“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,”
~ 1 Peter 3:15
Hi James and Ellen,
What do you think that Apostle Pete’s wife was like? Apostle Pete was a spontaneous kind of dude. Before he joined a small band of religious queriers, Apostle Pete made a living netting fish out of the Sea of Galilee. Pete grew up in the town of Bethsaida. The town of Bethsaida may have been located on the north side of the Sea of Galilee. Pete’s bro Andy – who had been a follower of John the Baptist, had Pete go with him to meet a Bible teacher by the name of Jesus. Pete and Andy netted fish with a couple of other guys. Their names were Jim and John. The Bible teacher – Jesus, randomly chose a dozen guys to mentor. Jesus enabled eleven of these twelve guys to take what He was teachings to teach other guys. The first four guys who Jesus chose to mentor were Peter, Andrew, James and John. The twelve guys who Jesus chose would spend over two years going where He went, hearing what He said and seeing what happened to Him. Pete typifies a Centro de Capacitación student who spent two years at the rural resident Bible education center that your grandmaa and grandpaa were tasked to implement in January of 1982 in the town of Concepción, Ñuflo de Chávez – in Bolivia, and a Programa de Educación Bíblica student who spent at least two years being enabled in applying Biblical truths through being taught 40 – thirty hour modules – with each three hour class taught during ten weekday mornings over a two week period, in communities or villages such as Xalbal, Nueva Esperanza, Comitancillo, San Pedro and Campur – in Guatemala, A Centro de Capacitación and a Programa de Educación Bíblica student would begin their studies knowing very little about how to live a life as a Christ-follower, about Biblical history and about how to articulate clearly Biblical truths to other guys. After over two years of following Jesus, hearing Jesus teach, seeing Jesus perform miracles, watching Jesus die horrifically on a cross and learning God-designed life lessons through God-instigated life experiences, Pete matured into being a very able Biblical expositor, an astute Biblical scholar and a competent Biblical centered counselor. There are today in Bolivia and Guatemala Centro de Capacitación and Programa de Educación Bíblica graduates who are pulling a Pete who are very capable Bible preachers, insightful Bible teachers and gifted Bible centered life models.
Pete’s change from a bumbling fish-netter to a faithful Christ-follower is profiled in 1 Peter 3. Verse 15 sums up what Pete learned from Jesus – Who was Pete’s Mentor/Teacher, “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,” Because of a God-driven changing power that happens through what Jesus taught, your grandpaa can visualize a crusty young fisherman maturing into a softhearted disciple. From the first days that Pete spent with Jesus to the moment that Jesus ascended into heaven – where Jesus is now sitting on the right hand side of His Father – Who is God – as God the Father, and where Jesus has angels, authorities and powers submitting to Him, Pete learned through difficult, embarrassing life lessons. Pete learned how uncomfortable it was to have the eyes of God – as God the Father, focused directly on him. Pete learned that God – as God the Father, always favors the righteous, honest and moral guys and gals. Pete learned that God – as God the Father, is always attentively waiting and eagerly prepared to hear and respond to the voices of His adopted kids speaking to Him. Pete learned that God – as God the Father, is always against the guys and gals who persist in doing evil. Pete learned that harmonious living with other Christ-follower guys and gals, being sympathetic with other Christ-follower guys and gals, having compassionate feelings towards other Christ-follower guys and gals, pursuing loving relationships with other Christ-follower guys and gals and that a humble lifestyle as a Christ-follower guy made his life a lot more peaceful versus being chronically stomach wrenched. Pete sensed peace ruling his life when he did not repay evil with evil, return an insult with an insult and blessed other guys and gals with blessings.
No one knows anything about Pete’s wife. Pete’s mother-in-law got sick and was miraculously healed. Pete gave wives advice. Pete told wives to submit to their husbands. Paul also gave wives the same advice. Pete wanted a wife to know that her behavior – especially if her husband was not a Christ-follower, could influence her husband to become a born again Christ-follower. Pete believed that through a wife’s purity and her reverence to her belief in Jesus – as God the Son, that her life modeling could win over her husband to believe in what she believed. Pete believed that no matter how much makeup a wife wore to try to make herself look more beautiful to her husband, no matter how a wife fixed her hair to try to be more attractive to her husband and no matter what kind of gold jewelry and specially fitted clothes that a wife put on to impress her husband that it was all fruitless. Pete believed that a guy is more attracted to the inner beauty of a gal than he is attracted to her physical beauty. A gentle gal per Pete who has a quiet spirit is a special prize. This kind of gal to God has ‘great worth’. A gal with a warm, engaging smile will disarm other guys and gals. A gal with a kind, deprecating personality will defuse stressful moments. A gal with a soft, tender heart will communicate a beauty that will never go away. Pete may be describing what his wife was like. Your grandpaa knows that Pete is describing what your grandmaa is like. Your grandmaa submits to your grandpaa as his physically weaker partner, as his equal heir in a marriage bonded unity and as his beloved. Your grandmaa to your grandpaa has an immense amount of inner beauty, a gentle spirit, a quick, beautiful smile and, and, and, and . . .
1 Peter 3 (670)