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I like to hear Chuck Missler's take on any given text or topic. Chuck has a web site at www.khouse.org. Here you can find audio commentaries on every book in the Bible. You can download them pretty cheap or buy cd's in mp3 or audio format. He tries to keep all of his sessions around an hour long in order to fit on 1 audio cd. Chuck had an incredible 30 year professional carrer, but now does his radio and other ministries full time. He has a caverness mind and, in my opinion, has been a good stuard of applying it to the study of scripture.

I downloaded 1 and 2 Peter for about $20 and it has 8 one hour sessions.

I also scan www.sermonindex.org to see if my favorites there have related sermons. You can download tens of thousands of sermons from a very broad spectrum of preachers completely FREE of charge.

I like audio because I have a lot more time to listen than to read.

2 Maps to Consider

I may just be much slower than most, but I noticed that 1 Peter and 2 Peter are letters written to the ancestors of one of the same people groups we're focusing on as a church (the Kurds).

Got your Attention now. 1 Peter 2:1-12

This Sunday I plan on spilling some stuff all over the place. (well, not really) I am working with a member of the class to make this happen but no one else will know. It will help the impact on those unsuspecting members.

We will open the class in the normal fashion, when it comes time for me to speak I will ask the member to get me something to drink and he will promptly spill some (don't worry Wes, it will be a very small some) of it on me and not too much on the carpet. I will most likely use water. I plan on making a big production of getting out the shirt I am wearing (I will have a shirt on underneath) and express a small part of irritation at my helper for being so clumsy to give it a sense of realism. I am quite sure someone in the class will assist me and help clean the water from myself and the floor. Before I leave to dry my shirt I will ask the class to do the care groups. I will have already instructed the leaders, before hand to discuss the terms malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, slander and other fleshly lusts (v11).

When I get back to the class I will open with letting the CGL's tell us about their discussion. After that I will explain what happened and that the same way I reacted to the filth is the same way we should react to the list of behaviors in our own lives. And then discuss how the class reacted to symbolize how we should and shouldn't help those when we have to clean up the messes created by these behaviors.

The point is; in verse 1 of chapter 2 it says "put away", "put aside", "rid yourself" "laying aside" or Barclay uses the terms "strip off" all of these things as they are a stench to God. I want to illustrate what that should look like in a way people will remember. Now that we are in the light and we see these behaviors for what they are we should repel them and cleanse ourselves in the same manner as if someone had just spilled rotten milk on us.

If I did not have to worry about ruining the carpet I would use rotten milk or eggs to express how God views these behaviors we are to strip off. Even the fact that people would keep away from me because of the stench is a picture of how Christians and non Christians react when believers behave this way, while others would help me to rid myself of them.

Jeff

A Challenging Lesson

This week's lesson is extremely compelling. What a timely challenge! The commentary was particularly helpful to me this week. I spent some time meditating on this quote, "Many people separate their spiritual and secular lives in order to advance in the world. The Bible countenances no such separation. God expects His people to be people of integrity whose conduct reflects a higher standard in all they say and do." Wow.

If you need more help, check out www.lifeway.com/extra.

Have a great lesson

Wes

Living Hope

Here's yet another link to a story you may have heard about. Peter asserts in verse 3 that we, belivers, have a "living hope" that has as its foundation the ressurection of Jesus. We've all seen/heard/read liberal scholars, archaeologist, novelists try to discredit the life, deity, purity of our savior; now, according to James Cameron (director of Titanic) we have archaeological "proof" that Jesus indeed did not resurrect but was intombed with several members of His family, not the least of which, his wife, Mary Magdalene and their son!

Archaeology certainly has its place in helping us understand ancient history and put pieces of otherwise unsolvable puzzles together, but for me, we see here clearly the reason Peter identified himself as an apostle in verse 1. Peter is saying in essence, "hey, I walked with the man, I loved Him, I was there when they took Him away to kill Him, and most of all, I saw Him after those 3 lonely days when all hope was seemingly gone, so believe me this is a "living" hope. I don't know about you, but I'll take an eywitness to any event over someone with an agenda any day. He is risen. We have a living hope.

Mr. Cameron made quite a fortune weaving a love story around one of the most tragic accidents in history in which thousands of people were buried at sea. How sad to see him try and make a mockery out of our Saviour, who the grave could not hold, and has given untold millions life and life more abundantly!

http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/tomb/about/about.html

Ice Breaker- The Ultimate Fraud

I came across this article that your class may find humorous which you could use as a segue into Paul's positive identification as an apostle at the beginning of chapter one.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070301/D8NJBBQO0.html