Do we have to shun technology and grow long beards (like the Amish) in order to be distinctively Christian? Is there a particular way to look that will tell others we belong to Christ? Everyday distinctiveness is not really visible from the outside necessarily, but Christians are distinctive when they:

1. give their full attention to God, listening for His voice
2. live in obedient response to God’s voice
3. live with integrity, being true to who they are and being transformed into who God wants them to be
4. love unconditionally
5. forgive freely
6. promote justice
7. care for the poor and needy
8. live at peace with people

1. Giving God our full attention

A Christian’s chief distinctiveness, the thing that sets us apart from the pattern of the world, is that we are living in a relationship with God and He has our first attention. Paul says ‘Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.’ (Col 3:1-2) God is the One who makes us distinctive, because the rest of the world is not living in relationship with God and so the mere fact that we are talking with God and listening to Him makes us different. Everything starts with God. It flows from that personal relationship with God.

2. Living in obedience to God

We are commanded to ‘develop a life of holy obedience instead of letting the crowd drag [us] into a sloppy indolence.’ (Eugene Peterson, ‘Run With the Horses’, P 140) Every time we hear God’s voice and respond to it in obedience, we are going to be distinctive. Obedience is one of the chief hallmarks of the Christian. Jesus told us ‘If you love me, keep my commands.’ (John 14:15) God demands holiness and purity from His children: ‘just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”’ (1 Pet 1:15-16) We must obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29) and have to be persist in obedience (Gal 6:9).

3. Live with integrity

We are all unique individuals; God wants us to to live out our distinctive God-given identity and to be shaped into the person He has made us to be. We need to recognise that unity is not the same as uniformity and there is room for individuality within the church. God wants us to be ourselves and pursue the dreams He gives us, not comparing ourselves with others all the time or trying to follow fashion but living with integrity.

4. Love unconditionally

God calls us to love unconditionally as He does, not just loving those who are lovable or who like us! (Matt 5:43-47) This extends to the isolated colleague everyone else shuns or the people no one else wants to know. Love is the hallmark of the Christian. (1 Cor 13:1-8)

5. Forgive freely

Jesus taught us to forgive freely for we have been freely forgiven. (Matt 6:12) Those who display forgiveness (eg Gordon Wilson, who forgave those who murdered his daughter in the Enniskillen bombing in 1987 or  Alice Greaves, who forgave the murderers of her organist husband, saying she prayed ‘God’s great mercy will inspire them to true repentance’) demonstrate to us the power of forgiveness, which is totally alien to the world’s tendency to hold grudges and to bear malice. If we have received God’s mercy and forgiveness for ourselves, how dare we withhold them from anyone else? Paul says ‘Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.’ (Eph 4:32)

6. Promote Justice

Deut 32:4 tells us all God’s ways are just and that He is a ‘faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.’ Because God is just, He cares about justice and therefore He wants us to care too. Deut 16:20 tells us ‘Follow justice and justice alone’; the queen of Sheba told Solomon that God had appointed him king ‘to maintain justice and righteousness.’ (1 Kings 10:8) Christians have frequently been at the forefront of society, promoting justice because they know God’s heart for this.

7. Care for the poor and needy

James 2:1-4 reminds us that we should show no favouritism towards the rich, but must care for people without discrimination. Christians need to be those who care for the poor and needy. Helping the food bank in Goldthorpe is one way we can do this. What others can we find?

8. Live at peace

Jesus told us ‘blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God.’ (Matt 5:9) One of the distinctive features of a Christian will be a desire to live at peace with others and to make peace. Rom 12:18 says ‘If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.’ Clearly, this is not always possible, for others may be antagonistic towards us, but as far as our attitudes are concerned, we need to be people who aim to live at peace with others and who strive ‘to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.’ (Eph 4:3) In Mark’s gospel, Jesus says,  ‘Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other.’ (Mark 9:50) As Christians, we have been given peace by Jesus (John 14:27, John 16:33) and because of this long to share ‘the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.’ (Acts 10:36) Part of the transforming effect of God’s Holy Spirit is to bring forth the fruit of peace in our lives (Gal 5:22-23) and to allow us to live in peace. (2 Cor 13:11)

What does a Christian look like?

It would be wonderful if you could look at people and instantly see who was a Christian and who wasn’t! Life is not quite that simple, however. Jesus told a parable about wheat and weeds which reminds us that in this life, it can be hard to distinguish between true believers and those who may look the real thing but who are not. (Matt 13:24-30, 1 John.) Nonetheless, there are distinguishing features of Christians, ‘the marks of Jesus’ (Gal 6:17) which need to be evident in our lives if we are to be effective salt and light in our everyday living.

In order to be distinctive, however, we must ensure we do not conform to the patterns of the world but are transformed by the renewing of our minds. (Rom 12:2) Other versions paraphrase this verse:

• Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. (Rom 12:2, The Message)
• Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within. (Rom 12:2, J. B. Phillips)
• Don’t be like the people of this world, but let God change the way you think. (Rom 12:2, CEV)
• Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude] (Rom 12:2, Amplified Bible)
• Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but be a new and different person with a fresh newness in all you do and think. (Rom 12:2, The Living Bible)

The pattern of the world we are not to emulate is not simply cultural customs (such as eating raw fish like the Japanese or wearing Lederhosen like the Austrians!)

Rather, it is the worldview, prompted by the devil (Eph 2:1-2; Eph 6:11-12), which says ‘We don’t need God. We can manage without Him, thanks very much.’ This may be the majority view in the Western world, but just because it is the majority view does not make it right. Peer pressure can be extremely insidious and forceful (especially in our formative years), but we need to understand that taking a stand for Christ means swimming against the tide and has consequences (see Mark 8:38).

Being transformed works ‘from the inside out‘, as we allow God’s Word to dwell in us and shape us. Jeremiah 35 tells us a parable, how Jeremiah invited a group of people called the Rekabites to come and drink wine. Their obedience to their forefather’s commands meant they refused the request and their distinctiveness became a parable to Israel to live ‘not on the basis of what was current with the crowd but on the basis of what had been commanded by their ancestors.’ (Eugene Peterson, ‘Run With the Horses’, P 138) We too are commanded to live in distinctive obedience to God, being ‘salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavours of this earth’ and being ‘light, bringing out the God-colours in the world.’

Mark’s sermon on Joseph emphasised that God’s purpose is for the world to come to know Him. Everything which happens to us in life works together for good, with God’s aim being that the world should be saved. A song we sang during the service yesterday morning focuses on this purpose:

Mark continued his fascinating series on Joseph by looking at Genesis 45. The story has reached the climatic point where Joseph reveals his true identity to his brothers. Judah’s plea for mercy, offering to give his own life so that Benjamin can return with his other brothers so that Jacob is not caused further heartache (Gen 44:30-34) releases the emotion Joseph must have been feeling ever since he first recognised his brothers. Now, it is too much for him and he cannot hold his emotions in any longer.

The ‘big reveal’ is not just about Joseph, however. His brothers are astonished and terrified at this news. They are dumbfounded, unable to find any words to articulate their shock. They must have been afraid when his words ‘I am Joseph your brother, the one you sold into Egypt’ (Gen 45:4) confirmed a fact they had never dared voice to anyone else, which could only have been known by Joseph. What would he do? What would be the final consequences of their sin?

Joseph’s words in Gen 45:5 show us he has finally understood the purpose of all that has happened to him: ‘Do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.’

Joseph’s response is one of heartfelt forgiveness. He sees the bigger picture. In order for us to forgive as God wants us to, we must:

• let go of the past hurt
• release our emotions to God (the chapter describes Joseph weeping and wailing so loudly that even the Egyptians who had left the room could hear him!)
• receive God’s heart of forgiveness to give us the ability to forgive
• let the person know that we have forgiven them privately so that we can all move on

Joseph is able to forgive because He sees the bigger purposes of God. The ‘big reveal’ is not so much Joseph revealing his identity as God revealing His purposes to him. He realises that God has been with him all along, in every trial and difficulty. God worked through Joseph so that life could be preserved, so that millions of people did not die through famine. God’s plan is that the whole world should be saved through Jesus (see John 3:16) and wherever we are on the dream cycle of life, the ultimate purpose is for God to save the world. He wants to use us to see others saved and forgiven and restored. All the miracles and revelations, all the sorrow and heartache we face in this life are all part of this plan. God sent Joseph to Egypt, not his brothers. God reveals Himself to Joseph, to his brothers, to Pharaoh, to all Egypt. Life is really all about God’s plan of salvation, about God revealing this plan through Jesus and using us, His people, to proclaim this message.

Many people complain that the Bible is an outdated book which is irrelevant today. It may well have importance because of its contribution to our literary heritage or how it has shaped culture, but they do not feel it has any day-to-day significance that can influence and guide our lives today.

Christians believe that the Bible is a living word, relevant not only because of what it teaches us about the past but because it guides our behaviour in the present and teaches us about the future. Heb 4:12 tells us ‘the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.‘

As we study 1 Corinthians, one of the reasons for doing so is because the issues and problems faced by Christians in that church still apply today. Eccl 1:9 reminds us that ‘there is nothing new under the sun.’ Human nature has not changed over the years. The selfishness, sinfulness and immaturity shown by the Corinthian Christians can still be found in modern society, where power struggles, sexual immorality, demandingness over rights (without necessarily acknowledging any responsibilities) and lack of respect still abound. The immorality and competitive spirit of Corinth can be found in most Western cities. We need to understand the influences of the world and see that there is a radical need for change if we are to be a church which moulds our culture instead of us being moulded by the culture around us.

Paul writes to people ‘sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people.’ (1 Cor 1:2) As we read this letter, we find much that is neither sanctified nor holy in the people’s behaviour and attitudes. As we look at the church overall in the world today, we may well feel discouraged and frustrated. But as we learn from Paul how to tackle the problems, we will find the Bible still relevant today: still speaking, still working, still answering our complex questions, still penetrating, judging and moulding us.

Garry gave an introduction to 1 Corinthians last night, which we will be studying in detail over the next few months (where ‘few’ probably means ‘many’ and ‘months’ may well turn to ‘years’!) As an introduction, we looked at Acts 18:1-19, which describes the birth of the church in Corinth.

Corinth was a city in Achaia (modern-day Greece), the main land route between the East and West, and as such a crucial and important city for the sea routes converged on two harbours there, making it a very prosperous city.

The proconsul from Rome (Gallio) was situated there, and whilst Athens was the intellectual capital of the area (causing great rivalry between the two cities), Corinth was significant because of its location. Goldthorpe owed much of its success in the past to its location on the main road between Barnsley and Doncaster, always featuring more prominently than Thurnscoe or Bolton-on-Dearne, but as the new bypass has shown, significance because of location can wane…

Corinth was also famous for its vice and licentiousness, for moral laxity and intellectual pride. The verb ‘to corinthianise’ meant to be completely without sexual morals. Clearly, Paul had his work cut out in teaching these people the basics of the Christian faith! His letters show that after 18 months of ministry there, there were still many issues which caused confusion and problems. Understanding where people come from is important when teaching, as these people had no prior knowledge of God as the Jews did. In our generation, people come from all kinds of backgrounds and a basic knowledge of Christian doctrines and morals cannot be assumed.

1 Corinthians was written to address the divisions and disorder in the church (1 Cor 1:10), to correct specific problems (1 Cor 1-6) and to address questions asked of Paul. Paul’s problems came from various groups with tendencies leading to an inadequate understanding of Christianity (such as libertarians who misunderstood Christian freedom, ascetics who were too rigid in their approach to Christian behaviour and ecstatics who allowed their spiritual ‘experiences’ to lead to disorder.)

Other issues Paul tackles in this letter include:

• power struggles in the church
• people who thought they were spiritually or intellectually superior to others
• immorality
• exercising rights
• sex and marriage
• respecting one another’s personality and gifts
• how our understanding of eternity makes a difference to how we live together today