Hope and Strength

As a person who is associated with the study of Economics it is easy for me just to give the same old answers to any political and economic question that comes up. I still believe that those answers are the ones that will work, however the problem is that they aren't necessarily the answers that the Bible gives. In economics we focus solely on the how the individual is affected by the system put around them, and how that system needs to be so that the individual will prosper and is free to prosper. I think by looking at our world like this I miss something really huge. I miss that just maybe its less about the system and more about the Individual. Maybe instead of focusing on changing the system, what if we focused on changing the character of the individual(very much including myself) and then just maybe the system will change.

"Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion,m but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble.
Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen."

1 Peter 5:1-11

Peter is writing this at the time when many people in the Roman Empire were becoming Christians. They were living the life of a Christian and finding happiness in Christ. Then the Roman officials began to make people convert back to the Roman gods. If they refused they would either be jailed, maimed, or even killed. It was then that many of the new Christians became scared and converted back. These are the people that Peter is writing to.

Peter is telling the Christians of Rome that its going to happen but they need to be strong. He is saying that persecution will come just because they are good. But Peter also gives them a message of hope when he says, "After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you." This is a huge statement of hope. Today at College Church Pastor Steve used the example of a movie with an alternate ending. He said that it is like watching the movie and then watching the alternate ending and then going through the movie once more with the alternate ending in mind. All of a sudden the rest of the movie has a much different meaning than it did the first time. This is exactly what Peter is doing. He is giving the people the alternate ending of hope and now everything that they go through looks very different than they had first thought.

This is how I believe that we must live out our lives in our world today as well. When people know that we are Christians they will automatically treat us differently and sometimes even cruelly. But there is Hope in Christ. When we preach a Gospel of Love, Hope and Strength the world around us begins to look a lot different than it used to!