Make the Master proud of you by being good citizens. Respect the authorities, whatever their level; they are God's emissaries for keeping order. It is God's will that by doing good, you might cure the ignorance of the fools who think you're a danger to society. Exercise your freedom by serving God, not by breaking the rules. Treat everyone you meet with dignity. Love your spiritual family. Revere God. Respect the government. 1 Peter 2:13-17 (The Message)
I came across these three verses today and it occurred to me that if we wanted a prescription of good Christian citizenship this was it. Peter’s first sentence helped my focus but there was more in verse 15, which I have bolded.
Peter is writing to a Community of Faith that is under pressure from just about everyone, the government included. By the end of Peter’s life Christianity, as it came to be known went from a sect to an alien religion; and anyone branded as Christian whether fact or from malice was off to the persecutors.
Yet Peter’s letter is full of instructions that will convince the persecutors that Christians are “Good Guy’s”. From verse 3 of chapter 1 he is giving instructions as to how to conduct a good witness “to cure the ignorance of the fool”.
This reminded me of a story about two young Americans who visited China and who were introduced to a group Chinese Christians who met every week for a Bible Study. It was the practise of the group to “confess “any persecution that they had experienced in the week gone by. The group shared their persecution around the circle until it came to the Americans. When they were asked about persecution in their country, answered that in America they were free and that there was no persecution. After another, I think it was three visits these young men came to realize that persecution occurs in a variety of ways and in different contexts. They found that although these young Chinese had it harder than them in their home country, their faith had a harder edge; it meant more to the Chinese to follow the Christ.
We too, in Australia, suffer just as the young Americans found out a similar manner. It is easy to be an anonymous Christian in a society that tolerates, barely, our faith and at worst simply ignores it. As the young men in China found resistance by the authorities puts an edge on your faith, that to make a difference we have to impress with the life we lead so that outsiders will see our works and look to the Lord of Life.
We need to look to Peter’s letter. If for no other reason than to see the potential of living a life that brings honour to the Master by the civil manner of our life, as much as by the fact that we may go to a building that is known as a Church Centre a couple of times a week. Especially, when we may live a day to day life that does not reflect the call of the first Letter of Peter.
If we are to build the Community of Faith so that it again has relevance in the world we are living we have to do it one by one and as Peter stated “slaved serve your master ... as if unto Christ ... whether the treat you right or not.” The difference today is that we are not bound by slavery and are free still we should dear with our employers, or employees, in a way that has integrity and honours Jesus who has set us free ultimately.
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