A Corporate Calling

As we wrap up our months' long study from 1 Peter, I want to give our church family a chance to partcipate in the teaching. This Sunday (if people remember!), anyone who wishes to share with us can tell the church what they learned from this brief letter, how they were challenged, what troubled them, or what have you. Just in case no one shares, I'll have a brief devotion.

What I will attempt to do is to discuss our corporate calling. When we become believers and are added to the church (Acts 2:38-41), we come as individuals--as it should be. No one can decide for you whether you want to follow Jesus. It's to be an unforced choice.

However, like it says in Genesis 2, it wasn't good for the man to be alone, so God created the woman. So in the New Testament, it is not good for the Christian to be alone, so God created the church as a family, a place of belonging, fellowship, encouragement, teaching, remembrance, exhortation, and love.

1 Peter, a letter dealing with the twin themes of suffering and glory, also reminds those early Christians that the gathering is important in the midst of their affliction. They are reminded that they are God's elect (1:2), they belong together (twice, brotherhood is mentioned), they are now a priesthood/spiritual house/nation/a people belonging to God, they are to submit to/offer hospitality to/love/serve each other.

The importance of this is implied in chapter 5, where Satan is described as a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. How easy it would be for a lone struggling believer to be overcome and destroyed; how much harder it would be if he was truly part of real fellowship, receiving real hope and strength from others!

Hebrews 10:25 exhorts believers to not forsake the assembly--why? In and of itself, the assembly is nothing. What makes it special is when we are intentional about our coming together as the people of God, with all the responsibilities and privileges this entails. (BTW, Hebrews is also a letter dealing with suffering--hence why the believers in those churches were forsaking the assembly).

Being intentional is the responsibility of EVERY believer, not just the elders (trustees in our case), not just "the" minister (me). Without this, it won't happen. We must become in practice what Scripture says we actually are--the PEOPLE of God.