Latest Blog Posts from Wednesday in the Word, the podcast about what the Bible means and how we know.
2 Peter 2 and the Epistle of Jude presents the same ideas in the same order and often use the same words. Did Peter copy from Jude? Did Jude copy from Peter? Or did they both copy from someone else? What’s going on?
Peter asserts the gospel is not a clever philosophy but divine revelation from God. Which presents us with a choice about how we understand the Bible.
In 2 Peter 1:5-11, Peter explains the connection between believing the gospel and pursuing a lifestyle of godliness. When we come to believe the gospel, these qualities follow. In last week’s podcast, we defined the first 5 terms on the list. In this podcast we’ll finish the list and cover Peter’s conclusion that our lives as believers will be marked by these growing qualities.
Women’s Ministry Resources from 20 years as a Director of Women’s Ministry. Plus a philosophy of women’s ministry.
In 2 Peter 1:5-11, Peter is explaining the connection between believing the gospel and pursuing a lifestyle of godliness. I argued in the previous podcast that these qualities are NOT the cause of spiritual maturity, rather they RESULT from spiritual maturity. When we come to believe the gospel, these qualities follow. In this podcast we’ll define each term in the list and discuss why Peter includes it and how it results from faith.
To understand 2 Peter 1:5-11, we need to know that: 1)Peter is speaking to churches who are bewitched by false teachers who are encouraging them to pursue greed and sensuality; 2)Believing the gospel includes a change in lifestyle.
Peter wrote this letter to churches infected by false teachers to encourage them to remain true to the apostolic gospel. He encourages them to reject both the message and the lifestyle of the false teachers. He starts his case by proclaiming thatin the gospel we have everything we need to obtain Life and godliness. #witw #Biblestudy #2peter
Simon Peter served as an apostle of Jesus Christ for 3 or 4 decades. As his earthly life drew to a close, Peter wrote his second letter to encourage and admonish the churches. What truths did he think were so important that he had to make sure he wrote them down before he died? Peter strongly emphasizes our future hope and the return of Christ. Our future hope is more than living forever: it concerns being freed from sin and death and sharing the holiness of God.
Peter concludes his letter by returning to his main theme: Stand firm in the gospel. Peter wrote his first letter give his readers perspective. Our “big picture” –what we believe is true — changes how we think, what we say, and what we do. Peter’s primary concern is to ensure we have the right big picture. He summarizes this theme addressing the leaders of the community.
This section marks the beginning of the end of the letter. In conclusion, Peter returns his main theme of the letter: how you deal with fellow believers and hostile nonbelievers. His answer is in each case you need the right perspective.
Psalm 1 is classified as a “wisdom” psalm. In many ways it functions as an introduction to the book of psalms.
1 Peter 3:18-4:6 includes one of the more difficult passages in the New Testament. However we understand this section, the context suggests that the main point should be related to patiently enduring suffering for the sake of another.
Peter wraps up the second major section of his letter reminding his readers that the more we embrace the truth of who Jesus is and what he did for us, the less we have to fear. The more we know where life, hope and blessing are to be found, the freer we are to let go of this world.
In his 3 examples, Peter addresses people who are stuck in a binding social relationship which they cannot easily escape. His advice to all 3 situations is the same: As aliens and strangers you are called to live in a hostile unbelieving world. When possible show the unbelievers that you are a person of virtue by behaving in a submissive and respectful way. Love your oppressor so that your faith is not interpreted as rebellion and hostility, and they may see God’s grace through you.
Peter gives us the principle in 1 Peter 2:11-12 and then he applies that principle to 3 situations where someone is be treated unfairly in a binding social relationship: a citizen under an unjust government, a slave under an unjust master and a wife married to an unbelieving husband. This talk examines the first 2 examples.
Have you seen a map of the universe taken from space with a tiny insignificant pinpoint of light labeled “you are here”? In 1 Peter 2:1-10, rather than demoralize us with our insignificance, Peter inspires us with the plan of God and how we are a part of it.
In 1 Peter 1:14-25, Peter explains that the gospel gives us a living hope that ought change every aspect of our lives. Just as the Olympic athletes change their values, their goals, their actions, their words and their daily routines in light of their Olympic goals, so the gospel ought to change us.
This chart summarizes the Abraham’s family tree, based on what we know from Scripture.
In the field of psychology, “locus of control” refers to the extent to which a person believes they can control the world around them. People with a strong internal locus of control tend to attribute the outcome of events to factors under their own control. People with a strong external locus of control attribute outcomes of events to external circumstances. But both have a perspective which influences and predicts their actions. The book of 1 Peter is about that big perspective. In a sense, Peter is writing to explain a “gospel locus of control.”
Study questions, maps, charts, key words, history, background, outlines, and links to help you study the Gospel of John.
An introduction to the letter of 1 Peter and a look at Peter’s calling from Luke 5.
Learning some basic information when new small groups start can save misunderstanding later. Asking participants to answer a few basic questions the first day can help leaders structure the time to better meet the needs of a group. Here’s an example “Small Group Welcome” survey.
The Epistle to Philemon is a private letter written by the Apostle Paul. Along with the letter, Paul returning Onesimus, a slave who ran away from Philemon. This letter appeals to Philemon to take the right action and free Onesimus, but it speaks volumes to us today about how to live our daily lives.
When starting new small groups, it’s helpful to establish expectations up front with a clear set of ground rules. Here’s a sample we’ve developed over 25 years of ministry.
The Epistle to Philemon is a private letter written by the Apostle Paul. Along with the letter, Paul returning Onesimus, a slave who ran away from Philemon. This letter appeals to Philemon to take the right action and free Onesimus, but it speaks volumes to us today about how to live our daily lives.
While philosophers often use this letter to talk about the evils of slavery and sometimes condemn Paul for not taking a strong stance against it, I think this letter has much more to say to us as individual believers about how we should live our daily lives.
At my financial planning firm, we like to challenge our clients to answer the question: What is the money for? The answer that most disappoints me is: “I’m not going to live that long.” That is not a life plan; it is a death plan. If you feel that way, then the book of Ecclesiastes is for you.
The “so what” of being justified by faith is now we have a reason to boast. Paul explains the 3 things we boast about in Romans 5:1-11. The first is hope.
July is the time to start preparing for your fall Bible study. Are you overwhelmed by the details or don’t know where to start? Assuming your study starts in September, here’s my summer ministry preparation checklist.
Chronology of the post exile: Ezra-Nehemiah
Saving faith is the permanent, ongoing trust in God that one day He will free me completely from all the consequences and effects of sin because of the blood of Jesus Christ. Saving faith itself is a gift from God and it involves 4 things.
There are 2 consequences to our sin: 1) We experience death and futility. 2) Our rebellion is wrong and we now owe a debt to justice that must be paid. Justification is the payment of that debt.
Everything you need to kick start your study of the Gospel of Mark: maps, charts, key words, history, background, outlines, and links to help you study.
Understanding the gospel means we must understand the problem that the gospel solves. While the word gospel means “good news,” understanding the gospel begins with bad news: death.
A friend once asked me if I was on an airplane that was about to crash and had only a couple minutes to use my cell phone to call my family, what would I say? What would I tell them if I knew this would be our last conversation on earth? At first my mind when blank, but then the answer seemed obvious: Hang on to your faith. But to understand why saving faith is that important, you have to really understand the gospel.
Everything you need to kick start your study of the Gospel of Matthew: maps, charts, key words, history, background, outlines, and links to help you study.