1)Listen to Podcast here
2)GG Questions 05/20/2018
Living Hope: Chosen Strangers 1 Peter 1:1-12
1. Close Reading: After praying for God to enlighten your mind, read through 1 Peter 1:1-12 a couple times, slowly. Look for these three things: LIGHTBULB – something that shines from the passage, draws your attention; QUESTION MARK – something difficult to understand; ARROW – a personal application. Share the results of your study with your group.
2. Living Hope: Think about a time when your hope for something dominated your life … maybe it was a job or a relationship or a vacation. During that time, was it hard to think about anything else? Did your high hope lead to a change in your attitude, outlook, and behavior in life? What does the “living hope” in 1:3-5 mean (in your own words!) and how does understanding and appreciating our salvation help us live the Christian life?
3. Various Trials: Though believers have great blessings in Christ, they also will experience great difficulties in this life (John 16:33). In 1 Peter 1:6-9, Peter encourages us that we can “greatly rejoice” in our trials (1:6) and be filled with an “inexpressible and glorious joy” in our struggle (1:8). How is this joy possible in suffering (James 1:2-4; Rom. 5:3-5)? Is this an unrealistic expectation? If not, what would it look like in our lives?
4. Inquired Carefully: Believers in every generation have experienced different advantages/disadvantages to their place in God’s timetable (1 Pet. 1:10-12; Matt. 13:17). The Israelites got to see parting of the Red Sea, the disciples got to see Jesus calm the raging sea, and one day those alive at the time will see the return of Christ! Take a moment and think about all the blessings WE have because we get to live today, in the 21st century, at this point in God’s timetable with humans.
