What's It All About Alphy? Joy and Faith In Hard Times!

In this book, Alphy the WOWChurch Cat explores 1 Peter 1 revealing about Christian life under salvation, exhibiting joy and faith in the midst of troubles and sufferings.
What troubles are you undergoing today, as a Christian, or indeed, for being a Christian? Troubles and sufferings come to us in a number of ways. There is the inhumanity shown to us by other people. There is suffering from humanity's wilful disobedience against God, ever since the Fall of Adam & Eve (Genesis 3). Suffering was not part of God's original creation and only came in after this event.

There is also our suffering as a result of the actions of others. This could result in physical or mental suffering, including all manner of illnesses and diseases. There are spiritual sufferings of Christian believers, such as those inflicted by satan, persecution from other people because of our maintaining Christian beliefs and there is of course, the Christian's old deceptive sinful nature raising its head. Into this, the Apostle Peter writes and gives reasons for the joy and faith of the Christian.

Peter writes to believers who are undergoing tremendous suffering & persecution. He instructs them toward Christian stability, and the proper expression of this stability and growth. Throughout, Peter stresses a hope so alive, so glorious and so very certain, that any persecution and suffering can be endured with patience because of it. This God whom they worship is alive and worthy of them putting their faith in. Peter reminds them that this God is a God of salvation and that this salvation is a work of God! Peter refers to these people as exiles, pilgrims or sojourners. - temporary residents in a foreign land on a journey. As Jewish people, they would have recalled the time when Abraham called himself an exile and sojourner among the Hittites.

These people are also sojourners in a spiritual sense, in that this earth was not their final destination, their final home. One day, they would be called to their permanent home in heaven, to be with the object of their faith - their God - through their faith in Jesus Christ and Him alone. Their eyes fixed on the future City of God, just as Abraham's eyes were! These people have a salvation which means that one day their sufferings will cease, their hope fulfilled and they will live with their God for ever! This is true also of us today, as we await the return of Jesus Christ.
Come inside to learn more about how we as 21st century Christians, can have a joy and a faith which is alive.