From Lost Homes to Living Hope - 1 Peter 1:1-9

October 9, 2022 • Caleb Martinez • 1 Peter 1:1–9

All of us need something meaningful and transcendent to give our lives purpose. In seasons of suffering, pain, or even just mundanity, we all reach for something beyond ourselves to make sense of who we are and what’s going on. The Bible calls this hope.
1 Peter is a book about hope. It’s a letter written to dispersed Christians living abroad in modern day Turkey who are experiencing pain. As Gentile followers of Jesus, they’ve committed to living lives that look radically different from the world around them. As a result, they’ve lost friends, jobs, homes, and their very identities. Peter opens his letter by giving them hope. He gives them an identity in their exile and strengthens their faith formed in their suffering.
Today, we too live as exiles. We’ve committed to following Jesus in a way that has cost us social status, friendships, relationships, jobs, and our very own identities. But by allowing Peter’s letter to speak to us, and by asking ourselves where our faith and identities lie, we too can find hope that’s both living and life-giving.

1 Peter 1:1-9 CSB

The Devils Opinion

December 11, 2022 • Trey Van Camp • 1 Peter 5:5–11

During the advent season, we are called to celebrate the first coming of Christ and anticipate His second coming. This means we celebrate the fact that sin has lost its power over believers and anticipate the day sin loses its presence among believers. But in a season filled with joy and anticipation, we still feel the pain and tension of living between the two comings of Christ. Although the devil has lost its dominion over us, he still has an opinion that can influence us. His lies create in us a spirit of arrogance, anxiety, and apathy. In https://biblia.com/bible/csb/1%20pet%205, the Apostle gives us 3 ways to resist the roaring lies of the devil.

Expectations of a Pastor

December 4, 2022 • Trey Van Camp • 1 Peter 5:1–4

If you ask 10 people what they expect from their pastor, you will probably get 20 different answers. Throughout history, pastors have been expected to be all sorts of things. But what does God expect the pastor to do? In https://biblia.com/bible/csb/1%20pet%205, God lays out the three expectations for every pastor: to be an elder, a shepherd, and an overseer. In this message, we will learn what these terms mean and how it effects our life with Jesus today.

Step Up Your Faith by Stepping Into Fire

November 27, 2022 • Trey Van Camp • 1 Peter 4:12–19

By the grace of God, you will encounter a fork in the road where you have to make a decision: you can live by faith in Jesus, or you can die by fire without Him (https://biblia.com/bible/csb/matt%2025). If you put your faith in Jesus, you can’t help but express your joy through songs like, “I put my faith in Jesus, my anchor to the ground, my hope and firm foundation, He’ll never let me down.” But what happens when it seems like He does let us down? We set ourselves up for major disappointment when we confuse our eternal condition with our present one. Because contrary to popular belief, stepping up your faith is stepping into fire… and that’s a good thing. In https://biblia.com/bible/we/1%20pet%204 are encouraged to look at our trials like a fiery furnace: burning off our impurities & idolatries to further glorify Christ. In this message, we will learn about the three stages of faith that only come from stepping into the fire.