Football fans "The Red Zone" - 1 Peter 4:7-11...Star Trek fans "Engage!"

 

I used a couple of illustrations this Sunday to explain what Peter was saying to the 1st century Gentile Christians who were being heavily persecuted.  The first was the "red zone" of football.  There is a whole different mindset on either side of the football when you get in either "red zone" of the field.  You could be on defense and defending your goal and therefore determined to stop forward progress.  You could be on offense and implementing special plays to get into the end zone for a touchdown.  You could be on offense in the wrong "red zone" and trying to get out of it and down the field.  You could be on defense in the "red zone" where you want the offense to maybe get a "safety."  Either way, your mindset and intensity rises when you are in the "red zone."

Remember this guy and his famous word "engage?"  Peter gives us 4 things to engage in this passage of scripture realizing we are in the "red zone" of God's plan.  We are in this age which includes the first coming of Christ who ushered in the Kingdom of God and the Last Days.  We are looking forward to the second coming of Christ and the age to come.  How do we live in these times as Christians?

1 Peter 4.7 - We engage our head.  We are to think as Christ thinks (4.1).  What was He thinking about?  How was He thinking about others?  

1 Peter 4.8 - We engage our heart.  Peter repeats the 4th command given in this epistle found in 1.22 to love one another earnestly or fervently.  This kind of love can love even an enemy because you want the enemy to turn to Christ and receive salvation.

1 Peter 4.9 - We engage our hands.  Our head is right and our heart is right so then our hands will serve others in the right way.  A reference of Philippians 2:14-18 is good to note here.

1 Peter 4.10 - We engage the Holy Spirit.  Each believer has received a gift from God to use to serve others to show them the grace of God.  The gift received is to be used to point others to Jesus Christ.  

How do I think more like Christ?  The only place to find this out is in the Bible.

How do I love more like Christ?  This will involve daily prayers for a tender heart toward others and especially those who do not yet believe.

How do I serve more like Christ?  This will start by being aware of who He has put around you.

How do I use this Holy Spirit given gift?  This will involve the actual serving of others so the gift can be displayed.  It takes a step of courage to trust to use what God has given you.

May we be aware of where we are in God's overall plan and therefore act appropriate to where we are on His field as Christians, His children.

Adam