As Born-Again Spirit-Filled Christians we strive daily to be in the Church of Smyrna. The last thing we ever want is to be affiliated, in any way, with the Church of Laodicea. Those who fit into the Church of Laodecia will not be saved and will be cast into the Lake of Death. The other five churches have many issues to overcome but we can also have hope that the Lord will continue to guide us and forgive us as we choose to repent from our sins and walk with Him.
~ A PECULIAR PEOPLE ~
Our ladies Power of Twelve group is focusing on the word "chosen" this month. I reminded them that when the Lord began the group in 2018 we were all "chosen" to be a part of this plan of the Lord as well as His kingdom! The scripture reference for the word is;
Matthew 22:14, "For many are called, but few are chosen."
Each month I search scripture for added verses with the word. This led me to another scripture with the word "chosen" in it,
I Peter 2:9, (KJV) "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people,".
But it was the word peculiar that stuck in my spirit. Why are we a peculiar people? Why does God choose peculiar people to be his own special, chosen possession? I dive off into Hebrew and Greek translations and definitions, searching scripture, and asking the Holy Spirit to help me understand why we are a peculiar people in His eyes.
The King James Version uses the word "peculiar" while some of the other versions use the words,
"special
people",
"special
possession",
"God's
own people",
"God's
instruments",
"God's
special treasure".
(Sorry, this is where my English transformational grammar classes in school get the better of me! Verbs, adverbs, adjectives, nouns, pronouns, etc. Please bear with me. )
I am picky about the translation of certain words in the Bible and feel the need to dig into why God uses certain words in His inspired word to His people. I looked up the word in the Hebrew language which is what the Jewish people spoke and wrote in in the Old Testament. "Peculiar" in the Hebrew language of the Old Testament is the word "segullah" which means peculiar treasure, special, jewel, particular treasure.
Deuteronomy 26:18 uses the word peculiar. "and the LORD hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people, as he hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments".
The New Testament was originally written in Greek then translated into English. The word "peculiar" in 1 Peter 2:9 is the Greek word "peripoiesis" and I am not going to try to pronounce it. The definitions of Greek peripoiesis include, "acquisition, preservation, obtain, peculiar, purchased, possession, saving". But it is only the word "peculiar", used in the KJV, which has another tiny Greek word tied to it as a primary preposition (word before). In Greek it would have looked like this when translating "peculiar" in 1 Peter 2:9 - eis peripoiesis. (εἰς περιποίησις actual Greek language).
The Greek word is spelled "eis", pronounced "ice". The Strong's Concordance definition of "eis" is a little word packing a lot of definition. Among the Strong's definitions for this little primary preposition "eis" are these;
to
or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or purpose
result,
(abundant-)ly,
among,
before,
+
continual,
+
far more exceeding,
in
(among, at, unto, -so much that, -to),
to
the intent that,
+ of
one mind,
(so)
that,
therefore(-unto),
throughout,
til,
Until
with.
Greek: eis peripoiesis. εἰς περιποίησις
My
English translations: Abundantly preserved. Continually treasured. Saved possession.
Among the purchased. Therefore acquired. Obtained into His Royal Priesthood.
Oh, my I could go on with all of the different Holy Spirit translations!
We, who know the Lord God and follow His teachings, are a peculiar people. A special treasure. A chosen generation. Something different than what the world offers. We think differently. We speak differently. We believe differently and rightly so! We are not of this world once we choose to heed the call of the Creator. Once we feel in our spirit that we need what He has to offer. Once we decide to leave the world behind and follow His path. Once our heart and spirit becomes one with Him. Peculiar. Special. Treasure. Jewel. Preserved. Saved.
What a life change for any person who has been chosen to be one of God's peculiar people! Being chosen is one of our greatest gifts from a Father who loves and adores His peculiar people.
This morning the Lord has me thinking about discipleship.
One of the ladies from the Power of Twelve group recently stood before her church congregation and shared her story of coming to the Lord and the discipleship group she is in, which helped her find the Lord. Truly find Him! What an beautiful and humbling thought that our little group helped to disciple her into the kingdom of God.
Jesus once told the priest, Nicodemus, that a person needs to be born again to enter into the kingdom of God. Nicodemus was unable to understand what Jesus was saying because his faith was only spoken words from the Torah and was not a personal, real, spiritual relationship and friendship with the Lord.
John 3:5-6 (NIV)
Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit."
The Apostle Peter was out teaching the people;
1 Peter 1:23 (NIV)
For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
The Apostle Paul teaches the people;
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
When we truly seek the Lord, we find Him, but in order to truly find Him we need to be taught how to find Him. Rarely does someone just stumble upon that realization without learning why He came, what He does for us, and how we are after we find Him. As in any solid relationship or friendship it takes time and effort. Always!
Take a marriage for instance. There is the initial meeting and courtship that takes place. After a period of spending time together, the couple decides they want to be together for the rest of their lives. They enter into a marriage contract. Then begins the relationship where they each find out who the other person truly is in the good times and the bad times. They each devote themselves to the other as they learn about each other. Unless they are devoted to the relationship, to each other, it will hardly ever make it in this world.
Finding Jesus is like this. The parable about the seed and the sower is a wonderful example of each person's walk with the Lord.
Matthew 13:3-8 (NIV)
Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.
Only the seed that falls on fertile ground will grow a crop! This parable is about each of us. The seed is the word of God and our relationship with God. The young woman who gave her testimony was sharing her experience of how she found the Lord, how she has been born again, and her love for the Lord now that she knows and understands her relationship with Him. She is now sharing her love for Jesus with others. She was one of the disciples in our Power of Twelve group and now she is a teacher to others.
Seed has sprouted and grown and now the crop of the Power of Twelve group is producing! Praise the Lord!
