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Start with the headlines if you want, but the deeper story is bigger than outrage. We explore how scattered believers can live with courage and clarity by seeing salvation through the lens of the Trinity: the Father who foreloves and places us, the Spirit who sanctifies and empowers us in the present, and the Son who commands our obedience while cleansing our failures. Instead of treating exile as an accident, we reframe it as assignment.

We walk through 1 Peter’s opening lines and draw out what foreknowledge really means, why it’s more than prediction, and how that truth transforms fear into assurance. From there, we get practical about the Spirit’s daily work—opening Scripture, fueling worship that doesn’t depend on mood or music, prompting prayer when words fail, and exposing the folly of trying to run a life or a church on human power alone. If you’ve felt more foreign in your own city, we show why that ache can be a signal of grace: you’re being set apart for a different kingdom.

Finally, we center on Jesus: obedience not as legalism but as loyal listening, paired with the strong comfort of His sprinkled blood. Old Testament echoes—covenant, priesthood, cleansing—come alive and point to a joy that guilt can’t mute. The result is not escapism, but steadiness: grace and peace multiplied, not because the world calms down, but because our reconciliation with God holds firm. If you need a framework to stand steady in a shaky moment, this conversation offers it.

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The ground under our feet is shifting, and pretending otherwise only makes us dizzy. From Russia’s anti‑missionary law to rising pressure in workplaces and schools, we’re watching the culture say out loud what it actually believes—and that clarity, while costly, can be a gift. We step into that reality with 1 Peter, written to people called aliens and scattered, people who lacked legal standing, social welcome, and safety, yet carried a living hope that made idols look small.

We draw lines between the first century and now: how Christianity lost its protective umbrella in Rome, how distinction replaced camouflage, and why today’s debates over God, Scripture, marriage, gender, truth, judgment, and eternity require us to start at the level of definitions, not assumptions. History backs the strategy. Pliny the Younger recorded pagan temples standing empty in Bithynia because the quiet, persistent witness of believers reshaped the moral landscape. That kind of influence doesn’t come from outrage; it comes from a steady presence—working, blessing, warning, and praying with courage and grace.

At the heart of the conversation is a single word that steadies the soul: chosen. We treat election the way Scripture does—as comfort, not combat. God’s initiative doesn’t erase human responsibility; it enables genuine repentance and faith. If you have looked to Christ, your calling and election are sure, not because you feel it but because he holds you. That assurance fuels perseverance when jobs are on the line, when definitions collide, and when you feel like a stranger in your own town. Aliens and scattered isn’t a sentence; it’s a strategy. Your placement is purposeful. Your distinctness is the point.

Join us as we rethink witness for a pre‑Christian world, draw courage from the first century, and recover a resilient identity: rejected by the world, welcomed by God. If this speaks to you, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs steady hope, and leave a review to help others find it. Where do you feel the tension most—and how might God use you there?

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Stephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

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The air smells like smoke and rumor, and the faithful are bracing for a storm. Against that backdrop, we follow Peter’s unvarnished journey—sharp insight, spectacular missteps, a rooster’s indictment, an empty tomb’s quiet proof, and a bold voice that helped launch the church. This is not a highlight reel; it’s a field guide for people who have promised too much, failed too fast, and still ache to be useful.

We start with Peter’s confession—“You are the Christ”—and the whiplash turn to presumption as he tries to correct Jesus. Then we sit with the ache of his denials and the shock of the resurrection details John preserves: linen left in its form, a face cloth folded as a royal signal of return. The angel’s words land like grace with a name tag: “Tell the disciples and Peter.” From there, Pentecost breaks open. Peter’s courage replaces bluster, his message names Jesus as both Lord and Christ, and thousands respond. The journey arcs forward to an older Peter who writes about prayer that doesn’t always prevent failure, humility that replaces swagger, and sober-minded calm that steadies a panicked church.

We connect Peter’s lessons to our moment: how to hold mission when culture feels hostile, why the church does not need applause or power to be fruitful, and how to exercise rights without making them our refuge. We talk about leaders better than a nation deserves, worse than it merits, and exactly what it has become—and why none of that cancels the call to plant seeds of the gospel. Through it all, one theme threads every scene: entrust your life to a faithful Creator who always does what is right. If your expectations have shattered and you’re unsure what to do with the pieces, this conversation offers clear hope, grounded in history and aimed at courage.

If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs steady hope, and leave a review to help others find it.

Get our magazine and daily devotional: https://www.wisdomonline.org/lp/magazine

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Stephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback