1 Peter by Jim Leffel (2006)

Peter writes this letter primarily to Jews who responded to his message in Jerusalem on Pentecost and later migrated back to their home countries in mostly modern-day Turkey. He addresses them as "resident aliens" and many are experiencing persecution and rejection from their families and communities. Peter writes this letter to give very practical instruction on how to live victoriously for Christ amid suffering.\r\n

There are major differences between our culture's view of faith and the Bible's view of faith. Peter instructs the ?resident aliens? about the life of faith which has intellectual and character components and provides hope. God has given us incredible prophecies about Christ in the Anonymous Servant passages in Isaiah in order to strengthen our faith to endure suffering.\r\n

Peter discusses what it looks like to live as ?resident aliens? by contrasting being conformed to lusts versus being holy. We live in a culture that condones pursuing harmful passions and ?overdesires? that can never satisfy. Only the blood of Jesus can redeem us and make us holy which should radically change the way we live.\r\n

The Word of God is the resource God wants to build into our lives that will enable us to effectively engage in victorious and fervent love for one another. This passage describes the Bible as the final and living Word which we need to feed on. God speaks to our deep inner life through His Word and transforms us from the inside out. As we feed and act on the Bible we can hear from God, start to think His thoughts and have something substantial to bring into our relationships.

Peter gives practical instruction to ?resident aliens? on how to live in a society that is fundamentally flawed. He tackles difficult topics such as the Christian's relationship to government and slavery. As Christians we are to live for Christ's reputation rather than our own personal rights, responding to injustice as Jesus did.\r\n

Part one of a two-part series on good news for troubled marriages which focuses on the wife's roles. Peter gives concise, helpful, but hard to hear principles for wives even if their husbands are disobedient to the Word. Difficult topics such as submission and respect are addressed as well as the meaning of a gentle and quiet spirit. When women engage their disrespectful spouses, God can do big things.\r\n

Some key components to a godly marriage are as follows: it is centered on the Lord; each partner is actively cultivating his/her relationship with God; the couple views their relationship as a spiritual and purposeful partnership with a common goal; they choose to accomplish life together; they are tangibly outward focused; each spouse can see the other as a key provision from the Lord; and they actively look for ways to honor each other.

If we don't have a solid foundation for our beliefs, we will be easily manipulated by our culture. Christianity provides us with a firm source of truth, yet our culture has become more and more alienated from the notion of truth. Truth has become whatever people believe is true for themselves. As Christians we should seek to find the reasons for our belief in God, and then be prepared to provide a compelling case for why we hold those beliefs. Includes a video clip about advertising from FrontLine: ?The Persuaders?.\r\n\r\n

Part two of a four-part series on how the Gospel can impact postmodern culture. As we live out the Gospel, we need to have honest, compassionate and respectful answers for peoples' honest questions. Compelling arguments are given for how to dialogue with people regarding: 1) the exclusive claims of the Bible; 2) the issue of people having sincere beliefs but on different paths; and 3) the problem of those who have never heard the Gospel. A powerful video testimony by Gary Saalman, a lawyer who examined the evidence for the faith and became a Christian, is shown.\r\n

Part three of a four-part series connecting the gospel to our culture. God wants us to dialogue with people about the truth and be able to defend our faith in a loving and compelling way. Many people are turned off to Christianity because they think a loving God will not judge people or they wonder how God can judge both a little old lady and Hitler. Satisfying responses are given along with a look at the loving heart of God revealed in the book of Hosea.\r\n

Part four of a four-part series on the Gospel impacting postmodern culture. We are called upon by God to give an account for the hope that is within us with gentleness and respect. How do we respond to questions about God being loving when we live in a world full of evil and suffering? A basic framework for understanding the problem of evil is presented to help us engage with others on this topic.\r\n

How do we suffer in a way that does not destroy our lives? We are commanded to arm ourselves for suffering. Deep within we must understand our participation in the death of Christ. If we are dead to what this world is about, then we do not have to be driven by fear anymore. Peter gives practical instructions for suffering victoriously. Video clips from Titanic and Band of Brothers are shown.\r\n

Peter is writing to folks dealing with a lot of suffering encouraging them to find refuge and sustenance in Christian community. This is an important passage on what is the church and a look at its core values. Would you like to have a growing circle of friends united by a clear conviction of purpose, strengthened by other-centered love and service and where honest, truthful, trusted words prevail?

We learn about the task of godly leadership, the motivations behind it, and the way it is to be exercised. Godly leaders recognize that they have an influence on others, so they take that responsibility seriously. They are models of humility for their people. Spiritual leaders are primarily motivated to lead because of God's grace toward them and because they see what is ahead?eternal rewards. They are not inspired by earthly gain or approval. They aim to please the Lord, not people, because they are centered on God's values. True spiritual leaders willingly suffer for their people (?the flock?). They are also leadable. No one can lead effectively until they themselves have learned to follow.

As believers, knowing that Satan exists and is our adversary should elicit a few different responses in us. We can respond with confidence in the Lord, who lives in us, as He is more powerful than Satan. Satan's existence should also remind us that we are in the middle of a battle zone; now is not the time to live as though we are in ?peacetime.? Our lifestyle, friendships, and prayer life will reflect the kind of mentality we are living out.

We learn about some of the ways that Satan attacks the church. A lot of this plays out through the seeds of disunity that he sows within the Body of Christ. Satan also strikes at our identity and emotions. In this world that Satan has corrupted, we'll continually find that we will only discover hope in God; this hope plays out when we take God at His word and thank Him for who He is. God's hope curtails the clouds of despair that Satan generates within us.

In addition to other means of attack, Satan strikes at believers' consciences through seduction and temptation: the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the boastful pride of life. After they fall into sin, he accuses them to God and to themselves, leaving them feeling considerably remorseful. When believers choose to repent by basking in God's love, graciousness, and mercy, they can have a cleared conscience; they can be restored; and they can be confident in God's active transformational work in their heart. They also begin to have the freedom to desire what God desires.