James, Peter, and I

September 28, 2022

by Matthew W. Bassford Acts 12 offers one of the great conundrums of the New Testament. In the first few verses of the chapter, the wicked king Herod Agrippa arrests and executes the apostle James, the brother of John. Shortly thereafter, he arrests Peter with the same intention. However, God sends his angel to rescue…

Read More

Sister Peter

March 7, 2022

by Sewell Hall From the Roswell Family Report, March 18, 2012 Fifty years ago, it was easier to remember the names of Christians than it is now. Every man’s first name was “Brother” and every woman’s name was “Sister.” Now, most people are known by their given names almost exclusively. We must return, however, to…

Read More

Learning from Overlooked Details

September 17, 2021

by Steve Wolfgang As part of my morning devotional, a recent reading was “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia” (I Peter 1:1 ESV). I am fascinated by the geography of the opening verse. It prevents me from blitzing through…

Read More

I’m All Petered Out

December 9, 2020

by Jefferson David Tant The sun was sinking, and the day’s work was done. The farmer shut off his tractor, walked to the house, and into the kitchen where his wife had his coffee waiting for him. As he sat, he wiped the sweat off his brow and said, “I’m all petered out.” Niels Frederik…

Read More

Why did Peter follow Jesus?

October 20, 2018

Question: Why did Peter follow Jesus? Answer: Peter followed Jesus first because his brother, Andrew, told him that he and John, Peter’s fellow fisherman, had found the Messiah (John 1:41-42), so initially, he went out of curiosity. When he met Jesus, he was given a nickname, which indicated what kind of man he would become.…

Read More

The Gospel of the Circumcision and the Uncircumcision

August 23, 2015

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/GospelOfTheCircumcisionAndTheUncircumcision.mp3 Text: Galatians 2:1-10   I.         I suppose a casual reader could read verse 7 from our text and come away with the idea that two different messages were being taught.             A.        One being taught to the Gentiles and a different message being taught to the Jews.             B.        Yet the goal of the gospel was to unite Jews…

Read More

Was Peter in Rome?

March 26, 2013

Question: Was Peter in Rome? Answer: The supposition that Peter was in Rome is based on “She who is in Babylon, elect together with you, greets you; and so does Mark my son” (I Peter 5:13). Babylon is used as a representation of a city given over to sensuality and worldly pleasures (Isaiah 47:5-15). In…

Read More

Is Peter the rock of the church?

May 31, 2010

Question: In Matthew 16:18 Jesus said to Peter: you are a rock, and on this rock foundation I will build my church, and not even death will ever be able to overcome it. Does Jesus give any guidelines as to how and when his followers or Christians should worship God? Answer: “He said to them, “But…

Read More

Why did Peter follow Jesus in Matthew 26:28?

March 17, 2010

Question: Why did Peter follow Jesus in Matthew 26:28? Is your understanding that the “reason” that he followed Jesus was only because he wanted to see what was going to happen?  Not to stand up for Jesus? Perhaps I should have explained that I am working on a lesson for Sunday morning and the point that I want…

Read More