Apr 28, 2019, Faith Rewards, 1 Peter 1.6-7

Faith Rewards April 28, 2019

Chippie the parakeet never saw it coming. One second he was peacefully perched in his cage. The next he was sucked in, washed up, and blown over.

The problems began when Chippie's owner decided to clean Chippie's cage with a vacuum cleaner. Just as she stuck the end of the hose into the cage the phone rang. She turned to pick up the phone and heard a "shhhupp!" as Chippie got sucked in.

The woman gasped, put down the phone, turned off the vacuum, and opened the bag. There was Chippie, still alive, but stunned.

Since the bird was covered with dust, she grabbed him and raced to the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and held Chippie under the running water. Then, realizing that Chippie was soaked and shivering, she reached for the hair dryer and blasted the pet with hot air. Poor Chippie never knew what hit him.

A few days after the trauma, someone asked her how Chippie was doing. She replied, "Well, Chippie doesn't sing much anymore. He just sits and stares."

It's not hard to understand why. Getting sucked in, washed up, and blown over is enough to steal the song from anyone.

Life throws unexpected trials at all of us, even Christians. We get sick just like nonChristians. We have flat tires, just like non-Christians. We have to compete for scholarships, jobs, and promotions just like non-Christians. We get sick too. In addition, there is the possibility that we will suffer some form of persecution simply because we are Christians. The apostle Peter, in his letter to Christians, writes of trials. His goal is for us to have the right attitude towards them.

1 Peter 1:1-2 (NIV) Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

The areas Peter is writing to are not cities, but regions. They comprise much of modern day central and northern Turkey. It is believed that Peter and some of the other apostles, in their later years, traveled a circuit of churches encouraging them and dealing with problems. So he is writing as one who has authority over these Christians.

1 Peter 1:3-8 (NIV) Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith...

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may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Peter is writing at a time of persecution against Christians. Persecution is one of the subjects of his letter (1 Peter 2:12; 3:14-15; 5:8-9). Another subject is the attitude we should have in the face of persecution.

He writes that they have been grieved by various trials. You and I have been grieved by various trials. Life is full of trials. Everyone has occasional illness. For example, the common cold can lay us up for most of a week, helpless to do much work. Our body fights an internal battle for control that saps all our strength. A cold is one of the easier things to deal with. We know it will run its course in short time. In a couple of week or two we will be able to function again.

There are much more serious illnesses, like the flu, bronchitis, and pneumonia that are harder to deal with. But even these we can defeat with modern medicines. While they are a trial to us, they will clear up.

However, some of us suffer chronic health problems. Some suffer chronic pain from various conditions. We could easily draw up a quick list of such conditions being lived out by members of our church.

In addition to illness, there are other trials that come to us. We suffer grief watching family members or friends go through their trials of illnesses, economic worries, bad relationships, etc. These are trials for us too. There are the trials of maintenance and repairs of homes, cars, and other possessions.

All of us suffer grief in all kinds of trials. Possibly Peter had some of these in mind when he wrote those words. We don't know. We know that he was thinking of persecution of Christians. He writes of it elsewhere, just as Jesus warned us.

John 15:20 (NIV) If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.

Being a Christian means we don't fit in with the world. That is why Jesus was persecuted. He did not fit in to the religious, cultural, and political situation of Israel in the first century. And because he did not fit in he was persecuted. Jesus taught contrary to what most believed. He challenged the religious and political status quo. They put him to death for doing so. Jesus knew they would. And Jesus warned his followers that we will be persecuted too.

We are fortunate to live in a country that provides religious freedom for all. That prevents some forms of persecution. But it does not prevent all persecution.

Christians are sometimes persecuted because we don't fit in. For example, it can be hard to be a Christian teenager. Being a CHRISTIAN teen means you don't fit in with the values of popular music. You don't fit in with the same attitudes towards sex. You don't fit in with the revealing clothing styles. And because you don't fit in, some people may criticize you, bully you, shame you, or ostracize you. You don't fit in.

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I know what it is like not to fit in. I did not fit in when I was in high school. I did not fit in when I was in college. I have worked in various secular jobs. I did not fit in fully with my coworkers when I worked those jobs.

If you are devoted to Jesus Christ, devoted to living in obedience to Him, you won't completely fit in, in modern America. There will be differences between your values and theirs, between your morals and theirs, between your loyalties and theirs. You will notice differences in school, at work, in the neighborhood, and for some of us, even in our families. You may be the only Christian in your extended family. You may not fully fit in even there. And that can be the source of being treated differently or maybe even mistreated.

But whatever ill treatments you have experienced as a Christian living in America, it is nothing compared to what some of our brothers and sisters in Christ are living with around the world.

Severe persecution of Christians, for various reasons, is taking place in our modern age in many places. Christians are being persecuted for being Christian. An organization called Open Doors reports on Christian persecution in different countries. They define Christian persecution this way:

"Christian persecution is any hostility experienced from the world as a result of one's identification as a Christian. From verbal harassment to hostile feelings, attitudes and actions, Christians in areas with severe religious restrictions pay a heavy price for their faith. Beatings, physical torture, confinement, isolation, rape, severe punishment, imprisonment, slavery, discrimination in education and employment, and even death are just a few examples of the persecution they experience on a daily basis."

According to The Pew Research Center, over 75% of the world's population lives in areas with severe religious restrictions (and many of these people are Christians). Also, according to the United States Department of State, Christians in more than 60 countries face persecution from their governments or surrounding neighbors simply because of their belief in Jesus Christ.

Trends show that countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East are intensifying persecution against Christians, and perhaps the most vulnerable are Christian women, who often face double persecution for faith and gender.

Open Doors reports that... every month, on average:

? 345 Christians are killed for faith-related reasons ? 105 Churches and Christian buildings are burned or attacked

You probably heard or read of the bombings last Sunday in Sri Lanka. That made the news. But what did not make the news were the different churches in Sri Lanka that were persecuted in some way one of the eleven previous Sundays.

I doubt that you heard of Rahima Khatun, 30 and her husband, Razzaq, 40, a Christian couple living in Elongipara Village in West Bangladesh who are facing severe persecution from family members for accepting Christ. A few months ago, the day after

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Rahima was baptized, she and her husband were badly beaten by Razzaq's youngest brother and his friends.

In the middle of the night, the group came to the couple's home and attacked Razzaq. Attempting to protect her husband, Rahima was also beaten. Neighbors who heard the couple screaming managed to stop the assault that left the couple hospitalized for three days with serious injuries. (reported April 12, 2019 on Open Doors' website)

You also, likely, did not hear or read of attacks on church buildings in Southern Ethiopia

on February 10 of this year. The attacks started at 10 a.m. when a mob carrying sticks,

stones, and fuel targeted the first church building. The crowd then moved from church to

church in the town of Alaba, destroying buildings and belongings. In the end 26

Christians were injured, including four church workers, who required hospital care. The

mob managed to severely damage 13 buildings, various vehicles, member possessions,

Bibles and furniture.

(reported March 25, 2019 by Open Doors' website)

We are fortunate to live in a country that enforces religious freedom for all. Some countries say they have religious freedom, but they do not uphold their own laws. India supposedly has religious freedom, but the National government that came to power a few years ago has not been enforcing that right. And this has empowered radical Hindu groups. They believe that if you are native to India, then you should be Hindu. They contend that to convert is to betray your family, your people, and your nation.

It may sound like I am diminishing the trials we go through in light of the persecution others are going through. Yes, I am. I do not mean that we are not suffering. Physical pain is physical pain, whether it comes from illness or a beating. But we are not in fear of our personal safety as many Christians are today. We are not in fear of someone attacking us on Sundays as we meet together. We are not in fear of an angry mob storming the building, breaking the windows, furniture, and setting the place on fire. What some Christians face every day is so much worse than what we experience. We should be aware of their situation and modify how we react to our own in light of what they are going through.

Note what Peter writes about the Christians he is writing to. 1 Peter 1:6 (NIV) In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.

They are rejoicing over their salvation. They are rejoicing in the things God has promised. They are rejoicing, even though they have suffered grief in all kinds of trials. They have been rejoicing DESPITE their trials. The trials are not good, not pleasant. But there is reason to be joyful even in the midst of their trials. There is reason to be joyful even in the midst of our trials.

Trials have a purpose. God has a purpose for these in our lives.

Trials prove the authenticity of our faith. People of pretend faith give up on Jesus when trials come. Genuine Christians do not. Listen to one missionary on this topic.

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"People have asked me if I ever feel like just giving up on missions. We try to be honest on our blog about our lives here and sometimes when people hear the difficulties they feel like it is just too much. Of course, they are usually thinking about the things that are not that hard, like cockroaches and snakes. Those things are just annoying. What is hard is watching babies die, seeing people fighting in the streets, knowing that most of our neighbors are living incredibly difficult lives without God to comfort them, and knowing there is little to nothing we can do about it. Those are the realities that wear on you." (David M. Hare, Bible translation missionary to Cameroon) He goes on to write that instead of feeling like giving up, these hurts actually drive him to continue the work God has called him to do. That is what genuine faith is like. If you have genuine faith in Jesus, and are experiencing the joy of his salvation, your trials will prove your faith to be genuine.

Faith-reactions to trials will result in rewards when Jesus returns. 1 Peter 1:7 (NIV) These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Jesus said to "store up treasure in heaven." I think this is part of what he was referring to. So, is your faith in Jesus genuine? Is it the right kind of faith? Is it a faith that rejoices in your salvation even in the midst of all kinds of trials? How you react to this week's trials will reveal what kind of faith you have. []

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