Have you ever had the privilege of spending significant time with Christians in other parts of the world? Several years ago, I went on a missions trip to a mountain village in Peru, mostly native south American Indians. Most of them didn’t speak Spanish, they spoke Quechua, an ancient Peruvian language before the Spanish came. Life was very different there, it was quite the experience. But the experience had a massive impact on me personally. I spent 10 days with precious believers who loved the same Jesus I did, read the same scriptures, embraced the cross. They were passionate about the Gospel, about loving their neighbors, proclamation, integrity, Industry. Through a translator, as we would sit together, talking about our Jesus. I fell in love with those brothers and sisters. There was lots of love, even though we didn’t know anything about one another! It was very impactful. My experience with this little mountain village church started a transformation of my understanding of the church. Those memories have helped me as we have worked through 1 Peter, I think you’ll understand why today.
