What gets lost in all the chapters and versification is the sense of rhythm to this story. By reading each of these stories as separate instances or distinct accounts, the organization (through chapter and verse) actually teaches something in itself. Whether this teaching is original or true to the divine intent of the passage is something that must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. I'm not saying that chapters and verses are evil in themselves or ought to be removed from our Bibles. I am saying that in some instances, chapter and verse ought to be ignored for the purpose of further reading and continuation of a story or original flow that was intended by the author and has been preserved by Divine oversight.

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to meet, listen to, and speak with a few people about who Jesus is and why He matters. The context was at a local pride festival. I'm very thankful for the leaders who helped organize the group to go down. I'm also very grateful for the security at the event who were hospitable and firm in their duties.

Peter very plainly puts forward the call for Christians to submit, to obey, to honor, and respect authority. What does this word “submit” mean? Plainly, it means to obey. To do as we are told. So Peter puts forward this ethic, but it shouldn’t sound like a new ethic. This shouldn’t sound like a new command to us, but rather a reiteration of a long standing principle present in the lives of many God fearing believers, both of Old Testament days, and New Testament days. Submission to authority, obedience, in general is a good thing.

All that said, I'm firmly opposed to online "churches". I am not opposed to online communities, groups, ministries, outreaches, evangelism, teaching, bible studies, prayer meetings, etc. We used all those (and I still am active in using many of these things) for various (I believe) God glorifying purposes. Those individual things unto themselves are activities, and they are not a church as classified, defined, and spoken of in the scriptures - as our seminary theologian at Synod spoke to (that the NT use of the word for church is a gathering of people together) and summarized in our confessions.