Life Church Southampton

In Peter's closing verses, and in our final message of this teaching series in 1 Peter, the church is encouraged to continue together in mission, standing firm in our declaration of 'the true grace of God' in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Every church needs good shepherds who will lead, care for, protect and guide their flock. Elders are called to do these things, not because they have too, nor for personal gain, nor to be controlling of others - but in humility as an example to others, and for the unfading reward of our chief Shepherd. As we consider the role of elders in the church, we share a proposed addition to our own eldership team at Life Church, and invite the church to share their approval. Discover more in this message

As Peter sums up his main points, Si helps us to see how we relate to God in practical terms and how we resist a very real enemy.

1 Peter 4:12-19 encourages believers to rejoice in their sufferings, recognizing that they are sharing in Christ's sufferings and reminding them to commit to continuing to do good. We are reminded that it is the Holy Spirit who will enable us to do so.

Peter's encouragement to the church is to continue in love and service to one another, that God may be glorified - something that is only made possible in the strength and grace which we have received in Jesus.

In Christ, we are now made alive in the Holy Spirit and empowered to live according to God's will. Phil encourages us to to step into this new reality by faith, and ask for God's help and grace in the areas each of us need it.

In this passage Peter speaks about the flood of Noah and baptism in water. Chris explores how these things correspond, and what it means in light of the finished work of Christ.

Sometimes, the fear of others' opinions can hinder us from doing what we know is right. How can we live authentically, guided by love for God and others, rather than constantly worrying about how people will react to us? When we live in this different way we might be called upon to explain the reason we have for doing so and the hope we have in knowing that God has ultimately accepted us.

.From time to time Life Church are having ‘All in Sundays’! There's one coming up in the next few weeks with more to follow. In essence, these are great opportunities to invite people along to church! Every Sunday at Life Church is an open invite to visitors so what makes these occasions any different? In this LifePod Si and Dave deep dive into how an All In Sunday can help us stay on mission and bring life to those around us.

How should Christians behave towards each other and towards others? This passage reminds us that the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and his ears are open to our prayers. We should, therefore, strive to live in peace with one another and with others, and to honour God by living a righteous life.

Here Peter instructs wives to submit to their husbands, just as Jesus submitted to the Father, and emphasise their inner beauty over outward adornment. Husbands are encouraged to treat their wives with honour and understanding, recognizing their equal value as fellow heirs of grace.

How do you handle it when circumstances are unfair, or when people treat you unjustly? Chris considers how we, as exiles belonging to another Kingdom, can respond when the justice and values of Jesus' Kingdom clash with differing ones.

Often we see submission to authority as something to fight and rebel against in the pursuit of 'freedom'. However, when we submit to the authorities that God has given us, as good gifts of His grace, we can live as people who are genuinely free. This is God's Amazing upside-down freedom!

Jesus' claim that he has ‘come that they may have life, and have it to the full’ must hold answers which we cannot simply ignore. Si explores how this, and the events of Easter, answer one of life’s most searching questions, the meaning of life itself.

What does it really look like to live like a Christian in the 'exile' that Peter keeps talking about?

Next week and the week after we will be having our Spring Gift Days. Chris looks at a passage from Acts to give us some principles for how we are going to pray and give, so we can continue to press on in our mission to be ‘Bringing Life to Every Community’.

God commands his church to love one another with a different kind of love which can be hard and, at times, it can feel impossible. However, thanks to the work of Jesus in our lives, it is possible!

Peter writes to help us understand who Jesus is and who we are. With the help of a flip-flap book about dinosaurs, Si helps us to understand how what we put our faith and hope in makes a difference in living out our salvation in Jesus.

'Be holy as I am holy' - an impossible task or a living giving call to holiness?'

These three verses serve as a bridge between Peter's description of a new reality in Christ and the letter's teaching on how we should live. They mention the prophets to offer assurance about this new reality and emphasize Jesus' central role in God's narrative. The prophets help connect the fall and the rescue and give us insight into God's character and actions.