Word ministered by brother Pedro Dong and transmitted by the Life For All Institute, directly from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 27/10/2024. Text not reviewed by the author.

We encourage you to watch the full message on the IVPT YouTube channel.

Acts 2:14-42; 10:1-48

1. The first letter of Peter was probably written in Babylon. Peter was the first apostle used by God to be His spokesman, leading the other 11 apostles. He was greatly used by God to generate churches from Pentecost onwards. In Jerusalem many Jews believed in the Lord. At the right time, the Lord included the Gentiles who were in Cornelius’ house. The Gentiles who believed in the Lord Jesus were admitted into the body of Christ. Peter, John, and the other apostles did an excellent work. The church advanced and progressed, persevering in the teaching of the apostles, in fellowship, in prayers. The Spirit had freedom to promote the church.
   

   Acts 11:1-3,18

2. After the house of Cornelius, with the entry of the Gentiles, Peter began to face difficulties. Those who were of the circumcision questioned Peter about his entry into the house of the Gentiles. Peter explained that God had sent him there. Those of the circumcision wanted to adapt their faith in Christ to the precepts of the law. Peter had difficulty advancing in the region of Judea for this reason.
   

   Acts 15:1-5

3. Paul and Barnabas also faced difficulties with the Judaizers. These Jews were believers in Jesus, but they practiced and kept the law. God gave the law as a tutor to guard the people until the coming of Christ. Those who were kept by the law would then be given over to faith. It is unbiblical to have the two things coexist. Peter gave his opinion on the issue of Paul and Barnabas, but the conclusive opinion came from James, Jesus’ sibling. He was pious and had a conciliatory character. He tried to reconcile the Jews who believed. The age now was to follow Christ, to follow the faith, and no longer the law. But the believing Jews did not want to abandon the practice of the law.
   

   Acts 21:17-20

4. After this moment, we no longer see any record of Peter taking care of the churches, and the work of Paul, who was used by God to raise up churches, is highlighted. On his third journey, on his return to Jerusalem, he no longer met the apostles, but only the elders. The Jews who believed were zealous for the law. However, in this way, the age of faith, of the New Testament, would not have had any future to develop. We no longer see any record of Peter’s actions. He only reappears in his first letter.
   
5. Peter wanted to shepherd those Jews who were scattered throughout the world. The characteristics of Peter’s epistles are different from those of Paul. Paul cared for the churches and promoted the advancement of the Lord’s work, and you can see the progress of the work. On the other hand, in Peter’s epistles you see a characteristic of shepherding, not of work. It was a different nature of service. Peter was clear about God’s economy and did not want to participate in the work of the Judaizers. Peter cared for those who were scattered; he was the apostle to the Jews. Peter did not trust in the works of the law, but in the work of faith.
   

   1 Peter 1:3-5; John 3:1-15

6. God was doing a work of transformation. According to His great mercy, the Lord caused us to be born again. Peter was clear about God’s plan; about what Christ came to do. The day we received new life from God, when we believed in Jesus, our salvation began. Our spirit was regenerated. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. When we believe in the Lord Jesus, the first salvation we receive is of our spirit. However, the salvation of the spirit must also have a place in our soul.
   

   Matt 13:1-23

7. The seed of the kingdom needs good soil, the heart of man, which is part of the spirit, the conscience, plus the three parts of the soul. When the seed enters our spirit, it has to have contact with our soul. Without contact with the soul, the mind becomes fruitless. When we believe in the Lord, our mind accepts, our will makes a choice, and our emotions confirm it. You decide to believe in the Lord Jesus. For the seed to take root in the soul, it needs to transform the soul, which still holds the elements of the old creation. Many times, we continue with our old life. The Spirit wants to win our soul and wants to win our complete being. On earth we are working so that our soul may be transformed.
   

   1 Peter 1:6-7

8. To transform our soul, trials may be necessary. We were full of vanity; our emotions loved the things of the world. Transformation happens like the purification of gold. Teenagers spend all their time listening to the word, immersing themselves in it, and making war cries.
   

   1 John 1:1-3

9. What we have seen and heard concerns the Word of life. Life is in the Word. If there is no Word, there is no life. The Word of life is the Lord Jesus Himself, the very life that we contemplate and of which we are witnesses. Fellowship is with the Father and with His Son. The Word that we have received introduces us into the fellowship of the body, where there is circulation of life. What keeps my body alive, with nutrients and oxygen, is the circulation of blood. It permeates the entire body. The bloodstream is responsible for the distribution of life. In the lungs, the blood receives oxygen, which is carried to the cells, and expels carbon dioxide, which comes from the cells. The Word of life does this work among us.
10. We have the testimony of the teenagers who, after immersion, with the inculcation of the word, are now focused. They care for each other. Who gave them this characteristic? It was the life of God, through the word of life circulating among us. The nature of God is passing on to them. The word needs to circulate among us, we need to serve together, we need to preach the gospel together, that is, we need to apply and practice. This is transforming our souls.
    

    Deut 8:2-3

11. God provides external situations, trials. Gold is refined at high temperatures. The heavier gold settles, and the lighter impurities rise to the surface and are removed by the goldsmiths. God sends trials to verify what is in our hearts. God wants to show us what is in our hearts. Many times, our hearts are impure and do not have the purity of faith. Trials have a double function: to show us what is in our hearts and to show us that we depend totally on the word of God.
    
12. Thank God, we continue to serve not because of our ability, not because we are eloquent, not because of theology, but because the word instilled in us carries out the work of God. Our transformation is not just a change in behavior, but a metabolic transformation. What I eat becomes part of my being, through the metabolism incorporated into us. My body is constituted and renewed. We have never seen the Lord Jesus physically, but we are filled with joy when we speak of the Lord, so it is as if we were seeing Him. Then we come to an inexpressible and glorious joy, and the end of our faith is the salvation of our souls.
    

    1 Peter 1:8-9

13. We live by faith, not by law. We have an incorrect concept that if someone is suffering, it is because they have done something wrong. This concept came from the flood, when people became afraid of God. This gave rise to Nimrod, idolatry, and human rule. Men are afraid of divine punishment. That is why the Greeks have so many gods, each one in a different area. Many gods and many temples. If they are afraid of the god of agriculture, they make sacrifices to him. This concept of being afraid of God is wrong.
    

    1 Peter 4:12

14. The nature of Peter’s writings was different from the nature of Paul’s writings. God speaks to us, and God’s work happens. When we release the messages, we follow the biblical text and speak what God wants to reveal to us. Many times, a doubt arises in our mind: “I am fine, I love the Lord, I serve the Lord, but why has this trial come upon me?” Let us not be surprised by the burning fire. Job’s three friends pointed the finger at him, assuming that he had done something wrong. What needs to be transformed is our ego. God wanted to hit Job’s ego to show him the need for transformation. We have two very good books that address this topic: “No Longer I, but Christ” and “The Peril of the Good Side of the Soul”.
    

    1 Peter 4:13; Prov 27:21

15. The expression “burning fire” is “purosis”, which means combustion in a furnace at a very high temperature. Peter is referring to a burning fire that is used to refine gold and silver. The natural man loves praise and applause. No one wants to hear criticism, but only praise. Praise and commendation will test the heart to see what is really inside it.
    

    Ps 66:10; Deut 8:2

16. The Lord wants to cleanse us. This is how the Hebrew people were tested for 40 years in the desert. Gold is a heavy metal and settles. The impurities are lighter and rise to the surface. This is how our transformation happens. He loves us.
    

    Heb 12:5-16

17. Rebuke is good for us, because it shows that God cares for us. When God rebukes us, it is because He wants to approve us next time. God disciplines us so that we can benefit, so that we can participate in His holiness. God always rebukes us so that we can depend totally on His life. No one likes being rebuked. It is not a moment of joy, but it will produce fruits of righteousness. If we have been mistreated, in the name of Christ, we should rejoice. It is not easy to be on the streets preaching the gospel. We have to be prepared for a no. No one likes to hear a no. It is not easy to preach the gospel. When we do not have this practice, it is difficult to preach the gospel. We even have butterflies in our stomach, because we are rusty. In recent years, the Lord has shown us that we must have this spirit of preaching the gospel.
    

    Matt 9:35-38

18. We preach the gospel of the kingdom, that is, we carry a word of which Christ wants to govern our lives. Thanks to the Lord, we go out into the streets to preach the gospel. The Lord needs workers on the streets, He needs an army. If everyone takes care of their secular life, there will be no one to preach the gospel. By the power of God, those who are on the streets often suffer, but they no longer take it into account. Dependence on God is total, it is the power of God. Many suffer for the Lord, and we are grateful for the workers who preach the gospel. Some of those we approached on the streets did not even want to live anymore, others were looking for a place to meet. We are blessed.
    

    Acts 5:27-41; Rom 1:4

19. The apostles were brought before the Sanhedrin. There they were questioned and pressured. But it is important to obey God, not men. It is glorious to suffer in the name of Jesus. Jesus was designated the Son of God with power. This happened in His resurrection. Death was the culmination of His suffering. He was obedient unto death, even death on the cross. In the resurrection He was designated the Son of God.
    

    1 Peter 4:13-16

20. Peter speaks of the spirit of glory, because if we suffer, the spirit of glory rests upon us. It is not suffering like an evildoer, practicing evil. We are not gossipers. We do not talk about things that do not concern us, gossiping, talking about brothers and sisters, observing others, watching, judging. Let us not meddle in other people’s affairs. Let us let life transform us.
    

    Acts 11:26

21. Suffering as a Christian. The word “Christian” here has a sense of belonging, of belonging to someone. There were the “Kaiserites”, those who belonged to Caesar (Kaiser), the emperor. “Christian” had a pejorative sense, it was someone who followed Christ, not Caesar. That is why Peter said not to be ashamed of being a Christian, of belonging to Christ, and not to the Kaiser.
    

    1 Peter 4:17-19

22. Peter reveals that God, because He loves us, allows us to go through suffering and persecution until we reach complete salvation. God needs to judge us first. If He did not judge the church, how would He have a basis for judging the world? We would prefer that God judge us today, showing us that we are on the wrong path and leading us to the right path. If He is going to rebuke us, it is better to be rebuked today so that He can seek correction. If the world practices evil, nothing will go unpunished. God is a righteous judge. Judgment aims to make us more obedient to Him, more obedient to the Word.
    

    Heb 5:7-8; 2 Cor 10:4-6

23. Jesus learned obedience through suffering. If this was the case with Him, it is even more so with us. Obeying faith, the word, God, and the truth; acting according to the word of God. God is making Christ our leader, until Christ is the head over all things, but first over the church and over each one of us. The word of God is the best weapon; it destroys our arguments. Our submission to Christ is the basis for God to punish all disobedience.
    

    1 Peter 5:1-2

24. Peter asks the elders to shepherd the flock. When Paul passed through the cities and returned, he established elders in the churches. One church in each city and one elder. The apostle is the one who establishes the elders.
    

    Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5; Acts 20:17

25. Paul established elders in each city, the most mature. They are to shepherd the flock. Paul called the elders of Ephesus to say that they were the bishops, in Greek, “episkopos”, that is, supervisors. They are the ones who shepherd the church. They are the same person: elders and bishops. The function of this person is to shepherd the flock. In the second century, there was a separation of this, but it is not biblical.
    

    Acts 20:30

26. Some would stray seeking people for themselves. The elders are appointed and remain subject to the apostle. The day-to-day affairs are left to the elders and they continue in the fellowship of the word of life. The direction of the word comes from the apostle. We practice the word of life and follow it closely.
27. There was a lot of suffering in Rio de Janeiro. The teenagers helped change the profile of the church. Many youths are serving. I gave the brothers and sisters in Rio de Janeiro a task: there are still many cities that do not have a church, many important neighborhoods in the city of Rio de Janeiro that need to be reached. People need to have a place to live the church life. Let’s fill Rio de Janeiro with places for people to live the church life.
    

    1 Peter 5:2-3

28. Elders should not shepherd out of constraint, but serve out of love for people, voluntarily. Not out of sordid greed, out of dishonest gain, and not for profit. We are here to serve the Lord. Not as dominators, but as models. Whoever wants to be the greatest must be the one who serves others. We need to have the spirit of servants, not of dominators. I do not make the church my fiefdom, my kingdom. The church belongs to God.
    

    1 Peter 5:4

29. Every flock needs models. Sheep follow the model. The leading sheep, who are models, understand and recognize the voice of the shepherd. Let us be the model for the flock, a reference. We are not those who lord over the flock, because only Jesus is our Lord!
    

    1 Cor 9:24-25

30. We will receive our crown. Nothing is in vain. The Lord is watching and seeing those who are giving their lives for the flock. Those who serve the church well, shepherding, do not need a title and are approved. Even teenagers are already concerned about taking care of the flock. We will receive a crown that does not lose its value.
    

    2 Tim 4:6-8

31. Many abandoned Paul, there was degradation in the church, but he knew that he had fought the good fight and that the crown of righteousness was reserved for him. We are here fighting for the return of the Lord. There is a crown prepared for us.
    

    Heb 4:15-16

32. We need to be empathetic, to have compassion for one another. We are not harsh judges. The Lord Jesus is the high priest who sympathizes with our weaknesses. Let us approach the throne of grace with confidence. If we are a harsh judge, our brothers and sisters will not come to us. If we are compassionate, people will ask us for help.
    

    1 Peter 5:5-7

33. One of God’s principles is that youth should be submissive to their elders. This does not mean having to agree with everything, but being submissive. We must be subject to the laws and authorities. I may not agree, but this cannot lead to an attitude of rebellion. We must treat each other with humility.
34. God does not want pride, because it is pride that has ruined the universe. Pride entered the heart of Lucifer, whom God had created with such wisdom and perfection. Lucifer thought that God needed him to take care of creation, but God’s chosen one was His Son. God resists pride. “Resist” is “antitassomai,” which means “to organize to battle against,” “to oppose.” The proud never prosper in the history of humanity. The humble are those who recognize their smallness before God. God prefers an afflicted and humble spirit.
    

    Isa 66:1-2; Phil 2:3-11

35. We consider others superior to ourselves. The power of the unity of the church is like a laser beam, which can concentrate all its rays in one direction, at the same frequency, coherent, collimated: this gives it great strength. It can even cut through steel and reach distant points. The unity of the church knocks down the gates of Hades. Competition, envy, one trying to pull the rug out from under another, all of this destroys the unity of the church. Unity is a very powerful weapon to fight against the kingdom of darkness. Let us each consider others superior to ourselves. Every knee should bow to the Lord.
    

    1 Peter 5:7-8; 1 Cor 10:12

36. The Lord takes care of us. This casting out means casting out once and for all, definitively, leading a peaceful life. He who is standing, be careful not to fall. Those who have fallen, have walked far from the word. The lion is stalking an inattentive zebra. He is watching to see which one will weaken. If there are signs, the lion attacks. Let us not fall into the devil’s traps. The word has the power to protect us.
    

    1 Peter 5:9-14; 2 Tim 4:11

37. “After you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever”. This chosen woman could be Peter’s wife or some prominent sister in the church. In this passage we see that Peter wrote his epistle in Babylon. This Mark here is John Mark, the one who fled from suffering on Paul’s first journey. But he received care from Peter and wrote his gospel. Paul was still alive, because after that Mark went to Rome to help Paul. That boy who could not bear the sufferings on the first journey was now being useful to Peter and also to Paul. Jesus is the Lord. Amen.