THE CHURCH AND GOVERNMENT-WHOSE SIDE AM I ON (16 OF 30)
by Scott Maze
Scripture: 1 Peter 2:13-17
This content is part of a series.
The Church and Government-Whose Side am I On (16 of 30)
Series: Navigating Home
Scott Maze
1 Peter 2:13-17
We're traveling through the book of 1 Peter. Peter's two letters are a mere 166 verses. Nonetheless, they are packed with keen wisdom from a seasoned pastor about how to live amidst life's trials. In this short little letter, Peter encourages the churches in now modern day Turkey to stand fast during difficult days of suffering. Surely, the churches and Christians who received Peter's letter would have been tremendously honored and encouraged at the willingness of such a noteworthy Christian leader to take the time to speak to their life with practical pastoral affection.
Peter tells us where the churches are located in the beginning of his letter as they were scattered over 129,000 square miles. As a comparison, California is around 159,000 square miles. What kind of people was Peter writing to? Bible commentator Karen Jobes writes: ''The residents practiced many religions, spoke several languages, and were never really assimilated into the Greco-Roman culture. . . . And yet this untamed region became the cradle of Christianity. . . . We may surmise that, in no small part because of this letter [1 Peter] and the faithfulness of those who received it, well-established churches flourished in all five of these regions by AD 180. Their bishops attended the great councils of the second through the fourth centuries, where the doctrines were forged that Christians hold dear yet today.''
Today, we focus on the relationship between the Christian's and the government. Here are some questions Christians grapple with in America today: Should Christians support the Iraqi invasion? Should American Christians who protest the Vietnam war go to Canada to avoid the draft? How are Christians to respond to a nearly $900 billion stimulus package? Can Christians support Obama while remaining pro-life? Just this past week Hilary Clinton, the US secretary of state, vis ...
Series: Navigating Home
Scott Maze
1 Peter 2:13-17
We're traveling through the book of 1 Peter. Peter's two letters are a mere 166 verses. Nonetheless, they are packed with keen wisdom from a seasoned pastor about how to live amidst life's trials. In this short little letter, Peter encourages the churches in now modern day Turkey to stand fast during difficult days of suffering. Surely, the churches and Christians who received Peter's letter would have been tremendously honored and encouraged at the willingness of such a noteworthy Christian leader to take the time to speak to their life with practical pastoral affection.
Peter tells us where the churches are located in the beginning of his letter as they were scattered over 129,000 square miles. As a comparison, California is around 159,000 square miles. What kind of people was Peter writing to? Bible commentator Karen Jobes writes: ''The residents practiced many religions, spoke several languages, and were never really assimilated into the Greco-Roman culture. . . . And yet this untamed region became the cradle of Christianity. . . . We may surmise that, in no small part because of this letter [1 Peter] and the faithfulness of those who received it, well-established churches flourished in all five of these regions by AD 180. Their bishops attended the great councils of the second through the fourth centuries, where the doctrines were forged that Christians hold dear yet today.''
Today, we focus on the relationship between the Christian's and the government. Here are some questions Christians grapple with in America today: Should Christians support the Iraqi invasion? Should American Christians who protest the Vietnam war go to Canada to avoid the draft? How are Christians to respond to a nearly $900 billion stimulus package? Can Christians support Obama while remaining pro-life? Just this past week Hilary Clinton, the US secretary of state, vis ...
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