Peter, Paul and all the early Church fathers had a sense of
urgency about the soon return of Jesus Christ for His Church. All of us who are
born-again share that belief, that He’s coming soon. Since there is no
timetable given for that event, it could be any moment. Peter wanted us to keep
that in mind as we live our lives. Be constantly ready to meet the Lord when He
appears. That will be the end of all things regarding our earthly production. Be alert, aware of how our conduct affects our own thought pattern and
the attitudes of others with whom we have to do. If we get sloppy and
self-indulgent, we will easily get out of fellowship with God, and then our
prayers will not be according to His will and our petitions will not be granted.
It is of major importance to love the brethren. When we love
someone, we will not be quick to criticize or take offense at their behaviors.
We don’t gossip about people we love, but we honor them and seek to share with
them whatever spiritual and material blessings we have. We don’t become
exasperated with someone’s lack of Bible knowledge if we love him, but we pray
for him and try to help him understand. We will be hospitable and generous with
those we love, without complaining. Each of us believers has received a
spiritual gift for the work of the Church, and those gifts should be used to
edify and serve one another, contributing to the growth of all. If your gift is
speaking, understand you are to share the word of God; if your gift is service,
you will be strengthened by God for the service you provide. The work is God’s.
He has called us to it and gifted us for the ministry of His Work.
This love of the brethren is not emotional, “feel-good,” warm
fuzzies. LOVE IS A DECISION THAT YOU MAKE. We love the brethren in direct obedience to the command of Jesus
Christ (John 13:34-35, John 15:12,17). It is the expression of benevolence. And yes, we can decide to do this, and we can as
believers cultivate that love. That conscious decision changes our attitude
toward our fellow believers. We have the same Savior and share in His destiny.
We are family. Family has each other’s backs. Oh, and that multitude of sin
love covers is not the brother’s. It is ours. The sinful attitudes we were
harboring toward the brother are stifled by the love we are now demonstrating
to him. Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses. Proverbs
10:12
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it
comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to
you. But rejoice insofar as you share
Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory
is revealed. If you are insulted for
the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of
God rests upon you. But let none of you
suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if
anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify
God in that name. For it is time for
judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us,
what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of
God? And “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”
Therefore let those who suffer
according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while
doing good. I Peter 4:12-19
Jesus told us we would suffer because of our identification
with Him. Peter and Paul, in their epistles to the Churches, have told us we
would suffer because of our identification with Jesus. It is part of our grace package. Those who believe Jesus and love Him and fashion our lives
after Him WILL suffer because of that identification, because the world hates
the gospel. They like to quote the “love” teachings, but despise all references to the sovereignty, righteousness and justice of God the Son. It is true
He loves all mankind, enough to give His life to save us; but it was the
sovereignty, righteousness and justice of God that required His life to save
us.
Since we have been repeatedly forewarned about this
suffering because of the Name of Christ, Peter says we shouldn’t be surprised
when it happens to us. It is to be expected, since we represent Jesus in the
world. It is a great compliment to the believer in Jesus Christ to share His
sufferings. We should actually rejoice that we are considered worthy to do
that. That can only be true if the Holy Spirit is evident in our lives. The
believer who commits crimes or sins against his brother, and is punished, is
not suffering for Christ’s sake, but because of his own carnality. Suffering
for the Name of Jesus is something to thank God for. We believers will someday
stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ, to have our spiritual production
evaluated and rewarded (2 Corinthians 5:10). We will be evaluated first, before
the unbelievers meet their final judgment. In anticipation of that, let’s keep
our attitude one of love and grace and thanksgiving for every opportunity God
gives us to faithfully represent Him in the devil's world.
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