"But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed.  'Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.'" (I Peter 3:14)

I am willing to bet that you, like me, are still hearing messages all the time about fighting against the fear of the coronavirus during this worldwide pandemic.  Albeit this is a good and necessary reminder for us who live by faith in God during this time, I would invite you this morning to think about another big fear that we all share and probably try to avoid at all costs, and one which Peter discusses at length: suffering.  Suffering is one of the main themes of I Peter, as outlined at our last Home Group.  In this letter to believers in Asia Minor, Peter uses the term "to suffer" at least twice as much as any other book of the entire Bible, and I Peter is only four chapters long!  But I'm afraid the term is rather unfamiliar to us.  First of all, the word is on its way out of use in English (Google Books Ngram Viewer reports that people use the term about 30% of the time as compared to the early 1800s.)  Second, I think we use the phrase "I'm suffering" much like we say "I'm starving" i.e. to reflect a little pain rather than the types of real suffering that Peter is outlining for us in his letter.  Chapter 4 starts off with Peter commanding us to "arm yourselves also with the same attitude" in reference to Christ's agony on the cross.  This is no small endeavor!  Let's be honest, did we all just wake up thinking, "I'm ready to be crucified today!"?

Recently, I've been listening to the book "Through Gates of Splendor" about the five U.S. missionary couples whose dying ambition was to get the gospel of Jesus to people in the Ecuadorian Amazon jungle who had never, ever had the opportunity to even hear the message of hope.  The people they reached were called "Auca" (meaning "savages") by the native people surrounding them because of all the killings they were known for.  What shocked me back into (spiritual) reality was when the book was recounting the early prayers of the five men who did in fact die together at the hands of Auca for their ambition.  Their prayers early on were a fervent, "Yes!  I am so, so, so willing to give up my physical life so that I can bring the gospel to these savages!  When can I go?!"  They of course would have rather lived than die, but they would have rather died trying to give these people hope than die many years later without trying.  I know how the story ends because I worked a summer with one of their grandsons, who had huge plugs in his ear lobes as the Auca have - because the murders of the five husbands was followed by attempts by the five widows, whom God used to bring many Auca to Christ.  Now they are no longer called Auca ("savages"), but Huaorani.

This is what Peter outlines so repeatedly in this letter.  Read I Peter 2:12, 15, 18-24; 3:1-2, 13-17; 4:1-6, 12-19.  Notice what the formula is: 1) live holy lives because we are born again, 2) undergo suffering via abuse, attacks, etc. because people don't like the fact that you don't participate with their ungodly ways of talking, thinking and acting, 3) know that this means you are associated with Jesus and celebrate that fact, resulting in 4) living even holier lives and 5) watching some people receive Christ because of God's love they see in you!  This is the process known as sanctification, of which all Christians participate.  But my goodness, is it tough sometimes!  I just finished watching another episode of Dude Perfect.  For those of you who haven't had the delight of seeing some of their videos, you may be interested since they may be the only sports group still broadcasting right now!  They are a group of trick-shot artists who share their love for the sports they do and the fellowship they share as unashamed Christians.  But they are all very competitive, and in their recent live fundraising shows to fight the health pandemic, their competitiveness really started to come out in not-so-sanctified ways.  This of course made me think of myself - if you know me well, you would know how competitive I am when I get into a good basketball game, or any game really.  I have had to plead with God over many years to get myself to where I am today, and have had to take drastic measures like continually removing myself from basketball pick-ups where I could not remain guiltless on the court.  But in this long battle against the old self - not just on the court, but in relationships and many other battles - I have learned to take note of even the smallest of victories along the way, pausing long enough to lift a joyful praise to the God of heaven for manufacturing the change in me!  I've coined a phrase which I'm still trying to teach myself to do: "When you're persecuted (ostracized, misunderstood, etc.) because you’re living as a Christ-follower, go buy yourself a cupcake and be glad!"  Let's not suffer because we refuse to be sanctified; let's suffer because we refuse to be unsanctified!  Today, as you interact with people at work or home, whether in-person or virtually, 1) live holy, 2) suffer well in persecution, 3) celebrate the victories over the flesh and your association with Christ, and 4) watch God work in you and in those you interact with!  Have a great day - you're blessed!

"If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of God rests on you." (I Peter 4:14)