This is our pastor’s article for the Summer, 2019 edition of our newsletter. Faith The workings of a holy God are contrary to our sinful nature, for He is pure and we are not. So, don’t let how He chooses to do things surprise you. Still, we often are. Reflect on faith, and you will […]
1 Peter: Lesson 13: Concluding Encouragement to Shepherd and Flock
June 18, 2019 by
Peter begins this section with a “so” or “therefore,” connecting this section to the previous one. He ended chapter 4 with “Let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.” Now, Peter explores how pastors are to live out their vocation as they “entrust their souls […]
Holy Trinity
June 18, 2019 by
Strange, indeed, is the Athanasian Creed. Perplexed tongues undulate in unusual patterns, expressing what confuses us, as we quiver molecules of air about the mysteries of God. The creed’s words speak of the blessed Trinity, on the threefold nature of God, whom we can never master. No mere created being can comprehend the Creator’s mind […]
Acts 2: Pentecost
June 18, 2019 by
Intro To a people baptized in the waters of the Red Sea and now wandering in the wilderness, God came. To make them His separate and distinct people, He gave them many rites and rituals. Among these commanded worship forms (in Leviticus 23), we encounter Pentecost, a thanksgiving festival for the first crop of the […]
1 Peter: Lesson 11: Living Like the End is Near
June 18, 2019 by
Intro In 1 Peter 3:16, Peter mentioned Christians “having a good conscience.” Later, he reveals baptism saves, as the appeal of a good conscience toward God. Unless one never sinned, being righteous on his own, baptism can only save because, through it, God forgives, giving the “unrighteous” a clean conscience. The Mind of Christ Peter […]
1 Peter: Lesson 10: The Good Conscience God Gives Us
June 18, 2019 by
Intro In 1 Peter 3:16, Peter mentions Christians “having a good conscience” but doesn’t tell us how this came to be—but he will. Next, he writes: “It is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.” Verse 18 then follows as a continuation of 17, starting with […]
1 Peter: Lesson 9: A Focus on How the Christian Lives, Peter’s Conclusion
June 18, 2019 by
Intro In chapter 2, Peter instructed how Christians are to relate and function within the general structures of society (2:11-17). He followed this by a focused instruction of how Christians should live in a household, often when someone is the only Christian (2:18-3:7). Peter now alerts us he is concluding this section by beginning with […]
1 Peter: Lesson 8: How the Christian Lives, Part 3
June 18, 2019 by
Intro In 1 Peter 3:1-7, Peter finishes his focus on how the Christian is to live within a non-Christian household. Like his earlier instruction, we can find this section also comprised of three parts: How to live or be, here being subordinate Unfolding of what is pleasing to God, and A reason for the attitude […]
1 Peter: Lesson 7: How the Christian Lives
June 18, 2019 by
Intro Peter earlier explained how our faith-life derives from, and is lived in, Christ. Because Christ is the living Stone, we become living stones (1 Peter 2:4). With Him as cornerstone of the House, the Church, we are incorporated into His Church (vs. 5-6). Since Jesus, this Cornerstone, is the source of honor for believers, […]
1 Peter: Lesson 5: From Nothing to Something
June 18, 2019 by
Intro Last week, Peter commanded Christians to long for the “worded” (logikon) milk like newborns for their mothers’ milk. This referred to the Lord’s Supper, for if Peter meant the preached Word, he would have used a different Greek construction (to gala tou logou). Why are we to crave the Supper? To grow up into […]
