October 8th, 2016

Chapter 2

• Verse 1:Get rid! Plunder! Actions that begin in you! To get rid of what is bad is to be free of envy and jealousy that happened between the twelve apostles (Luke 22:24) and all sorts of slander, which is a result of envy and jealousy. All these are sins of the spirit and therefore hindrances for our sanctification.
• Verses 2-3: As newborn babies feel "hunger" of God! You must be fed so that you will grow up. Everyone knows how this process of breastfeeding is: there are children that suck a lot, others that just a little… Some are breast fed for a few months, others up to 2 years old… Others reject milk... Some eat fast, others appreciate it… And as there are such differences, there are differences in growth... Drinking or tasting the milk, makes experience of God to be different for each. Anyway, who tasted the best milk will no longer feel satisfied with other food!
• Verses 4-8: Peter calls Jesus living stone, Peter recognizes that Jesus is the cornerstone of Church built in Matthew 16:18. A rough stone in my hand cannot serve as nothing more than a paperweight, but in the hands of the cutter becomes a jewel. Everything depends on how I get the stone. Jesus is the same, the difference is in the heart that receives Him: in involvement , in the development of intimacy with God ...
• Peter calls believers living stones ... He menas that the more we draw near to God, we become stones and with the main stone we will build the Church.
• Verses 9-10:All that the priest was in Old Testament times, in the relationship between God and men, a Christian must be in his community and in his personal life. You are a member of a holy nation! Holy nation is a significant term of alliance that existed between God and Israel. (Ex 19.3-6)People, like the Jews or Gentiles  have accepted Christ, and were made in another nation, are now God's people! The chosen people. And so are we!
• But if you were crowned king or queen because of this real priest, you must behave with "good manners" condescending with your position. There is a pattern of conduct. There are privileges for kings and queens, but there are obligations too.Peter then suggests some duties for christian´s conduct.
• Verses 11-12: abstain from fleshly desires and be an example of conduct before the unbelievers. Remember you are a foreigner, remember carnal desires fight against your soul and influence people around you! If someone speaks bad things of you, live righteously because on the day of the visitation of the Lord His name will surely be glorified through your life.
• Verses 13-15: Peter writes about the responsibility of Christians towards the civilian government. What is the responsibility to the civilian government? The civilian government's own role is to punish the wrongdoer and reward those who do good (2:14). You must submit to all levels of authority, however, not only to avoid the punishment of civil law, but because the Lord commands such obedience (2: 13-14). The subject should be voluntary, to remember the example of your Lord, and should be practiced for the honor of his name. Because you love Christ, recognize and accept the responsibilities and obligations of citizenship, in submission to the legitimate rights of the state. Romans 13: 3-5. Of course, any human law that conflicts with your obligations to God must be disobeyed (see Acts 4:19; 5:29).
• Verse 16: You are free, but your freedom is limited and conditioned by the fact that you  are servant of Christ. The true Christian finds its perfect freedom in the service of his Lord.
• Verse 17: Respect and love, you and your neighbor. Rom 12:10;
• Verse 18-19: The servants needed to be submissive to their masters, although they were harsh and cruel. The submission should not depend on the worthiness or unworthiness of the master. If the servants were treated unfairly by their masters, God would be pleased when these servants patiently could withstand such suffering for the sake of conscience toward Him, refusing to return evil for evil
• Verse 20: There is no merit in suffering the punishment you deserve as a result of wrongdoing; but suffer punishment not deserved is worthy of praise because with such a thing God is glorified. Hard responsibility!
• Peter says that Jesus gave us the perfect example, suffering as a criminal although He had committed no sin (21-24). Jesus underwent such suffering without outraging His persecutors or threatening them in retribution.
• Verse 25:To convert is to stop wandering, walking in circles, alone… When you convert for real you won a pastor! A real Pastor feeds, takes cares of his sheep, seeks, gathers his flock, leads, protects from enemies and leads them to the green pastures.

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From Ana´s message