Different: Part 3 - "Different Calling in a Dark World" with Craig Groeschel - Life.Church

When You Know Who You Are, You’ll Know What to Do

Scripture References

• Luke 5
• 1 Peter 3:9

Overview

Peter stresses that Christians are “called” far more often than most of us realize. Pastor Craig unpacks that idea, showing that God’s call begins with our identity and overflows into what we do every single day. If you belong to Christ, you have already been chosen, set apart, and sent “on call” to live by a different standard—one that silences criticism through consistent love, integrity, and practical service.

Main Points

Three kinds of calling

• Eternal call to Christ
  • The Spirit continually draws people everywhere so “no one should perish.”
  • Peter himself experienced it when Jesus met him in Luke 5.
• Temporary call to an assignment
  • Examples: a college major, a mission trip, even asking out “the girl on the third row.”
  • Story: Craig’s childhood “captain of the Safety Patrol” badge—being chosen fuels anticipation and boldness.
• Daily call to a different standard
  • God forms the who before the do.

  • “When you know who you are, you’ll know what to do.”

Who we are in Christ

• Chosen people, royal priests, a holy nation, God’s own possession (1 Peter language).
• Because we belong to Him, our bodies, motives, and actions fall under His care and authority.
• Identity drives mission: “As a result, you can show others the goodness of God.”

Living honorably among unbelievers

• First-century believers were labeled “superstitious, incestuous cannibals.”
• Today’s church is often called “judgmental, intolerant bigots.”
• Peter’s strategy: let honorable behavior speak before arguments do.
  • “Best defense is a good offense”—lead with irrational generosity, punctual work ethic, kindness, respect.
  • Story: A harsh newspaper critic watched Life.Church over many years—school makeover, hospital visit, rent paid—and eventually wrote to say he’d been baptized. Consistency out-talked criticism.

Called to bless, not retaliate (1 Peter 3:9)

• “Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing.”

• Jesus is the model: He never sinned, never deceived, never threatened revenge; He “left His case in the hands of God.”
• Normal culture strikes back; different culture serves back. Examples Craig gave:
  • Remain gracious in social-media storms.
  • Keep the Life.Church bumper sticker on when cut off in traffic—and respond calmly!

Living “on call”

• Every believer is a spiritual first-responder.
  • Illustration: Pastors at Life.Church rotate as “Pastor On Call.” Likewise, every Christian is on call anywhere, anytime.
• Illustration: Craig’s childhood hall pass—proof he had permission to be on mission. Scripture is our hall pass: it states who we are and authorizes what we do.
• Practical snapshots of being on call:
  • Mow the lawn for an elderly neighbor.
  • Pay the grocery balance for the person short on cash.
  • Sit with the student being bullied.

Key Truths

• God cares more about who you are becoming than about the specific tasks you perform.
• Identity in Christ empowers consistent, visible goodness that softens even hardened critics.
• A believer’s everyday integrity is often the loudest sermon a skeptic will ever hear.
• We are not spiritual consumers but spiritual contributors; the Church exists for the world.
• Blessing those who wrong us is not optional—Scripture names it as our calling and attaches God’s own blessing to it.

Response

• Embrace your identity: rehearse what God says about you before you start each day.
• Look for one concrete need today and meet it—assume you are “on call.”
• Replace retaliation with blessing whenever you are insulted or wronged this week.
• Practice honorable habits at work or school: punctuality, excellence, honesty, encouragement.
• Pray for the people or groups who misunderstand or criticize Christians and seek ways to serve them.

Closing

Pastor Craig urged the church to stop chasing a distant, grand assignment and recognize the big assignment already standing in front of us: live different right now. Because Jesus bore our sins, we can shine into any darkness with confident, steady love.

“We are on call—24 hours a day—to carry grace, hope, and blessing wherever we go.”

Prayer

Craig prayed for empowerment: that God would open our eyes to needs around us, fill us with courage to act, and use consistent love to draw skeptics into His family. He then led those sensing the Spirit’s pull to receive Christ—asking for forgiveness, new life, and readiness to do God’s will.