November 24

1 Peter 2

 I'd like to share two Grace Church stories to start us off today.  The first is about a senior woman in our neighborhood who needed some assistance. A woman from our church brought her a few meals and because of this kindness this senior woman came to our church on Christmas Eve. Several months later she came to believe the gospel message of salvation. The second story is about a couple of neighborhood kids who started shooting hoops in the parking lot. One man started to invest his time into building a friendship with these kids. Because of this good work, one of these young men came to know Jesus. This young person eventually married a young woman from the youth group and they now live in Florida. Both of them are solid Christians who are serving the Lord.

The apostle Peter nailed this sequence of events when he states, "Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us."

 Good deeds are one of the most powerful tools in our arsenal to change culture. The way it works is "good deeds" lead to "good will" which leads to "good news."

Let's be clear about this; we are saved through God's unmerited grace, not as the result of any effort, ability, intelligent choice, or act of service on our part. However, out of gratitude for this free gift, we seek to help and serve others with kindness, love, and gentleness, and not merely to please ourselves. In the end our mission is to do good deeds to open the hearts of people.  

The Church today does not have a good reputation. David Kinnaman in his book "Unchristian" points out that our favorability rating with the next generation is at an all time low of 3%. That means 97% of young people have a neutral or bad impression of the church. We have a huge image issue.  

So what is your strategy to change this perception? You don't need to look any further than 1 Peter 2. The best way for us to engage the culture is through loving people and doing good deeds. The unbelieving world can deny our theology, our creeds, and our gatherings but they can't deny our good deeds. When we reach out with compassionate, loving and unconditional acts of kindness it opens the doors to deeper conversations about faith.  

So your homework this week is to do one act of kindness where you serve someone without expecting anything in return. It would be great to hear your story on our Facebook page. You can join the conversation at:   

https://www.facebook.com/groups/192897197465389/

 

 

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"Multiplying leaders to change the world"