Chiangmai Christian Fellowship

The drunken feast Writing on the wall Daniel arrives at the feast Lessons for our current world

Chiangmai Christian Fellowship

Big Idea - Peter warns us, Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. (1 Peter 4:12). NO doubt, the image comes from Daniel 3! Life can be hard and we can find ourselves in the intense heat and pressure of the furnace of life. It is our nature to avoid the fiery trials, but in Daniel 3 we see Shadrach, Mesh...

Big Idea - Since the beginning of time, people have believed that there is a god or gods in the heavens who have power over the earth. Religion is our attempt to understand who these gods are, what they are like, and, most importantly, how we can communicate with them in order to get their help. In modern times, people have come to a more scientific understanding of the universe, and there is now...

Big Idea - Does God ever lose? We love the story of Elijah's showdown on Mt Carmel with the Prophets of Baal. We see the mighty power of God as fire falls from heaven and consumes Elijah's sacrifice on the altar and even the altar itself! God wins! But Daniel is not Elijah. Daniel is taken captive as a prisoner of war, along with items of worship from the Temple. Jehoiakim, King of Israel, is defe...

Big Idea - S - The book of 1 Peter ends where it began with a call to stand firm in our faith in the midst of suffering. In 1:7 Peter begins by saying that faith is more precious than gold. Faith is the greatest resource we can ever possess. We think riches and wealth will protect us and give us what we want and need, but Peter reminds us that these things fail and perish. The only thing that can...

Big Idea - We relate to and interact with things based on their nature and purpose. For example, our relationship with a school differs greatly from a movie theater. For one, attendance at school is mandatory, but going to a movie is not. In this passage, Peter talks about the basic nature of the Church and how we relate to it. We live in a consumer-driven society where our primary interaction wit...

Big Idea - We live in a world where it seems everyone has become a victim. There is real suffering in the world, and many suffer very real pain and abuse. But never in the history of the world has an entire society embraced trauma like the modern Western world. In an insightful New Yorker article, “The Case Against the Trauma Plot,” Parul Sehgal writes, “In a world infatuated with victimhood, has...

Big Idea - In 1 Peter 4:12, Peter writes, "So that in everything, God may be glorified." In the context of this passage, "everything" certainly means everything in the ministry and life of the local Church, the body of Christ living in community. The Church's highest goal and purpose is to bring glory and honor to God. We often think of this taking place most significantly in the Sunday morning wo...

Big Idea - In 1 Peter 2:11, Peter warns us to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against our soul. But we all know that the desires and cravings of the flesh are a powerful force, and resisting them is no small task. In this passage, Peter again reminds us that we are not to indulge in the worldly pleasures that everyone around us so freely dives into - sexual immorality, wild...

Big Idea - Peter tells us that we are to return evil and insults with blessing. It is one thing to endure the criticism and scorn of those who hate us, but it is quite another thing to respond with kindness and actually seek to make life better for them! This is asking a lot, maybe even asking for the impossible. Why are we supposed to bless those who mistreat us? What does it look like, and how i...

1 Peter 3:1-7

1 Peter 2:13-25

1 Peter 2:4-12

1 Peter 1:10-16

1 Peter 1:1-9

Big Idea - As we come to the end of the Book of Job, we come to understand that the book is not about helping find comfort in the midst of suffering. In fact, the book offers no help or comfort for those who are suffering. Instead, the book is really about helping us understand and evaluate our motives in doing what is good and right. Are we trying to be a good person? If so, what is our motive in...

Big Idea - Job thought he understood how the world worked. In his understanding, the world operated based on the merit system - you were either blessed or cursed as a result of getting what you deserve. His logic was that God created the world and God is just, therefore, everything that happens to you must be according to the principle of justice. The only problem with this view is that Job was no...

Big Idea - The second act of the drama opens with Job looking back at his life before disaster struck and comparing it with his current life. We see that Job's suffering not only impacted his personal life but it destroyed his standing in the community. It caused him to lose face on a grand scale. He concludes with a final speech where he makes an oath that if he has committed any kind of wrong ag...

Big Idea - When we suffer, struggle, and meet with trials and difficulties, when bad things happen, it is very natural to ask why? What is the reason for our suffering? We have this sense that there must be some cause for our suffering, and we want an explanation. Like Job's friends, the first reason that comes to mind is that we must have done something wrong and are being punished. We want to kn...

Big Idea - In chapters 22-27, we find the last cycle of speeches between Job and his friends. It is laid out in debate format, and in the end, Job soundly defeats the logic and arguments of his friends. He holds firmly to his integrity and righteousness. His friends have not convinced him his suffering is a result of any great sin or wickedness he has committed. But winning the debate does not sol...

Big Idea - Why is there suffering in this world? Why is life often so full of pain and hardship? How can a God who is all-loving and all-powerful allow evil in the world? These are tough questions, and for anyone who has really suffered, or who is in the midst of great trials and painful life circumstances, these are not just lofty philosophical questions. These become desperate cries from the hea...

Big Idea - Today, we celebrate the wonder of the resurrection. Jesus died a terrible death on the cruel cross laying down His life and shedding His own blood as the perfect sacrifice for our sin, and taking on Himself our guilt and punishment that we might have life through His blood! But death was not the end of the story. He rose again bodily. In the resurrection, we understand that His death wa...

Big Idea - Today, we celebrate the wonder of the resurrection. Jesus died a terrible death on the cruel cross laying down His life and shedding His own blood as the perfect sacrifice for our sin, and taking on Himself our guilt and punishment that we might have life through His blood! But death was not the end of the story. He rose again bodily. In the resurrection, we understand that His death wa...

(1) Peter, Apostle of Hope (2) People with a living hope maintain an alert and disciplined mind (3) People with a living hope are called to holiness (4) People with a living hope possess a healthy fear of God (5) People with a living hope know they have been bought with precious blood