This week Pastor Jermaine continued with our 1 Peter sermon series with Chapter 2: 11-17 under the title of: Tension #thestruggleisreal.
In this section of Scripture, Peter is prescribing the Christians a response on what to do when they are criticized for their faith.
As Christians, the world needs to see us living honorably; treating every human being, (regardless of their position, political affiliation, status, ethnicity and gender) with honor and dignity. We have to live from the understanding that above anything else, our allegiance is to the Kingdom of God and to Jesus as Lord.
Submitting to and honoring our bodies of authority does not mean that we can not disagree with them, it simply means that HOW we disagree with them matters. Unlike the world around us, we can not simply write people off with labels.
We need to be people who pray for our leadership and fight for unity in the context of relationship building. We must do better in honoring our governing authorities even when we are criticized and dishonored. We can do this because our identity is not in politics, but in Christ.
Our freedom is rooted in our servanthood. It is not a freedom to do what we want, but a freedom to do as we ought.
