What makes the church so special?  This question is implicit in the Apostle Peter’s compelling commendation of the church in Chapter 2, verses 9-10 of his first epistle.  The question is still relevant considering the increasing pressure on the contemporary church from within and from without to cave, compromise, and capitulate to a secular culture.  This sermon exposes the movements in the text that is pivotal and primary in this ongoing challenge by providing three key responses to the question, “What makes the church so special?”