...May grace and peace be multiplied to you. 1 Peter 1:2 (ESV)

Nero had a very ambitious and egotistically driven desire to build a monument that would rival and surpass any complex that had been constructed up to that time.  The roughly 300 acres that would be required would include magnificent landscaping as well as a 30-meter statue of himself, the Colossus of Nero.  The problem was he didn’t really have the space he needed to build such a complex...soooo...since he really didn’t like the construction of the ancient city and much of it had become slum-like, he decided to burn a significant part of it to the ground and then he would have the space needed for his Golden House, Domus Aurea.

The fire, that historian's record as having been set by Nero, beginning on the slope of the Avertine, which looked out over the Circus Maximus, quickly spread out of control and burned for well over a week.  It destroyed three of fourteen Roman districts while doing extensive damage to another seven.

He miscalculated the reaction of the people of Rome and found that he needed a scapegoat to blame the fire upon...and the blame fell upon Christians.  The emperor publicly blamed the Christians in the city for the fire.  It enabled him to wield the power of the empire against those Christians and terrible persecution fell upon those who had trusted Christ as their Lord and Savior.  They were burned alive, used as artificial lighting for the gardens and streets of Rome. Some suffered other atrocities in the Colosseum and believers were forced to choose between the emperor and their Savior.  Many died for their faith during this period of persecution.

It was before this time of persecution that the Lord, through the Holy Spirit, inspired Peter, the apostle, to write to those who would indeed have this time of persecution in their future.  They would need encouragement when times were rough; they would need to be able to cope with what they were going to experience in their journey upon the earth.  They would be thirsty for assurance, they would need strengthening, they would need the grace and peace of the Lord, and they would need it in abundance.  Not unlike you and me.  And they would receive the words that they would need to journey another day with a living hope for the future.

Peter writes, by the Holy Spirit, and prays for just what they needed to read and receive.  They could know for certain that the grace (charis) of God...which includes everything that we receive from the Lord, including His mercy, His love, and forgiveness of sin, all of these undeserved blessings of God, are enough, during the difficult journey to bring us the peace that we need, a peace that passes understanding.

 “and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.”
1 Timothy 1:14 (ESV)

The peace (eirēnē) of God means we have assurance and confidence in the love and care of God, no matter the circumstances.  It means that we are well aware, and trust, that God will provide, guide, strengthen, sustain, encourage, deliver, as well as give life, real life during our journey on earth as well as in the future with Him, in heaven, forever.

 “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 (ESV)

Peter would need grace and peace in his life as well.  His future would include being thrown into the prison called the Mametine, shrouded in darkness for nine months, suffering torture while chained to a post...and yet...he received the grace and the peace he needed to make the most out of every day of his journey, even leading his jailers to know about and to receive Christ.

Peter needed grace and peace...every day, the recipients of the letter would need grace and peace...every day, and you and I need grace and peace...every day.

You may be in a time of trouble and trial in your life. May God’s grace and peace be multiplied to you...It’s reassuring to remember that God is in control...and good...all the time.

And it’s a good thing to pray for others, those you know, who need the grace and peace of the Lord...and that would include everybody.

Grace and peace come to all who know Christ and trust Him.  He is the only one who can, by His grace, bring genuine peace to the human heart and assurance to the human soul.

Introduce people to Jesus, have a conversation with them about how the Lord brings peace to your life, especially during the tough times. What the devil means for bad, the Lord will use for good.

Nero and his minions could not take away the grace and peace of God from believers. Nero only caused the gospel to advance and to spread across Asia.  In like manner, no one or nothing can take away the grace and peace of God from you when you lean and trust in Him.  Don’t forget! We win!

Final score...Christians 100...Nero, a 0.

Praying for you,

Pray for me,

Bro. Ralph

Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 
Ezekiel 37:4 (NIV)

Most of us are willing to confess that Ezekiel is one of the books of the Bible we know little about. We’ve heard the song about the wheel within a wheel, and maybe the Valley of the Dry Bones, but that’s about it. For a major prophet, Ezekiel doesn’t get a lot of press because the book is so hard to understand. 

What does the Bible tell us about the prophet Ezekiel?

• He was likely about 30 when he began his ministry.
• He was taken captive to Babylon in the second deportation of 597 B.C. by Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 24:14-16).
• He was both a priest and a prophet (Ezekiel 1:3).
• He was married, but would later lose his wife (Ezekiel 24:18).
• He had a home in Babylon in Tel-Abib near the Kebar River, where we find him in the first chapter.
• His name means “God will strengthen.” The Lord would use Ezekiel to strengthen the people during the siege of Jerusalem, the fall, and the aftermath.

Ezekiel was known for the radical things he did to get his point across:

• He made a drawing of Jerusalem on a clay tablet and played army against it (Ezekiel 4:1-3)
• He lay on his left side for 390 days (over a year) as a symbol of Israel’s sin, and then lay on his right side for 40 days for the years of Judah’s sin (Ezekiel 4:4-8).
• He made bread baked with cow manure in the sight of the people as a symbol of the defiled and unclean food the people would eat in their exile (Ezekiel 4:9-17).
• He shaved off all his hair, burning some while casting some to the wind to represent what God was going to do to the Israelites (Ezekiel 5:1-4).
• He lost his wife, but God commanded him not to grieve for her because Israel refused to grieve for her sin (Ezekiel 24:15-19).
• He packed all of his belongings, dug a hole through the wall, and, as the people watched, crawled through just like a man going into exile (Ezekiel 12:1-7).

As a result of Ezekiel’s bizarre behavior, some have tried to label him neurotic, epileptic, psychotic, or even schizophrenic.  The truth is that Ezekiel knew how close his countrymen were to God’s coming judgment so he did not have the luxury of procrastination.

One of the things to appreciate from this book are the mind-staggering events in the life of Ezekiel:

• He starts in Jerusalem and then is taken off to Babylon with the captives.
• He arrives in Babylon, settles, and makes a new but awkward life.
• As a priest, he thought he knew the spiritual condition of his people, but the Lord would show Ezekiel through visions what was really happening inside the temple and in the hearts of Israel.
• The Lord would give Ezekiel great oracles to prophesy against Tyre, Egypt, and other surrounding nations, enabling him to see them as God saw them.

Ezekiel started in a small part of a much larger world, believing that he understood things.  Suddenly he was thrust from his small world into the greatest nation on the planet at that moment of history, and he was forced to see the world differently. Ezekiel could have chosen to live out his life in a comfortable house on the side of the Kebar River and let Babylon and Israel suffer the consequences.  Instead, he answered God's call, and gave God's message to the people of Israel.  When we look at the life and ministry of the prophet Ezekiel, we find a rare man committed to God’s great life purpose.

How far would we go to follow the Lord?

• If it cost us our reputation?
• If it cost us our spouse?
• If we were asked to eat horrible things?
• If it required us to make a fool of ourselves?
• If we were told to do ridiculous things—things so far out that people would wonder if there was something wrong with us?

As we look at our world today, we see an updated version of the same behavior as in Ezekiel's day.  Most of us are very concerned about the future of our country, and we, too, do not have the luxury of procrastination.  Who is the family member, friend, co-worker, or neighbor God want us to tell about His Son Jesus?  Who does God want us to invite to church?  What holds us back?  Complacency, mediocrity, indifference, unconcern, fear?  Those who know the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior have a responsibility to share the Good News with others...but, we have to choose to obey.