{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"1 Peter in HD (Part 3) -- God, bless You!","description":"As you are about to hear in this PODCAST, Peter begins his first lovely little letter literally with a literary explosion. It\u2019s as if he has so much that he wants to say so quickly, that the syllables come pouring out of him like a waterfall of words. Believe it or not, verse 3 all the way to verse 12 is one long and winding and wondrously scenic sentence. You heard that right. A grand total of 315 words (in the NLT), all of which form one single sentence. Only the first part of which we will discuss now, with so much more rich and glorious truth to follow in the coming weeks. There is an life-altering, soul-stirring insight embedded in verse 3 that we would do well to consider. Since verses 1 & 2 serve as Peter\u2019s greeting, the letter itself actually begins with Verse 3. \u201cBlessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.\u201d A rather remarkable statement given dire circumstances in which Peter\u2019s original readers were living. We\u2019ve already detailed them for you in the previous two podcasts. I\u2019ll simply remind you that due to circumstances beyond their control\u2014an empire-wide persecution at the bloody hands the infamously ruthless Nero\u2014these were precious people\u2014committed Christ-followers each, each our ancestors in faith\u2014who had literally lost everything. Even to the point of potentially losing their freedom and even their lives. Theirs were the darkest of clouds with no silver linings. A very fragile people living on the precipice with no safety net, clinging to their lives lived under the capricious actions of an unpredictable madman. So if you were Peter, someone who fully understood and appreciated their seemingly insurmountable challenges\u2014fears, insecurities, uncertainties\u2014why would you begin your letter to them with the words, \u201cBlessed be the God & Father of our Lord Jesus Christ\u201d? Does that not sound like a typically empty Christian clich\u00e9? What prompted Peter to write with such audacity as to command his readers\u2014including us\u2014to bless God: \u201cBlessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.\u201d Even in the absolute worst of circumstances? Obviously, Peter\u2019s words, \u201cBless be the God,\u201d did not come out of a vacuum. Fact is, there is a long and rich history to these words, and the life-altering, soul-stirring insight embedded within them. Peter\u2019s opening line was anything but a cutesy little Christian clich\u00e9. Not to his original readers. After hearing this podcast, not to us. Although this does raise one intriguing question: Bless God? \u201cBlessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ"? I thought God blesses us. How in the world do you and I bless God? The answer to that question will change your life. Please remember that depending upon your web browser and connection speed, it may take up to 60 seconds for this podcast to begin to play. God bless you richly as you listen. ","author_name":"Dewey Bertolini's podcast","author_url":"http:\/\/deweybertolini.com","html":"