready to give when someone asks us that?  The answer: “Because I’m a Christian!” Peter’s challenge is that there should be a consistency in our lives which results in non-Christians observing our good behaviour and being provoked or challenged to think about what it might signify. 

Peter also makes clear that their reaction might not always be positive.  Some will harden their hearts.  Some will be indifferent, antagonistic.  But some will respond when they see our good deeds.  

Peter’s letter should encourage us, as we reflect on all the privileges that are ours in Christ, but it should also inspire us, that as Christians we really can make an impact in the world, that God uses our distinctiveness to point people to Jesus!  The way we live really matters! 

Christians are to be known within the world for what they are against but also for what they are for.  The purpose behind our godly behaviour is that non-Christians will see it and glorify God.  The sustained witness of a godly life shining like a beacon in the darkness is incredibly powerful and can sometimes by itself be a means of drawing people into God’s kingdom.

Witness in the home, to those with whom we live

'Hear O Israel: The Lord our God, The Lord is one. You shall love The Lord your God with all  your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.' Deut 6 v 4-7.

This is the passage that comes to my mind when I am asked about witnessing in the home. Whilst they clearly speak of our witness to our children, I think that they could apply to anyone we live with as the verses talk very specifically about the totality of our lives, particularly within our homes. In thinking about living a 'missional life' a previous blog posting suggested that we needed to do three things; love Jesus, love people and love life.  So how do these verses in Deuteronomy help me to do that particularly with relevance to those with whom I live?

Firstly, I need to love God with all my heart. Those living with us see us up close and personal. They know exactly what is important to us, what our hearts love. They know if we get angry because the washing up hasn't been done, there are dirty footprints everywhere or the wet towel is still lying on the bathroom floor. They hear us grumbling over something that happened at work, over the behaviour of other drivers or whether or not the preacher was any good this morning. However, they may also see us on our knees, accept our apologies and watch how we go out of our way to love others. My life needs to be authentic, characterised with honesty about my failings and my daily reliance on Gods grace.

Secondly, I need to love those around me by teaching them these words from Deuteronomy. But what is it that I am teaching? That they need to love God with all their heart, soul and might. And how do they learn this? One way may be as we try to model lives of repentance, humility and faith and another may be as we actively love them. Christ demonstrates His love for us in humility, service and sacrifice and He can enable us to love others in this way. Loving those we live with doesn't always come easily; we are sinners, they are sinners! The bible says we need to be trained to love our husbands and children, (Titus 2 v 3-5). I would encourage you to enlist an older Christian, talk about the issues and ask them to pray with and for you. Spend some time thinking about each of those you live with; what makes them tick, what they enjoy doing and how they feel loved. Then think and plan ways in which you can love that person better; for example my daughter always feels loved when I play a game with her, it doesn't have to take up more than a few minutes but it makes all the difference to her day.

Thirdly, my love for God and the life that He has blessed me with should be demonstrated in enjoyment, enthusiasm and thankfulness whatever I am doing. If I go around feeling put upon and seeing serving others as a burden then my witness will be that Christianity is a drudge and a grind. If my faith is all about rules and what I/we can't do, then those around me will see Christianity as a prison rather than the source of true freedom. In our house we  have planned activities that can help us live out the joy of our faith; for example we have cooked international meals and then talked about and prayed for missionaries currently serving in that part of the world.

Ultimately, my witness to those who live with me is completely reliant on my loving heavenly Father who reached out, rescued and died for me whilst I was still His enemy.  My responsibility is to love Him, love others, and pray that He will draw them to Himself.  

Meet the women at Charlotte - Cat

This post marks the next in a series of interviews with different women who are part of the
Charlotte Chapel family.  We hope to allow you to hear a little about the different lives we live, what makes us tick and how we seek to grow in our faith.  This time, we would like you to meet Cat Auden.

Q: Thank you for answering our questions Cat.  Could you tell us your favourite Christian song or hymn so readers can listen while they read on?
A : I'm not very good at having "favourites" in terms of music as I like a lot of different things.  Very non-committal!  I had How Great Thou Art at both my baptism and wedding so I guess that means it's fairly up there with the favourites!  I particularly like the verse about realising how great God is when wandering through "forest glades" and down from mountain grandeur" as I'm a country girl at heart and love the great outdoors.  My soul definitely sings at the top of mountains, whether there's a 100 mile panorama or a total white out. 

Q: Can you tell us how you became a Christian?
A: I became a Christian sometime during my last year at school.  I was not brought up in a Christian home and was not presented with the Gospel.  I changed schools for my last two years at Senior School and in retrospect can see that God's hand was at work removing the things I usually relied upon for my identity.
Most significantly I arrived at the new school on crutches after knee surgery that summer so was unable to "prove myself" on the sports field which had been one way I liked to gain recognition and respect and to make friends.  This also meant I happened to be free to attend the school Christian meeting on a Friday night.  One of the girls in my house was a Christian and though neither of us can remember any specific spiritual conversations we had, I know that she gently encouraged my interest in her faith and faithfully asked me along to the Christian meeting each week which I (perhaps reluctantly) began to attend.
I probably realised I was genuinely searching when I heard a visiting speaker from a Christian summer camp come and speak.  She spoke to me afterwards and promised to send me some books (CE and Start).  I didn't expect her to actually do this!  Slowly I began looking at these books and others that my friend offered me, occasionally I'd flick through a small Gideon's Bible but not really knowing what to do with it.  At some point in my last year at school, quite alone, I quietly put my trust in Jesus, not really aware of how big a deal this was!  I'm not sure I could have vocalised the Gospel clearly myself at this stage but certainly started to believe in Jesus and wanted to live for him.
Coming to University was a critical time and I have no doubt that God's hand was at work in a multitude of ways - from putting Christians on my halls corridor to putting a desire in my heart to "be a Christian" from the start of my University time.  I didn't really know what this would entail and made a multitude of mistakes in my early days at uni (the entire spectrum from clear sinning to being very legalistic in my faith).  It was a steep learning curve and having not been taught what it means to walk with God I had a lot of learning to do (and still do!).  I am thankful for many things during these early years.
In my second year at Uni I met a wonderful group of people through the Christians in Sport group - Christians who I really "clicked" with!  This was a wonderful time of growth and consolidating the truths which I believed but couldn't quite explain.  I learnt the importance of sharing my faith and some ways to do this.  I also saw young, dynamic Christians who were passionate about their faith in every part of their lives and enthusiastically talked about it with other Christians and with non-believers too.

Q: Thank you for sharing your journey to faith. Can you tell us about your earliest memory?
A: I thought hard about this and can't think of anything earlier than the day my brother was born.  I was three years old and my dad picked me up from my friend Jenny’s house, helped me put on my “I’m a Big Sister” jumper and then we went to visit my Mum and new baby James (now 23 and 6ft3) in a little cottage hospital on Dartmoor.  I got given a baby doll to look after which was a good idea.  However I was more interested in eating Mum’s biscuits from her tea tray than in any babies!

Q: To give us a flavour of the life you lead, could you tell us what you would be likely to be doing at 2pm on a Wednesday afternoon.
A: The average 2pm Wednesday I am consulting at the veterinary practice where I work.  It’s an open surgery so it’s anyone’s guess what might walk through the door, cat to chameleon, guinea pig to goat.  It keeps me on my toes and the job’s nothing if it’s not varied! I love it though.  It is a great privilege to work doing what I enjoy.

Q: Where is your favourite place to be?
A: I love being out in the countryside, ideally with milky morning sunshine, a cool breeze and frost on the ground.  Often this would be on an early morning run in the Downs at my parents’ house.

Q: I expect that at times your job allows you to be outdoors too.  Could you share what is your signature dish in the kitchen?
A: I’m not sure if I have a signature dish.  I certainly enjoy trying all sorts of things and
experimenting with new ingredients.  I love having people round for dinner too to try out dishes on.  I made quite a nice pudding recently containing a raspberry mousse and a lemon and basil mousse.  I’d be keen to try these again in a slightly different pudding context sometime.  I’m working hard at making my Granny M’s shortbread my own however I think even in 100 years’ time it will still be “Granny M’s Shortbread”!

Q: That sounds delicious.  I know you are involved in the Equip ministry to students and young people, could you share an encouragement from that group or another recent encouragement?
A: I am hugely encouraged by the growth of the girls in my Equip group.  It brings me GREAT joy meeting with them to study Mark’s Gospel together and seeing their enthusiasm for God’s word develop.
I am also greatly blessed to have witnessed a friend come to faith through various Charlotte Chapel outreach courses.  Seeing a new faith grow is such a beautiful thing and encourages me massively in my own walk with God.

Q: As part of our theme this month looking at how we witness in different contexts, could you tell us about some of the challenges involved in witnessing in your workplace?
A: Witnessing to colleagues can be easy in some ways but much harder in other ways.  It is not hard to be the patient, kind member of staff but it is harder to make it clear why my character is like this - not to do with me but a) by God's grace and b) I choose to live in a way that reflects Jesus to others.  What is much harder is having worthwhile explicit Gospel conversations with colleagues.  Most are open to some discussion (particularly whilst operating (!) as you don't have to look directly at one another and there's always potential for a pause in a tricky conversation to concentrate on the operation if necessary).  I think I could be more forthright with questioning what people think about God and have certainly got the depth of relationship to do so with colleagues.  Having recently studied Mark 13 it is clear that there is indeed an urgency to our evangelism and we spend such a large portion of our lives with our colleagues - surely God has placed each of us there for this reason.
I find it helpful having invited colleagues to CBC events as they can now picture what Church looks like for me.  Most people are very accepting rather than offended by my faith but in some ways this can be hard as there is less to work with! It has also been a great blessing for workplace ministry having had veterinary students from Charlotte Chapel coming on placements at my practice (other "normal" people with a living love for the Lord Jesus!).
Having worked in the same place for over two years now I realise the importance of building
trusting relationships, living in a Gospel-centred manner and from this flow the Gospel
opportunities that God has graciously given me (some small, some larger).  We are in it at work for the long run.  It is not easy living overtly for God in the secular world but it is worthwhile.
Our lives and actions speak volumes but I must be ready (and willing) to give an answer for the hope that I have.

Q: Thank you for sharing this Cat, and for reflecting honestly on the pressures involved.  Finally, could you tell us what brings you the greatest joy?
A: The greatest, deep joy I find is seeing someone put their trust in the Lord Jesus and seeing them realise just how far reaching and wonderful this Good News really is!  Fantastic!

Thanks to Cat for sharing some of her story.  Do feel free to suggest other women who you would like to get to know through these interviews.