What do you do when your relationships and circumstances have stripped you of your voice? In the first century, hardly anyone had less power than slaves and wives. In today's text, Peter addresses Christians in difficult circumstances, encouraging them to keep doing good in the face of slander and suffering. While few Christians in twentieth-century America are as powerless, all Christians can learn from these courageous men and women in our various relationships.

Today's text moves us into the heart of First Peter, which teaches Christians how to live in the face of slander. No matter the situation, Peter says the same thing: Do good. Christians are to be people who do good, no matter the circumstance. In a world that is awash with angry talk of justice, the church should be people who are zealous for doing good to their enemies because we were once God's enemies and He was good to us.

In a world of competing stories and agendas, whom do we trust? When disagreement brings shame, how do we hold on? Writing to a persecuted church, Peter encourages the church to remember the honor which matters most. They can endure public shame because they have received divine honor. In the same way, we should identify ourselves with Christ because Christ has identified himself with us.

The first imperatives of First Peter are "be holy" and "love others." However, sometimes this feels like too much. We feel conflicted between the demands of holiness and the demands of love. Peter's encouragement for us is, again, to remind us that we are born again. All those in Christ will live forever, which means we have enough time.

The first imperative in First Peter is "Hope." But what does hope look like in the everyday? For the apostle, hope in future grace looks like holiness. Listen as Dave challenges our church to recover the call to be holy, while encouraging us that our holiness toward God follows God's holiness toward us, especially in our redemption through Christ's blood.

First Peter was written to Christians suffering religious persecution. They were being ostracized by their communities because of their faith in Christ. Is this relevant to most American Christians? In order to understand Christian suffering, 1 Peter challenges us to both broaden and narrow our definitions of Christian and suffering.

When suffering persecution and trial, what is the first thing the church needs to hear? The Apostle Peter begins his letter by reminding Christians that they are born again, giving them a new identity and a future inheritance. Why is that something we need to hear today? And how does our new birth impact our relationship with the world around us?

Today, we begin our series in First Peter, which is about Christian living in non-Christian spaces. Listen as Dave sets out the setting and context of this important book. He unpacks the first lesson from First Peter, which is to name the shame we carry around because we follow Jesus. Only when we name our shame can the gospel transform it into honor.