To start the year, we are studying Peter’s first letter by beginning with I Peter 1:1-2. In each section, we will see how he describes the people of God. In his greeting, Peter calls Christians “elect exiles,” which is a curious expression that mixes something positive (elect, chosen, selected) with something negative (exiles, driven out, rejected). As it turns out, God’s election makes his people exiles in this world, and Peter reminds us that it is our call to live our lives as those who are in the world but not of the world.
The explosive growth of the church in Jerusalem led to the first threat of division between two groups, as recorded in Acts 6:1-7. Wisely...
Ever since there began to be two groups preaching and baptizing, there were those who wanted to set up a competition between them. In...
Christians need to learn to speak with joy, listen with discernment, and grow in grace.