{"id":3277,"date":"2020-09-14T09:27:39","date_gmt":"2020-09-14T08:27:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stanwellroadbaptist.org.uk\/?p=3277"},"modified":"2020-09-14T09:27:42","modified_gmt":"2020-09-14T08:27:42","slug":"frontline-1-all-the-difference-in-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/stanwellroadbaptist.org.uk\/index.php\/2020\/09\/14\/frontline-1-all-the-difference-in-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Frontline 1.  All the difference in the World"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\"  id=\"_ytid_58592\"  width=\"640\" height=\"360\"  data-origwidth=\"640\" data-origheight=\"360\"  data-relstop=\"1\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qWhbLdY0yek?enablejsapi=1&autoplay=0&cc_load_policy=0&cc_lang_pref=&iv_load_policy=1&loop=0&modestbranding=0&rel=0&fs=1&playsinline=0&autohide=2&theme=dark&color=red&controls=1&\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  no-lazyload\" title=\"YouTube player\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p>FRONTLINE SUNDAY 1<br>ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Reading&nbsp;<\/strong>\u2013 1 Peter 1:1\u20132<br><em>Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God&#8217;s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood:<br>Grace and peace be yours in abundance.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In his letter to scattered groups of Christians in what is modern-day Turkey, the apostle Peter writes to them to ignite their imagination and inspire hope for the possibilities of their everyday lives in a complex world. Peter begins by using two pivotal words to describe the people of God and then he reminds them of a stunning truth. These two words \u2013 \u2018elect\u2019 and \u2018exiles\u2019 \u2013 helped the church know who they were. They, and we in the UK today, are a small minority in a nation that, in the main, do not worship Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The image of six \u2018red dots\u2019 in a sea of grey ones pictures this. Yet Peter is confident in what God can and will do through them. He concludes his opening greeting by joyfully celebrating the work of the Triune God in them, day by day \u2013 making all the difference in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We are a minority. When we gather like this in a church building on a Sunday most people are doing something else {more fun}<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In general, if you tell people you go to church they will think it\u2019s because you\u2019re religious and it\u2019s what people like you do. Or they will think it\u2019s where your friends are and that it\u2019s a good place to connect with people. Or maybe they know how well we support one another and are pleased that you belong to such a community. Whilst there is a grain of truth in all these views, they miss what the New Testament suggests the church is all about. When Peter begins his letter to small groups of Christians scattered across ancient Turkey, he wants them to understand what it means to be the church. He does it by helping them see themselves as part of the Old Testament people of God. He uses two key words and a stunning truth.<br>They are God\u2019s&nbsp;<strong>ELECT<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>God\u2019s purpose from Genesis 12 onwards was that Abraham, and all his descendants, would be blessed and would be a blessing to the world around. Not all these early Christians would have been Jewish by birth. Yet Peter draws them into the ongoing story of God\u2019s intention for the world by using the language of calling. Whatever our journey to faith in Jesus was,<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"blob:http:\/\/stanwellroadbaptist.org.uk\/3c136efc-3443-49ad-8854-e739594ca4d8\" alt=\"page1image55289408\" width=\"46.074000\" height=\"0.700000\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>when we surrendered to his lordship, we became part of this \u2018called\u2019 people. In the visual we\u2019re using, we are&nbsp;red dots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The red dots visualise the statistical fact that in the UK around 6% of people worship in a Christian church once a month or more. It\u2019s not many but it is significant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When we gather as worshippers we remind ourselves that we believe a very particular story about the world. We believe it is God\u2019s \u2013 he created it. We believe it\u2019s broken \u2013 because of sin; we believe that Jesus\u2019 death makes new life possible; we believe that one day everything will be transformed. We live as people with a distinct story in a culture that may not believe any of that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We are red dots. And when we gather we do so to strengthen and encourage one another to be who we are \u2013 God\u2019s chosen people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The second term that Peter uses is one that recalls the great disaster of the Old Testament \u2013 when Israel lost their land. At first they hoped for a quick return. But the prophets told them that most of that first generation of&nbsp;<strong>EXILES&nbsp;<\/strong>would not return, though they could remain distinct and be a blessing where they were ( Jeremiah 29).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, we are also scattered for most of the time. And at the moment , far, far more than we would like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We don\u2019t spend all our time with fellow Christians. We may be the only disciples of Jesus at home, at work, or in our class. These are the places where we are called to shine (Philippians 2:14\u201316).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>? Arnie Swartznegger &#8211; Judgement day as the light of his eye goes out &#8211; then reserve power kicks in!!!!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, it\u2019s important that we don\u2019t \u2018grey out\u2019, lose our distinctiveness, and become the same as the surrounding culture. God has a plan in placing us in our scattered contexts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2018Frontline\u2019 is a term to describe these places. Of course, it has all sorts of connotations. For some, it reminds them of a battlefield and, whilst we would want to be careful about this, for some Christians keeping a Christian witness in their place is not easy. Others will have come across the term in their workplaces \u2013 classrooms, hospital wards, offices.<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"blob:http:\/\/stanwellroadbaptist.org.uk\/c6b80082-f7cc-496e-9ddd-1e062f385974\" alt=\"page2image55264576\" width=\"49.700000\" height=\"0.700000\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Frontline workers have become a key phrase for us in the time of lockdown as they have maintained their positions in the face of higher risk of infection, separated from their families, giving their all in a time of crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But we are all on a frontline<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Frontlines are everyday places where we live, work, study, or play and we\u2019re likely to connect with people who aren\u2019t Christians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I think it is a term that everyone can relate to \u2013 from school child to retiree. We are all the scattered people of God. We all have frontlines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>A stunning truth<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Peter concludes his opening greeting with a reminder of the wondrous work of the Trinity in their lives:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022&nbsp;Our situations are known by God \u2013 his foreknowledge<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022&nbsp;We have been set apart by the Spirit \u2013 his sanctifying work&nbsp;\u2028<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022&nbsp;We can be confident of our relationship with God \u2013 the sprinkling of blood is a sign of being included in his covenant&nbsp;\u2028<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And all that is in the context of \u2018being obedient to Jesus\u2019, aligning ourselves with Christ and his purposes in the world. Peter rejoices with his readers in all that God has done for us. And he reminds them, and us, that we live out the implications of the gospel in our scattered places. We are elect and we are exiles.&nbsp;\u2028<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The series will go on to explore the implications of this for us wherever we are, whatever we do, and whoever we are. It finishes by looking at what it means to be a disciple making community together \u2013 for the sake of the world. We are red dots when we gather to strengthen one another as a distinct people. We are red dots when we scatter \u2013 to many different places with many different people. People who can make all the difference in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Far from greying out we have the potential to shine, to glow and cause others around us to glow too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Christians are a small minority in our nation in these times. Less than 6%<br>of the population currently go to church once a month or more \u2013 six red dots in a sea of grey ones. The reality, however, is that these red dots, these people of God, are out there in the world, Monday through Saturday \u2013 traces<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>and voices of grace for thousands of people. This is the church in mission on the frontline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And if the scattered church is to grow ever more fruitful in mission, Monday through Saturday, we must embrace the gift of gathered church to fuel this. We\u2019re convinced that our nations will never be reached until we create open, authentic, learning, and praying communities that are focused on growing whole-life disciples who live and share the gospel wherever they are.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>FRONTLINE SUNDAY 1ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD Reading&nbsp;\u2013 1 Peter 1:1\u20132Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God&#8217;s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/stanwellroadbaptist.org.uk\/index.php\/2020\/09\/14\/frontline-1-all-the-difference-in-the-world\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3277","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-weekly-video-message"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/stanwellroadbaptist.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3277","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/stanwellroadbaptist.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/stanwellroadbaptist.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stanwellroadbaptist.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stanwellroadbaptist.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3277"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/stanwellroadbaptist.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3277\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3278,"href":"http:\/\/stanwellroadbaptist.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3277\/revisions\/3278"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/stanwellroadbaptist.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3277"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stanwellroadbaptist.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3277"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stanwellroadbaptist.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3277"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}