1 Peter: Lesson 7: How the Christian Lives

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 […]

1 Peter: Lesson 5: From Nothing to Something

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 […]

The Unknown Unknown

This is our pastor’s article for the June, 2019 edition of our newsletter. In this, he delves into some (some!) of the New Testament’s use of the little-known book of […]

1 Peter: Lesson 4: It’s All About Jesus

Intro Last week, we saw Peter focus on “the futile ways inherited from [the ethnic Jewish Christians’] forefathers”—their Jewish work-righteous thinking.  So, we found Peter establish a pattern.  First, he […]

1 Peter, Lesson 3: Our Life with God: Is It Up to Us or God?

Intro In 1 Peter 1:3-12, Peter is preparing his recipients for what is to follow, to be well-disposed and ready to receive his instruction.  Peter does this by expounding on […]

1 Peter: Lesson 2 Preparing His Hearers

Intro In this section, Peter uses classical rhetoric, writing an “exordium” to prepare his recipients for what is to follow.  The purpose is to prepare them to be more well-disposed […]

1 Peter: Lesson 1

Introduction Theme The relationship between the Christian and culture as resident aliens in this world.  Peter wants the hearers of his epistle to understand who they are before God so […]

The “I AM,” the Flesh-and-Bone God for Us

In many ways, our lives are all about knowing God.  For this to be, we must understand Jesus, God’s Son, as God incarnate, for “no one comes to the Father […]

The Apostles’ Creed, Lesson 1

What is a Creed? Creed comes from the Latin word credere, meaning “to believe.” Our English word “credible” comes from credere, meaning what someone says is believable.  So, a creed […]

Walking and Working in our Wilderness

The season of Epiphany begins with an underhanded Herod and the visit of the “wise men,” Magi, to the infant Jesus.  In a way, Herod is like the Pharaoh of […]