1 Peter 2

Will you step up as a business person and take a lead in our war for the soul? The most powerful voice for God in our culture must come from our business leaders who are Christians!

"Dear Holy One, You are a saint! The term means "holy one." That is what you are because of your redemption purchased with My blood. I have made you a..."

Do you have your green card? We must recognize that our highest allegiance is to the Lord Jesus and His Kingdom and so we are all aliens.

Do you have this kind of courage? Jackie Robinson demonstrated true courage when he handled himself in an exemplerary manner when becoming the first black to play pro baseball in the major leagues.

"Dear Disciple, Life sometimes is not fair. If you have any doubts about that, just remember what you celebrate when you take part in Communion. My..."

"Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by....."

"Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as an excuse to do evil. Live as servants of God. Show respect for all people: Love the brothers and...."

"For God is pleased when, conscious of his will, you patiently endure unjust treatment. Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are..."

"[People] stumble because they do not obey God's word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them. But you are not like that, for you are..."

So how should they have reacted? Rubel Shelly talks about Christopher Hitchens' illness and the way Christians react to it and the defense of our faith.

What does my faith have to do with how I drive? Rubel Shelly reminds us that our character and our faith are reflected as much by how we drive as how we go to church.

In our broken world where people say and do hostile things against us, we choose to use our freedom to serve them in love. Demetrius Collins and Phil Ware lead us in an online worship through words and music using YouTube videos to remind us we are free in Christ from bondage to sin, death, satan, hell, purposelessness, loneliness, so we can use our freedom to serve and liber

"It is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil;....."

"Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good."

"But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God's very own possession. As a result, you can show..."

"Dear friends, I warn you as "temporary residents and foreigners" to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. Be careful...."

"Christ carried our sins in his body on the cross so we would stop living for sin and start living for what is right. And you are healed because of his..."

"As you come to him, the living Stone — rejected by human beings but chosen by God and precious to him — you also, like living stones, are being..."

Inspirational illustration of 1 Peter 2:15-16 -- It is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.

Inspirational illustration of 1 Peter 2:2-3 -- 2   Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,3   now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

"Dear Friend, Just as Paul faced his legal ordeals and challenging travels to Rome, My disciples in Asia Minor faced growing criticism, ostracism, and..."

"Dear friends, I warn you as "temporary residents and foreigners" to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. Be careful...."

What can be learned from a pile of LEGOs? We can learn a lot about who we are spiritually from a box of LEGOs, things like unity and being built by God into something special.

Called. Sometimes, I think we use that word as an excuse to not do scary things. Jordan Harrell reminds us that there are some things we are all called to do because that is what Jesus wants from us.

What does freedom mean? A collection of Scriptures for July 4, Independence Day.

"Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."

"Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul."

"Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul."

"Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us."

"Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us."

"Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God."

"Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king."

"For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God."

"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed."

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of..."

"If:-then, this is not a matter to be taken for granted concerning every one of the human race. "If:"-then there is a possibility and a probability..."

"As all the rivers run into the sea, so all delights centre in our Beloved. The glances of his eyes outshine the sun: the beauties of his face are..."

"But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show..."

Inspirational illustration of 1 Peter 2:9 -- You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Inspirational illustration of 1 Peter 2:12 -- Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

Inspirational illustration of 1 Peter 2:11 -- Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.

Inspirational illustration of 1 Peter 2:24 -- 24   He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.

Inspirational illustration of 1 Peter 2:11 -- Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.

Inspirational illustration of 1 Peter 2:19 niv -- For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God.

Inspirational illustration of 1 Peter 2:19 -- For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God.

Inspirational illustration of 1 Peter 2:9 -- that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light

The call to be holy is not a call to be self-righteous, but to humbly approach God, live holy lives, and love sinners as Jesus did! Demetrius Collins and Phil Ware lead through worship in song, the Lord's Supper, a powerful message from God's word, and a blessing to enable us to worship from home or with family and friends in a meaningful way.

Is there such a thing as this? Rubel Shelly reminds us that there is really no such thing as the Christian vote, but a reality that politics often uses religion and religion gets used in politics, but the kingdom of God comes in different ways.

Can your ego handle the call of Jesus to humility? Our egos are fragile and important but also dangerous, but we must learn humility.

How did he hold back his power? Tom Norvell reminds us that Jesus had the power to get even but did not retaliate in word or deed when he was reviled, mocked, belittled, mocked, and ridiculed.

Are you willing to pitch a tent with the weirdos outside the camp? God calls us to be weird, different, to be like Christ who died outside the camp to help those caught inside to find his glory and grace.

"Dear Follower, I know you sometimes wonder what your life's purpose is and what My plan is for your future. I have spoken to you through the..."

As we worship, let's open our hearts to God and his call for us to be his blessing to our broken world. Demetrius Collins and Phil Ware lead us in an online, DIY, worship through words and music using YouTube videos to call us to be the light-bearers of Christ Jesus to our dark world caught in a cycle of decay, destruction, and death.

"Dear Precious and Holy One, When you became My disciple, you were made "holy, blameless, and totally free of imperfection" by My blood that "bled..."

Corporate worship isn't enough The Christian life is meant to be lived out among non-believers, living in such a way that they can see who we are and eventually glorify God. A Christian life lived inside a building will never accomplish that.

Who do you belong to? God wants to make Christians His own by writing His name on them. Instead of being orphans and alone, we can belong to God

Isn't it a blessing when you find what's been lost?! Phil Ware tells about a time he lost his son Zachary and then found him and the joy of finding lost sheep in the teaching of Jesus.

Are you an insider or outsider to the promises of God? Phil Ware reminds himself that he didn't have any right to expect the grace of God to be shared with him since he wasn't a child of Abraham by race and was included only because of God's mercy.

As we join together to honor Jesus as our Christ and Lord, we can lay every burden down and rejoice in the grace God has lavished upon us. Demetrius Collins & Phil Ware lead through worship in song, the Lord's Supper, a powerful message from God's word, and a closing blessing for worship from home with family and friends in a meaningful way - we can be assured our righteous was purchased by

What does it really mean to be spiritual? Most people are baffled and empty headed in terms of real spirituality?

Are you chosen? Phil Ware continues his series of reflections based on his Sagrada Familia mission trip to the orphans of The Community.

Your church can be that kind of family, and it can begin with you being that kind of family member. Patrick Odum reminds us that we can be better at loving the family of believers than we are doing now and that this change, this commitment to love, can make all the difference in the world.

Can cats go astray? We are like sheep, who go astray and need to be brought back; but in our pride we often act like cats and pretend we did nothing wrong.

Who do you need to be like Jesus? It's so hard to be Christ-like; we want everyone else to do it.

As Abraham showed us, God's greatest promises often come packaged as our greatest sacrifices, hardest challenges, and longest journeys. James Nored and Phil Ware remind us of God's incredible journey of redemption and how Abraham was the one who began this journey demonstrating great faith when he followed God for a destination he did not yet know.

With the genuine seeker, the struggling follower longing to be more godly, and those broken by life, the Lord used tender language filled with grace and mercy. Demetrius Collins and Phil Ware lead us in a virtual, DIY, worship through words and music using YouTube videos to call us to be salt to a world of decay, flavorlessness, and bland hope.

What are you doing to help resist evil? Drugs are an awful evil afflicting our world and Christians need to do something to combat them.

Not only will the Holy Spirit help transform us to become more and more like Christ, which must be our goal; the Spirit will also produce God's fruit of goodness in us. Demetrius Collins and Phil Ware lead us in a virtual, DIY, worship through words and music using YouTube videos to encourage us to grow in Jesus now that we have tasted that the Lord is good and crave good spiritual food.

How do we get past our dislike? Alan Smith reminds us that we can overcome the problems of dislike and proximity, uncomfortability and familiarity through love in very practical steps.

Like speedbumps and curbs, these acts of holiness are meant to slow us down and keep us on the road. Max Lucado talks about his experiences as a baseball catcher and how the dimensions of homeplate were immutable, sacred, and in a sense holy and compares that to certain things in life that God has called sacred and holy.

This is no joking matter when you are in the bear's woods! Phil Ware talks about bear attacks in Alaska and also how Satan attacks us and reminds us that Jesus is our assurance that we are never alone when we are attacked and he has worked to defend us.

Hey, don't forget the greatest source of information on our mission, the Bible! Phil Ware continues the series of articles on discerning your mission for churches to work through as they are in a season of looking for a preaching minister or pastor and Phil emphasizes both the universal mission passages and the specific mission passa

If the Lord can transform Peter with his failures, imagine what the Lord can do with you. Phil Ware finishes his four part series on Peter and following Jesus by focusing on Jesus transforming and cruciforming him into a great servant for the Kingdom of God.

Our approach to people must focus on helping them believe God values them and that Jesus came to serve, love, and help them find life in him Phil Ware shares a study of John 9 and reminds us how Jesus viewed people so he could share the life and light of God with them and save them.

Will we build our lives on the Lord's will, on the foundation of his loving instructions to us? Demetrius Collins and Phil Ware lead us in a virtual, DIY, worship through words and music using YouTube videos to open our hearts to the call of God in our lives and to living according to his will and guidance for us.

Have you really thrown them away or just tried to clean them up? We need to not only be sorry for our sin, but we also need to get rid of the things in our lives that lead us to sin.

Why all the talk about the Passion? God loves us so much that he sent his Son to save us.

Why does Jesus' ministry begin with John? Phil Ware continues his series on The Story and reminds us that we can all be John the Baptist, the baptizer, to people around us.

So what do we do now that we've left the table? Phil Ware begins his series on God's Riches for Us at the Table of the Lord and reminds us that we are called to share with those close to us what the Lord has done for us.

Can we really take worship with us outside our religious boxes? Worship has to be part of our everyday real life world where we work, play, do sports, have recreation, and watch our kids play.

We are broken vessels, saved by grace and empowered by the Holy Spirit to make a difference in our broken world with the grace that we have received. Demetrius Collins & Phil Ware lead through worship in song, the Lord's Supper, a powerful message from God's word about not being lazy and neglectful of the opportunities God has given us to lead others to Jesus, along with a closing blessing for worship

As God-followers, we can do better than just good enough. Mediocrity is so commonplace we've come to accept it as normal. But as Christians we're called to a higher standard of excellence.

What can watching kid games tell us about Jesus? Some may think that the kid games Somon Says and Red Light, Green Light show how to live the Christian life. I think Follow the Leader is better.

What will they say when it's time to put you away? The way we live will determine how people remember us when we are gone.

What do you have do every day if you become a Christian? What would Jesus do? What would Jesus not do? Tell everyone about Jesus. These are the things that determine what Christians do in their daily life.

Nik Wallenda walking a tightrope in Chicago was not the most inspirational walk I have seen. Watching an old man cross the street with his walker taught me about following Jesus in this world.

When you look in the mirror, what do you see? Phil Ware challenges us to look beyond the cosmetic image we see in the mirror and view ourselves as God does.

Can you hear the sound of trumpets? Mark Frost continues his four part series on the interim season and comparing it to Israel's time in the wilderness and how God fashioned, shaped, molded, corrected, honed, built, re-built, transformed, his people through their time in the wilderness of t

Why is it so easy to draw this line? Phil Ware reminds us that there should be no line between sacred and secular for followers of Jesus.

Are you willing to suffer if it spreads the Gospel? We must be ready to suffer; our brothers and sisters all around the world are and have!