Disciples Church Bible Reading Plan

1 Peter 5

Shepherd the Flock of God

5:1 So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight,¹ not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you;² not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Final Greetings

12 By Silvanus, a faithful brother as I regard him, I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it. 13 She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does Mark, my son. 14 Greet one another with the kiss of love.

Peace to all of you who are in Christ.

Footnotes

[1] 5:2 Some manuscripts omit exercising oversight

[2] 5:2 Some manuscripts omit as God would have you

(ESV)

1 Peter 4

Stewards of God’s Grace

4:1 Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh,¹ arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. 3 For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. 4 With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; 5 but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does.

7 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Suffering as a Christian

12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory² and of God rests upon you. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. 16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. 17 For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And

  “If the righteous is scarcely saved,
    what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”³

19 Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.

Footnotes

[1] 4:1 Some manuscripts add for us; some for you

[2] 4:14 Some manuscripts insert and of power

[3] 4:18 Greek where will the ungodly and sinner appear?

(ESV)

1 Peter 3

Wives and Husbands

3:1 Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, 2 when they see your respectful and pure conduct. 3 Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear—4 but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. 5 For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, 6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.

7 Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you¹ of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

Suffering for Righteousness’ Sake

8 Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 9 Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. 10 For

  “Whoever desires to love life
    and see good days,
  let him keep his tongue from evil
    and his lips from speaking deceit;
11   let him turn away from evil and do good;
    let him seek peace and pursue it.
12   For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
    and his ears are open to their prayer.
  But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

13 Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.

18 For Christ also suffered² once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, 19 in which³ he went and proclaimed⁴ to the spirits in prison, 20 because⁵ they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. 21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.

Footnotes

[1] 3:7 Some manuscripts since you are joint heirs

[2] 3:18 Some manuscripts died

[3] 3:19 Or the Spirit, in whom

[4] 3:19 Or preached

[5] 3:20 Or when

(ESV)

Saturday Study

Titus 1-3 & 1 Peter 1-2 (10.26.19)

Grab your Bible, and let’s dig into 1 Peter 1:6-7.

1 Peter 1:6-7 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Let’s first break into verse 6.

1 Peter 1:6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials

“In this …” In what? Peter is saying, “Based on what I just said in 1 Peter 1:3-5.”

1 Peter 1:3-5 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

In this living hope that we have because of God’s great mercy and through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

In this living hope that is an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, by God’s power.

1 Peter 1:6 In this you rejoice …

Who is the “you”? We are! We are the elect exiles. In this we rejoice! Peter is saying, “God’s elect exiles are to have joy.” We are to rejoice in these great truths. It is important that our joy is based on these great truths and not on our circumstances, because the rejoicing Peter is telling us to have is in the middle of various trials and suffering.

Look at the rest of the verse.

1 Peter 1:6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials

Peter says here that our exile will mean that we are grieved by various trials, that we will suffer. But he is also saying that in these various trials and suffering, we, the elect exiles who walk in a living hope, will have joy. He says this so clearly later in chapter 4.

1 Peter 4:12-13 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.

Like Peter here, Paul speaks of rejoicing in the middle of our suffering again and again.

• … I rejoice in my sufferings … (Colossians 1:24)
• give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
• giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:20)
• … rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor … (Acts 5:41)
• … but we rejoice in our sufferings … (Romans 5:3)

So, what does this tell us today? How does this help us today?

Will there be pain, and sorrow and hardship that affects us? Yes!

1 Peter 4:12 So, do not be surprised at the fiery trial … as though something strange were happening to you.

But it also tells us, as we experience these things, it is always on the foundation of joy in Christ—of thanksgiving and praise.

This is how Paul is able to say that he is “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing” in 2 Corinthians 6:10.

I plead with you to not dismiss this truth today. Some of you are missing who Christ is, through and through. You claim Christianity. You claim Jesus, but you live your lives like you truly do not know the fullness of who He is to you.

I know many of you are in the middle of hard things, painful stuff. This life, in the here-and-now, is really hard—the death of loved ones, financial stress, wrestling with addictive habits, flesh-driven motivations of a loved one that is ripping your marriage or family apart, broken relationships whereby the other party is content to do nothing to reconcile, your health is really failing you, and so much more.

The fact remains that you will suffer and struggle and experience various trials.

But what else does Peter say here about this? Let’s go back to 1 Peter 1:6. He says, “though now for a little while.” In other words, it’s temporary. Peter says this again later in 1 Peter 5:10: “… after you have suffered a little while …”

Believers can rejoice in suffering in their exile, because they have a living hope that will not last forever. Now, this doesn’t mean the suffering will be brief. It will be brief in comparison to eternity.

Romans 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

Next, he says, “if necessary.” This means if God decides it is necessary. Peter later makes this clear in 1 Peter 4:19.

1 Peter 4:19 So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

This is also good news, because our suffering or various trials are not outside of God’s sovereign hand. This is good news for our hearts, because it means we are not forgotten in our struggles and exile. It means what we face is only what God deems is necessary; and since we are His and He is God and He has us eternally in His victorious grip in Christ, we can be assured that what He deems necessary is necessary.

Next, he says, “you have been grieved by various trials.” Notice it says the various trials will grieve us. Trials and suffering are still hard. They still hurt; they still bring tears.

Do you ever feel like, being in a Christian means you can’t say “ouch” or like you have to be strong all the time and show no wear-and-tear? This just is not the case. Christians hurt; they say “ouch.” Exiles mourn and slow down. But the difference between Christian exiles and the world’s citizens is we do it in joy. It is not our end. It doesn’t undo us. There is a hope—a living hope. There is a joy in the midst of the tears that is based on that living hope that rises to the top and carries us through the tears.

So, whether in our highest highs or our lowest lows, Peter is saying here, “There is still rejoicing, even in the midst of our various struggles.” Why? Because of who we are in Christ and because of our living hope in Him.

Fact: You and I will suffer. So, the question today is, when you suffer, will you suffer in a way that is purposeful and for the glory of God? What God’s word tells us time and time again is that we can suffer in a way that is purposeful and not purposeless.

Here is a tip: When you suffer, don’t waste it. Do you allow room in your suffering for God to do great things in you and through you? Or are you all-consumed in you and, therefore, useless to the eternal movement of the good news of Jesus Christ?

I am begging you not to waste your suffering and not to waste hardship as something all-for-naught when it can, and should, be used as something all for God’s eternal glory.

Let me ask you this: When others see you struggling in various trials and hardships, do they grow in their faith? Do they become bolder?

Our suffering is meant to be purposeful and not wasted!

Psalm 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the Lord delivers him out of them all.

Hear this today: Neither the Old Testament nor the New Testament promises that believers will escape affliction in this life, for God, in His sovereignty, uses suffering to do eternal things in the lives of people and ultimately carries out His purposes for His glory. This is good news. This is the view that Peter is trying to give the elect exiles. We need this truth.

Now, you might ask, “Why is it God’s plan that we experience various trials in our exile?” That’s a fair question. Not that we are deserving to know if our sovereign Lord deems it necessary, but Peter answers in verse 7 at least part of the reason essentially telling us that suffering proves to be the perfect crucible for faith to abound.

1 Peter 1:7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

What this is saying is our faith is proven by the testing of struggles. The refining fire of God will sanctify, purifying the gold of true faith. True faith will endure, but fake faith will not endure. The refining fire of trials and suffering will consume fake faith. For those whose faith is not of God but is just a temporary, religious, man-made experience, trials will cause them to run, to flee, to abandon ship. God’s elect exiles will be refined by the struggles and will endure unto praise and glory and honor at the end-times coming of Jesus. When Peter contrasts faith with gold, he is showing that purified faith is more precious and valuable than purified gold, because gold still perishes. But true faith is lasting, lasting unto the imperishable inheritance that Jesus brings at the revelation of Christ.

Consider this: True faith turns sound doctrine (sound understanding of God) into sound practice or testimony. This is one of the main reasons God ordains our struggles in this exile we are in. He wants us to experience the refining fire of God.

Look back to the Old Testament in Malachi 3:2-3.

Malachi 3:2-3 … For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap.  He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord.

The Hebrew word here for “refiner” expresses the melting, testing, and refining of something—mostly metals and especially precious metals such as gold and silver.

In the ancient world, crude metal was re-melted to remove impurities and to make metal castings (tools, weapons, images, etc.). The metal was heated in pottery crucibles (Proverbs 17:3; 27:21) which were ovens or hearths, with bellows often being used to provide a draft to create intense heat.

The Scriptures speak of God as the master-refiner, seeking the pure metal by trying and testing the heart of man. This is good news, because God’s intention is not only to save His people but to purify His people from sin as with the removal of dross and alloy. So here in 1 Peter 1:7, the refining of gold is used as a metaphor for the stronger faith that emerges after persecution. A refiner’s fire’s purpose is to purify something of value. It purifies by removing the impurities so that its value is greater to the owner as it becomes a more righteous treasure.

God’s purpose is to purify His people by His refining fire so that we are a vessel of worship made more and more into Christlikeness that is pleasing to God.

2 Cor 2:15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God …

Make it personal for you today:

1. How are you navigating this exile’s hardships?
2. Are you wasting your hardships and simply wishing them away, or are you stewarding them as an opportunity to be refined by God, to become more dependent on Him and not on your circumstances?
3. Is your joy in God? Is your living hope found only in Christ, or is it in your circumstances?

I needed this study from Peter this week, and I pray you see your need for it, too. Maybe not right now, because you aren’t experiencing the various trials at this moment, but you will, and it is oh-so-important that we are properly grounded in God’s truth so that we see and savor these things for His glory and not our own.

Romans 5: 1-5 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.

By His grace and for His glory,

Pastor Joshua Kirstine

Disciples Church

1 Peter 2

A Living Stone and a Holy People

2:1 So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in Scripture:

  “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,
    a cornerstone chosen and precious,
  and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,

  “The stone that the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone,”¹

8 and

  “A stone of stumbling,
    and a rock of offense.”

They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

Submission to Authority

13 Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution,² whether it be to the emperor³ as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants⁴ of God. 17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. 19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Footnotes

[1] 2:7 Greek the head of the corner

[2] 2:13 Or every institution ordained for people

[3] 2:13 Or king; also verse 17

[4] 2:16 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface

(ESV)