Christ Covenant Church
21 Days of Prayer and Fasting - Week 2
You’re invited to join us as we corporately pray and fast for 21 days in January. We will be seeking God’s presence, wisdom, and favor upon your life and the ministry of Christ Covenant Church.
Locations & Times
Christ Covenant Church
17000 Longenbaugh Dr, Houston, TX 77095, USA
Monday 6:00 AM
HOW TO S.O.A.P.
<b>S - Scripture</b><br>Open your Bible to your reading for the day. Take time reading and allow God to speak to you. When you are done, look for a verse that particularly spoke to you that day, and write it in your journal.<br><br><b>O - Observation</b><br>What struck you and caught your attention in what you read? What do you think God is saying to you in this scripture? Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you and reveal Jesus to you. Paraphrase and write this scripture down in your own words.<br><br><b>A - Application</b><br>Personalize what you have read by asking yourself how it applies to your life right now. Perhaps it is instruction, encouragement, a new promise, or correction for a particular area of your life. Write how this scripture can apply to you today.<br><br><b>P - Prayer</b><br>This can be as simple as asking God to help you use this scripture, or even a prayer for a greater insight on what He may be revealing to you. Remember, prayer is a two-way conversation, so be sure to listen to what God has to say! Now, write it out.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
<b>About:</b><br>Everyone needs grace to overcome life’s hurdles. First Peter is the book of strengthening grace and triumphant hope. There is an abundance of hopeful grace found within the verses of this book to set you free. You are a victorious over-comer, and God’s grace is our fuel to empower our hearts to soar!<br><br><b>From:</b><br>The book of 1 Peter was written by the apostle Peter. He was one of Jesus’ disciples during His earthly ministry, and was raised up to be the leader of the apostles once Jesus ascended to Heaven.<br><br><b>To:</b><br>The recipients of 1 Peter are identified in 1:1. Peter wrote to the “exiles dispersed abroad in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.” These<br>were Roman provinces located in the northern part of what is now modern Turkey. Written about AD 62 from ”Babylon” (a cryptic term for Rome), Peter longed to encourage and strengthen the faith of those who were being persecuted for following Christ. Most of these Christians had once lived in Rome, but were forced to “disperse” into the suburbs due to escalating persecution. This hostility came to a head when Emperor Nero ordered Rome set ablaze and blamed it on the Christians. This backdrop of intensely violent, and oftentimes deadly, persecution and alienation sets the scene for the major themes in the letter.
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Royal Priesthood
Choose today to rest and reflect. In the Old Testament, royalty and priests had tremendous responsibility and corresponding authority. Priests had access to God in a way no one else did -- they were intermediaries between God and his people. When Peter uses the term "royal priesthood" (2:9), he is reminding his readers that they not only have responsibility, but also access. Through Jesus, they became priests, and entered an intimate relationship with God that previously had only been reserved for a select few. And as royalty, they were to carry that intimacy with authority into the world.
In the same way, you have been given authority and access. As you remind your soul that this world is not your home (2:11), and you gather together with God's people to form the spiritual house (2:5), you can rise up into your identity and live out your calling to share His love and grace with those around you.
1 Peter 2:9 But you are God’s chosen treasure -- priests who are kings, a spiritual “nation” set apart as God’s devoted ones. He called you out of darkness to experience his marvelous light, and now he claims you as his very own. He did this so that you would broadcast his glorious wonders throughout the world.