# Why are the General Epistles ingnored?



## etexas (Jul 1, 2007)

My Church (in Sunday School is doing a line by line study of 1st and 2nd Peter), I have enjoyed it greatly so far, but I began to ask myself why it seems that the catholic epistles receive so little of our focus both in private and corporate worship. I have been a Christian now since '94 and I feel I am now just truly getting to know these 7 wonderful gems in our canon. I just wondered if anyone else has had the same experience of discovery (or rediscovery), with this group of Epistles. Grace and Peace.


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## bookslover (Jul 1, 2007)

I follow Jesus said:


> My Church (in Sunday School is doing a line by line study of 1st and 2nd Peter), I have enjoyed it greatly so far, but I began to ask myself why it seems that the catholic epistles receive so little of our focus both in private and corporate worship. I have been a Christian now since '94 and I feel I am now just truly getting to know these 7 wonderful gems in our canon. I just wondered if anyone else has had the same experience of discovery (or rediscovery), with this group of Epistles. Grace and Peace.



Yeah, it seems as if John, Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, Ephesians, Hebrews, and Revelation get most of the attention in public worship. A Christian who faithfully attends worship for many years may get 2 or 3 trips through John in a 20 or 30 year span, but will probably never hear a verse-by-verse exposition of, say, James. So much for preaching "the whole counsel of God."

Whenever a church gets a new pastor, it's almost stereotypical of him to begin his ministry by preaching through the Gospel of John. It's practically a law...

By the way, since you're going through 1 Peter, I hope you're being exposed to Robert Leighton's commentary from the 17th century. It's his sermons from the book, originally preached in the 1630s. John Brown, in his 19th-century commentary, freely admits that he used Leighton's work as his main inspiration and guide.


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## etexas (Jul 1, 2007)

bookslover said:


> Yeah, it seems as if John, Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, Ephesians, Hebrews, and Revelation get most of the attention in public worship. A Christian who faithfully attends worship for many years may get 2 or 3 trips through John in a 20 or 30 year span, but will probably never hear a verse-by-verse exposition of, say, James. So much for preaching "the whole counsel of God."
> 
> Whenever a church gets a new pastor, it's almost stereotypical of him to begin his ministry by preaching through the Gospel of John. It's practically a law...
> 
> By the way, since you're going through 1 Peter, I hope you're being exposed to Robert Leighton's commentary from the 17th century. It's his sermons from the book, originally preached in the 1630s. John Brown, in his 19th-century commentary, freely admits that he used Leighton's work as his main inspiration and guide.


At the moment I am not using anything in my personal commentaries on 1st Peter (thanks for the Leighton tip by the bye), my pastor has done some packets using Church Fathers, Reformers, and some modern commentators. He is trying to give us a pretty wide view.....and I am glad, his approach is what helped stir my interest in the catholic epistles, really during the week I am reading the text slowly and prayerfully.


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## tellville (Jul 1, 2007)

Well, my expierence has been completly opposite. I've gone through James several times. Actually, James is commonoly the first book of the Bible that churches get their children and teenagers to memorize (at least in the Baptist churches here in Edmonton). We have done in-depth series on 1, 2 Peter, Habakkuk, Zephiniah, etc. Anyway, just wanted to say I've had a different epierence!


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## etexas (Jul 1, 2007)

tellville said:


> Well, my expierence has been completly opposite. I've gone through James several times. Actually, James is commonoly the first book of the Bible that churches get their children and teenagers to memorize (at least in the Baptist churches here in Edmonton). We have done in-depth series on 1, 2 Peter, Habakkuk, Zephiniah, etc. Anyway, just wanted to say I've had a different epierence!


Interesting, you however are in a minority from those who I have talked to...you must realize that in asking my question I knew there were exeptions which would prove the rule.


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Jul 1, 2007)

For more on Robert Leighton and his commentary on 1 Peter see here. 

See John Brown's commentary on 1 Peter here.


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## Reformed Covenanter (Jul 1, 2007)

The question could also be: why are the five books of Moses ignored (except, maybe for Genesis)? or why are Ezekiel and Jeremiah ignored? or why are the minor prophets ignored? If we really believe that ALL of the Bible is God's word, then why does the modern Reformed Church ignore 70% of it?


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## etexas (Jul 1, 2007)

Daniel Ritchie said:


> The question could also be: why are the five books of Moses ignored (except, maybe for Genesis)? or why are Ezekiel and Jeremiah ignored? or why are the minor prophets ignored? If we really believe that ALL of the Bible is God's word, then why does the modern Reformed Church ignore 70% of it?


Well.......that was one of the questions I found myself asking (in regard to the catholic epistles)...........irony most (not all) of us pay a lot of attention to Epistles such as Romans(not a bad thing in and of itself), but the 7 little episles so generally negleted were the ones most inteded for a wide readership hence the term General or Catholic Epistles.


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## NaphtaliPress (Jul 1, 2007)

Most ministers even with two worship services a week are not going to get through the whole Bible, particularly if they preach like a Puritan and cover only a verse or two at a time.This is the wisdom in the Westminster Directory for Public Worship, where it suggest reading one chapter from the OT and NT with some commentary afterwards in each worship service. In my old church we did this for twenty odd years going through the OT once every seven years and the NT twice in that time, plus two trips through the Psalms. Of course this can add 30 or 40 or more minutes to the length of the service.


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## etexas (Jul 1, 2007)

NaphtaliPress said:


> Most ministers even with two worship services a week are not going to get through the whole Bible, particularly if they preach like a Puritan and cover only a verse or two at a time.This is the wisdom in the Westminster Directory for Public Worship, where it suggest reading one chapter from the OT and NT with some commentary afterwards in each worship service. In my old church we did this for twenty odd years going through the OT once every seven years and the NT twice in that time, plus two trips through the Psalms. Of course this can add 30 or 40 or more minutes to the length of the service.


Solutions?


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## bookslover (Jul 1, 2007)

VirginiaHuguenot said:


> For more on Robert Leighton and his commentary on 1 Peter see here.
> 
> See John Brown's commentary on 1 Peter here.



Leighton's commentary is available in an unabridged edition, under the title _An Obedient & Patient Faith: An Exposition of 1st Peter_, by Calvary Press of Amityville, New York (ISBN 1-879737-15-9). Calvary Press has republished the 1853 edition published in London by Henry G. Bohn.

A 511-page paperback volume for only $4.99! What a deal!

Spurgeon's comment: _We need scarcely commend this truly heavenly work. It is a favorite with all spiritual men._


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## Herald (Jul 1, 2007)

Max - I am teaching through the Petrine epistles each Sunday. Today I covered 1 Peter 3:1-7. My blog is a bit behind schedule but I have posted my studies there.


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## etexas (Jul 1, 2007)

BaptistInCrisis said:


> Max - I am teaching through the Petrine epistles each Sunday. Today I covered 1 Peter 3:1-7. My blog is a bit behind schedule but I have posted my studies there.


Thank you Bill! I will check that out my friend.


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## etexas (Jul 2, 2007)

bump


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## dcomin (Jul 2, 2007)

I guess I must be really wierd (No need for any s from the peanut gallery). When I was a pastor, I preached through the following...

Numbers
James
Lamentations
Judges
Hebrews
Acts

There are treasures of wisdom and grace to be found in the portions of Scripture that are often deemed "too difficult" to preach.


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Jul 2, 2007)

(from the peanut gallery)


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## Herald (Jul 2, 2007)

> There are treasures of wisdom and grace to be found in the portions of Scripture that are often deemed "too difficult" to preach.



I wonder who is doing the deeming?


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## Tirian (Jul 2, 2007)

We've just started a verse by verse study of James in our midweek bible study. It has been very encouraging & I am thoroughly enjoying it. We mange to do about half a chapter a night.

Matt


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## Poimen (Jul 2, 2007)

As far as the catholic epistles are concerned, I have preached through 1 John and Jude. 

Since I began preaching as an ordained minister, I have been deliberately choosing OT & NT books that are often ignored or bypassed.

Here is a link to some sermons by our own Rev. Danny Hyde on 1 Peter if you are interested:

http://dannyhyde.squarespace.com/sermons-1-Peter/


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## dcomin (Jul 2, 2007)

VirginiaHuguenot said:


> (from the peanut gallery)



Now cut that out!


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## etexas (Jul 2, 2007)

Poimen said:


> As far as the catholic epistles are concerned, I have preached through 1 John and Jude.
> 
> Since I began preaching as an ordained minister, I have been deliberately choosing OT & NT books that are often ignored or bypassed.
> 
> ...


That is a great policy, it is in fact the reason our priest selected 1st and 2nd Peter for a deep study! I will check that link, thank you Brother!


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## Dieter Schneider (Jul 2, 2007)

I would warmly recommend M Lloyd-Jones (Expository Sermons on 2 Peter)


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## etexas (Jul 2, 2007)

Dieter Schneider said:


> I would warmly recommend M Lloyd-Jones (Expository Sermons on 2 Peter)


Jones has some great stuff! I will have to look at that!


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## Davidius (Jul 2, 2007)

We're currently going through 2nd Peter in our afternoon services.


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## etexas (Jul 2, 2007)

Has anyone used Kistemaker's commentary on the Petrine Epistles? I pulled mine down what I have seen looks interesting.


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