Peculiar People

I grew up in a small town. We had peculiar people there. One woman wore the warmest winter clothes on the hottest summer days. An old man was known to eat red worms along with his meal in the restaurant. The town drunk drank Vitalis Hair Tonic because there were no bars or liquor stores in town. My neighbor woman was so nice it made a person ill to listen to her tripe. These were all "peculiar" people and there were many more in this town!

Those who are "peculiar" are "strange". They don't fit in with the crowd! They're not  what the world considers to be normal people, so to speak, not because something is necessarily wrong with them, but things which matter to most don't matter to them. Old-timers referred to them as "qware", which of course is not a dictionary word, but means "queer", not necessarily in a sexual context, but that they were "oddballs"!

Are you a little strange? Do you stand out in a crowd as "different"? Do people believe you are out of the mainstream in behavior or thought? If not, is there something wrong with you?

The biggest compliment I was ever to receive came when I was assigned to get an extremely sophisticated servo-controlled caster/camber set machine automation unit running at the GMC Orion Assembly Plant. After two weeks of working with electricians, engineers and assembly people to get this behemoth running, for it actually swallowed the cars, one employee asked me "You're a Christian aren't you?" I should have, but I had never said a spiritual word around these folks.  I came to defeat the "monster machine" and I slayed that dragon. My thoughts weren't on "The Great Commission" at all, so I was just being me!

I responded to him "Yes, I am! What made you ask?" He replied "Because of how you carry yourself." That was the best compliment I have ever received! I was proud that I was "peculiar" because as a Christian, we are to be a little odd:

Titus 2:14 "Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."
1 Peter 2:9 "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light..."

Yes, Christians are to be peculiar, a little strange if you will, and if we're not "How would they know?" to quote Dr. W. Edwards Deming, who said that often and with exclamation. The scripture above speaks a little of us "peculiar people".

We have been purified. We're made clean in a dirty world. Our life is to be no longer devoted to the flesh, but to God. The things of the flesh are the pleasures and aspirations of worldly people. "Peculiar" people are to be different than the others in the world. Are you different? Perhaps if you're not, you're not a peculiar person. Perhaps you have the belief in Christ and maybe the faith, but not the love for the one who saved you. We show our love by being different; and that's why we're to be peculiar people!

And just what is it peculiar people who are Christians do?  We're to be " zealous of good works". Being a zealot is being on fire! What are good things we can do?  I think of twelve fruits of the spirit if that helps answer the question (Revelation 22:2). And some of them are:

Galatians 5:22 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."

But what is it that the world does? What are the sins of the flesh? Some of them are:

 Galatians 5:19 "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: "

Compare these two lists. The world does the latter and peculiar people (Christians) are to do the former. By doing those things Christians are a peculiar people in a rebellious world. We are strange, it's true, if we obey God and do his will! We're oddballs, if you prefer!

There are two places in scripture where "strange" is used in a context meaning "peculiar". Paul said strange things to Greek philosophers:

Acts 17:19 "And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is? 20 For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean. 21 (For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.)"

Paul told them about Jesus, salvation and the resurrection., whereas all the others spoke only of stoic living and pleasure. Paul was different than the others. He stood out because he represented what Christ wanted him to be! Those early peculiar people paid for their strangeness. Paul was imprisoned and beheaded by Nero (per Eusebius). Why? He was a peculiar person! He was a stranger in a foreign land (Rome), but he was also a stranger to this world! Much like the song lyrics "This world is not my home. I'm just passing through!"

In speaking of the biblical patriarchs Paul said this to the Jews:

Hebrews 11:13 "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth."

It seems that agrees with the song! Patriarchal Christians, and I call them that because they believed in Christ, were peculiar people. They "were strangers and pilgrims on the earth"! They were odd and different than the pagans, and merely were strangers (pilgrims) passing through a foreign world.

My teacher once told the entire class "Elston Herrin is the most radical man that I ever met!" She said that with me in there! Elston was my dad and her comment made me proud. Dad was a zealot for Christ! He was an oddball because he didn't tolerate wrong and lived a life of devotion. In all aspects of life he endeavored to do God's will and if one does that, the person is "peculiar".!

"Peculiar" people have respect of two types: other peculiar people or others who wished that they could be peculiar! What I mean there is other Christians and those who are called by Christ to be Christians. It honored Dad to be called "radical" because he was indeed "peculiar". Dad loved people and his generosity and sacrifice to help others at his own volition made people love him! We were poor, but there was a reason for it! Dad helped others. He was peculiar in his sacrificial generosity.

People laugh at me sometimes because they say "You're a little strange!" To that I respond "Thank you, but I wish I was more so!" Being called "strange" in this world in endeavoring to be Christlike is the best compliment a person can get! If it appears that you're not a little strange, you may have a spiritual problem.

Let me give a quick "for instance": Let's say a person preaches on campus to students. He is obeying God's edict to spread the gospel. But to those who are aliens to the kingdom of God, (the students) that preacher is a stranger. He's a peculiar person. That's what a Christian is to do! That's what we're to be!