10.08.2024
1Pe 1:1,2 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the elect sojourners of the Dispersion of Pontus, of Galatia, of Cappadocia, of Asia, and of Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, to obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. May grace and peace be multiplied to you.
This letter of Apostle Peter is addressed to the elect sojourners of the Dispersion of Pontus, of Galatia, of Cappadocia, of Asia, and of Bithynia.
Let us read it in another version.
1Pe 1:1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of dispersion ….
Elect exiles:
For the word ‘exiles’ the meaning given is outcasts, refugees, expatriates, deportees
The opposite of it is ‘Natives’.
Natives will have all the rights in a nation. Exiles will have no rights at all, even the fundamental rights which one enjoys just by the fact that you are born in a free country which is not colonized by anyone, will be denied .
In the early Christian Church, Christians were considered as exiles. All their rights were taken away just for the reason that they accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour. They were ostracized from the society of Jews. We see an example in the gospel of John.
Joh 9:20, 22 His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.
AOJ soldiers does not have any credentials to get the approval of the society they are living in or of any organization.
The only identity they hold is the victory they achieve in everything. Nothing can knock them down. Any number of trials, temptations, separations, betrayals, infidelity, can’t separate them from Jesus Christ.
They will come out as victorious!
They will be obedient & faithful to the Word of God!
In the midst of tempests that come against them from, family, children, workplace, relatives, friends, society, Church, media etc. they will not be shaken.
In many countries in the world today Christians are in exile. In our country India in some of the States, like Chattisgarh, in certain places, Christians are in exile.
They are not allowed to bury their dead in their own land.
In Uttrakhand they attach divinity to the earth and soil. They say, because earth is holy, dead body cannot be buried in it.
In certain States anti Christians made declarations that they will make it a Christian free land. The enemy said, since Christians are converts from idolaters, they have lost their rights to live in India. But the Lord proved it to be false.
Let us meditate this verse.
1 Pe 1:1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,
The identity of the children of God is that while they are on earth, they are
1.In exile
2.Banished
3. Ostracized,
4. Refugees
5. Expatriates
6. Sojourners
And also they are dispersed.
Dispersal:
The Apostles dispersed from Jerusalem to other countries like Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia and preached gospel there. That is why Peter wrote to them letters.
This dispersed Church possessed tremendous power.
They gathered in houses, did not have any possessions, land , separate place for worships.
But since this Church was abounding with miracles, all were in great fear. People were added day by day to the Church.
Troop Church is the only Church existing on earth which possesses these two qualities
1. In exile (Don’t have any assets or savings for the Church)
2. Dispersion
It is high time the Troop Church crosses the border of our nation India and go to other Countries. The Lord has given a wonderful strategy to the Troop Church – that of dispersal after 2 months .
Every Troop Church soldier is expected to start a new Troop Church after 2 months of becoming a soldier for Jesus Christ.
The Church cannot be in one place lifelong. The members are to be dispersed.
In history wherever the Church (Jesus Christ’s body,) manifested the tendency of non dispersal, it died or the Lord allowed a persecution.
The Lord allowed persecution in India after 2013 because the Church was caught up in the institutional set up. During Covid 19, the Lord closed all the Churches throughout the world to teach people to pray and worship Him in their houses without the help of any pastor, priest or other Church leaders.
During Covid 19, all the denominational Churches proved that it is possible that believers can survive without pastor, priest or leader and believers can conduct burial, wedding, Lord’s supper, dedication, baptism and all other services without the help of a Church Leader..
Duty of sojourners and exiles:
1Pe 2:11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.
Since Christians are strangers and sojourners in this world, they should keep up their identity card with them 24 hours. That is holiness. In order to be holy, they have to keep themselves away from all passions of the flesh which always war with their soul and spirit.
Heb 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.
The early Christians proudly acknowledged that they are sojourners and strangers on this earth and they wanted to be so since they had the citizenship of heaven.
Php 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
Our second characteristics, DISPERSAL enable us to reach new members and places with gospel.
All the twelve tribes of Israel went in dispersion to other countries so that they could preach the Word of God and take true worship to the other parts of the world.
Jas 1:1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.
Let Troop Churches be promoted and taught to other countries, people groups throughout the world so that Gospel will reach all the nations and the world will be prepared for Jesus Christ’s 2nd Coming.
Let us take a decision today that
I will reach … people a day and will start ……Troop Churches this month.
God bless your efforts.