Bible Reading Plan

In the Gospels, we saw that Peter wanted the kingdom of God to come immediately and without human suffering. Now in his first epistle, Peter writes about our heavenly hope—the kingdom of God which will come after the saints’ suffering for their faith. He proclaims that the suffering and death of Jesus Christ on the…

Peter wrote this letter to help the church stand firm in the grace of God, particularly in the face of suffering. He reminds them of their identity: they are God’s chosen people, so they are like temporary foreign residents living outside of their true homeland.  Peter was calling them to live a holy life. Christ…

At the end of the Gospels, we find Peter forgiven and restored, but the evidence of his transformation becomes quite apparent in the Book of Acts through Peter’s preaching and practice. Starting at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit worked through Peter to do amazing things—doing things that he had only seen Jesus do and experience other…

Like Peter, we have all denied Jesus by our thoughts, words, deeds and attitudes; by what we have done and by what we should have done but didn’t.  At times, we have all lived in ways that are inconsistent with the faith we proclaim and the relationship with Jesus we treasure. We’ve hurt and wounded…

Jesus invites three of His closest disciples—Peter, James, and John—to go up with Him up a high mountain to pray. Suddenly His face and clothing become dazzling white, and the great prophets Elijah and Moses appear beside him. While this was an amazing encounter, the trouble with mountaintop experiences is that they are a very…

Near the end of their three years together, Jesus asked His men, “Who do people say that I am?”  After they shared the crowd’s views, Jesus asked His disciples the same question. Peter quickly declared that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Jesus affirms Peter’s correct response and states that He…

When the disciples witness Jesus walking on water in the midst of the storm, it is Peter who shouts, “Lord, if it’s You, tell me to come to You on the water.” Jesus affirms his request with one simple word, “Come.” We learn several things from Peter’s stormy encounter with Jesus. Peter didn’t impulsively and…

Simon made his living netting fish in Lake Galilee to sell in the market where he lived. When his brother Andrew introduced him to Jesus, Jesus gave Simon a significant nickname. It’s the one by which we know him today, the “Rock,” promising stability and strength. Jesus later climbed into Peter’s fishing boat to preach.…

Malachi’s book closes with five areas where we are forced to make monumental decisions. (1) Will you render service to others? Malachi showed that service distinguishes the righteous from the wicked. (2) Will you revere God? God is not to be trifled with. He is a consuming fire, and we should tremble in His presence.…

In Malachi’s day, the people had become bored with God. Their worship had turned from relational to ritual. As a result, they offered blemished sacrifices; the priests had become unfaithful; divorce was commonplace and easy; their words wearied God; businessmen were defrauding their workers, cheating their customers and taking advantage of widows, orphans and aliens.…