Living Hope in a Suffering World: A Guided Reading of 1 PeterNäide

Verses to Memorize: 1 Peter 5:8-9

Summary:

Peter ends this great letter with a final call towards humility, both for those in leadership within the church and for those called to follow their leaders. In addition, Peter warns this church to be on their guard, as their adversary the devil wants to isolate them and destroy them.

Questions To Ponder:

What principles for church leadership do you find in verses 1-4? What motivations for leadership are to be carefully avoided? In what ways are leaders to be “examples” (see also Ezekiel 34:1-6; Mark 10:42-25; 1 Timothy 3:1-7)?

How does Peter’s encouragement that “Christ will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you” in verse 10 (1 Peter 5:10 NASB) reinforce previous figurative descriptions of the church in this book?

How exactly are we to resist the devil’s attacks and methods (see also Matthew 4:1-11; Ephesians 6:10-20; James 4:7-10)? Which of the devil’s attacks do you struggle with the most? How can you better resist him this week?

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If you desire a more in-depth study of 1 Peter, we want to point you to our Inductive Bible Study. Packets can be ordered or even downloaded for free from our website. They are ideal for Small Groups and will equip you with skills to study the Bible for a lifetime!