November 23, 2024
“As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house” (1 Peter 2:4-5 ESV). The Church is not a place, but a people. We have not built it, we are being built
December 17, 2023 | 1 Peter 1:3-9 |
Isn’t “joy” supposed to be what the Christmas season is about? Isn’t it why we say, “Merry Christmas?” The Advent season is an invitation for us to consider the promise of joy found only in Christ. In Peter’s first epistle, he encouraged the dispersed believers throughout Asia Minor to find their true joy in Christ. We can find our true joy in Christ.
November 26, 2023
“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another” (1 Peter 4:10 NLT). The apostle Peter reminded believers of the importance of loving and serving “one another.” This instruction included being hospitable. In other words, be friendly and welcoming to one another,
November 23, 2023
“You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart” (1 Peter 1:22 NLT). The apostle Peter taught that the foundation of being a Christ-follower is obedience to the truth, which is
November 22, 2023
“We have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay” (1 Peter 1:4 NLT). Today’s uncertain economy causes many to worry about their future retirement. What we invest in our 401K does not have guaranteed returns. But what we invest in God’s
April 9, 2023 | 1 Peter 1:3-5 |
For many, their hopes are like wishes, and their hopes are often broken. So that they begin to say to one another, as if it were true wisdom, “Don’t get your hopes up.” Many people today are living without hope.
But when the Bible speaks of hope, it speaks of much stronger stuff! It’s a living hope anchored in Christ’s resurrection and extending through our present and into Christ’s future return. In the apostle Peter’s first letter, he told believers that they had been given new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Christ from the dead. We can have this living hope in Christ!
November 26, 2022
THE LOVE THAT COVERS SIN The apostle Peter emphasized the importance of staying together as a Christian community in the face of increasing persecution. He wrote that the “most important” feature of such a unified community is love. For love doesn’t look for offense or imperfection. Indeed, it overlooks such things, keeping “no record of
November 25, 2022
ARE YOU ALWAYS READY TO TALK ABOUT JESUS? The apostle Peter wrote to encourage those who were being persecuted not to fear nor worry about those who threatened them. Instead of giving into fear and worry, they were to worship Christ as Lord in all areas of their lives and to always be ready to
November 22, 2022
DO YOU KNOW THE SECRET OF HAPPINESS? Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, have you learned the art of being truly glad? The apostle Peter knew this gladness. In this one verse, he shared his spiritual secret of happiness. First, focus on the “wonderful joy ahead.” For we have a priceless inheritance being kept for
May 22, 2022 | 1 Peter 1:13-21 |
The lyrics to this hymn were written by Elvina M. Hall (1820-1899). On a Sunday in 1865, while sitting in the choir loft, Elvina’s mind wandered during the pastor’s rather lengthy prayer. She begin to think of our need for salvation and the price Jesus paid for it. Words began to form themselves. She had to get them down. But she had no paper., so she started scribbling on the blank flyleaf of her hymnbook, writing, “Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe; sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.”
In the apostle Peter’s first letter, he challenged believers to live in such a way that always remembered the precious blood of Jesus that paid for their sins. We can live in such a way remembering that Jesus paid for our sin.