1 Peter 2:10 One People
1 Peter 2:10 “Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”
During the Vietnam war, people throughout the united states joined together to form one of the largest anti-war movements known to man. From every nook and cranny of society, these people gathered together, fueled by a common interest. An even larger movement occurred two decades earlier, and that movement was a concerted effort for the civil rights of everyone, no matter their race or gender, in the United States. That movement crossed denominations, races, genders, political agendas, fiscal earnings statements, and even neighborhoods. That movement bridged the chasm, that horrible wound, between the northern states and the southern states that had occurred after the civil war. For those years, they were one people, the people of civil rights.
Now, today, we are hounded by billboards advertising the special flavors of various churches. We are beset by denominationalism; we are retreating from the commands of our Saviour under the guise of “getting back to our faith roots” (which only means “we are trying to find out why we are right and all you other denominations are wrong). What we must remember is that we are one people, God's people. We as a whole, cross every section of the globe, we participate in every walk of life, and we are a brotherhood dedicated to bettering the life of every person we meet. We share the mercy that we have received - planting it, watering it, weeding it, and then harvesting it so that the process can be repeated over and over again.
As individuals doing our own thing, going our own way, leading our own lives, we can never have such an impact on our world as we can as a people. God rescued us from individualism. He turned us away from our prior lives and he rescued us from Satan's lies. For a time we then saw the very movement of God in our lives, we saw an effect, but slowly the fire cooled, slowely we stopped seeing ourselves having an impact and we wonder why? Our love has cooled and we have returned to the same individualism that gave us no effect as before. We had slowly drawn ourselves to the side of the group, and then lagged behind some more so that no longer was it “us” but now it was “me”.
Come! Let us return to the body of fellowship, let us return to the rest of the group. Let us return to being “People of God” rather than being a “Person of God.” God's mercies are new every morning, they are fresh every moment. We still live and breathe and share under the cloak of His mercy, and we can spread that garment out to cover all who need it. Come! Let us return to rejoin the rest of our family and if possible, let us encourage the return of others to the family!
During the Vietnam war, people throughout the united states joined together to form one of the largest anti-war movements known to man. From every nook and cranny of society, these people gathered together, fueled by a common interest. An even larger movement occurred two decades earlier, and that movement was a concerted effort for the civil rights of everyone, no matter their race or gender, in the United States. That movement crossed denominations, races, genders, political agendas, fiscal earnings statements, and even neighborhoods. That movement bridged the chasm, that horrible wound, between the northern states and the southern states that had occurred after the civil war. For those years, they were one people, the people of civil rights.
Now, today, we are hounded by billboards advertising the special flavors of various churches. We are beset by denominationalism; we are retreating from the commands of our Saviour under the guise of “getting back to our faith roots” (which only means “we are trying to find out why we are right and all you other denominations are wrong). What we must remember is that we are one people, God's people. We as a whole, cross every section of the globe, we participate in every walk of life, and we are a brotherhood dedicated to bettering the life of every person we meet. We share the mercy that we have received - planting it, watering it, weeding it, and then harvesting it so that the process can be repeated over and over again.
As individuals doing our own thing, going our own way, leading our own lives, we can never have such an impact on our world as we can as a people. God rescued us from individualism. He turned us away from our prior lives and he rescued us from Satan's lies. For a time we then saw the very movement of God in our lives, we saw an effect, but slowly the fire cooled, slowely we stopped seeing ourselves having an impact and we wonder why? Our love has cooled and we have returned to the same individualism that gave us no effect as before. We had slowly drawn ourselves to the side of the group, and then lagged behind some more so that no longer was it “us” but now it was “me”.
Come! Let us return to the body of fellowship, let us return to the rest of the group. Let us return to being “People of God” rather than being a “Person of God.” God's mercies are new every morning, they are fresh every moment. We still live and breathe and share under the cloak of His mercy, and we can spread that garment out to cover all who need it. Come! Let us return to rejoin the rest of our family and if possible, let us encourage the return of others to the family!
We’re thankful for the family—the family of God.
Come join with us to worship Him and sound His praise abroad.
There’s freedom in His love, to share our joys and burdens, too.
And there’s a special place within the family for you.
O Lord, unite us now as one, to magnify Your Name;
To praise You for Your faithfulness, eternally the same:
We bless the light of saving grace shed on us from above,
By which we are a family—Your family of love.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Come join with us to worship Him and sound His praise abroad.
There’s freedom in His love, to share our joys and burdens, too.
And there’s a special place within the family for you.
O Lord, unite us now as one, to magnify Your Name;
To praise You for Your faithfulness, eternally the same:
We bless the light of saving grace shed on us from above,
By which we are a family—Your family of love.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
posted by Another Saved Soul at 11:02 AM
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