Category: 1 Peter

Giving Grace & a Blessing

Giving Grace & a Blessing

Job 34-35

Psalm 101

1 Peter 3

-Devotion by J.J. Fletcher (MN)

Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 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. For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. 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.” (1 Peter 3:8-12 ESV)

Much of 1st Peter has to do with our conduct: to our faith community, our family, those in authority over us, and to the world at large. Peter gives us a list of traits in 3:8 that are emblematic of who we should be as those who are in Christ.

We should be living our lives in a way that those we interact with see those encounters as a blessing. The idea of grace is key. Elsewhere in Scripture (Rom. 14, 15 and 1 Cor. 8) we are instructed to give grace to those who are weaker or immature in their faith, not allowing ourselves to be a stumbling block to them. 

Not everyone is at the same place in their faith. Someone who is new to faith is not going to have everything figured out with their doctrine, their lifestyle, or their personal conduct. Someone who is seasoned in their faith may also not have everything figured out with their doctrine, their lifestyle, or their personal conduct. While all may strive to be faithful, we have our unique (or not so unique) challenges to living a life that is faithful to the calling which we have been called. 

Everyone has a bad day once in a while, and everyone goes through seasons of difficulty, so we should be prepared with hearts full of grace and mercy when someone experiences failure or lashes out due to the stresses of life. If we bless someone with an attitude of grace and forgiveness, perhaps we can help them grow and feel supported, rather than repaying with dismissiveness or combativeness that might ostracize them or create a stumbling block that might hinder healing and restoration.

Even hard truths and confrontation can be done with a spirit of grace. Peace and grace should be the goal for all of us in any hard conversation that we may need to have. Even with graceful conduct, we may encounter challenges and conflict, but if we are conducting ourselves in righteous obedience to God, then our God looks upon us and hears us. If we are lacking grace and are allowing our frustration and selfish anger to guide us, then God is against us. 

Our proper behavior is not just to be aimed toward our family in Christ, but to all people. Peter further writes:

Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 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, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil. (1 Peter 3:13-17 ESV)

If people hate or disregard you, let it be because you were faithful to your calling in Christ, not because you are a jerk or are manipulative. And if you do find yourself being a jerk or acting underhandedly, seek forgiveness and restoration. Share your faith but be well-reasoned and gentle when you do. When you have to correct someone, be gentle and gracious, doing so out of concern for the individual and not simply for the optics of their situation.    

Reflection Questions

  1. Reread 1 Peter 3:8. When have you seen those qualities exhibited by another? How can you strive to show each one of these traits today in every interaction?
  2. “We should be living our lives in a way that those we interact with see those encounters as a blessing.” – Think about your last 5-10 encounters – for how many of them do you think the other person(s) would view the encounter as a blessing? What could you do to boost that number?
  3. How often do you seek peace and pursue it? What happens when you don’t? What are the benefits to giving grace?

Prayer

Dear God Almighty – Thank you for the grace You have given to me. Help me to pass it along to others every day. Help my words, attitude and actions be a blessing to all I encounter. Led by Your direction in 1 Peter and by Your Spirit, may I be pleasing to You.

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What to Eliminate & What to Survive On

Job 32-33

Psalm 100

*1 Peter 2

-Devotion by J.J. Fletcher – J.J. Fletcher is a 2009 graduate of Atlanta Bible College and has been pastoring Pine Grove Bible Church  (Brooklyn Park, MN) since 2017. He has been married to Hope (Kirkpatrick) for 18 years and has 4 children.

Yesterday we looked at Peter’s exhortation to be prepared and self-controlled. Chapter 1 ends with the following words: “Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for ‘All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.’ And this word is the good news that was preached to you.” (1 Peter 1:22-25 ESV)

As we prepare ourselves for self-controlled lives of holiness, Peter mentions that we should love our brothers and sisters earnestly from a pure heart. 

Sometimes we may love someone but not treat them well. There’s an old saying, “familiarity breeds contempt.” As we become more intimately involved in the lives of others, we become more acutely aware of their strengths and faults. We typically know our shortcomings, and we may try to hide or compartmentalize them, but someone may have the same shortcomings, and we can easily hold those things against them in a way that we would never hold them against ourselves. This can be anything from personal sin/temptation issues to lack of social awareness. If someone is transparent with their struggles or confesses sin, it can be easy to look upon them with judgment; it can color the way that we view them or our respect for them. On the flipside, sometimes people carry themselves in a certain way or have mannerisms that put us off. I once shared in a sermon illustration that everyone annoys me… if I let them. If I want to be annoyed, I’ll find a reason. If I am set on people behaving in a certain way, it can be very easy to let irritation or resentment take over my perception of a person. 

Peter’s words at the beginning of chapter 2 are important to understand in a relational sense. Malice can be interpreted as having a “mean-spirited or vicious attitude.” Deceit is “taking advantage through craft or underhanded methods.” Hypocrisy is “to create a public impression that is at odds with one’s real purposes or motivations, play-acting, pretense, outward show.” Envy is wanting what others have, and slander is speaking ill or evil about another. Peter does not address gossip in this section, but all of these things can play into the sin of gossip, which can tear apart people on both an individual and relational level. (Quoted definitions from BDAG Greek Lexicon).

Allowing room for these attitudes or behaviors in our lives will destroy the way that the church is meant to relate to one another; it reminds me of these words from the book of Hebrews: 

Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled

(Hebrews 12:14-15 ESV)

So we should not allow ourselves to be caught up with these attitudes and behaviors. We should be willing to receive correction if we are behaving in a way that is detrimental to ourselves and the church, and also we need to be willing to confront those who harm the church by their conduct.

These problems stem from not being focused on what Peter calls “pure spiritual milk.” If our priorities and focus are not on the life that God wants us to lead, but rather on what we want for ourselves, we open ourselves up to relating to others in a selfish or prideful way that opens us up to these types of destructive conduct.

We’ll close out with this excerpt from the NIV Application Commentary:

“Pure spiritual milk” refers to the very things that nourish the Christian community in its growth: knowledge of God, prayer, instruction in the gospel, faithful obedience, and hearing God’s preached word. The desire for spiritual nourishment is the desire of any church that wants to know the Lord and live in light of his will.”

Reflection Questions

  1. Who do you love that you can work on treating better? What will that look like?
  2. Do you allow yourself to be annoyed by others? What are your options? How can you view others instead?
  3. Malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, slander, and gossip. Stop and examine yourself. What can you get rid of in your own life? What will you replace it with?
  4. How do you get spiritual nourishment? How does it help you grow in respect to salvation? If you have been feeling spiritually malnourished recently what can you do to crave – and consume – more pure spiritual milk?

Prayer

Dear Father – I give you praise and worship for You are a great God. Thank You for Your faithfulness and love and the gift of Your Son. Help me to get rid of all bad attitudes and evil thoughts, words and actions towards others. I want to love others well, as You and Your Son have loved me. Thank You for Your perfect Word that lives forever and supplies all we need to grow in You. Help me crave it, learn from it and pass it on until Your Son returns. In his name we pray, Amen.

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Preparation

Job 31

Psalm 100

*1 Peter 1

Devotion by J.J. Fletcher – J.J. is a 2009 graduate of Atlanta Bible College and has been pastoring Pine Grove Bible Church  (Brooklyn Park, MN) since 2017. He has been married to Hope (Kirkpatrick) for 18 years and has 4 children.

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”

This quote is often attributed to Abraham Lincoln, but there is no evidence that he said or wrote it. It’s a good quote, nonetheless. Preparation is critical to proper execution.

John Kruck, a former Philadelphia Phillies baseball player, once joked that he drove hitting coaches crazy because he once used 6 different batting stances in an at-bat and ended up striking out. Baseball players work on their batting stance to get their timing and swing path to a consistent, repeatable motion so that they are not inaccurately flailing at incoming pitches. Preparation is critical to proper execution.

In 1st Peter 1:13, Peter calls on his readers to “prepare their minds for action” and to be “sober-minded.” This is a call to preparation for the goal of living holy lives. As Jesus lived a life filled with holy conduct, Peter says that “you also be holy in your conduct.” 

Peter recalls the former ignorance of his readers, living outside the redemption of the Gospel, living lives motivated and marked by their passions or desires, and encourages them to instead strive for holiness.

We all have issues with things that are not holy. Temptation abounds, whether it’s lust, pride, laziness, excess, or the myriads of other things that we might struggle with. Deciding to follow Jesus does not magically eliminate all of these temptations. Whether we’ve been a believer for 5 minutes or 50 years, the struggle remains, but the way that we prepare ourselves for daily spiritual warfare will help determine how successful we are at avoiding the traps of sin.

The language that Peter uses for prepare is literally to “gird up.” In antiquity, men would wear long, baggy outerwear that would be cumbersome to perform many tasks in, so to gird up your loins meant that you would tie up the loose fabric around your belt so that it would not clench up or be a tripping hazard. That is the imagery we are to see here: prepare your mind for the life and battles ahead, just as you would adjust your clothing for a particular task. Being sober-minded means being self-controlled. Self-control is an intentional practice that takes preparation and is marked by discipline. We must be mindful of where/what our temptations and weaknesses are and have an action plan for how we are going to respond when sin is crouching at our door. We should pray for strength, and God will help us, but we must also actively work to orient our lives in a way where we don’t find sin backing us into a corner. Preparation is critical for proper execution.

Reflection Questions

  1. What has become reoccurring tripping hazards for you? Consider specific temptations, bad habits, attitudes.
  2. How would you rate your self-control? How can you strengthen your self-discipline muscles? How can stronger self-control help you make better use of the time, gifts, body, and blessings God has given to you?
  3. What specific exercises, attitudes, thoughts, activities, accountability, verses, songs, etc…would be helpful to prepare your mind for holy action?

Prayer

Dear Father – You are perfect in all Your ways and thoughts, attitudes and actions. And I am not. Forgive me for the times I have not heeded Your word and Your will and instead became tripped up by a lack of self-control and fell to selfish sinfulness. Thank you for all the blessings You have provided for me, including life. Help me to use my mind, body, time and blessings in ways that are pleasing to You. In Your Son’s name, I pray, Amen

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Hunting Season

1 Peter 4-5

Devotion by John Tullis (OH)

It’s hunting season here in Ohio!  All around the countryside, hunters are sneaking though the fields, climbing tree stands, and checking their trail cams.  The deer are careful and on alert, listening and sniffing the air for the sign of trouble.  Failure to sniff out the enemy can have deadly results for the hunted. 

As Christians, we have to be on guard against temptations and situations that can cause us to fall away from the Lord God.  1 Peter 5:8  warns us to “Be alert and of sober mind.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour”.  Peter, in his letter to the Christians across Asia Minor (modern Turkey), has tried to encourage the believers to stand firm in the face of persecution.  Instead of getting revenge or lashing out against people who have hurt us, Peter encourages us to rejoice in our sufferings and be thankful for the opportunity to do good to those who hurt us (1 Peter 3:8-12). 

It is easy to want to strike back, to say something hurtful, or to defend ourselves.  But God has a higher purpose in mind behind our suffering.  He wants to shape and mold us into mature Christians.  Sometimes, we have to endure hard times to allow that change towards maturity to occur.  It is tempting to want to respond in kind to those who hurt us.  We have to stand firm and resist the urge to take the bait! 

 Peter reminds the Christians that this is a sneaky trap, set by our enemy, the devil.  We have to be on the alert, and watchful to avoid falling into the traps set by the enemy.  Like deer trying to avoid the hunter, we avoid the traps of temptation by seeking to do God’s will.  Peter asks us to be alert and sober minded.  Resisting the temptation to lash out at our enemies or to hurt other people is not easy.  But the more we resist, the easier it is to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.  God wants us to trust Him.  As we obey Him, He will “restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast” (1 Peter 5:10).   

Questions for Discussion: 

  1. How can the devil “devour” Christians? (5:8) 
  1. How do we resist the devil? (5:9) 
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To Make You Stronger

1 Peter 1-3

Devotion by John Tullis (OH)

One of the strongest building materials is steel.  All the great towers and skyscrapers today are built out of steel.  It is a very hard metal and very durable.  But it does not start that way.  It begins as a piece of iron ore.  To transform the iron ore into steel, the iron must be heated to extreme temperatures and exposed to blasts of super hot air to blow out the impurities.  When it is quickly cooled, the result is steel – a pure form, durable, and able to stand the test of time.  It is only tough and useable because of the intense “heat and violent blasts of air” that transforms it. 

The apostle Peter wrote his letters to Christians scattered out across Asia Minor (Turkey today).  The Christians there were struggling because of hardship and persecution.  Living a life of faith in God was very difficult and dangerous.  As the Roman empire continued to persecute the Christians across the empire, the apostles, like Peter, worked hard to encourage the children of God. 

Peter reminds us in his letter that we have a “living hope” (1 Peter 1:3-4).  No matter what kinds of trouble we experience in life, we can be assured that the hope that we have in Jesus is true and eternal.  We know this because Jesus has been raised from the dead, proving that every promise that He made is true.  No matter what kinds of sorrow we face in this life, we can be assured of an “inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.  Kept in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:3-4).  Jesus promised to return to this world to make things right.  Then, our promise will be revealed before our very eyes as we enjoy eternity with God the Father and His son Jesus Christ in God’s glorious earthly kingdom.

Despite being persecuted and threatened by the Romans, Peter reminds the Christians that they are to put their faith in God and serve Him.  Like the first Christians, God allows us to experience trouble and sorrow because, like heat to iron, He wants to create a tougher, more usable child of God.  God desires for each of us to endure troubling times.  We are a chosen people (1 Peter 2:9-10).  As God’s chosen people, we can be assured that He will use hard times to strengthen us.  It is God’s will that we suffer for doing good (1 Peter 3:17).  Jesus suffered greatly on the cross.  But the result of His suffering has brought us closer to God (3:18).  Who knows what incredible things God will bring about because His people are willing to suffer for doing good?

Questions for Discussion:

  1. Are good works the way to earn a blessing? (1 Peter 3:9-12)
  2. Why be gentle and respectful to unbelievers? (1 Peter 3:15)
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Shepherd the Flock & Be Watchful

OLD TESTAMENT: 2 Chronicles 35 & 36

POETRY: Psalm 115 (all week)

NEW TESTAMENT: 1 Peter 5

What is the best way to lead others in the church? What is the best way to follow church leadership?

At the end of 1 Peter, Peter gives some exhortations to leaders in the church and then to the general assembly. His exhortation to leadership, while brief, is powerfully meaningful:

1 Peter 5:2-3 (ESV)

2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly;

3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.

Leaders in the church are commanded to shepherd the flock not by abusing authority but by being examples. Peter is repeating what Jesus taught him years before (see Matthew 20:25-28). Jesus served others in love, showing everyone how to live a godly life. He did not collect taxes, lead an army, start a big corporation, or run for President (or Caesar, not that it was a democracy!), but even if he held a prominent worldly position, he would not have led through fear or domination.

How many times has this gone wrong in the history of the Christian church? How often are leaders tempted to lead this way? As a pastor, knowing how common this problem is leads me to greater personal reflection and humility. My job is to serve willingly and eagerly and to be a good example to the people in our congregation. That sounds simple and straightforward, but the other way is tempting. Leaders, we must keep the servant’s towel wrapped around our waist at all times!

Peter goes on to admonish the whole assembly to be humble, to cast anxieties to God, and to be watchful. Each of these dispositions is important. First, humility is a foundational Christian attribute. It’s like the key to the door of growth. Humility says, “I don’t know everything yet. I can still learn more.” Everyone in the church should be humble before God and before the Scriptures. There is always more to learn. There is always more to live.

Second, we are to cast our anxieties to God. This world is full of trouble and brokenness. All of us experience anxiety from time to time. We must remember that God cares about every aspect of our lives. What a crazy thing to believe, but it is true — the Creator of the Universe wants a relationship with you! God cares for you!

Finally, we are to be watchful. There are influences of darkness in the world around us (see: anxieties above). The powers of darkness, led by the adversary/devil, have built systems to damage our faith and lead us into temptation. Just as our Lord Jesus taught, we seek God instead. He will deliver us from evil, and the promise is, that as we resist, the devil will flee (see also James 4:7).

-Will Barlow

Reflection Questions:

  1. (Leaders) How do you stay humble and focused on serving the people around you?
  • (Non-leaders) What can you do if you are concerned about your leaders and how they are behaving?
  • Are there things in your life that need more watchfulness or resisting the powers of darkness? What can you do to strengthen your resolve in those categories?
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Using Your Gift

OLD TESTAMENT: 2 Chronicles 33 & 34

POETRY: Psalm 115

NEW TESTAMENT: 1 Peter 4

Have you ever wondered what gifts you have been given by God? Have you ever doubted that you even HAVE a gift from God? In the middle of 1 Peter 4, Peter gives a simple statement about gifts that should arrest our attention:

1 Peter 4:10-11 (ESV)

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.

We are first comforted (or perhaps surprised!) to hear that we have received a gift. What are we to do with our gift? We are commanded to serve one another in love — that is the way that we can use God’s grace appropriately.

Peter also gives two large categories for gifts from God: speaking gifts and serving gifts. Unfortunately, in the modern Western church, most Christians think of the “speaking gifts” when they think of gifts. And so, when asked, “what is your gift?” so many are tempted to think that they do not even have one. But Peter does not teach this, nor do the rest of the Scriptures.  For example, giving mercy is listed as a gift in Romans 12, and administration is listed as a gift in 1 Corinthians 12. The gifts of God come in many shapes and sizes.

If you are unsure what your gift is (or gifts are!), what can you do? I believe that Peter would encourage you to get more involved in a local congregation of Jesus followers. Try volunteering for a food drive, helping to set up for a special event, or working with the children’s ministry. Do you have any musical ability? Perhaps your worship team could use an extra instrument or voice. Has God put a desire for preaching or teaching in your heart? Ask your pastor how you can develop this desire into something more concrete. Do you have a heart for the homeless, those in prison, single parents, or another disadvantaged group of people in your community? The opportunities for exploration and service are virtually endless!

Many times, I think we overcomplicate the idea of gifts. We are each unique people, valued by our infinite Creator. None of us are alike in every way. God has especially given you abilities that I may not have, and He has given me abilities that you may not have. And even if we have the same gift type, we will express it uniquely! This is the value and the beauty of the Body of Christ — we are both designed to fit in and belong to the church of Jesus Christ, AND we are designed to stand out in unique ways.

Ask God to show you what desires He would like you to pursue. As you pursue those gifts, remember that it’s all about Him. It’s His ability, His power — even your life belongs to Him! So love Him with your whole heart and love your neighbor as yourself. As you do, you’ll learn more about Him and more about how He has uniquely gifted and enabled you to do good works that point back to Him. 

-Will Barlow

Reflection Questions

  1. Do you have any ideas about the gifts that you have? What can you do to learn more about yourself and about God?
  • What gifts of others do you especially appreciate? How does this practice of thankfulness for others’ gifts help us greater appreciate the Body of Christ?
  • What next steps are you going to take to develop an awareness of your gifts and how they can be used to serve others and glorify God?

Will Barlow is the head pastor at Compass Christian Church in Louisville, KY. He lives near Louisville with his wife of 15 years (Becca) and three children (Liam, Hannah, and Isaac). Besides theology, he enjoys playing sports, watching sports, and spending time with his family.

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Your Trials

THEME WEEK – PETER: 1 Peter 1

Old Testament: Nehemiah 1 & 2

Poetry: Psalm 19

This week at FUEL we focused on the life of Peter. Peter is an amazing character in the Bible. His life was full of ups and downs. His faith was high and it was low. Yet, Peter was used to do great works for God. I find a lot of parallels between Peter’s life and ours as believers.  Today’s devotion is not as much focused on Peter’s life, but rather how he uses what he learned from his life experiences.

1 Peter 1 starts by proclaiming the good news and our hope in Christ. He says in verse three, that through mercy we have been given a new birth through the resurrection of Jesus. Now Peter continues this by saying that even though we have our hope in Jesus we will have a lot of grief and many trials. This is true for our lives as well, most of us have gone through something that is incredibly challenging. Life can really beat us down or we build sandcastles on false beliefs. But when you have a living hope through Jesus Christ, you have a strong foundation to rely on during the waves of life.

 Peter also faces many trials in his life such as when he was called out on the water by Jesus, he took his eyes off of Jesus and began to sink because of his lack of faith. Peter also denies Jesus three times. He is ashamed and scared because of what might happen to him so he turns his back on Jesus. But even through all of these difficulties and trials Jesus calls him back. I know that I have taken my eyes off from Christ and maybe even have denied my faith. But he continues to call me back and offers grace.

Peter uses his life experiences to help strengthen fellow believers. He says in verse six and seven that trials come and that “these have come so that your faith … may be  proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed” Even when we face trials and setbacks in our life, we can still return to Christ. Or as Amber shared on Monday night, we all need a comeback. So the next time you find yourself sinking, think about Peter and remember that if he can be pulled out of the water, so can you!  Peter reminds us in verse 23 “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.”

-Camden Bormes

If you would like to hear Amber speaking on comebacks, check out the FUEL 2023 Monday Evening General Session on youtube (where you can also find all the other general sessions as well). Amber starts speaking, with sound, at 36 minutes.

Reflection Questions

  1. What trials have you already been through? Have they helped to prove the worth of your faith? If so, how?
  2. Are you currently in need of a comeback (has a trial beaten you down)? What steps could be useful in the process of a comeback? How might the living and enduring word of God play a part?
  3. What can we learn from Peter about faith? About Jesus? About God?
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Attention All Shepherds (and Sheep)

1 Peter 5

Tuesday, October, 11, 2022

Chapter 4 ends with verse 19: Therefore, let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good (ESV).

The suffering in the New Testament is related to living a life set apart from worldliness, which is opposed to God’s will. It is not God’s will that we should suffer, but when we follow in the ways that he has prescribed for us we will undoubtedly face opposition and ultimately suffer for the sake of the Gospel. We need to trust that our creator will ultimately use that suffering for good. There’s a popular song that we sing at my church that has the line “you take what the enemy meant for evil, and you turn it for good” (drawing on Genesis 50 for inspiration).

Chapter 5 then begins with Peter addressing the leaders of the church, specifically calling to mind the sufferings of Christ. Pastors/elders are to function in the role of shepherds for the congregations that have been entrusted to them in leadership. The verb that is translated as “shepherd” also can be translated as “feed” – does this directive remind you of any instructions that Peter himself received from Jesus?

In John 21 three times Jesus asks Peter if he loves him (notice a correlation between Peter’s three denials of Jesus and the three affirmations that Jesus receives from him?) and three times tells him to feed his sheep (this is a different Greek word in John, but it means essentially the same thing). As the primary leader of the church Peter was to feed Jesus’ sheep, meaning Christians. The impetus for this spiritual leadership is not to be out of self-importance or in Peter’s case even that Jesus chose him to lead, but out of love for his master and savior (and friend!). When we see Peter lead, he is following in obedience to the one who called him out of the boat and invested in him and entrusted him to feed his sheep. Peter certainly was not doing this for gain or for an easy life, I imagine his life would have been much easier had he simply decided to go back to fishing full time, but he faced many trials and much opposition in his preaching the word and leading the church.

In the same way, those of us who are called to be pastors and elders (who are specifically addressed here, but anyone who holds an office in the church should take heed of this) should be using their love of Jesus as their motivation for leading. Presumably most church leaders start off this way, but it can easily go to one’s head. There are many public instances of pastors who have become controlling, power hungry, and abusive (quite often we see this in large churches with lucrative opportunities for pastors) – but even in small churches the desire to control can infiltrate the hearts of those who are called to lead or “run” the church. Elders (I’ll include pastors in this title from here on out) are to be willing and eager to carry out the work that they have been called to. With a calling to leadership comes responsibility – a significant thing to note is that we who are in authority (and who teach) are held to a higher level of accountability (James 3:1). Those who are in authority are to be an example to those who they oversee spiritually, and humility is one way in which we should be an example. Jesus stated that he was gentle and humble (Matthew 11:29), and we see in Philippians 2 that humility was essential in Jesus salvific work as God’s anointed one.

As Jesus was humble and as we who are elders (overseers) are to be humble (following Christ’s example), so then are the members of the body to exercise humility and submit to those who are in authority over them. If leaders are humble and operating as Jesus would expect them to, then humble Christians submitting to the godly authority that has been placed over them will thrive in their submission. We’re never going to agree on everything and that is why the decisions of local congregations are to be subject to the elders and not left up to the democratic will of a large collective. Elders absolutely can delegate responsibilities and set up clear roles for the body (Acts 6), but the authority over the church should lie with them.

We just added two new elders at my church yesterday. The process was not a short one… Myself and our other elders had many discussions on who we thought would be a good fit to assume these offices and eventually recommended that these two individuals be confirmed as elders. We don’t accept nominations for elders, but rather we look for men who meet the requirements of elders as listed in Titus 1, and then we have a confirmation vote. Other churches do things differently and may have boards structured in different ways or may be more egalitarian in the way that they define elders, I don’t condemn that, but we need to take seriously the guidelines that are listed in scripture and not be too quick to structure things in a way that is more reflective of the nation/society we live in than how the early church did things. Regardless of our views on church leadership one thing we need to be able to do is disagree with grace and love.

We need to make sure that whatever disagreements we have are dealt with in love and we need to not let them distract from what God would have us do and we need to make sure that we keep our minds clear (5:8, reaffirming 4:7), be on the lookout, and refrain from being anxious (cast those anxieties on God, see also Matthew 6), because the enemy prowls like a lion looking for someone to devour. When we allow conflict to take root or we allow anxiety to be prevalent in our churches, bad things will happen. We may often think about the enemy being on the prowl for individuals, but he’d also love to devour a local church and render it ineffective at making disciples or worse, cause it to die out (is that really worse?). I bet we could all think of examples of things we can (or do) divide over, one such argument could be what Peter means by “our enemy the devil”, but we need to take seriously the words of the author of Hebrews when he/she says: “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;” (Hebrews 12:14–15 ESV).

-J.J. Fletcher

Reflection Questions:

1. For those of you in authority: do you do it willingly? Eagerly? Without being domineering? Sometimes we do have to be forceful and make unpopular decisions, but that can still be done in a graceful and kind way. Do you need to be humbler, or do you think you have that well under control? Do you have an individual in mind that has authority problems with whom you can practice extra grace?

2. For those of you under authority: Do you respect those who have been placed in authority over you? Do you easily submit to that authority? Do you gossip about the leaders of your church and cause problems that way? Do you stop attending church when changes occur, or decisions are made that you disagree with? Do you go church hopping and just stick around till someone ticks you off and move on to the next place (which might just be going back to a former church until the vicious cycle starts over again?

Podcast Recommendation: The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill (from Christianity Today). It can be difficult to listen at times, but it has lots of examples on how to do leadership wrong, which we can benefit from.

2022 SeekGrowLove Bible Reading PlanDownload

The Same Way of Thinking – as Jesus

1 Peter 4

Monday, October 10, 2022


At the beginning of chapter four Peter says to “arm yourself with the same way of thinking” aligning this directive with Jesus suffering in the flesh. While Jesus’ suffering was likely to exceed what these Christians endured, they were still facing a culture that might ostracize, if not outright persecute or kill them.


Peter points out distinctions in how the gentiles live according to the flesh (perverting many things that God intended for good), and how we as believers are to pursue the will of God – this means among other things giving up things that might feel good or make us feel like we belong.


We’ll home in on what Peter writes in verses 7-11:


“The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 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.” (1 Peter 4:7–11 ESV)


Considering the coming kingdom (which is immanent, but we don’t know when it will come): Exert Self-Control! Many times, we see this attribute called for in the life of believers (at least 18 times in the ESV). Looking in the letter of James (which I preached from yesterday), lack of self-control can lead to self-deception. When we allow our thoughts to be clouded by worldly things or self-centered behaviors, we are going to miss what God would have us do. By being sober (or clear) minded we can think critically, and we need to think clearly so that we can be effective in our prayers. Jesus gave us a model by which to structure our prayers, but our prayers are not meant to be mindless or rote… We need to be looking at things through the lens of God’s spirit, which allows us to see things that our physical eyes cannot see. Think back to 1 Peter 3 where it says a man should live with his wife in an understanding way as not to have his prayers hindered – the way that we think, live, and act has a direct impact on how we pray and the effectiveness of our prayers.


We’re instructed to love one another earnestly, because love covers a multitude of sins. (Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13). “…in the face of extreme social hostility, love will be necessary for spiritual survival. For Peter the primacy of love is accompanied by a qualification, and this qualification is a partial citation of Proverbs 10:12 similar to James 5:20—’love covers over a multitude of sins,’ rather than magnifying the faults of others. After all, love is patient and doesn’t keep a record of wrongs (1 Corinthians 13:4, 5)” (J. Daryl Charles, “1 Peter,” in Hebrews–Revelation, vol. 13 of The Expositor’s Bible Commentary Revised Edition).

How does the Church expect to thrive if we let piddly little things (or even larger disagreements) get in the way of caring for each other? How are we to expect to overcome the world through Jesus if we don’t exercise with others the grace that we have been shown (we all kind of stink at times, to put it mildly)?

We need to show hospitality in a world that that is oft inhospitable to Jesus’ way of living. If we’re inhospitable to other believers, they might find hospitality in places that will draw them away from the grace of God. We shouldn’t grumble when we have an opportunity to be hospitable, but rather see it as an opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus (Genesis 12 says Abraham was blessed to be a blessing, and through grace and mercy we’ve also been blessed to be a blessing as well).


In everything we do we need to do so viewing ourselves as representatives of God, as ambassadors of the kingdom, and imitators of Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:3-8).

-JJ Fletcher


Reflection Questions

  1. How does my life look like the life of Jesus and how does it look different?
  2. How does hospitality with fellow believers prime me to be hospitable to those who I disagree with?
  3. Am I doing well at being self-controlled? What are my biggest obstacles to living in this way? Who can I ask for help or be accountable to help me in this endeavor?
2022 SeekGrowLove Bible Reading PlanDownload