Peter’s Example
Regardless of the current events on the world stage, God is still Sovereign overall. He orchestrates his will behind the scenes. In Ezekiel 38 there will be a war on the Golan Heights where Israel will fight alone against the rest of the world. What men meant for evil, God meant for good. The word of God is truth regardless of the affairs of men and the events unfolding within God’s timeline.
In the meantime, God exhorts us to look after the flocks that he’s called us to shepherd. According to the Apostle Peter, Feed the flock of God which is among you. Taking the oversight thereof, not of constraint, but willingly. Not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind. Peter himself had to learn the meaning of discipleship “in the dust of the rabbi,” his Lord Jesus Christ. Through perseverance in the trials of life, Peter learned to trust in the Lord with all his heart and lean not to his own understanding. God’s word teaches us by example that regardless of trials and tribulations, God is our sufficiency in all things.
John 1: 41 records Peter’s introduction to Jesus by his brother Andrew. Peter was a mid level fisherman from Galilee, an “everyman” who had no distinctive worldly credentials. However God uses earthen vessels like Peter and like us so that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us. Peter learned to be a disciple by following in his master’s footsteps.
Jesus taught Peter by repeating important life lessons in groups of three. Peter denied Jesus three times and then Jesus asked Peter three times “Do you love me?” Peter eventually learned what it meant to love his Lord. Three is the number of completeness. God completed Peter as a man of God with trials of three so that Peter could come to understand that God alone is our sufficiency and that we are complete in Him.
Jesus asked Peter the most important question: “Who say ye that I am?” The answer to this question will reveal the heart of a true man of God. Peter answered, “thou art the Christ, the son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “blessed are you Peter son of Jona, flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but my father which is in heaven.”
Before Jesus’ crucifixion, Peter said to Jesus, “Even if the whole world denies you, I’ll never deny you.” His heart was to serve his master but his confidence was in his own ability. Jesus reproved him, “before the cock crows twice, you shall deny me thrice”. God will break our hearts for what breaks his. After Peter had denied his Lord the third time, Jesus caught Peter’s eye. Peter turned away in shame and guilt, went away and wept bitterly. A broken and a contrite heart God will not forsake. He picks up the threads of our broken hearts and weaves them together again.
There were three “I love you’s” and three commissions that Jesus gave Peter after the resurrection. Peter had returned to his fishing business. Jesus met him and his crew on the shore. Jesus asked Peter, “do you love me with the (agape) love of God more than these?” He pointed to Peter’s fishing nets, his boats, and his crew and asked “do you love me more than these?” Peter said, “I love (phileo) you. I’m fond of you.” Jesus said, “feed my young lambs.” Jesus asked again, “Peter do you love (agape) me?” Again Peter answered, “I love you like a brother.” Jesus said, “feed my sheep.” The third time Jesus asked, “Peter do you phileo me?” Peter said, “Lord you know all things, you know that I love (phileo) you the only way I know how.” Jesus said, “feed my flock.” Jesus knew what was in the heart of a man. Peter had a heart to serve his master but he needed to learn that his calling was not to be a fisher of fish but a fisher of men. Jesus knew that even though Peter did not yet understand the spiritual agape love of God, he would eventually understand God’s unconditional love when he received God’s spirt, the “power from on high” at the day of Penticost.
The world considered Peter an unlearned and ignorant lowly Galilean. However, at the day of Pentecost he received the power of the Holy Spirit. Peter preached the first message of salvation to the church at the temple in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. The crowds were perplexed by his powerful and eloquent words because they recognized his accent as an uneducated Galilean. Then they took note that he had been with Jesus. Later Peter was moved by the Holy Spirit and wrote two epistles by revelation of his Lord Jesus Christ.
According to 1 Peter 5:1-11: THE elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: 2. Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; 3. Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. 4. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye”“shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. 5. Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. 6. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7. Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 8. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9. Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. 10. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. 11. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”
According to 2 Peter 1-21: “SIMON Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, 3. According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 4. Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 5. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6. And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7. And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 8. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. 10. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: 11. For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 12. Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth. 13. Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance; 14. Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me. 15. Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance. 16. For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17. For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 18. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. 19. We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 20. Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”
These profound words of Truth were written according to God’s holy spirt by revelation to his servant, Jesus’s disciple Peter. Even though he was a lowly fisherman without lofty credentials, God chooses the foolish things of this world to confound the wise.
Our responsibility like Peter’s, is our response to God’s ability… to yield to the Holy Spirit of Christ in us the hope of Glory. He has called us as able, and sufficient ministers of the New Testament of the good news of the gospel of grace. The good news of the gospel is God’s saving grace in John 3:16-17. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”
Jesus called Peter to do the impossible. However Jesus said, “with God all things are possible to him that believeth.” As the apostle Paul said, I am sufficient unto all things and I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me.
May we ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael