Peter writes this letter as an encouragement to the churches of Asia Minor. Essentially he is saying that no matter how bad things get in this life, you have a heavenly Father waiting to receive you home in the next. We know this because Christ faced the heat of this world and was welcomed home, and one day so will we. So, Christians should live righteously and courageously today in anticipation of that day. It is this eternal perspective that gives us relief in the midst of the heat.

Over the past few weeks we have looked at the role of exiles in society. First Peter talks about a Christians responsibility to the government and leadership. In chapter three, Peter turns to the home. He answers questions like, "How should a Christian wife live with their non-Christian husband?" And "How should Christian husbands love their wives?" This week, Pastor Ivey teaches through this often misunderstood and helpful passage.

What does it mean to be a Christian in an unjust government? Does a Christian still have to submit to the governing authorities? Or does having Jesus as our king mean we are free to ignore the law? While the answers may seem obvious, we all have questions about the degree to which we must submit to authority. This week Pastor Ivey brings us to 1 Peter 2, where Peter teaches us how to live as heavenly exiles under earthly authorities, even when that earthly authority is severely unjust.

Join us as guest speaker Antoine Brewster shares what the Bible says about unity in Ephesians 4

Peter encourages Christians to grow up in their faith.

All of us have experienced what it’s like to be an outsider, and as a Christian, there are days when it is even more difficult. We have been commanded to be in the world and not of it. So, especially in a place like Boston, we are outsiders to an even greater degree. But with the proper perspective, not only can we survive this world, but we can thrive. Listen as Pastor Ivey brings us through Peter's appeal to embrace our peculiarity.

All of us have had terrible days. They can lead to frustration, confusion, or even anger toward God. But in our second week of 1 Peter the Apostle encourages us by helping us understand that God even uses our worst days for our good and his glory. We will face trials in life, but we can take comfort that, in God, none of it is wasted. Watch this week as we see the ways God is redeeming our pain.

We've all had moments where we felt like we were on the outside looking in. Maybe it was because you moved to a new school, city, or even country. That feeling can be difficult and isolating. The Apostle Peter knows and experienced this himself. He called this situation being an "Exile." And to encourage and combat the hardship of being an exile, he encourages us to embrace it rather than fight it. Because, if we are believers, we have a hope greater than the angst of our situation. Listen this week as Pastor Ivey introduces us to 1 Peter. A book for the exile.

At the end of Nehemiah, he comes back to see how Jerusalem is doing. When he returns he finds that it is an absolute mess. The people fell back on everything they had promised God. So Nehemiah rises to get to work again. And this time he goes a little crazy. This week Pastor Ivey reflects on Nehemiah's final days in leadership of Jerusalem. We will learn a lot about good leadership and our true hope in life.

The temple was reconstructed, the walls were built, and this week we get to join Jerusalem's celebration. God had been so good to them and their only reasonable response was worship with many may have classified as "over-the-top" celebration. Listen this week as Pastor Ivey shows us from Nehemiah 12 how God did a great work for them and has done an even greater work for us in Christ.