At the end of his first letter, Peter reassures the church that, though suffering is inevitable and spiritual attack is probable, submission is vital and salvation is eternal. This was true for the early church and it is true for us today. It is the true grace of God and we should stand firm in it. Join us Sunday as Executive Pastor Arik Stewart brings us a message titled Stand Firm from 1 Peter 5:6-4.
Gentleness | A Beautiful Way in a Chaotic World
Continuing our series of “gentleness,” today we get to talk about what good leadership looks like. It seems like good leaders are harder and harder to come by. Nearly everyone has stories of a difficult boss or an always-disappointed coach. Need we go into detail about the lack of enthusiasm in our country right now regarding the leaders of our nation? Peter brings an exhortation to leaders (and we’re all leaders to some extent!) that is counter cultural for his time and perhaps even more so today.
How shall we endure suffering? Suffering is not a space that anyone is very comfortable with, however, the Apostle Peter shares how to exist in suffering while following the beautiful way of Jesus. As Peter writes to those he has concern for, he unveils a simple path of truths that we must make decisions to follow. When we do, we will continue to be blessed by our Father who is in Heaven.
his week, Reclamation Pastor Michael Miller will be bringing us a message titled “Loving Your Neighbor with the Power of God”. The message will be about how God has given us His Spirit to love people with the power that God has supplied us with. All of us have been given various gifts to serve and care for the world around us. There is a joy found in discovering your gifts and using them to love others.
Life is full of ups and downs, with moments of great pleasure and deep suffering and pain. Our world often tries to ignore this suffering with excess, or buries itself in despair – but how does God call us to respond to suffering? What ways does Peter instruct us to walk through suffering with Christ? Join us this Sunday as Ministry Coordinator Tara Farrell brings us a message from 1 Peter in our series on Gentleness: A Beautiful Way in a Chaotic World.
As those who have tasted that the Lord is good, how should we respond when we are being accused, persecuted, hurt or despised? The difficult answer is to bless those who are doing evil to you! The apostle Peter shares from a life of following Jesus how to do this in 1 Peter 3. Having the gentle kindness of Jesus as his guide, Peter points us to a way of responding to evil that breaks the endless cycle of hurting those who hurt you.
How should we respond when those in authority are unkind, unjust and disrespectful? The Apostle Peter saw Jesus live beautifully when He was revered and reviled. Peter then relayed what he learned in 1 Peter 2:13-3:7. Join us this Sunday at 9 a.m. as we learn more about Jesus’ beautiful way when those in authority increase the chaos through unjust suffering.
The believers Peter was writing to were experiencing persecution and rejection from the world and culture around them. They had been dispersed throughout the ancient world and were living as exiles in foreign lands. Peter understood persecution and rejection, as he had personally been beaten, threatened, punished, and put in prison for preaching the Word of God. Here in chapter 2, Peter encourages the church to continue living a lifestyle worthy of Jesus by recognizing that they have been called and chosen by God. Though the world around us may reject our lifestyles and faith, God considers us His special people and promises us assurance on the day of visitation whereby God will judge the living and the dead. As followers of Jesus, we can live out our faith without fear of hell or rejection and instead with full assurance that we are saved by God’s grace and that nothing and no one can snatch us out of our Father’s hand.
What can you do when you feel overwhelmed by the chaos around? On Sunday, January 7, we discovered Jesus’ guidance in 1 Peter 1:1-2 to meditate on God’s grace and peace. Join us this Sunday as we discover a second insight to help us remain peaceful within and gentle toward others from 1 Peter 1:3-25!
What does faithfulness in this 2024 election year look like amid our diverse, divided and chaotic world? What should you say or not say when others declare ideas that are opposed to God’s ways revealed in the Bible? How should you love your neighbor, co-worker or classmate when they are openly hostile toward Christ? A first-century-bold proclaimer faced similar tensions in his generation. So, Jesus trained Peter to be strong amidst opposition with a Christ-like presence. Join us this Sunday January 7 to worship God as we begin our new study, “Gentleness – a beautiful way in a chaotic world” through Peter’s first letter!