1 Peter 1:6-7

In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

From Background Notes [BN] for April 6^th & 7^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Throughout his letter, Peter makes clear that the present is a time of suffering and trial, but also of mercy and mission for the world. We see this in 1:6 where he tells his readers to allow their “rejoicing” in hope to sustain them for “a little while” (Greek: oligon) in the present when they experience “grieving” (Greek: lupēthentes).

This parallels Paul’s language in Romans 8 which speaks about the “groaning” of creation and the Spirit, sharing in our own pain until the day of resurrection (8:22, 23, 26). Jewish thinkers had a similar concept when they wrote about what they called the “Messianic woes,” a period of time before the coming of Messiah when Israel would suffer intensely.3 The Christian fulfillment of the Messianic woes is Christ’s own suffering on the cross (see Isaiah 53), and then continues in the suffering of his followers until the time of the Second Coming (see Colossians 1:24 where Paul speaks about his own sufferings as continuing the suffering of Christ on behalf of his people). Peter uses the Greek word peirasmos which suggests a “period or process of testing, trial, test.” Later in 4:12 this becomes the “fiery trial”4 which “comes on you.” The imagery is from metallurgy in which precious metals pass through a heated furnace where the “dross” or imperfections are removed by fire.  [BN, 8]

Join us this week in Study, Worship, Praise and Celebration at Chicago First Church of the Nazarene:

* Saturday 6:00pm
* Sunday 8:30am & 11:00am