In this final message of the series, we visit the last place on Kirk Crossing’s faith map: Show. As we live our lives of faith ‘In The World’, it should be the case that God’s glory shows through us. This ‘showing’ is the result of our words, actions, choices, and lifestyles. We are the living evidence of God’s grace and goodness.
As we show the world the glory of God we may experience push-back, however. Our western world/culture is becoming increasingly hostile to the claims and standards of Christian faith. The good news for us is that this is no different than the first century. The first generation of Christians faced similar push-back and the Apostle Peter wrote to them and instructed them on how to live with that reality.
It is important that we first show our brothers and sisters in Christ the graciousness and love of Jesus; we can’t show something to the ‘outside’ world that we’re not showing inside the Church. Second, we must not respond to attacks on our faith ‘in-kind’. We must not borrow the tactics of the world but, instead, must respond to evil with blessing. Finally, suffering for our faith allows us the twin blessings of recentering our faith in the living God and experiencing His strength as well as bearing witness to God’s grace and goodness by offering gentle, respectful ‘answers’ to our critics.
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