Scattered · Session 8 of 9
The fiery trial is not strange
1 Peter 4:12-19
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial that has come upon you, as though something strange were happening to you.
1 Peter 4:12
Live on Twitch
The study happens live, in the room, with the chat open. The recording goes to YouTube afterwards, and this page gets the video, the outline and the full transcript.
Watch on TwitchGuests
The shape of the hour
- Welcome 'Do not be surprised.' The pastoral sentence at the centre of the whole letter.
- Highlight — reading the passage Read aloud, then the phrase that caught you. Watch how differently this one reads depending on what kind of week the person has had.
- Explain The fiery trial, sharing in Christ's sufferings, and the distinction Peter draws between suffering for the name and suffering for being a nuisance — which is not a comfortable line to sit on.
- Apply Burnout, criticism and the particular exhaustion of ministry nobody can see. Peter does not promise it will stop. He says it is not strange, and that is a different kind of help.
- Respond What changes on Monday, and the question the week's devotionals pick up from here.
Timings land with the recording.
The passage
Every verse this session works through, in order.
12Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial that has come upon you, as though something strange were happening to you.
13But rejoice that you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed at the revelation of His glory.
14If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
15Indeed, none of you should suffer as a murderer or thief or wrongdoer, or even as a meddler.
16But if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but glorify God that you bear that name.
17For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God?
18And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”
19So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should entrust their souls to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.
Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain
