SUMMARY OF FIRST PETER

I outlined First Peter and came up with this summary. If you would like to see the complete outline read it on my website.

SUMMARY OF FIRST PETER

Because of the assurance that salvation brings, let the purposes of God be your purposes letting His love flow to others. Therefore reject the worlds ways and accept God's ways, living blameless before the world and proclaim God's excellences.

Submit to those in authority for Christ submitted unto death and we are called to follow in His steps. As we are to obey authority, wives are to obey their husbands. Husbands; treat your wives with understanding. Submit to authority and do good, not fearing but ready to share your hope in Christ knowing His outcome.

Choose to serve even if it brings suffering, be involved in your ministry. Suffering comes to test you, but His glory rests on you, rejoice and glorify God. Suffer according to God's will, entrust your soul to the creator. Because our brothers are willingly suffering for Christ, serve them with gentleness. Be humble, resist Satan in faith and God will complete you.

Who Jesus is in the Gospel of John

I have not used my web page for a year and 1/2. Today I put an old article on it that shows who Jesus is in the Gospel of John.

Boldness in Christ

Boldness to share the gospel amid much opposition, struggle and conflict.

1 Thessalonians 2:2
but after we had already suffered and been mistreated in Philippi, as you know, we had the boldness in our God to speak to you the gospel of God amid much opposition.


Boldness comes from the infilling of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 4:31
And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.

Boldness comes from hope.
Ministry of righteousness brings the hope of the gospel and this brings boldness.

2 Corinthians 3:12 (v7-12)
Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech,


Our boldness comes from Christ.

Ephesians 3:12
in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him.


Pray for boldness.

Ephesians 6:19
and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel,


Saints prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Christ.
according to the earnest expectation and hope
1. not put to shame
2. Christ be exalted in his body by life or death with ALL boldness.

Philippians 1:20
according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.

Prayer Network

David Watson had a good article on his blog.

It was on prayer to start churches. It was not just a little prayer or a lot of prayer, but a commitment to a life of prayer.

This is not a coincidence. I was reflecting on Colossians 4:2 today. Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving.

So God is speaking to me about prayer.

Jesus, you are my source. My spirit is willing but my flesh is weak. Help me God to devote myself to prayer.

Knowing God's Will

I have some decisions I need to make. So I decided to review a teaching I have on knowing God's Will.

The book is called "Change the World School of Prayer" Edited and written by Dick Eastman. Also some of the ideas I have written here come from things I have learned.

1 John 5:14 answers come from praying according to God's will

We don't ask God to do our will we ask God to do His will.
Matthew 6:10

Prayer is talking life over with God and carrying out His orders.
The 3 lights should line up to be safely in God's will.
1. The Word of God shows His will.
2. The will of God is made known through circumstances.
If there is a way provided and you were seeking God on the issue it may be an answer from God.
3. The voice of the Holy Spirit.

A forth area is leadership.
4. Is leadership directing you a certain way?

God's will should be founded on a heart to follow after Him.

God's kingdom is within us Luke 17:21
So a lot of what we hear from God will come from within.

Holy Spirit will direct our prayers with inner promptings.

God's word is the foundation of all guidance.

God's peace comes with His direction.
Some exceptions:

1. If we are not willing to do His will. God's will won't bring peace if we are set on doing our will instead of God's. Bring your heart to a place of openness to do whatever God is asking you to do.

2. Paul shared the gospel with fear and trembling.
1 Cor. 2:3
Phil. 2:12 Work out your salvation with fear and trembling.

3. Some instructions are urgent. Elisha and the arrows.
God will accomplish things through us as we are full of zeal from the Holy Spirit.

Peace comes if we have accepted the tree/cross as part of our life. Ex 15:25
The tree referred to in Ex. 15:25 is referring to the cross of Christ. Jesus died on a wooden cross. And it is referred to as a tree. 1 Pt. 2:24 The waters were bitter and God directed Moses to throw a tree into the waters and they became sweet. God's word will become sweet to us as we accept the yoke of Christ referred to in Matthew 11:28-30

God guides the humble, meek Psalm 25:9

Resist Satan flee from Him draw neigh to God
We can easily fall into the trap of accepting our own desires for the will of God. To counter this we should first be submitted to God. If love for God and others is put first then mistaking our own desires for the voice of God is less of a problem.

6 steps of George Muller
A. Get your heart to a place that you have no will in the matter.
B. Do not leave the result to a feeling or simple impression.
C. Seek the will of the Spirit in connection with the Word of God.
D. Providential circumstances.
E. Ask God in prayer to reveal His will aright.
F. Focus through prayer study of the word and reflection. I come to the will of God to the best of my ability.

Here is a good contrast between's God's voice and Satan's voice.
I got this list from Roberts Liardon's Facebook.

God's Voice                            Satan's Voice
Stills you                                  Rushes you
Leads you                                Pushes you
Reassures you                          Frightens you
Enlightens you                          Confuses you
Encourages you                        Discourages you
Comforts you                           Worries you
Calms you                                Obsesses you
Convicts you                            Condemns you


Here is a link to Andrew Wommack's article on God's will.

To hear God means that we should act.

When we act according to what we think the will of God is, we will hear a voice behind us directing us to turn to the right or the left. Isa. 30:21

Many promises of God come with conditions. Meet the conditions and God will fulfill the promise. Our faith will be exercised as we wait patiently for God to fulfill what He promised.

Guidance is not knowing the future. But we will know some things that will happen.

Guidance is not always pleasant because His ways are not like our ways. Many times they are the opposite. Isaiah 55:8,9

Dangers to watch for:
Not all inner voices are from God.
Satan and yourself also are involved.
God does not always use spectacular means.
Fleeces are not the best way. They could signify a lack of trust in God's guidance.
Don't treat voices and visions above the Word of God.

O Lord, let Your will be done in my life as it is in heaven. Speak to me letting me know when I get off Your path. Lead me to the rock that is higher. For with you is the power, with You is the glory, and with you comes the peace of abundance of a full life lived in you. You must increase, but I must decrease. Thank you Jesus for your guidance.

Takin' It to the Streets

Joe Colaizzi has written 2 small books on his life and work with rescue missions.

This is not your normal organizational leader. He worked without pay, traveled without money and lived homeless in the service to Christ. Now he is the leader of the Kansas City Rescue Mission. He has lived in faith and trust that Jesus actually means what he says.

There is a spirit of peace at this mission. That is not to say they don't have problems to deal with. They are in business to deal with problems. But as I volunteer there, I sense that God's spirit is there.

Here is the Youtube intro to the mission.

The book Takin' It to the Streets and Takin' It to the Streets Again is an enjoyable read you won't want to stop reading.

The Tree Makes the Waters Sweet

Ex 15:25 "Then he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree; and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet There He made for them a statute and regulation, and there He tested them.

I see the tree as a type of the cross of Christ.

The cross is the thing we are to take up daily. It is the dying to ourself and living for the purposes of Jesus.

We are to rejoice always. So the sorrow of taking up the cross is unacceptable. We are to do all things with joy. Joy is the foundation of our actions. Isa 55:12, James 1:2-4, Heb 12:2

If we are trying to do something that we don't have joy for we are getting ahead of the game. For it says in Phil. 4:6,7 that in all things that we are concerned about we are to pray. If we are still concerned we are to continue praying.

This is where a lot of people give up on Christianity. They say it is unreasonable to pray until peace comes. One has to take care of their family and work etc.

But to watch TV and ignore God and continue to worry about problems? What's is going on here? We need to go to God when we have an opportunity to to present our problems to Him.

I would say if we do not pray we don't believe in Jesus. Why do I say that? Jesus has promised to answer our prayers that we ask in His name. So to not take advantage of this benefit is crazy.

Let me put it this way. If God offered to pay us $500 an hour to pray, would we pray? I would suggest that almost all of us would pray an hour and some would pray 2 hours a day. What is more important to us? Is money more important to us then God? Our actions speak louder than our words.

The cross is to be taken up daily.
Luke 9:23 "And He was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.""

Following Jesus
Deny yourself
Take up your cross

To follow Jesus is to be a disciple of Jesus. It is to abide with Him. It is to make Jesus our Lord and King. It is to fear Him.

To deny ourselves we live for Jesus and not ourself.

Don't think of missing out on fun. Think of missing out on what God has for you.