Archive for October 2023
October 26-31, 2023
In keeping with the Bible reading plan we are using, the last days of each month are designated as “free days.” October 26-31 then are intended to allow you to catch up on reading you may have missed or to study passages more in depth that intrigued you during the first 25 days of the month.…
Read More1 Peter 5:8-14: Stand!
Lamentations 4-5, Song of Solomon 8:8-14, John 7:25-36, 1 Peter 5:8-14 1 Peter 5:8-14: We come now to Peter’s final instructions to Christians living in a time of “exile.” He is calling them to “stand” on the basis of three spiritual truths which they must remember. First, remember that you are in a spiritual war and act accordingly.…
Read More1 Peter 5:1-7: A Healthy Church in a Time of Exile
Lamentations 3, Song of Solomon 8:1-7, John 7:14-24, 1 Peter 5:1-7 1 Peter 5:1-7: How should the church function when it is sensing that the world around is unfriendly towards, even antagonistic towards, the Christian faith? Here in this section, Peter first addresses elders, then the younger members of the church, and then collectively all together. First, the elders. …
Read More1 Peter 4:12-19: Three Principles for Christians Facing Persecutions
Lamentations 2, Song of Solomon 7, John 7:1-13, 1 Peter 4:12-19 1 Peter 4:12-19: Peter has been describing how Christians should behave when they are “in exile.” What are the guidance and principles for living as a Christian in a world and culture that is not friendly towards the gospel? Peter has been addressing all of that. But…
Read More1 Peter 4:1-11: Two Focal Points
Lamentations 1, Song of Solomon 6, John 6:60-71, 1 Peter 4:1-11 1 Peter 4:1-11: In order to live effectively as a Christian in a context where the world around is inimical to the Christian faith, it is important – Peter is saying in this passage – to have two particular focal points. The first is to focus on…
Read More1 Peter 3:13-22: Three Key Principles
Jeremiah 52, Song of Solomon 5, John 6:41-59, 1 Peter 3:13-22 1 Peter 3:13-22: Peter is writing to Christians needing godly counsel as to how to act when they sensed that the culture and the world around them was inimical to their Christian faith. What were they to do? What were they to avoid? How were they to…
Read More1 Peter 3:8-12: Return Evil with Blessing
Jeremiah 51, Song of Solomon 4:8-16, John 6:25-40, 1 Peter 3:8-12 1 Peter 3:8-12: In many people’s minds, being loving, compassionate, and forgiving is a rather sentimental philosophy of life. Such behavior is for wimps. It is for those who are not brave enough to face the cruel necessities of life, to return evil for evil, to stand…
Read More1 Peter 3:1-7: Wives and Husbands
Jeremiah 50, Song of Solomon 4:1-7, John 6:16-24, 1 Peter 3:1-7 1 Peter 3:1-7: The complementary view of marriage relationships as taught in the Bible is much misunderstood these days; at its best it creates a relationship of a beautiful gospel dance that proclaims Christ through servant leadership and loving respect. But what about when things are…
Read More1 Peter 2:18-25: Suffering for the Cause of Christ
Jeremiah 49, Song of Solomon 3, John 6:1-15, 1 Peter 2:18-25 1 Peter 2:18-25: What is the right response to unjust suffering? It is one thing to suffer out of the natural course of events – a medical malady, an accident on the road, that sort of thing. But it is another thing to suffer because you are…
Read More1 Peter 2:9-17: Two Key Components
Jeremiah 47-48, Song of Solomon 2, John 5:31-47, 1 Peter 2:9-17 1 Peter 2:9-17: How are we to live when we sense we are in “exile”? When the culture is not Christian, and our surrounding city or country develops antipathy to the Christian faith? Peter is answering that question at various levels throughout this letter, and today he…
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