Although the original readers of Peter’s letter were experiencing relatively mild opposition from their neighbors, in I Peter 3:8-22, he wanted to prepare them for worse persecution to come and the unfair suffering they would have to endure. As in all the letter, God calls on us both to preach and to practice what we preach, no matter how others might be treating us. In fact, when we endure unfair suffering as Christians, we receive special blessings and opportunities to demonstrate our faith.
"Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life."
We left off the story at the end of Genesis with Joseph’s coffin in Egypt and his words about God visiting his people in...
God's presence in the early church produced awesome acts of community giving and healing but also an awesome judgment against hypocrisy and deception.