"Hope is not a sedative; it is a shot of adrenaline, a blood transfusion." Through clever word pictures like this, best-selling author and former pastor Warren Wiersbe preaches the same message Peter preached so long ago. Turning each enlightening page, believers gain increasing confidence in true Hope, a God in whom they don't just wish for eternal life. In Scripture, hope means the promise of salvation for those who have accepted Him and His Son's death and resurrection. Christians who possess this hope and live as though they possess it will learn godly submission, holy living, and harmony with other believers. These qualities will prepare them for what Peter paints in his epistle as inevitable-suffering and persecution. Though Peter is writing to warn a people who would soon be under the tyranny of a heathen Roman emperor, some level of suffering will always be a part of the believers' journey. A time is soon coming when living the "comfortable" Christian life will be far more costly than the life willing to give up all.

Often those with the deepest hurt appreciate grace most. Which may explain why Peter, the apostle who once denied his Savior, wrote a remarkable letter that celebrated the hope and grace found in Christ. Based on Warren Wiersbe’s Be Hopeful, this eight-week of study of 1 Peter contains fresh insights that help connect God’s truth with everyday life.

Our inheritance through Christ is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. In 1 Peter, a man of faith and flaws and eyewitness to the life of Christ challenges us to look beyond our current circumstances to a future inheritance. He shares his concerns on big picture issues for the early church, describes believers' true identity in Christ, and ultimately helps readers discover what it means to experience the Living Hope they have in Christ. Key themes of humility, submission, and identity in Christ guide the study of 1 Peter as participants are challenged to read the book in its entirety each week. Teaching videos are key to the understanding of this study. (9 sessions) Features: Personal study segments to complete between group sessions 9-session study with 8 weeks of homework Verse-by-verse approach to complete a book study Teaching videos that build upon and tie together the personal study available for purchase or rent (30 to 35 minutes per session) Benefits Expand your understanding of 1 Peter for personal spiritual growth by reading the book in its entirety throughout each week of study Follow a verse-by-verse approach to complete a book study Discover the gospel of Christ as learners seek to conform fully to the Scriptures Dig deeper into Scripture individually and alongside other women--both those new to Bible study and those more familiar with Scriptures--with this widely-applicable study Author: Jen Wilkin is a writer, teacher, and blogger at JenWilkin.net. She is the managing editor of The Village Church blog and leads the Flower Mound Women's Bible Study, an interdenominational Bible study with about 700 members representing 68 different churches. She earned a B.A. in English and a Master of Business Administration from Texas A&M. Jen wrote Women of the Word: How to Study the Bible with Both Our Hearts and Our Minds and has a 9-week DVD Bible study on The Sermon on the Mount.Jen grew up in Texas and came to saving faith in elementary school. Her childhood was marked by time spent in seven different denominations - a range of experience that left her with the conviction that knowing the Word was the only sure means of discerning truth from error. Jen's passion is to see women become articulate and committed followers of Christ, with a clear understanding of why they believe what they believe and grounded in the Word of God. She sees women as most frequently appealed to through their emotions. Because of that, she advocates for women to have Bible literacy, love God with their minds, and have their voices and giftings fully leveraged in the church.

This in-depth Bible study series now covers the entire New Testament and much of the Old Testament. With more than 3 million copies sold, the Be Series has touched people's hearts everywhere. Let Warren Wiersbe's words of wisdom touch your heart, too.

This in-depth Bible study series now covers the entire New Testament and much of the Old Testament. With more than 3 million copies sold, the Be Series has touched people's hearts everywhere. Let Warren Wiersbe's words of wisdom touch your heart, too.

This introduction to Reformed apologetics explores foundational principles and offers practical guidance for talking with unbelievers.

Life-expectancy worldwide is twice what it was a hundred years ago. And because of modern medicine, many of us don't often see death up close. That makes it easy to live as if death is someone else's problem. It isn't. Ignoring the certainty of death doesn't protect us from feeling its effects throughout the lives we're living now. But this avoidance can hold us back from experiencing the powerful, everyday relevance of Jesus's promises to us. So long as death remains remote and unreal, Jesus's promises will too. But honesty about death brings hope to life. That's the ironic claim at the heart of this book. Cultivating "death-awareness" helps us bring the promises of Jesus from the hazy clouds of some other world into the everyday problems of our world—where they belong.

Profound reflections on the cross that help you to meditate on and marvel at the sacrificial love of Jesus. This book can be used as a devotional, especially during Lent and Easter. These profound reflections on the cross from David Mathis, author of The Christmas We Didn’t Expect, will help you to meditate on and marvel at Jesus’ life, sacrificial death, and spectacular resurrection-enabling you to treasure anew who Jesus is and what he has done. Many of us are so familiar with the Easter story that it becomes easy to miss subtle details and difficult to really enjoy its meaning. This book will help you to pause and marvel at Jesus, whose now-glorified wounds are a sign of his unfailing love and the decisive victory that he has won: “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5) This book can be used as a devotional. The chapters on Holy Week make it especially helpful during the Lent season and at Easter.

Can God be good when life is not? Rediscover faith in the character, power, and presence of God. Even in the questions. Even in the hurt. "I want to believe, I want to have hope, but . . ." Pastor and bestselling author Craig Groeschel hears these words often and has asked them himself. We want to know God, feel his presence, and trust that he hears our prayers, but in the midst of great pain, we may wonder if he really cares about us. Even when we have both hope and hurt, sometimes it's the hurt that shouts the loudest. In Hope in the Dark, Groeschel explores the story of the father who brought his demon-possessed son to Jesus, saying, "I believe! Help my unbelief!" In the man's sincere plea, Jesus heard the tension in the man's battle-scarred heart. He healed not only the boy but the father too, driving out the hopelessness that had overtaken him. He can do the same for us today. As Groeschel shares his pain surrounding the health challenges of his daughter, he acknowledges the questions we may ask in our own deepest pain: "Where was God when I was being abused?" "Why was my child born with a disability?" "Why did the cancer come back?" "Why are all my friends married and I'm alone?" He invites us to wrestle with such questions as we ask God to honor our faith and heal our unbelief. Because in the middle of your profound pain, you long for authentic words of understanding and hope. You long to know that even in overwhelming reality, you can still believe that God is good. Hope in the Dark is also available in Spanish, Esperanza en la Oscuridad.