1 Peter 2:11 says, “Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul.” “Sojourners” and “pilgrims” enforces the idea that Christians are to be different from the people of this world. This world is not a Christian’s permanent home. It is temporary, and our true citizenship is in heaven. “Fleshly lusts” points to the fact that this world, empowered by the devil, tempts Christians through fleshly lusts. These are unwholesome desires that would have been natural to indulge before trusting Jesus as Savior and Lord. But, as long as we live in this world, we will continue to contend with the flesh. The temptation is to satisfy a normal, healthy appetite in an unholy way.
 
For example, God has given us a sexual drive, and yet he gives us a way to meet the appetite. He commends marriage between a husband and a wife where they can fulfill that sexual drive. Yet, here, Peter says to abstain from fleshly lusts, which seeks to indulge the flesh in unholy ways. He warns them if they do not abstain it will “war against the soul.” He is commending this abstinence for their own good. 
 
Adrian Rogers once said it this way, “Every time God says ‘Thou shalt not’ in Scripture, He is saying, ‘Don’t hurt yourself.’ Whenever God says in Scripture ‘Thou shalt,’ He is saying, ‘Help yourself to happiness.’”[1] It has been expressed this way: God condemns sin because it is bad for us. It’s not bad for us because God condemns it. Oftentimes we say to ourselves, “Well, God condemns it so I should avoid it,” but we ought to think deeper and say, “God condemns it because it's bad for me.” These statements simply convey the fact that God loves us enough to warn us away from hurting ourselves by our own poor choices.
 
Christians often tolerate habits in their lives which are weights to all that God wants to do through them. Hebrews 12:1 says, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” If you have ever noticed track and field athletes, they are not wearing anything that would weigh them down or slow down their pace. This verse means there can be weights that hold us back. These are not necessarily sins. He refers to both “weights” and “sins” that “so easily ensnare us.” The New Living Translates it this way, “…let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.”
 
Some things in this world may look attractive and may appear that they can meet that appetite. However, it’s an unholy thing. It’s not as God designed. It’s not as God commands. It’s for our own good. God’s word of warning is to “abstain” from those things for our own good.
 
God is not opposed to your having fun. The Christian life should be exciting. However, when you live according to God’s standards, you will have fun and not feel guilty the next day. Peter is trying to say there are God-honoring ways to meet your needs, and there are unhealthy, fleshly ways which ultimately will not satisfy. Christians should avoid satisfying the flesh. There will be an inner battle. Your “soul” is your mind, will and emotions. For the sake of your own inner peace, don’t give in to those fleshly desires. A mature Christian understands the need to avoid certain behaviors and habits.
 
In 1 Corinthians 9:27, Paul says, "I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified." If it is not good for him, Paul will avoid it. He will discipline his life. God wants to build His church with mature believers who can live disciplined lives for His glory.
 
God wants His followers to influence this world for Him. 1 Peter 2:12 adds, “having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.” If Christians are connecting with the people of God, ministering according to who they are in Christ and disciplining their lives to reflect holiness, the fourth mark will be an ever-growing influence on society as a whole. 
 
1 Peter 2:9 states, “that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” The word "proclaim" literally means “to evangelize out” or “to advertise.” Our mission is to advertise God's beauty to the world around us. God wants us to proclaim in such a way that we may evangelize the glories of God to a watching world.
 
Peter is encouraging God’s people to live our lives in such a way that even when others may misunderstand or speak negatively about us, they will ultimately recognize our good deeds and praise God. Our actions speak louder than our words, and the way we live before others can either attract or repel people from Christ. We can preach the gospel with our words, but we also need to preach the gospel with our lives as well. You may have someone twist your biblical convictions or twist what you say in a negative way, but your life lived before them will shine through.
 
The end of verse 12 says they will “glorify God in the day of visitation”. This means when God visits a person in judgment, they will either say one of two statements. They may say, “This person’s words and conduct led me to Christ. I glorify God through the good works I saw in this person’s life.” Or, they may glorify God in the day of visitation though they shunned Christ in this life.
 
Philippians 2:9–11 (NKJV)
9Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,
10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,
11and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
 
The day of visitation, or of judgment, will be a time of reminder to them that they not only heard the gospel, they also saw the gospel lived out before them. If they rejected Christ in this life, they will be condemned.
 
Ruth Graham once said, "A saint is someone who makes it easier for someone to believe in Jesus.” We should ask ourselves if we, through our words and actions, are drawing people to Christ or keeping them from Christ. Our mission is to point people to Jesus, drawing people to Jesus and sharing the hope they can find in Jesus. God wants to use each of His people to build His Church and accomplish His mission in the world.
 
“Dead God, I pray my life reflects You to others. I pray that I would make it easy for someone to believe in You and love You. I love You, Lord. Help me be a witness for You. May I never be ashamed to follow You. Give me Your strength to live for You and point people to You. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

[1] https://x.com/lwfministries/status/1214361148306415617, accessed 8/8/2024.

In God’s church, one’s ministry is discovered through one’s identity. 1 Peter 2:9 explains that identity in four ways: “a chosen generation,” “a royal priesthood,” “a holy nation,” and “His own special people.” This is how Jesus describes His followers.
 
1 Peter 2:9 says, “you are a chosen generation.” The word “generation” literally means “the elect offspring.” It is describing when life begins creating life. This simply means that you are in the family of God. He identifies you now not as an offspring of God. John 3:3 says, “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’”
 
He continues, “you are a royal priesthood.” The word “royal” means “kingly.” You are a kingly priest. Did you know that you are royalty? Did you know that you are a king, a queen? A regular mechanic from Maryland discovered he was a king, and Morgan Wright wrote about his story,
 
“It’s just a bizarre story and unbelievable story. A lot of people ask me what I get, and not much, something I can claim,” said Drew Howe, manager at Mr. Tire and king of the Isle of Man.
Howe actually got much more when he discovered he was a king. He appeared on TLC’s “Suddenly Royal” which aired last year and documented his trip to the Isle of Man.
This all stemmed as a result of Howe researching his ancestry online and posting to social media about his findings.
“Started posting stuff online, and then eventually I got an email one day – a guy saying he was a genealogist in London and said he thought I might be the king of Isle of Man,” Howe said.
Howe’s claim to fame is well documented and even well supported. An official royal press release states that David Howe is the legal heir to the Kingdom of Mann and the Isles.
The stamp of approval, however, came from the queen herself. Queen Elizabeth II published a legal notice to Howe and his claim as hereditary de jure King of Man.
“Back in 2007, my claim was Gazetted in the London Gazette – that’s the Queen’s paper of record. So, if the White House put out a publication, that’s essentially what the London Gazette is,” Howe said.
He’s an everyday guy and family man, but he has an extraordinary background.
“Early on, it was kind of surreal, but now it’s part of everyday life balancing being a manager for Mr. Tire and being a king, where I really don’t have to do anything,” Howe said.
His duties as king are limited as the head of state, and the Lord of Mann is Queen Elizabeth II.[1]
 
There was a television show called “Suddenly Royal” which showed a mechanic named David Howe from Maryland who discovered he was royalty. The show examined what happens when a mechanic from Maryland finds out that he's royalty. How does he interact with royal society? How is he supposed to act? While this is certainly noteworthy, something far more significant is realizing that every Christian is suddenly royal in God’s eyes!
 
We are not simply royal, we are priests. In the Old Testament, the Levitical priesthood, from the tribe of Levi, would serve as the priests for the nation of Israel. They were the only ones who would be offering sacrifices in the temple. Only one of them would be annually selected to offer incense in the Holy of Holies. Before John the Baptist was born, Zachariah was serving in the temple, along with the other priests, when he was chosen to offer incense that year. It was during that event, Gabriel spoke to him that John the Baptist would be born from Elizabeth, Zachariah’s wife, in her old age. That year, he alone was given access to the Holy of Holies.
 
Well, Matthew 27:51 records how the temple curtain, keeping people from the Holy of Holies, was torn from top to bottom after Jesus died on the cross for the sins of mankind. This symbolized that God’s presence could be accessed by anyone, not simply by one chosen priest. Now, through what Jesus did on the cross, anyone could enter the Holy of Holies, or have access to God. Today, the Old Testament Levitical priesthood is no longer needed. Today, believers are priests and can come into the presence of God. Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” So, as priests, believers have access to God.
 
A priest is also someone who represents the people before God and represents God before the people. In Roman Catholicism, priests are referred to as “pontifex”, and the Pope is referred to as “pontifex maximus” or “greatest pontif.” The term "pontifex" originally referred to a member of the principal college of priests in ancient Rome. The word itself derives from Latin roots meaning "bridge builder.” Priests are bridge builders between God and man.
 
God’s people today are to be bridges bringing people to Jesus Christ. Jesus Alone can take care of their sin problem. For those who repent of their sins and confess Jesus as Lord and Savior, He will forgive them, cleanse them and bring them into the family of God. However, Christians can be bridge builders, bringing sinful man to holy God.
 
A priest is also someone who offers sacrifices. Psalm 51:17 says, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart.” Hebrews 13:15 says our praise and worship are sacrifices to God. Romans 12:1 says we can offer ourselves as “living sacrifices” to God. Philippians 4:18 says ones’ financial offerings can be a sweet-smelling incense before God.
 
We are also called “a holy nation.” Isaiah 6:1-8 and Revelation 4:8 describe scenes in heaven where angels are surrounding the throne, saying “holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty.” The characteristic of God highlighted by the angels is His holiness. Likewise, children of God should be known for their holiness.
 
To be holy means to be clean in a polluted world. We get the words “sacred” and “set apart” from the word “holy”. It means being set apart, both from something and to something. A wedding band symbolizes two spouses being set apart in two different ways. Both spouses are set apart from all others, committing themselves to stay faithful to each other. There should be no competition outside of one’s marriage. Also, both spouses are also set apart to each other. This describes dedication and loyalty to one another. Spiritually, we should be set apart from sin. We should be set apart to God.
 
To be holy also means to be different. Christians are living their lives differently than the people of this world. Christians are moving in a different direction. There is a philosophy amongst some of God’s people that the church must become more like the world in order to reach them. However, the Bible says that God’s people are different from this world. It’s actually when the church is different from the world that it inevitably attracts the world. Don’t be ashamed for living differently from friends, neighbors, family members or coworkers who are not Christians. The child of God should be walking the straight and narrow path, reflecting God to this world.
 
Lastly, we are also called “His own special people.” I learned the phrase in the King James Version, which expresses it as a “peculiar people.” When Lydia and I were dating and just getting to know one another, she would say, “You’re kind of peculiar.” I told her that was in the Bible, and quoted this verse. Well, this phrase does not mean that if you are a Christian, you will be odd. The phrase can be illustrated this way. Imagine drawing a circle and proclaiming everything in that circle as belonging to God. It designates ownership. Christians belong to God. That’s why the newer versions will describe it as a special possession of God.
 
One’s ministry should be expressed through these identities. Because we are in the family of God, our ministry should reflect God’s loving desire to grow that family. Because we are royal priests, our ministry should bring to God. Because we are holy, our ministry should be dedicated to God. Because we belong to God, our ministry should reflect His desire for our lives. These identities will guide our ministry to be Christ-honoring and reflecting God to others.
 
“Father God, I praise You that You have brought me into the family of God! I am royalty! I am a priest! I am set apart for You! I am special to You! I offer my life to You as a sacrifice of my worship. You are worthy of my worship. I love You, In Jesus’ name, amen.”


[1] https://www.dcnewsnow.com/news/frederick-md-man-finds-out-hes-a-king-after-online-ancestry-research/, accessed 8/7/2024.

Perhaps you do not feel as though you are significant. However, God has a special place for you in His church. Martin Luther once said, “God creates out of nothing. Therefore, until a man is nothing, God can make nothing out of him.“[1] Positively speaking, when I understand that I, too, am nothing, perhaps God can make something out of me. We need to realize that God wants to make something special out of us.
 
God's Word uses different images to convey how His church is to function. His church functions like a family. Ephesians 2:19 says, “You are members of God’s family” (NLT). Believers in Christ are brothers and sisters in Christ and are part of the family of God. His church functions like a body. 1 Corinthians 12:27 says, “Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.” His church functions like a bride. Ephesians 5:25-27 speaks to how husbands and wives relate to each other in marriage, and how it reflects Christ and His bride, the church. These images help us understand how a church is to function together.
 
In 1 Peter 2, the church is visualized like a building. He previously stated that Christ is the Cornerstone, and we are living stones being built together. Believers collectively are the building of God. We sometimes will state that we are “going to church” for worship. That’s fine, as long as we keep in mind that the building is not the church – believers are the church. Christians are the bricks, and God is placing each brick together to be His building for holy purposes.
 
We should come to the place where we understand our value is found in God’s church. There is nothing very special about the bricks, but there is something wonderful about the building. I read that one architect described building this way: “Good architecture is not an arrangement of beautiful materials; it is a beautiful arrangement of materials.”[2]
 
You and I are the materials God will use. We've given our life to Jesus Christ, and God is going to make something extraordinary out of something common. Jesus told Peter in Matthew 16:16-18, "I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it."
 
In God’s Church, there is a special initiation that brings people together. Something happens when a person says, “Jesus, be my Lord.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
 
1 Peter 2:5 says, “You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices." In this building, Jesus is the Cornerstone, but we are living stones. First, we come to Christ and then, we become like Christ. We are identified as a living stone, but what is our purpose?
 
The purpose of a stone is not to lie alone in a field. In my backyard, I have some gardening stones; some form a neat border wall, while others are stacked behind the garage. A stone on its own in a field doesn't serve much purpose unless it's connected to a building. Once a stone or brick is attached to a building, it gains a purpose.
 
A wall serves the purpose of protection and stability for the building. More bricks make a stronger building that safeguards from external elements. Walls are valuable for what they enclose. A brick is valuable only when it finds its place, just as we're meant to find our place in the building Jesus is constructing.
 
We should forever dismiss the idea of being a solitary Christian, thinking that we can be Christian without going to church. While it's true that you can be a Christian without attending church, if Jesus is truly your Lord, then He wants to use you to contribute to something special in His kingdom. He wants to build something out of you, but you're just one part of it. This highlights how we all rely on each other. Are you playing your part in the building of God's kingdom?
 
We must understand that our value lies in our unity, and we cannot say to one another, "I don't need you here," or claim that someone doesn't need us. We all need each other. We are interdependent and interconnected as the people of God. The church is not just a physical building, but we, as a community of believers, are the church. We unite to construct this beautiful building for the glory of God, relying on each other's support and cooperation.
 
Let's remember to support and encourage one another as we live in Christian community. Hebrews 10:25 says, “not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” The Living Bible paraphrases it this way, “Let us not neglect our church meetings, as some people do, but encourage…”
 
Picture yourself as a brick in the beautiful building God is constructing. Jesus holds us together (see Colossians 1:17). Look up and reassure the brick, “Stay strong!” Look to the left and say, “Stay with me!” Look to the brick on the right and say, “We’re in this together!” This is how we should keep encouraging each other as we are built together by Christ!
 
Remember how the Church is illustrated as a body in 1 Corinthians 12:12-27? Notice some of the verses from that passage:
 
1 Corinthians 12:12, 18, 21, 26-27 (NKJV)
12For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. …
18But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. …
21And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” …
26And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
27Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.
 
Each body part is important to the body. One important observation is that if a body part became severed from the rest of the body, its vitality and life would be gone. It is no longer valuable to the rest of the body. This passage highlights also that the weaker, less visible members of the body are oftentimes more significant to the body as well. 1 Corinthians 12:22–24 says, “No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it.”
 
Whether we are talking about the parts of a body or the bricks of a building, believers must see their value in the collective whole of the Church. We need one another. Every member is valuable.
 
“Lord, thank You, that You are showing me how valuable I am to You and to Your church. I pray that I find my place in Your body. I pray that I appreciate where You have placed me, to serve You and Your people and to touch people for You. I rejoice that You have placed me where I am. I will thrive in what You have called me to do. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

[1] https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/colorful-sayings-of-colorful-luther, accessed 8/72024.
[2] Adrian Rogers, “Life on the Rock,” in Adrian Rogers Sermon Archive (Signal Hill, CA: Rogers Family Trust, 2017), 1 Pe 2:4–9.

1 Peter 2:4–5 says, “Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
 
In John 6:51, Jesus refers to Himself as the “living bread.” In John 4:13-14 and John 7:37-39, Jesus says He is the Source of “living water.” Well, in 1 Peter 2:4, Jesus is referred to as the “living stone.” That phrase “living stone” is oxymoronic, because it communicates something with life and something that is inanimate. Stones represent stability. Stones represent something that cannot change. Jesus is sturdy and stable. Yet, He is not a dead stone. He is alive.
 
Then, the next verse describes how He brings life from the dead. When you come to Him, and believe on Him, then you, too, become a living stone. 1 Peter 2:5 says, “you also as living stones are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices.” The process is: first you come to Jesus (the cornerstone), and then you become like Jesus (a living stone).
 
The King of Sparta in Ancient Greece would brag about the “mighty walls of Sparta.” How massive. How strong. One day a king came to visit. He asked, “I've heard about the massive walls of Sparta, where are they?” The King pointed to the well-disciplined soldiers of Sparta, and he said, “There are the mighty walls of Sparta!”
 
God is able to build up a spiritual house out of these living stones. A church is made up of people, not brick and mortar. The building may perish, but the church still exists because of the people of God. Individually, we may be a stone. Collectively, we are a building that God is putting together, one stone at a time. The building continues to grow as people continue to come to Jesus and become like Jesus. All for the glory of God.
 
Hebrews 3:6 says, “but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.” 1 Corinthians 3:9 adds, “For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building.” Believers are the house of God. We are the building of God.
 
The main verb of this verse is “are being built.” Some translations mistakenly turn this sentence into an imperative, “be built up.” However, it seems to be best translated as an indicative, a statement of something that is actually happening. They were being built up. Additionally, the verb is in the passive voice, which means it was something being done to them. They were not building themselves up. Someone else was building them up. His name is Jesus.

One toy that our boys always enjoyed playing with as they were younger were Magnetic plastic tiles. They are plastic shapes, but they have magnets all around the edges. They are able to be connected pretty quickly in order to build whatever structure you may want to build. Well, what is holding these plastic squares together? If they were just plastic shapes, they would just collapse. They couldn’t hold together. However, with the magnetic force at work, you can build enormous structures as one more plastic square or rectangle is attached at the right location. Now, this is a picture of the church. Believers all over the world join together as Christians. What force holds the church together? Jesus!
 
Colossians 1:17 says, “He [Christ] is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (NIV). We may walk around and think, “What’s keeping me on earth?” The answer is gravity. It is a force we cannot see. In the same way, Jesus Christ, the living stone, as people come to Him, esteem Him as precious, and believe on Him, He grafts them in. He adds to the building. He holds all of His followers together as living stones being built together for His glory!
 
“Dear God, thank You for making me one of Your children through what Jesus did for me. Thank You for connecting me to other believers as Your church. I pray that I stay faithful to You and to Your church. I pray that others can count on me to do my part in Your church. I pray our unity glorifies You. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
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