One for the Other and Baptism - 1 Peter 3:18-22

Who did you look up to growing up?  What qualities did that person have that you wanted to live out yourself?  How did that person help you?  How did your perception of that person change over time?

One for the Other:
Read 1 Peter 3:18-22
What was Jesus’ purpose in dying (v 18)?  What was his purpose in preaching to the spirits in prison (v 19)?

Read Genesis 6:1-13.  What did God have against men?  Who were the eight people saved from the flood (Gen 7:13)?

Baptism that Saves:
Were you ever baptized?  Do you remember it?  What was it supposed to do for you? For your parents? 

What kind of baptism was Peter talking about?  What result was promised from it? For us? For Jesus?

Read Colossians 2:9-15.  What else does baptism remind us of?

In what ways do we go through the burial and resurrection process with Jesus?

In what way did you go through a tough time only to come out stronger on the other side?

Application:
In what ways do you need to have God’s baptism in your life? Does the baptism process change how you look at difficult times in your life?

Homework:
Read 1 Peter 4:1-11.

These are the discussion questions for tonight's Men's Bible Study.  Join us at the corps at 6:00 p.m. or participate on your own.  Please join the discussion in Facebook!

Deeply, From the Heart

These are the Bible study notes for Wednesday, September 22, 2010, covering 1 Peter 2:13-25.

What piece of practical advice would you give to the next generation?

Review:
We learned something about Peter and who he is writing to.  What do we know so far about his audience?

Peter’s Advice:
Read 1 Peter 1:13-16.  What instructions does Peter give these scattered aliens?  What reason does he give to follow these instructions?

Does the situation the audience is in make it easier or more difficult to follow the instructions? 

What about your life makes it easy to follow the instructions?  More difficult?

Read Leviticus 11:44-45.  Who is speaking in these verses?  What reason does he give for being holy?

The Author of Hope:
Read 1 Peter 1:17-21.  What do we learn about Jesus in these verses?

What do you need to know about Jesus that will help you face life’s challenges?

Living and Enduring:
Read 1 Peter 1:22-25.  How do we purify ourselves?  Why do we purify ourselves?

What words does Peter use to qualify his command, “love one another?”  What do you think he means?  Do we need those qualifications?  Why?

Is loving one another deeply, from the heart, easy or difficult?  Why?

What lasting item can we now add to last week’s list?  What responsibilities do we have concerning the word of God?  How can we live that out?

Homework:
Read 1 Peter 2:1-12.

Hope through Suffering - 1 Peter 1:3-12

This accompanies the Bible Study to be held Wednesday, September 15, 2010 at The Salvation Army Oak Creek.

Opener:
Tell us your name and something you would have done differently this week if you had only known what was going to happen ahead of time.

Scripture Introduction:
Read 1 Peter 1:3-9.  Make two lists – one for things that last and one for things that are temporary.  Which list do people today hold onto?  Which ones do the typical Christian hold onto?  Why?

What does holding onto the second list cause us to do (verses 6, 8)?  How do we act?

Read Mark 8:27-37.  What list do you think Peter was holding onto?

Putting Myself in the Scriptures:
What does holding onto the first list cause us to do?  How do we act?

What is Peter saying about suffering?  What does he mean by saying that?  Can you picture giving the same advice Peter gives?  Why or why not?

Ministry through the ages:
Read 1 Peter 1:10-12.  What were the prophets trying to do?  According to the scriptures, what does the Holy Spirit do?  What is the goal of the Holy Spirit?

What do we learn about Jesus and his sufferings?  What can we learn from what Jesus experienced?

What does God give us in verse 3 that helps us endure suffering?

Call to Action:
What do you feel the Holy Spirit is inspiring you to do?  Who will benefit from your obedience?

Why do you think Peter added this statement about the angels?  (See 1 Timothy 3:16 - By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, Was vindicated in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Proclaimed among the nations, Believed on in the world, Taken up in glory.)

Homework for Next Week:
Read 1 Peter 1:13-25. Look for ways that the Holy Spirit wants to use you.  Bring back your reports of obedience through the week.

Seeing God's Plan in #Earthquakes

There have been a lot of earthquakes in the news lately.  Much confusion, devastation and death.  And a lot of speculation and questions about what God is up to in the midst of this calamity.

So I did a little research about earthquakes in the Bible.  Here's what I found:

• Earthquakes are nothing new.  Earthquakes have been recorded since sin entered the world.  Be careful about coming to a conclusion - while suffering is all a result (directly or indirectly) of sin, don't conclude that a certain sin or one person's disobedience cause these things.  We live in a broken world, and suffering is a natural part of it.  Therefore, we can't blame a disaster on God's judgment on a specific sin.  God is holding His judgment and wrath until the last day.
• Earthquakes can be an indication of God's presence, power and wrath (see Isaiah 29:6).  But not always. In fact, when God was getting ready to speak to Elijah, the wind, earthquake and fire came, but God was not in them.  He spoke in a still, small voice. (I Kings 19:11-13).
• Earthquakes were evident during the death and resurrection event of Jesus (Matthew 27:51-54).  It was clear that something more dramatic and powerful was happening than the death and resurrection of one man.  In fact, Jesus was conquering sin and death for you and me!
• Earthquakes will be a feature of God's judgment at the end of the world.  (see Revelation 11:13, Revelation 11:19 and Revelation 16:18)

 Here are some of my thoughts about earthquakes that hopefully will bring you some encouragement:

• God isn't causing the earthquakes.  In fact, I believe that His prevenient grace (a fancy term for God's protection over us) is protecting us, not only from the severity of earthquakes that occur, but also from other calamities that would come without God's protection.
• Earthquakes provide an opportunity for us to serve each other and share God's love.  In many disasters I have heard about, there are stories of selfless service and heroism on behalf of complete strangers.  Let us hear an announcement of a disaster as a call to be the hands and feet of Jesus in a hurting world.
• Disasters remind us of our mortality and our need for God.  In an uneventful day-to-day life, it's easy to lose sight of the eternal.  It's in times of loss and uncertainty that cause people to wonder about the eternal and to turn their hearts to God.
• There will be a time when pain and suffering will be over.  Disasters help us remember that this world is not the end - we have heaven to look forward to.  The Apostle John wrote this:  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.  He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."  (Revelation 21:3-4)

OK, OK.  I don't have all the answers.  But God does.  And when I hear about an earthquake, I trust Him all the more to use me to care for those around me and to provide a safe place for me in heaven.  I am thankful for every day that I have on earth to spend time with family and friends, but I know that this isn't the end.  It is just the beginning, and I have chances now to share God's love with those around me.

Earthquakes just move me to be more faithful.

Maybe the news of an earthquake can help open the door for God's message.

Are you ready to hear His voice?

Are you ready to tell someone else?

Like what you are reading? Consider the following: 1. Subscribe to my blog (there is a link for that on this page). 2. "Follow" me on twitter. It's a free account, and a great way to meet like-minded friends. My link is: http://twitter.com/tommccomb. 3. Leave a comment (I love your candid feedback and might use your ideas in future posts) 4. Tell someone else about this blog. Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you soon.

Things I Forgot to Say on Sunday

 

It never happened to you, did it?  You get up to teach a Sunday School class, deliver the announcements or preach a sermon, and you sit down.  Then you remember something that you wanted to say but didn't.  When this happens, my reactions are varied.  Sometimes, I feel like kicking myself, feeling like I missed the best part, and now regretting that it's too late.  Other times, my faith tells me to trust God's guidance, feeling like maybe what I left out was better left unsaid.  

In reality, I need to lean more toward the latter, letting go of the moment and letting God have His way in what I say. 

At any rate, this morning I thought through yesterday's sermon.  I got in almost everything, but wanted to post one of the missing parts.

I was speaking about Faith, Hope and Love from 1 Corinthians 13:13.  I described Hope as a visual attribute, given by God to help us have an eternal perspective and vision as we trudge through life.

As I prepared the message, I intended to challenge my audience to sit down and write out their experience of God's calling in their lives.  Yesterday's audience was mostly people training to be Salvation Army officers, and I wanted to make sure they had documented their experience of the divine call in order to have it on hand when discouraging times come.

Having this written testimony of God's revelation to us will be incredibly useful as a way to "fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen."

OK, I trust God, even as I deliver a sermon.  God had something to say, and perhaps it had nothing to do with the challenge I considered delivering.  But now I mention it for your consideration today. 

Have you ever written out what your experience with God's call on your life?  I recommend it - it will be a handy document when times get tough.

Like what you are reading? Consider the following: 1. Subscribe to my blog (there is a link for that on this page). 2. "Follow" me on twitter. It's a free account, and a great way to meet like-minded friends. My link is: http://twitter.com/tommccomb. 3. Leave a comment (I love your candid feedback and might use your ideas in future posts) 4. Tell someone else about this blog. Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you soon.

Putting it Together

Charles Spurgeon once wrote, "Faith goes up the stairs that love has built and looks out the window which hope has opened."  In this brief statement, he gave us a snapshot of what the relationship looks like between Faith, Hope and Love.

After all, as I stated in an earlier post, Faith moves.  It must move, or it is dead.  But without Love, even with all the Faith in the world, we are nothing (1 Cor 13:2).  Love has made the connection and created an avenue for our faith to move.

In another post, I explained that Hope sees.  When faith moves, it has a target or a focus for us to concentrate on.  Again and again in scripture, we are encouraged to focus on heavenly things (Colossians 3:1-2, 2 Corinthians 4:18).  When Faith moves, Hope gives it a target.  When I taught my children to ride bicycles, I told them to look at a point down the sidewalk.  It might have been a road sign or a tree, but when they took their eyes off the pedals and looked at their "target," they kept better balance and rode in a straighter line.  We need to use Hope that way.

And Love paves the way for us to hope.

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

Like what you are reading? Consider the following: 1. Subscribe to my blog (there is a link for that on this page). 2. "Follow" me on twitter. It's a free account, and a great way to meet like-minded friends. My link is: http://twitter.com/tommccomb. 3. Leave a comment (I love your candid feedback and might use your ideas in future posts) 4. Tell someone else about this blog. Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you soon.

Hope is Like a Kudu

If faith is like a shark, what is hope like?  Let me suggest that hope is like a kudu.  What is a kudu, you say?

A kudu is a variety of antelope, described much better by wikipedia.  I had the opportunity to see some of these in the wild while I visited Zimbabwe years ago.  While we drove down a one-lane dirt road, there were several kudu who leaped over the road.  Wikipedia says that they can jump over a five-foot fence with a running start, but it looked like they could have easily cleared the small pickup truck we were riding in. But no matter how high or far they can jump, the won’t jump anywhere they can’t see.  So people can contain them with a wall that is just higher than their eye level, as long as they can’t see through it.

Hope is the same.  Sometimes we can’t see an answer with our eyes, hope can allow us to “see” much farther.  Hope gives vision that spurs us to action.  Hope allows us to see beyond the fence.  While faith calls us to action, hope convinces us that the action is worth it.  Hope tells us that the action we know is right will have good consequences, even if we can’t quite see how.

David explains that “No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame.” (Psalm 25:3)  He was reminding us that we can trust God to handle the future, even it is out of sight.  Paul puts it like this:  “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

Are you holding back simply because you can’t see where your situation will lead?  Allow hope in God to give you confidence to let your faith move you.  God knows the end from the beginning.

So don’t hold back just because you can’t see very far.  Let God show you a glimpse of the other side of the fence.