A Chosen Generation

"A chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people"(I Pet.2:9)
A CHOSEN GENERATION - we have generation X, baby boomers, etc. and a plethora of other segments of people that we identify by the history of their earthly birth. God says here that we are not to be identified by our earthly birth, but by the graciousness of our new birth which is not a male/female natural birth but a supernatural, spiritual birth of His choice. The enigma of this incredible birth is that the moment of conception is also the moment of delivery! Furthermore, at the instant you were born you died!? Death and life completely at work together in regeneration and accomplishing the work of the Holy Spirit sent through the cross, exiting through the empty tomb, and searching out awakened hearts to gloriously give life to dead souls and reward the Lamb of God with another younger sibling who now is identified as part of this chosen generation!
A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD - not of the tribe of Levi; not even of Judah; but we are a priesthood of the Spirit. We are called to minister to our Risen Lord. In praises, in worship, in service, in prayer, and in intimate fellowship that can only come through His own blood. Take your time as you diligently seek His presence. No, not just the universal presence of an omnipresent deity, but the infinitely intimate presence of a Holy God revealed in the glorified person of the Risen Christ, who by the Spirit bids us "Come". What offering could satisfy this Lord, who not only HAS everything, but MADE everything? Kneel down before His glorious throne; reach into your bosom, pull out your heart, and as you fall on your face before His loving gaze, place your heart at His feet and by His grace say,"My blessed Savior and Lord, I give my heart to you, it is yours forever". Hear Him say,"Thank you, my child, here is your new heart that is fashioned after My own".
AN HOLY NATION - the original word is "ethnos" meaning ethnic or race. God doesn't mean a country, He means a new and separated race of followers not identified by their outward features, but by their behavior. Not worried or enticed by this present world. Holy. Why should we care about this world? We have eternal life. So as we go about anxious about our money, consumed with our houses, luxurious in our travel, marginal in our giving, drawn to entertainment, exposed in our surface relationships, hollow in our prayer, and a thousand other things that reveal our Babylonian mindset, let us hear the Spirit's call to "Come out from the Chaldeans and come rebuild Jerusalem!". Our Abraham, Jesus, is the Father of our race. We have been born of His seed, the Word of God. We are strangers and pilgrims in this world. If we love this world we are enemies of God. We have been bought with a price and we are not our own. We belong to His race, which is the only eternal race, and this loving racism proclaims that,"There is one body, and one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all".
A PECULIAR PEOPLE - The word actually means "sold". Like seeing the sign in front of a house, it identifies this house as different from the others because it has been purchased. We should have a ambiance around our lives that gives off an aroma that identifies us as different. In Acts chapter four the high priest and others interrogated Peter and John, and when they heard what they said, they,"marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus". Do people take notice that we have been with Jesus? Let us just zero in on one "particular" day, Sunday. Do you purposely and sacrificially rise early to "be with Jesus". Listen to most of the friendly banter among believers as they enter the "church" building. Your health, the weather, your car, your motorcycle, football, and a myriad of other spiritually benign topics expose the fact that most of God's people spent more time combing their hair than they did with Jesus. If all we do on Sunday is leave our houses and meet in a common edifice, sing some songs, hear a speech, and return to our home, we may as well have stayed in bed. If we're not PECULIAR on the Lord's day, when are we? I challenge you this Sunday, set your alarm and rise like you would during the week(yea, a real sacrifice!). Read a whole book(maybe Galations, Ephesians, Philipians, etc.) and pray fervently that God would move not only in your heart, but that He would manifest His presence as you gather together as worshipers. Remember, there were times in the early church that the whole place was SHAKEN by God's presence. Read Acts 4:31. One other challenge, attempt to confine your talk to the things of YOUR LORD before the worship begins. It will be difficult(because we are not in that habit), but REWARDING!!
If that's too much of a sacrifice then ...don't do it. You definitely want to guard against fanaticism - it's so unseemly!