1 Peter
2023
1 Peter: It's Worse Than You Thought!
May 7, 2023 • Greg St. Cyr • 1 Peter 5:6–14
Life can be hard. Unexpected things happen that are like a gut punch. Sometimes we are victims of injustice, or friends turn on us, or health issues disillusion us. Other times we are rejected and ridiculed for being a Christ-follower. Things can get so bad that we think, “It can’t get any worse!” Peter gets us. He writes to believers that are being persecuted, rejected, and reviled for loving Jesus. And just when they thought things couldn’t get any worse, Peter says, “Well, it actually does…But no worries. God has the last word!” Join us this Sunday as we wrap up our study on 1 Peter and learn how to have victory over the “roaring lion.”
1 Peter: Tie the Apron!
April 30, 2023 • Greg St. Cyr • 1 Peter 5:1–7
In college I worked in a machine shop. The first thing I did before starting work was to tie a thick apron around myself. With the apron secured, I was ready for the tasks ahead. There is an apron you and I are called to wear every day. It enables us to handle any task. This apron is the key to leadership. It is the key to relationships. It is the key to unity and submission. And it is the key to experiencing God’s grace, blessing, and care.
1 Peter: Better Together
April 23, 2023 • Greg St. Cyr • 1 Peter 4:7–11
Life has a way of turning on us. Things can be going great then suddenly the diagnosis is not good, or the marriage goes south, or the income stream dries up. Why is it that during such times some people soar in their relationship with the Lord, while others tank? In this passage, Peter gives very practical teaching to believers who are going through suffering and persecution. What he says is a game-changer.
1 Peter: Release Me!
April 16, 2023 • Aaron Hixson • 1 Peter 4:1–6
Do you have anybody in your life that is convinced you LOVE a certain food or treat that you haven't loved since High School? You've changed as a person, but they never got the memo. That can make for a pretty awkward moment each Christmas, but sometimes the stakes are a little higher: when Jesus calls us into a new way of life, we often leave behind people who aren't thrilled about the "new us" and it feels like they never got the memo. How do we avoid allowing them to pull us back to our old habits? Peter address this exact tension as we pick up our final stretch in 1 Peter.
1 Peter: Family Dynamics?
March 19, 2023 • Aaron Hixson • 1 Peter 3:1–7
If you thought last week was a "hard saying," then buckle up for this weekend! In this section, Peter is applying the mentality of "being so good they can't ignore Jesus" to different groups, and on Sunday he'll be addressing wives and husbands. What he has to say runs deeply contrary to this spirit of our time, and challenges some massive cultural assumptions.
1 Peter: Who's The Boss?
March 12, 2023 • Aaron Hixson • 1 Peter 2:13–24
Last week, Peter's message to his friends was that they needed to be "So Good they can't ignore Jesus." This week, we'll dive into how that principle plays out when your GOVERNMENT or your BOSS is antagonistic to your faith. To be honest, I'm not sure there's much in the Bible more offensive to our modern way of thinking than what Peter has to say: so join me as we all work to align our hearts and minds with what the Scriptures say about submitting to (every) authority.
1 Peter: So Good They Can't Ignore Him
March 5, 2023 • Aaron Hixson • 1 Peter 2:11–12
The letter of 1 Peter is all about how to engage with a culture that has rejected you and your beliefs, but to do so in a way that somehow points them back to Jesus. Is that even possible? This Sunday, we'll explore Peter's strategy for living in the midst of a hostile world without making your culture the enemy. These next few weeks will challenge all of us in our basic assumptions about life in our culture: let's buckle up and learn together!
1 Peter: Rejection Proof
January 29, 2023 • Aaron Hixson • 1 Peter 2:4–10
While there was a time that identification as a Christian might've had a positive effect on a person's prospects in life and business, but that time is increasingly in the past. Social marginalization is becoming the norm, and that's unlikely to reverse. How does the follower of Christ become comfortable with the idea of being seen as laughable, ignorable or (worse) evil? In this section of the letter, Peter sets out to make his friends rejection-proof: a lesson we would do well to learn! See you Sunday!
1 Peter: The How-To Guide for Sufferers (Part 2)
January 22, 2023 • Aaron Hixson • 1 Peter 1:22—2:3
When I'm in a difficult situation (or even when I'm just feeling overwhelmed), it's easy to slip into indecision, and analysis-paralysis. Essentially, I'm just putting my head in the sand and hoping this moment passes me by. In part 2 of the "How-To Guide for Sufferers", Peter is continuing to give his struggling friends a path forward - he points them proactively toward God's plan for them, rather than toward the indecision and fear that often accompany suffering. Join me this weekend as we uncover Peter's final 2 steps for his fellow sufferers.
1 Peter: The How-To-Guide for Sufferers (Part 1)
January 15, 2023 • Greg St. Cyr • 1 Peter 1:13–21
Many people like “how to” books. I’m one of them. Early on I read Mortimer Adler’s, “How To Read A Book” and Gordon Fee’s, “How to Read the Bible for All It’s Worth.” Super helpful! I’ve recently finished “Atomic Habits” (about how to build habits) and “Deep Work” (about how to concentrate). In 1 Peter, believers are suffering because of various trials. After reminding them of their identity in Christ, Peter gives very specific “how-tos” when it comes to suffering. For anyone in the throes of suffering, and for all of us who will go through suffering, Peter’s “How-To-Guide” will help us glorify God amidst the trials we face.
1 Peter: Joy in The Face of Suffering
January 8, 2023 • Greg St. Cyr • 1 Peter 1:1–9
This week we launch a new series through 1 Peter. In this epistle, Peter says some astonishing things to people experiencing suffering and persecution. Perhaps most shocking is this statement: “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials.” I read that and think, “What? Rejoice during rejection, unjust treatment, cancer, the loss of a loved one? How is that possible?” I hope you will join us and invite friends this Sunday at 9am or 11am as we discover how to find God’s joy amid suffering.