Bible In 90 Days 60: 1 PETER

Regardless of which concert you went to, who was performing, or which genre of music they played, one thing probably happened at the end of the concert: an encore. The crowd loved the music so much and were so bummed that the show was over that even when the lights went out and the band exited the stage, the crowd stood and cheered, screaming for an encore.

It’s great when the band comes back for an encore, but it’s normally only 1 or 2 songs, then they leave for good. It’s the opposite when it comes to our lives: life on Earth is short, but the real show happens after life on earth is over!

The book of 1 Peter is all about getting us ready for what’s next.

I recently finished teaching through the book of 1 Peter, in a series I called …To Be Continued, which hinted at the fact that life on earth isn’t it (thankfully) – it’s to be continued for all of eternity in heaven (for those who follow Christ). It was a powerful book to study and it took me 25 weeks to teach through verse-by-verse. You can watch and/or listen to all 25 teachings HERE.

One thing you may have picked up on as you read through the book was Peter’s references to how temporary life on earth is…

He calls the Christians he’s writing to “pilgrims” in 1:1.

He talks about how they should live “throughout the time of your stay here” (1:17), which sounds like language that the receptionist at a hotel would use during your temporary stay.

Later in 2:11, he calls them “sojourners” and “pilgrims” – more references to the temporary state of their time on earth.

Think about how different you treat a temporary dwelling and a permanent dwelling. You don’t change out the carpets and upgrade the bathroom tile in a hotel room – you’re only there for the weekend! Why invest time, money, and energy into something that won’t last? I’d ask you the same question when it comes to life on earth: why invest time, money, and energy into something that won’t last? Live instead for eternity. For those who follow Christ, life is to be continued in heaven after you breathe your last breath.

One of Peter’s favorite words in this book is “salvation.” He uses it quite a few times because he’s always looking ahead to what’s next – the completion of his salvation when he enters heaven!

Throughout the book he talks about many things in our lives that a lifestyle modeled after eternity will impact. He mentions things like suffering (many of the Christians who he wrote this letter to were undergoing, or about to undergo, some extreme persecution for their faith), living as a witness, submitting to government, marital relationships, relationships in the workplace, serving within the church, and more.

The reality is, when you live in the light of eternity, it effects every square inch of your life.

Everything changes and you gain an entirely new perspective when you live with eternity in mind!

Try it today – base every interaction, thought, and circumstance off the fact that heaven is right around the corner and you want to take as many people with you as possible. It will change your whole outlook on life!

Speak of the Devil

Today at Awaken, we ended the book of 1 Peter. That makes 5 books of the Bible down and only 61 left to go (actually we’ll end the 5th one this Wednesday)! Whenever a study is ends, people are always curious about what’s next – I love the anticipation and hunger! I’ve been looking for an opportunity to teach this next series for a while, and now is the perfect time.

We closed 1 Peter today with this description of Satan…

“…your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” – 1 Peter 5:8

On that note, beginning May 1, we’ll be taking a 3-week look at the 3 times in Scripture where Satan speaks: Genesis 3 – Eve & the Garden of Eden, Job 1-2 – God & the scene in heaven, and Matthew 4 – Jesus in the wilderness. It will be a very revealing study about who Satan is and how we should beat him down.

After all, “the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly” (Romans 16:20)!

Join us for Easter Sunday next weekend, then Speak of the Devil beginning May 1!

And as for what’s coming after this series, I’ll tell you this: it’s another study through a book – we’re going old school!

Marriage Check-Up

Over the last 2 Sundays, I had the opportunity to teach a mini-series on marriage within our study through 1 Peter! If you missed it, you can grab the podcasts on iTunes as well as watch the video about the wife’s role (husbands, ours will be up later this week).

It was fun  to address both crowds, but also a bit challenging – especially 1 Peter 3:7 – the husband’s role. As I studied last week, I was humbled and realized (again) how thankful I am for my wife, and how I could a much better job at showing that to her. I sat her down and apologized, asked for input, and spent some time repenting and asking God to forgive me as well. It was so healthy and so needed.

As I closed Sunday’s message, I mentioned the “Marriage Check-Up” cards that we had included in all the bulletins. I encouraged every couple to sit down together some time this week (the sooner, the better) and go over these questions together. Jenn and I did on Saturday, and it turned into a long, deep, healthy conversation. We ended up talking about things that I hadn’t even thought through. It was really good for both of us.

Below is the video of week 1 of “Marriage is …To Be Continued” (for the ladies), and the guys’ video will be up later this week.

Also below are the 7 questions from the Marriage Check-Up cards that we passed out this weekend. If you didn’t get one (or don’t go to Awaken), grab them here and sit down and discuss with your spouse…

1.    Do we know and respect each other’s roles?

2.    WIFE: Am I allowing my husband to take the lead and respecting him as the leader of our home?

3.    HUSBAND: Am I cherishing and honoring my wife, considering her feelings above my own?

4.    Do we focus on the eternal or the temporary?

5.    Do we talk, openly and honestly, about life with each other?

6.    Does our marriage set a good example for our kids (if you have some)?

7.    Do we pray together AND for each other on a consistent basis?

 

…to be continued

Today marked our 10th Sunday back in our post-flood Riverside building and our 10th Sunday since the switch from Saturday nights to Sunday mornings. It’s been a great 2 1/2 months and the best is yet to come…

For the last 10 Sundays, we’ve been going through a series called “The Forgotten.” We’ve looked at the lives of 10 people or groups of people who are often overlooked, under appreciated, or forgotten in Scripture. We chronologically plowed our way through history beginning with Phinehas, the sin slayer, in Numbers 25, through the anonymous saints listed at the end of Hebrews 11. It was a great journey and there was a ton to learn from many positive examples and a few negative ones.

As soon as we begin drawing near the end of a study, people begin wondering what’s next, and today I answered that question. Beginning in 2 weeks – Sunday, September 26, we’ll kick off a verse by verse study through the 5 chapters of 1 Peter – a study I’m calling …to be continued.

1 & 2 Peter were both written to a group of Christians who were under intense persecution for their faith. Nero had blamed them for the fire he had started in Rome and they were being murdered left and right for crimes they didn’t commit. Some were sewn into the skin of animals while dogs were released to rip them limb from limb. Others were rolled in pitch, then set on fire to light up Nero’s gardens at night. Despite the consequences, Peter instructs them to stand up for their faith and consequently use the persecution for good.

A theme that flows throughout the book is the hope that Peter provides by constantly reminding them that life on Earth isn’t the end. As Christians, we’re called to remain faithful despite the cost, because when we draw our last breath, life is …to be continued for eternity in heaven! What a comfort these letters must have been to the suffering Christians as Peter reminded them that the few years we have on Earth are just the appetizer for the main course that’s coming!

I’m excited to begin studying through 1 Peter and I hope you’ll be joining us on  Sundays at 10am. We’ll rock some hardcore Christian doctrine as well as some very practical advice on daily Christian living!

(by the way, if you haven’t voted for which Psalms you’d like to study in our HeartBlog series on Wednesday nights, click HERE and vote!)