A Public Life

"Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.1 Peter" 2:12

A Public Life

“Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.” 1 Peter 2:12

The Church of Jesus Christ has always been a confusing institution for a watching world. In the early church unbelievers associated Holy Communion with cannibalism. People have always been suspicious of their neighbors and their motives. In a dog eat dog kind of world who can blame them. Dogs fight with dogs and people fight with people. They act dishonorable when they fight over competitive and limited resources, both material and emotionally.

Materially we should understand that things decay and break and become useless over time. We should hold them loosely before a world that holds material things tightly. Emotionally we should learn to be at peace because he has promised peace especially to those who are living right before him. “But there will be glory and honor and peace from God for all who do good” Romans 2:10

He wants us to live honorably in the world. Applying this to the Christian life can be based on two simple things that cause us to live counter-culturally. This first occurs in the life of the believe when we remember that earth is a temporary setting for us, verse 11 of Peter’s letter reads, “Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls.” Secondarily, it happens when we begin to practice counter-intuitive living before watching and interested neighbors who should see believers, giving and having it given to them, forgiving and being forgiven, going two miles when they are asked to go one, or giving the coat when they were only asked for their shirt.

When the above happens the world will “give honor to God” and they just might come to the knowledge of God.