OUR EXCEPTIONALISM
But ye are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a dedicated nation, [God’s] own purchased, special people, that ye may set forth the wonderful deeds and display the virtues and perfections of him Who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light (1 Peter 2:9 AMP).
There’re those who don’t believe that there’s anything significant about them; they love generality. They even say, “Let’s not behave as if we’re special.” They may even be Christians, and in the same church with you, and yet be asking, “Why are we acting as if we’re so special?” They don’t like it when we demonstrate or talk about our uniqueness.
Think about this: in Genesis 12:1, the Bible says, “Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee.” This was one man who had a family, as well as relatives. But God spoke to him alone, and told him something no other person was privy to. Who was he going to tell about his instruction from the Lord? Who would believe him?
You can be sure that those in his day must have thought he was out of his mind, wondering, “How can he claim that God asked him to leave his father’s land and embark on a journey without a known destination?” But history shows us Abraham was right. Glory to God! That does begin to tell us something about the Abrahamic exceptionalism, of which we’re a part, because we’re the seed of Abraham. What’s exceptionalism?
Exceptionalism is the theory or idea that you’re uniquely different in some way; it could be as a nation or society, a movement, an institution, a family, even as an individual. And it connotes the idea of the supremacy of ideology, which means you hold that your beliefs and ideas are so important and superior to others, which therefore, inspires you to the responsibility of leadership.
Thus, as Christians, we know we’re special; we have the greatest and most sublime heritage. This idea motivates us to win souls, so others can become partakers of the same glorious inheritance, and citizens of our great spiritual nation. We’re different and should think and live accordingly.
THE CALL TO LEADERSHIP
Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid (Matthew 5:14).
In our previous study, we observed that exceptionalism signifies the belief that you’re
uniquely different. It carries the idea that you have an ideology that’s superior, which bestows on you the responsibility of leadership.
For example, Nehemiah wasn’t the only Jew who was outside Israel in his day. He wasn’t the only one that heard about Jerusalem and its walls that were broken down. But once he was told, he was ready to do something, even though he was a slave in another land. He was compelled to take action, because of the condition of the land of his nativity. He knew he was different and had it in him to champion the cause.
Jesus said, “Ye are the light of the world. A city that isset on an hill cannot be hid” (Matthew 5:14).You’re that city on a hill; so what? You’re supposed to lead. You’re supposed to show the way, because light gives direction. That’s why you must do something to improve the world of your time. God has made you an oasis in a dry, weary and harsh world. The Bible says in Psalm 74:20, “…the dark places of the earth arefull of the habitations of cruelty,” but you’re the one to turn things around. You’re the one to turn on the light of God’s righteousness and see to it that His Kingdom is established in the earth, by preaching the Gospel.
This is the same reason we’re passionate about ensuring that the Gospel of Christ gets to every nation of the world. The consciousness of our unique message propels
us to get it across to the whole world through our various outreaches. The Lord gave us unique revelations of His Word to change the world, and we’re fulfilling our calling, covering the earth with the knowledge of His Word, as the waters cover the sea.