Suffering has been and will continue to be the major theme of 1 Peter. This fact alone should tell us that suffering should be expected in life in this world. The only variables to the suffering with which we are faced are the causes of suffering and the ways that we respond to it. Most suffering in the world is …
Submission and Headship
1 Peter 3:7 Austin began his sermon on this passage with an in-depth and detailed explanation of the biblical concept of headship as it pertains to the husband and wife relationship. This is a very important discussion because we live in a day and culture where most people reject the idea of headship in almost every area of life, and …
Submissive and Subversive Leadership
American Christians are mostly accepting of women in practically every leadership role imaginable in our society. However, the two discussions that generate the most controversy within the American church in 2022 revolve around the ways that women ought to lead in the home and in the formal structure of the church. While I(Jonathan) would argue that there are very few …
Suffering Injustice
Perhaps the most American of all holidays is the Kostanza family’s celebration of Festivus on Seinfeld. If you remember Festivus, it begins with friends and family gathered around the table for the airing of grievances. This sketch became a favorite for many people because so many Americans can identify with a family celebration that is characterized by grievances. A lot …
Living as a Christian in a non-Christian World
The term Christian nationalism is very much in use in media discussions about American politicsthese days. While I find it impossible to discern what people mean by Christian nationalism inevery instance that it is used, the term has problems with both the Biblical and historical ideasof what it means to be a follower of Christ.Biblically speaking, a Christian is a …
A Spiritual House
1 Peter 2:4-10 For the average Christian who grows up in the South, church is typically seen as a place you goor a thing you do as part of your weekly routine. For many Christians, church is one of thefavorite parts of our routine, but it is still only something we do part of the time. One of the great …
Growing Up Into Salvation
1 Peter 2:2-3 In last week’s sermon we were challenged to live consistently with our status as born-again children of God. Peter tells us specifically to put away all “malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander.” The things that we are told to put away are all things that we do not connect with the behavior of infants. Young children are …
Purified Worship
The above are excerpts from a history of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Bonhoeffer is famous today as the theological light of the persecuted Confessing Church that stood apart from the Nazis during the reign of Hitler. The end of the story is that Bonhoeffer’s life ended very early in a Nazi concentration camp because the result of his faith was that he …
Winning the Battle for the Mind
Most people understand that excellence in almost any area of life is a function of the state of our minds when we engage in the activities. Coaches preach this in athletics. Teachers exhort this in academics. Bosses encourage this on the job. The quality of familial relationships often rises and falls based on the mental presence of the family members. …
Future Orientation
One of the greatest first-glance characteristics of the Gospel as it is presented in the New Testament is that the Gospel is a new thing. Jesus Christ came preaching about new life in his kingdom, brought about by a new covenant, which created a new people. With all of this talk of the newness of what God was doing, it is …