“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” 1 Peter 2:9.
The Divide Begins
There is a growing divide in the Body of Christ, not merely between denominations or generations, but between those who follow the ethics and principles of God and those who quietly conform to the spirit of the age.
When I first heard the call to come out from among them and be separate, I imagined it would be easy to distinguish the faithful from the worldly. But now, in an age of blurred lines, I’m learning that the real separation runs deeper; it is often drawn along the lines of ethics and justice, not just worship.
When Worship and Worldliness Intersect
I watched artists, many who claim Christ, gather in song and worship at a funeral. There was beauty in the music and love in the room, yet the line between celebration of controversial individuals who declined in words and deeds to cover and protect the marginalized and sacred worship began to fade. This wondering after Charlie Kirk swept over Christendom like a tsunami. Vanessa Horabuena, a christian worship artist, took a form of music and art mainly reserved for depicting Jesus, into a social media tribute for Kirk.
Her call to people:
“By the young age of 31, he pushed himself past the limits of what most believe is even possible for one man to accomplish. And he did so with passion, conviction, and purpose. His faith in God was what gave him strength each day to get up and run the race set before him. He lived a bold and courageous life of love and honor before the Lord, leading many into the light…His shoes walked a path of intense and divine destiny. All the while, he encouraged the people of God to do the same.”
Later, at the GMA Dove Awards, voices from oppressed communities joined with betrayers of Kingdom principles, openly supporting elected leaders who actively incite violence, allow starvation, and wage employment war on our communities and institutions . The optics said “unity,” but the spirit whispered “disconnection.”
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” Matthew 7:13-14.
An accusation of fanaticism may be applied to this scripture, however it is a love-filled call from God to model after His Son Jesus Christ. To walk the narrow way is to embrace misunderstanding, criticism, and exclusion. Yet the gospel has always demanded this: to be peculiar.
“Conformity to worldly customs converts the church to the world; it never converts the world to Christ.”
The Great Controversy, p. 509
The Maverick Moment
The controversy surrounding Maverick City Music exposed the tension between conviction and convenience. In a public interview, cofounder Norman Gyamfi declared:
“The gospel norms wasn’t working [any] more … y’all over-sing … choir music would’ve never died if people wanted to listen to it.”
Ebony
He described parts of traditional gospel as “stale,” arguing for modernization in tone and appeal. To some, that is visionary. To others, it is surrender. Voices within and outside of the industry shared their thoughts including veteran artist Marvin Sapp when he replied:
“I didn’t get here by rejecting tradition. I got here by respecting it, learning from it, and evolving beyond it without erasing it.”
Soon after, founding members Naomi Raine and Chandler Moore announced their departure, citing spiritual misalignment. Moore later filed a fraud lawsuit alleging forged signatures and misused royalties. Their decision to leave high-profile platforms was not rebellion, it was a return to conscience. In addition, it is a form of sifting. They chose kingdom ethics over Christian industry, the narrow path over the wide road.
Have we determined yet if their decision is a memo we should read or another case which makes us uneasy and unstable in our grounding?
It’s Harvest Time: The Sickle of Ethics and Justice
We often imagine the separation of wheat and tares as a dramatic, end-time event. But perhaps that separation is already underway—and it’s being cut by the sickle of ethics and justice.
“Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn” Matthew 13:30.
Ethics, “the moral principles that govern a person’s behavior,” may now be the sharper test of faith. But ethics without justice is incomplete, because divine morality always moves toward communal restoration.
Justice, in the biblical sense, is not revenge or political fairness; it is the right ordering of relationships, with God, with neighbor, and with creation. It is the call to align power with mercy, privilege with compassion, and truth with equity.
The prophet Micah frames it plainly:
“He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God” Micah 6:8
“Love is the basis of godliness,” wrote inspired author Ellen White. “Whatever the profession, no man has pure love to God unless he has unselfish love for his brother” ( The Desire of Ages p. 605).
To claim holiness while tolerating injustice is moral dissonance. To worship loudly but live indifferently is to forget the heart of God. Justice is not optional for the peculiar people, it is our ethical proof.
Even Sabbath-keeping, once the defining mark of peculiarity, is now embraced by many as a rhythm of rest and self-care. But in this context, rest without righteousness negates the positive peculiarity, doesn’t it? The true Sabbath life is one that restores the oppressed, lifts the weary, and releases those bound by systems of inequity.
“Is not this the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free?”
Isaiah 58:6
The peculiar people of God will be known not only by what they believe, but by how they live justly, in integrity, mercy, and truth.
The Narrow Way Requires a Decision
The narrow way doesn’t happen by accident. It requires a decision, a clear and costly choice of allegiance. The wide way, however, feels easier. It offers access, applause, and endless flexibility, space to slip in and out of moral boundaries without confrontation or consequence.
Recent world events remind us how dangerous that wide way can be. As global leaders invoke faith language while advancing agendas that fuel violence, oppression, or injustice, we are forced to reckon with how far public piety can drift from moral principle. Even as some claim divine protection or moral authority, the world watches their actions tell a different story, where power eclipses peace and ambition overrides accountability.
The BBC’s coverage of global conflicts and political contradictions underscores a sobering truth: in a world where war is justified as defense and domination is disguised as diplomacy, ethics and justice, not emotion, will define the faithful remnant.
Jesus warned:
“Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” Matthew 7:14 (KJV).
The narrow path is bordered by obedience and accountability.
The wide road celebrates access but erases integrity.
The narrow demands self-denial; the wide excuses self-interest.
And when faith becomes entangled with political gain, it is the narrow road, the one built on truth, humility, and moral courage, that reveals who truly walks with God.
The Witness of the Faithful
From Scripture to church history, the narrow way has always been costly:
● Daniel refused to bow in Babylon.
● Stephen proclaimed Christ amid stones.
● The Waldenses kept Scripture alive in hidden valleys.
● Jan Hus, Tyndale, and Luther defied councils and flames rather than recant.
● The Millerites held fast in the face of derision after the Great Disappointment.
They chose conviction over comfort, even when alone.
Risks of Peculiarity
Peculiarity comes with its cost: ridicule, rejection, persecution. But it also brings clarity, courage, and communion with Christ.
“If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me” Luke 9:23.
“We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God” Acts 14:22.
Are We Peculiar Yet?
The movie “Are We There Yet?” captured the chaos of a journey marked by impatience, detours, and constant questioning from restless children,
“How much longer?”
“When will we get there?”
The tension, the frustration, and the longing to finally arrive made the trip feel endless.
In many ways, the church mirrors that same energy as members across the religious spectrum seek signs, track the prophecies, and feel the contractions of a world in moral labor, and still ask, “Are we there yet?”
But maybe we’ve been asking the wrong question. To get to the finish line of this great story, the redemption of God’s people, the question is not “Are we almost there yet?” The deeper, more urgent question is: are we peculiar yet?
The destination is certain; the question is readiness. The signs of the times are flashing like exit markers on the highway of history. The road is narrowing; the detours are closing, and our King is near. But arrival without alignment would still leave us lost.
As harvest time begins, the ranks of true believers will not be marked by style, platform, or profession, but by conscience, consistency, and courage.
● Will we, when offered favor, fame, or comfort, choose kingdom ethics over compromise?
● Will we, like Daniel and Luther, stand though none stand with us?
Because perhaps the truest sign that we are finally becoming who God called us to be is that both the world, and the church, can tell the difference.
“You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people…” 1 Peter 2:9.
Maybe the call was never to fit in.
Maybe it was always to stand apart, in love, in truth, in courage, in Kingdom ethics, and in the arms of Justice.
So again I ask:
Are we peculiar yet?
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