A Missions Trip to Zimbabwe!

Thursday morning, August 21, 2008 [cloudy, windy, and 73 degrees],
As some of you know, I am preaching through 1 Peter and for the most part enjoying it. No, this is not my first pass through this book, as is evidenced by the fact that I have about as many notes in the margins of each page and between the lines of the text, as Peter has words in his text. The truth is, I love to read Peter, especially in light of the relationship he had with Jesus; to say the least, they knew each other quite well. I have often wondered what Peter's response would have been, when Jesus called to him, saying "Follow Me and I will make you a fisher of men," had he known what that "call" involved. Well, now that I think about it, I wonder what my response to His call would have been, had I known what that call involved! To be sure, it was best that neither of us knew!
Anyway, this Sunday's text is quite a challenge (No matter how many times I might have preached it in the past!). The challenge is not in understanding the text but in, well, you listen to it and figure it out for yourself: "In the same way, you wives be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior" (1 Peter 3:1-2). Why, the chances of my convincing married women of the message of this text is about the same as my convincing the Southern Baptist Convention that Sunday School is a detriment to the Christian life.
What makes this text so very difficult is the first phrase: IN THE SAME WAY! Yes, you will have to go back and read a portion of chapter two, in order to understand his inference, but when you do, putting this text into practice becomes quite a challenge, especially if you are a wife, not to mention the difficulty of teaching it, if you happen to be a preacher, who doesn't care to be tarred and feathered.
Listen to some of the statements to which Peter refers: (1) Submit yourselves. . . to every human institution; (2) Honor all men; (3) Servants be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable; (4) Do what is right and patiently suffer for it; and then the "biggie" (5) You have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example to follow in His steps.
Now, IN THE SAME WAY, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands . . . .!
Come to think about it, I have to be in Zimbabwe on a missions trip this Sunday; at least, I will have some chance of survival, not much, but some.