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Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends around the world.
In recent years we’ve seen huge migrations of people from South America into North America, sometimes in large moving caravans of people. And similar huge migrations by land and sea from Africa north into Europe. Millions of people leaving what was home, in many cases home for generations, often with little more than the clothes on their backs. In recent years governments in North America & Europe have faced great challenges as millions upon millions of people have sought entry, both by legal and illegal means, often fleeing very desperate situations.
Sometimes they flee wars, sometimes genocide or terrorism, sometimes extreme poverty, sometimes famine or great natural disasters, and sadly, sometimes they flee horrific religious persecution. This has been the human story from the days of the tower of Babel (Genesis 11).
In the latter 1/2 of the first century, the same was true all across the Roman Empire, as both Jews and Christians fled persecution. The Apostle Peter was so moved by what he saw as he traveled from place proclaiming the story of Jesus, that finally, moved by the Spirit of God, Peter wrote a great letter of encouragement to those in deep suffering, scattered by great persecution. We know this letter as 1 Peter in our Bibles.
This week we’re taking a fresh look and claiming Peter’s words for ourselves, all around the world in the great Coronavirus Pandemic of 2020, because then, as now, migrating peoples are often viewed and poorly treated as “aliens”. But Peter is using this word for all Christ followers, anywhere in the world. We are ‘aliens’ in this world because we are: “A chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that we may declare the praises of HIM who called us out of darkness into God’s wonderful light. Once we were not a people, but now we are the people of God. Once we had not received mercy, but now we have received God’s mercy. I urge you as aliens and strangers in this world, to live such good lives among the pagans that though they accuse you of doing wrong, they will glorify God on the day He visits us. (1 Peter 2:9-12)
The contrast between the people of God and all other human beings should be stark and obvious in every culture of the world. Oh we may look like the other people who live around us, we may speak the same language, wear similar clothes, eat the same foods, send our children to the same schools, work in the same jobs, go to the same medical facilities for health care, live under the same political authorities… but we are not at all the same people down deep inside. We are ‘aliens’ here, this world is NOT our home, we are only passing through. The few years we live here is a but a moment of time compared to eternity we will have with Jesus in heaven.
Oh we were not born as ‘aliens’, we came into the human race just like everyone else. Normal, selfish, sinful human beings. But along the way we ‘aliens’ came to understand who God really is and His holiness, His power, His love, and His plan of Redemption which makes it possible for us to be forgiven of our sin, (Eph. 1:7) reconciled to God in relationship (Col. 1:20,21), declared by God to be a Holy people (1 Peter 1:15), and receive from God His Holy Spirit to live within us (John 14:16,17). THAT, all that and more, is why Peter called folks like us “aliens”, and we really are, when you consider who we were and the world we live in!
So what do you see as some characteristics of truly transformed, followers of Jesus Christ, ‘aliens’ in our world today? How do you recognize them in the mass of humanity where you live? May I offer you a few characteristics I have seen in every country I’ve visited?
1. Christ following “Aliens” have a deep respect for God’s Word. They treasure their Bible, if they have one. They devour it, often memorizing large portions of it. They spend time, lots of time, reading, studying, learning from their Bibles, for they recognize it as THE primary way God communicates with His people, “aliens”. Their Bibles are often weathered and worn, sometimes held together with tape or even string. They never place their Bibles on the ground or flippantly throw it on the shelf. As you watch them handle their Bible, one word describes their attitude: reverence. If you are fortunate enough to inherit the Bible of a true “alien” it will be a treasure!
2. True “aliens” love to pray! Prayer for them is like air or water. They can’t go long without it, and their lives depend on frequently talking with God. “Aliens” often have a dedicated time for private prayer like Jesus in Mark 1:35-39. They will also pray when they find themselves in an unexpected or frightening situation. They’ll pray with someone who is in a crisis or great need. Prayer for them is not memorized, flippant prayers. Prayer for ‘aliens’ is a profound privilege…they cherish and deeply respect the throne room of God! They know it cost Jesus the horrible cross to be allowed into God’s throne room! So they enter carefully, with great reverence and joyfully.
3. Worship is a very high value, a high priority for “aliens”. Very little, if anything, stands in the way of a ‘God alien’ and the opportunity to worship, either in an organized group like a church service or alone watching the sunrise or sunset, or late at night looking up into the star filled sky, or holding a new-born baby. Worship for ‘aliens’ is not three songs, a prayer and a message… worship for true ‘aliens’ is an encounter with the living God and is life changing! It’s what happened with Moses that caused him to come down from Mount Sinai after 40 days with a radiant face (Exodus 34).
4 ‘Aliens’ are very careful to not do or say anything that would dishonor the King of Aliens, their Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. If they perceive they’ve offended someone, they’ll quickly seek to understand what happened, and try to correct it. True “aliens” live what some call ‘contagious Christianity’, naturally drawing what Peter calls “pagans” to Jesus!
5. “Aliens” are always looking to further develop what makes them an ‘alien’…their relationship with Jesus as their Savior; Almighty God their heavenly Father; and the Holy Spirit, their resident Counselor.
6. “Aliens” are always alert to people around them who need help. Any kind of help, but especially emotional and spiritual help. True “aliens” love to bring the help and hope of Jesus to anyone they see who needs God’s touch. That’s why Christ following “aliens” hear things other people don’t hear, as they listen to people. They see things in people’s eyes or in situations, that other people ignore. They are moved by the Spirit of God…as Jesus was, to always be alert to an opportunity where Jesus could make a difference through them.
Now why don’t you, my friends, add a few more to the list. Look around, there are Christ following “aliens” who live near you…watch them carefully, listen to them, especially the older mature ‘aliens’ and then add to my list what you observe. And finally, of course, what do you and I see when we lay our lives alongside this list of ‘alien characteristics’?
Now friends, one last thought. Do you see Peter writes to the ‘aliens’: “Grace and Peace be yours in Abundance.” (1 Peter 1:2) Do you know the Hebrew word “SHALOM”? This is what “shalom” means! My friends, if you are an ‘alien’, as I am, you and I should be people of God who bring “Shalom” to the people of our world who so desperately need God’s touch! This song was just to me by a friend, a brand new song “Shalom”. . . worship my friends, and have a talk with Jesus, the King of us who are ‘aliens’!
Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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