Introduction The Book of First Peter/Close out with - (Philippians 1:9-11) …

The Introduction - The First Book of Peter (1Peter)

Author: After Peter had helped to establish the Church in Antioch, he preached to the Jews and converts to Judaism throughout Northern Asia Minor – (1Peter 1:1) … Later, in Rome, hearing the Churches of Asia Minor were being persecuted, he wrote them this letter of encouragement …

Date: First Peter was composed at Rome – (1Peter 5:13) sometime in AD 50-67 … The exact date Peter arrived in Rome is unclear; tradition says he was martyred there later in Nero’s reign, (Sometime maybe around AD 67) …

Major Theme: “Rejoice in sharing the sufferings of Christ … “The First Epistle of Peter is an exhortation for Christians suffering persecution to remember and live in their baptism … As baptism is a death and a resurrection, so Christians must enter unjust suffering with a spirit of death and resurrection … Our goal is the fulfillment of baptism – heaven … This requires unwavering commitment now to (a) holiness – (1Peter 1:3-2:10), (b) submission in the roles we have in life – (1Peter 2:11-3:12), (c) patient suffering in this age as we prepare for the age to come – (1Peter 3:13-4:19), and (d): disciplined unity in the Church – (1Peter 5:1-11) …

Background: The dispersion of which Peter speaks – (1Peter 1:1) is unknown … After the martyrdom of Stephen in (AD 33), many Christians fled from persecution in Jerusalem … Or Peter may be speaking more generally, of Christians at large, who were often ill-treated and forced into exile because of their faith … We are told these Christians live in five provinces of Asia Minor – (1Peter 1:1), located in the central and northern segments of the peninsula …

Philippians 1:9-11

9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, 10 that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, 11 being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

AND THIS I PRAY: This prayer of Paul shows his love and pastoral care for the Philippians … Their behavior makes him confident that God will continue to perfect them – and all those who follow in their footsteps …

“Just like St. Paul, I take everything into prayer no matter how big or small the struggle is … Sometimes Satan uses these issues to drive a wedge in the very thing that gives us strength … The evil goes after all our relationship even the one we have with the Lord … Our thoughts can hold us captive, and we must learn how to bring those thoughts into full accountability to the Lord each day … Sometimes the Lord will test us, but never gives us more than we can handle, but once we recognize this by using discernment, we must not forget about Godin the process … It was only by the power of prayer, I was able to make it through all of last week, today be an example live Christ like – which isn’t easy to do each day, it’s a challenge … Be that witness, that example get others to Christ …”

JPCE Spiritual Talk

In Christ – Love Jared

Matthew 16:23

But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are[a]an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”