Reading through The Bible - 1 Peter

Some Books of the bible are very short and some are very long but this one is one of the shorter books.

1st Peter  -  NEW TESTAMENT  -  EPISTLE

21st book of the NT 

60th book of the Bible

It starts by blessing God

  in 1 Peter ch. 1 v 3-5

 

4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,  

5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

and quickly takes us to rejoice in salvation in 

verses 6-9

6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials,

8 whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,  

9 receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.

What is it?

The Book of 1 Peter is one of the EPISTLES in the New Testament which means it is a Letter.

How Long is it?

It has 5 chapters.

When was it Written?

It was written in 64 AD

Who Wrote it?

Simon Peter the disciple of Jesus

The name of the letter tells us the writer.

Other letters in the bible are named to show who the recipients of the letters were specifically intended to be but these were letters written by Simon Peter who we know as the Apostle Peter.

One of the three disciples who Jesus often took with him apart from the others. 

Teach Sunday School  tells us the following

"Peter wrote the letter during Nero's reign"  

 

Who was it Written to?

It was written to the believers that had moved away because of the persecution of the early church.

This is told to us in the first verse

"To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia." 

What is it normally well-known for?

It is a source in the Bible where people can find encouragement when suffering or being persecuted for their faith.

The Overview Bible  tells us the following

"Peter writes to Christians who are being persecuted, encouraging them to testify to the truth and live accordingly"

Teach Sunday School  tells us the following

"Jesus becomes the source of example and strength when we come into trials & tribulations.  By allowing God to help you in your perseverance and work for Christ we can always have hope in the midst of our suffering."

Why was it Written? 

It was written to encourage and remind the believers of the truth and love they have in Jesus and to rely on Him as they face persecution. 

Encouragement for times of worry

 

& persecution of the faith

but also to have love for one another

 

Which other books of the Bible may have a connection with this one? 

Peter wrote two epistles of which this is the first and is followed by 2nd Peter

 2nd Thessalonians also deals with suffering as a Christian

How does it end?

With encouragement of eternal life in Jesus

 chapter 5 v 11

 

and that God answers our prayers 

chapter 5 v 14

The Overview Bible  gives us the following

Quick outline of 1 Peter

1. Suffering proves salvation (1 Pet 1:1-12)
   Therefore: 
   • Be holy (1 Pet 1:13–21)
   • Love one another (1 Pet 1:22–25)
   • Long for the word (1 Pet 2:1–3)
2. We are a holy people (1 Pet 2:4–11)
   Therefore, pursue excellent behaviour: 
   • Toward authority (1 Pet 2:11–25)
   • Toward spouses (1 Pet 3:1–7)
   • Toward all (1 Pet 3:8–12)
3. Christ suffered for us (1 Pet 3:13–22)
   Therefore: 
   • Live for the will of God (1 Pet 4:1–6)
   • Exercise spiritual gifts (1 Pet 4:7–11)
4. Suffering tests us (1 Pet 4:12–19)
   Therefore: 
   • Elders should guard the flock (1 Pet 5:1–5)
   • Humble yourselves under God (1 Pet 5:6–7)
   • Stand firm (1 Pet 5:8–14)

OTHER BOOKS OF THE BIBLE ARE ADDED REGULARLY AND AN UPDATED LIST CAN BE FOUND AT OUR READING THE BIBLE PAGE 

Reading Through The Bible - MICAH

Some Books of the bible are very short and some are very long and this one is another quite small book and it only takes 18 mins to read it according to Crossway and their lovely barchart

MICAH  -  OLD TESTAMENT  -  PROPHECY

33rd book of the OT 

33rd book of the Bible

How Does it Start?

It starts right away in the first verse with the declaration that this is the Word of the Lord.  

It then sets the time frame by naming the ruling kings of the period and specifies Micah as the prophet this Word is given through.

 

"The word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem."

What is it?

The Book of MICAH is one of the MINOR PROPHETS in the Old Testament which means it is a book of Prophecy.

How Long is it?

It has 7 chapters.

No other single book of the bible has 7 chapters but if you combine the 3 letters of John you would have a section with 7 chapters.

When was it Written?

It was written between 735 & 710 BC

Who Wrote it?

The prophet Micah who came from Moresheth also known as Moresheth-Gath which was a town of the tribe of Judah in ancient Israel.

 

Who was it Written to?

It was written to the people of Samaria & Israel as stated in verse 1

 

"The word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem."

 

Why was it Written? 

It was written to express to the Israelites how they were not living righteously and to remind them that God had told them the right way to live with respect to God and others.

But it was also to tell them of the great blessing Bethlehem would be in the future as the birthplace of the Messiah in chapter 5 v 2

"“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Though you are little among the thousands of Judah,
Yet out of you shall come forth to Me
The One to be Ruler in Israel,
Whose goings forth are from of old,
From everlasting.”"

The Overview Bible  tells us the following

"Micah confronts the leaders of Israel and Judah regarding their injustice, and prophecies that one day the Lord himself will rule in perfect justice."  

Teach Sunday School  tells us the following

"Micah prophesied during the tragic and historic years surrounding the Assyrian invasion of the Northern Kingdom.  Micah predicted the event in Micah 1 v 6 and it came to pass between 10 and 15 years later in 722 BC"  

"Therefore I will make Samaria a heap of ruins in the field,
Places for planting a vineyard;
I will pour down her stones into the valley,
And I will uncover her foundations."

What is it normally well-known for?

This book is about justice and injustice and personally I feel that wonderful verse in chapter 6 sums it all up as to how a Christian should live.

• Act Justly to others
• Be Merciful to others
• Walk Humbly with God

However God also states throughout this book that He will

• Rule Justly 
• Show Mercy
• Lead the people in His ways

How does it end?

With Israel's confession of sin 

and 

the forgiveness of God

in chapter 7 v 18-19.

"Who is a God like You,
Pardoning iniquity
And passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage?

He does not retain His anger forever,
Because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us,
And will subdue our iniquities."

which finishes with those reassuring words 

"You will cast all our sins
Into the depths of the sea."

 

The Overview Bible  gives us this

Quick outline of Micah

1. Israel’s injustice (Mic 1–3)
2. The Lord’s promise to rule Israel with justice (Mic 4–5)
3. The Lord’s expectations and judgment (Mic 6)
4. The Lord’s compassion and everlasting love (Mic 7)

Other Minor Prophets are 

Habakkuk

Haggai

Joel 

Jonah

Malachi

Nahum

Obadiah

Zephaniah

OTHER BOOKS OF THE BIBLE ARE ADDED REGULARLY AND AN UPDATED LIST CAN BE FOUND AT OUR READING THE BIBLE PAGE 

Reading through The Bible - 3 JOHN

Some Books of the bible are very short and some are very long but this one is the 

• shortest of them all by no. of words
• joint shortest of them all by no. of chapters (5 books all have only 1)
• second shortest of them all by no. of verses

you can find these comparisons in  The 10 Shortest Books

In fact it only takes 2 mins to read it according to Crossway and their lovely barchart

3rd JOHN  -  NEW TESTAMENT  -  EPISTLE

25th book of the NT 

64th book of the Bible

It starts with the reassurance that John prays for the elder Gaius

  in 3 John v 2 we read

"Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers."

What is it?

The Book of 3 JOHN is one of the EPISTLES in the New Testament which means it is a Letter.

How Long is it?

It only has 1 chapter.

When was it Written?

It was written between 95 & 90 AD

Who Wrote it?

John the beloved disciple of Jesus

The name of the letter tells us the writer.

Other letters in the bible are named to show who the recipients of the letters were specifically intended to be but these were letters written by John son of Zebedee and brother of James.

One of the three disciples who Jesus often took with him apart from the others. 

Who was it Written to?

It was written to Gaius as stated in verse 1

 

"To the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth:"

What is it normally well-known for?

That John was happy the believers were walking in the Truth as seen in the fourth verse 

but also about concern about a false teacher and John wanted the people to continue to remember to differentiate between good & evil as verse 11 says

The Overview Bible  tells us the following

"An even shorter letter about Christian fellowship."  

Teach Sunday School  tells us the following

"John criticised a false teacher in this very short letter.  He even called him out by name."  

 

Why was it Written? 

It was written to encourage about love and truth and to warn about the false teaching that was coming into the church and specifically warn about a certain person.

The Overview Bible  tells us the following

"This letter repeats many themes from John’s first letter, and Second John reflects these themes as well. Third John shows us what happens when people follow sound teaching . . . and when they don’t:

• When Christians walk in truth, joy abounds (3 Jn 4). When someone in the church rejects the truth, everyone hurts (3 Jn 19).
• When Christians support one another, they share fellowship in the truth (3 Jn 8). When someone seeks his own power, the fellowship is at risk (3 Jn 9–10).

Overall, the three letters from John give us an idea of what the apostle thought was most important at the time: sound teaching, obedience to God, and brotherly love."  

Teach Sunday School  tells us the following

"The letter shows us that even when the church was less than 50 years old, it had the same types of problems we have today with divisions and dishonesty."  

Which other books of the Bible is this linked to? 

John wrote three epistles of which this is the third which follows

 1st John and 2nd John  

other books would be

The Gospel of John (also written by John)

Revelation (also written by John)

Jude (also only one chapter long)

Philemon (also only one chapter long)

Obadiah (also only one chapter long)

How does it end?

With the wish to visit in person in the 

first half of verse 13

and a farewell greeting in the 

second half of verse 13

"Peace to you. Our friends greet you. Greet the friends by name."

The Overview Bible  gives us this

Quick outline of 3 John

1. Praise for walking in truth (1–4)
2. Praise for loving the brethren (5–8)
3. Caution regarding Diotrephes (9–12)
4. Anticipation of a visit (13–15)

OTHER BOOKS OF THE BIBLE ARE ADDED REGULARLY AND AN UPDATED LIST CAN BE FOUND AT OUR READING THE BIBLE PAGE