‘Elders’ are the leaders of local churches. It does not mean that they are very old people. They have much experience as Christians and are wise and mature. In 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9 there is a list of the qualities that an elder should have. Peter was an elder. He had experience of all the... [ Continue Reading ]
MORE PRECIOUS THAN GOLD 1 PETER _HELEN POCOCK_ CHAPTER 5 ELDERS AND YOUNG MEN v1 So, I want to encourage the elders among you. I also am an elder. I actually saw Christ when he suffered. When he shows his *glory to us, I shall take part in it. V2 Take care of the people that God gives you to le... [ Continue Reading ]
In several places, the Bible says that God is a *shepherd. It says that God’s people are sheep. This describes how God cares for people. Psalms 23 describes this well. A *shepherd leads his sheep. They follow him because they trust him. They recognise his voice when he calls them. He makes sure that... [ Continue Reading ]
Some elders become proud and think that they are the boss. They are severe with people. They make rules for people to obey. Jesus was not like that. The way that he lived is a model for all Christians to follow.... [ Continue Reading ]
Jesus is the Chief *Shepherd. All elders are under his authority. Elders will get rewards when Jesus returns. People in the country of Greece used to love athletics. They put a ‘crown’ on the winner’s head. They made the crown from a circle of leaves. But the leaves died and the crown did not last v... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Younger people’ may mean those who are younger in age. Or it may mean people who have not been Christians for very long. Remember that God gives authority. Younger people should respect and obey their leaders. This pleases God. ‘Be humble’ is a special *Greek word. It describes how a slave put a cl... [ Continue Reading ]
‘The strong hand of God’ is picture language for the power and discipline of God. Christians must accept all that God allows to happen to them. One day God will lift them up and give them honour. He will decide when it is the right time. No one knows when this will happen. It may not be until Christ... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Give all your worries to God’. Christians do this when they tell God what worries them. Then they must trust that God will give them what they need in every situation. Jesus teaches about this in Matthew 6:25-34. Many of Peter’s readers may have worried about suffering as Christians. God loves and... [ Continue Reading ]
Christians cannot be lazy when they have given their worries to God. The devil always looks for people to attack. Christians must be ready for action. ‘The devil is your enemy’ because he opposes Christians. He wants them to fail. A lion is a fierce animal that kills and eats other animals. It can e... [ Continue Reading ]
All *grace comes from God. God wants Christians to take part in the *glory of Christ. The attacks of the devil will not last for ever. Christians will not suffer for ever, but the *glory of Christ will never end. God will stop their suffering and put things right. They do not know when this will hap... [ Continue Reading ]
Silas was a leader with Peter in the church at Jerusalem (Acts 15:22). ‘Christian brother’ means another member of the Christian family. Peter wrote this letter for two reasons. He wanted to encourage the Christians who were suffering. He also wanted to tell them more about the *grace of God. Christ... [ Continue Reading ]
Babylon was the name of an ancient city. About 600 years earlier, the king of Babylon attacked the *Jews and carried them away to Babylon (see explanation of 2:4-10). The *Jews never forgot how they suffered in a foreign land. Christians in the church at Rome were now suffering too. So they used ‘Ba... [ Continue Reading ]
Christians used to greet each other with a kiss. Peter wants them to continue this friendly greeting. Peter sends a greeting of peace to the Christians at the end of his letter. This is how he began his letter, in chapter 1:2. Because of Christ, Christians can know God’s gift of peace in their lives... [ Continue Reading ]