Tag Archives: Peter

Peter, An Apostle

January 19, 2015Bible Studyapostle, believers, exiles, Peter, scatteredLuella Campbell

PETER, AN APOSTLE

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with His blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance (1 Peter 1: 1-2).

Who wrote this letter, Peter or Paul? It sounds a lot like Paul, doesn’t it? But it wasn’t Paul; it was Peter, the fisherman.

When we read these letters, we read them as inspired writings rather than as letters written by human beings who must have been in contact with one another and influenced one another in many ways. These men were apostles and leaders in the early church. They had a profound influence on the believers and would have spent time together whenever they could so that they would speak with one voice.

Peter had been with Jesus for more than three years. Paul had his three years in the desert of Arabia, communing and learning the message he was to take to the world from the Holy Spirit whom Jesus promised, would lead him into all truth. They learned from the same Master and taught the same message wherever they went.

To whom did Peter write this letter? To believers scattered throughout Asia Minor, modern-day Turkey. How can one write a letter to people scattered all over the place? Perhaps Peter made many copies and had one of his compatriots drop them off as they travelled from place to place. We can send e-mails anywhere simultaneously simply by adding an address to our list of addressees and pressing ‘send’. In a flash through technology we use but do not understand, our recipients can read our letter within seconds.

Peter’s way of communicating was tedious and took many months to reach his readers but his message was permanent, preserved on material that has survived thousands of years. What happens to our messages on computer? They disappear as fast as they were sent simply by pressing ‘delete’. Unfortunately, we often dismiss God’s word from our minds as quickly as we delete our e-mails from our computers, instead of saving them on the ‘hard drive’ of our hearts.

Peter’s greeting was in itself a short but profound summary of his message to these scattered believers:

Who were they? They were God’s elect, unknown and unnamed people as far as the world was concerned but, as far as God was concerned, known and chosen to belong to Him before the world was even created. From the world’s perspective they were exiles, aliens, rejected by the world, refugees living in foreign lands, not belonging anywhere in this world but, nevertheless, citizens of the heavenly kingdom, their true homeland.

What a contrast! Rejected by the world but belonging to God. Their identity was not rooted in the world’s favour. What did it matter if the world did not want them? They were God’s chosen, chosen by Him and identified with Him. That made them secure for time and eternity. And it was a God-thing from beginning to end. Why? The triune God is involved in their election.

Firstly, God the Father was behind the choice of every individual who made up the elect. They did not happen to be in His kingdom by chance. They did not stumble into it by accident. They were there by the Father’s choice and for a purpose.

Secondly, the Holy Spirit was involved in their election. He made it all happen. He wooed and won the heart of every person who was called ‘elect’. He drew them to Jesus, opened the eyes of their understanding, brought them to faith and set them apart for God.

Thirdly, Jesus was also involved in their election. He was the object of their faith and the reason for their salvation. It was through His blood that they were forgiven, cleansed and made fit to be citizens of God’s kingdom and members of His family. It was for obedience to Him that they were chosen and called. This was ultimately the evidence and the outcome of their election.

If you are a citizen of God’s kingdom, you are also ‘elect’ of God, unknown and unwanted by the world, but belonging to God and set apart for him.

Clay Feet!

October 14, 2014Bible Studyeat, Gentiles, hypocrisy, Peter, rebukedLuella Campbell

CLAY FEET

“When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face because he stood condemned, For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.

“When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, ‘You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?'” Galatians 2:11-14.

Even Peter! How strong are the traditions that enslave a person’s conscience!

Peter was far from Jerusalem. There were no scrupulously traditional Jewish believers in the vicinity of Antioch, so he freely mixed with Gentiles according to the dream which had led him to enter Cornelius’ the centurion’s house in Caesarea and eat with him (Acts 10). But when a group of Jewish believers came from James, the leader of the church in Jerusalem, he slipped back into his old Jewish attitude of exclusivism.

For Peter it was not a matter of conscience or conviction. He had long dealt with the right or wrong of eating with Gentiles – which was an expression of reconciliation; the Holy Spirit had seen to that. Here it was a matter of the fear of man and Paul was quick to rebuke him, even publicly, for going back on his conviction in order to appear loyal to his Jewish heritage. He wasn’t even honouring the word of God but rather Jewish customs which actually contradicted God’s intention.

In his defines of the gospel of grace he preached, Paul referred to this incident to convince his Galatian readers that he had actually stood up to the great Peter whom he had just described as one of the “esteemed” leaders of the church in Jerusalem.

By Peter’s behaviour he had inadvertently dishonoured the gospel of Christ which was the good news of salvation through Him alone. Peter was insinuating that Jesus had not really destroyed the barrier between Jew and Gentile through His death; that Jews were still superior to Gentiles, and showed it by their refusal to eat with fellow Gentile believers. In the end he was saying that he had to uphold the customs of his forefathers which took precedence over the truth of the gospel.

For Paul this was unthinkable. He had given up too much for the sake of the gospel and suffered too much at the hands of his fellow Jews because of their fanatical loyalty to useless traditions to sanction Peter’s hypocrisy by keeping quiet. To say nothing meant that he was allowing Peter to lead others, even his companion Barnabas, astray. If it meant publicly exposing Peter’s cock-eyed thinking, so be it.

Paul does not record Peter’s response. Did he defend himself? Did he make excuses? Did he graciously acknowledge his error? We do not know. All we know is that Paul clearly understood the message of the cross and he defended it fearlessly even to standing up to Peter himself. It was not his intention to belittle Peter or to show himself better than Peter. It was always and only his motive to hold Jesus up as an all-sufficient Saviour for both Jew and Gentile.

Paul had long since come to understand that, at the cross, everyone stands on level ground. There is no longer a difference between Jew and Gentile. All the differences that existed were artificial and man-made. The Jews, as God’s covenant people were chosen, not to make them exclusive, but to set them apart for a divine purpose – to show the world that their God was the only and true God by the way they lived.

They failed dismally, anyway, and all they did was to show how impossible it was to be like Him by following rules and rituals, most of which they made up, without having their hearts changed. It took the Son of God to show them how to love like the Father, and then to die in the place of sinners to reconcile them to the Father. Where, in all that, were they better than anyone else? They stood on level ground with every other human being in both their sin and their eligibility to receive God’s grace through the death of His Son.

Thanks to Paul’s understanding and clear presentation of the truth, Peter and his companions received correction and we have this letter which presents Jesus to us as the all-sufficient Saviour of sinners plus nothing.

How true it is that anyone, including Peter, can have “clay feet”!

Acknowledgement

Mind Your Own Business!

June 18, 2014Bible Studydo, John, Peter, what, you followLuella Campbell

MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!

“Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who leaned against Jesus at the supper and said, ‘Lord, who is going to betray you?’).

“When Peter saw him, he asked, ‘Lord, what about him?’ Jesus answered, ‘If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.'” John 21:20-22.

What did Peter think this was, a little fortune-telling time? He had just been told what his future had in store for him and it wasn’t pretty. He was curious to know what was in store for John as well. In spite of everything that had happened, the old rivalry was still there, sitting just below the surface.

Don’t you love John’s honesty? He could have left this bit out. No one else reported on it. Peter, at least, could have told Mark and had it included in Mark’s gospel, except that it didn’t make Peter look good. Was John having a little dig at him? It could be, except that John was writing under inspiration of the Holy Spirit so we have to look for another reason for its inclusion.

John was eavesdropping on this exchange between Jesus and Peter, Perhaps Jesus had invited Peter to go for a little walk with Him after breakfast while the other disciples dealt with the fish. Instead, John took up his stance behind Jesus as a disciple should, except that he had not been invited to join them. Whatever the reason for him being there, he was listening to the conversation and Peter knew he was there.

There is a good reason why this incident was included in Scripture, although it seems a strange way for John to conclude his gospel. God has a strong opinion about people who meddle in other people’s affairs. What is it in human nature that prompts this rivalry, even among Jesus’ own disciples? And it’s no different today.

The Ten Commandments end with one that searches the heart. “You shall not covet.” The other nine commandments might be measurable — yes, I kept that one; no I didn’t keep that one — but how do I measure whether I have coveted or not? What does it mean to covet?

To covet means to compare myself with someone else and conclude that the other person has more than I have or better than I have. It is actually an inward expression of my discontentment with what God has given me and a judgment on Him for being unfair. Isn’t this where it all started in the Garden of Eden? God put a restriction on one tree in the garden and that tree became the focus of Eve’s discontent.

I think it was more than curiosity that prompted Peter’s question. He was not coveting anything that John had at that moment, but coveting starts with comparing. He wanted to compare his future with John’s to see whether John’s lot was better than his. Jesus quickly nipped that one in the bud.

This is an important lesson for every believer to learn. The undercurrents of competition are very real in the church and between church groups and even denominations. Strangely enough, the Bible puts busybodies together with murderers. Every person’s walk with the Lord is intensely personal. It is not our business to look around and compare ourselves with others or to want what others have or do.

What was to happen to John was none of Peter’s business and Jesus let him know it in no uncertain terms. Peter had only one responsibility and that was to keep his eyes on Jesus.

Paul could have said to him, as he wrote to the Roman church: “Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.” Romans 14:4.

To judge someone else, I have to set up a standard, myself, and then compare the other person with myself. Of course, in my opinion, he will fall short, and that will make me feel superior. If I am superior to the other person, why has God short-changed me? God must be at fault and therefore I degrade Him and lose confidence in Him. Isn’t that exactly what the devil wants?

There is only one antidote to this poison in our hearts. Mind our own business. It’s as simple as that!

Acknowledgement

A Thorny Road Ahead

June 17, 2014Bible Studydeath. glorify God, PeterLuella Campbell

A THORNY ROAD AHEAD

‘Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.’ Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then He said to him, ‘Follow me!'” John 21:18-19.

There it is! Full circle!

Jesus put the last piece into the puzzle of Peter’s commission. As far as He was concerned, everything that had happened in the past was behind Him. Once again, He issued His simple two-word call, ‘Follow me!’ Peter’s love for Him had been reaffirmed and there was no need to mope about what had happened or bite His nails in case Peter failed Him again.

Jesus knew that Peter was a man, and fully capable of repeating his failure many times over, but that did not deter Him from calling him or putting His confidence in him to do what he was called to do. He did not give him a detailed map of the future. It was enough that Peter obey His simple instruction, ‘Follow me.’

Jesus gave him no grandiose ideas about what lay in the future for him — only an ominous hint that his life would not end in a blaze of glory, with adoring crowds egging him on, but in a way that he would not choose for himself. Peter and his fellow disciples, like their Master, were being sent out into a hostile world. Both the Roman and the Jewish world were about to hound them to death.

The Roman government, headed by an arrogant and despotic Caesar, would not tolerate any challenge to their supreme authority, and the Jewish leaders would continue their campaign to exterminate those who followed the crucified Galilean who said He was God and whom they claimed to be alive.

Why did Jesus warn Peter of what lay ahead of him? Was He just being a fortune-teller who took delight in hanging a dark cloud over Peter’s head? Most so-called fortune tellers at least paint a rosy picture of the future for their clients. Money…fame…a tall, dark and handsome lover waiting in the wings, or something like that!

Jesus held out no hope of a rosy future for Peter; no preaching in the coliseum to thousands of attentive Jews and Gentiles; no Caesar himself answering the altar call; no churches springing up all over the Roman Empire, living under the protection and favour of the Roman government. No, it would be an uphill battle all the way, and would end for him in a very unpleasant death.

Peter was to carry this warning in his heart, not to scare him but to remind him of his dependence on the Master for grace to do what He called him to do, to follow Him, and to trust Him for every step of the way. He was to die to any dream of success according to the world’s way of thinking. His success lay in his obedience to Jesus’ call.

He was to live realistically, realising that he was in enemy territory. At no time was he to entertain rosy thoughts about his life, or think that he could escape the trouble that His Master had suffered. Following Jesus meant doing what He did — entrusting himself to God and trusting Him for direction every moment of every day.

Why is it that believers today, and especially many so-called spiritual leaders, think that it is any different for us? We qualify our “call” by adding, “I have been called to do this or that.” Really? Every believer is called; called to do only one thing — to follow Jesus. It is His prerogative to decide where He leads and what He intends for us to do.

Some are called to follow Him into the limelight because He can trust them to stand behind Him. Other are called to follow in obscurity because He needs them there too. It is not what we are called to do that is the issue; that we are called to follow Him is what matters. The problem arises when we think we know what He has called us to do, and run ahead instead of simply following where He leads.

It is enough that we stay one step behind Him.

Acknowledgement

The Rooster Crowed!

May 20, 2014Bible Studycrowed, denied, Peter, roosterLuella Campbell

THE ROOSTER CROWED!

“Meanwhile, Simon Peter was still standing there, warming himself. So they asked him, ‘You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?’ He denied it, saying, ‘I am not.’ One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter cut off, challenged him, ‘Didn’t I see you with Him in the garden?’ Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster crowed.” John 18:25-27 NIV.

Another “meanwhile”! With great skill the writer moved the action backwards and forwards between Annas facing off with Jesus inside the high priest’s palace and Peter facing off with the servants in the dimly lit courtyard.

It was difficult to identify faces in the pre-dawn darkness, the courtyard lit only by the glowing embers of a coal fire. Peter tried to keep his face down as he warmed his cold hands. He had already been challenged once. In his panic he had denied any association with Jesus. He didn’t want to be noticed in case someone else who had been there in the garden recognised him.

The servants around the fire knew very well that Peter was not one of them. He was a Galilean, by his accent and they soon began to question among themselves. Suddenly one of them spoke up. With withering scorn he pointed in the direction of the palace and demanded, ‘Surely you aren’t also one of His men, are you?’ Peter was not caught off guard this time, but he had already lied once. He had to keep it up to save his skin. ‘I am not.’ he muttered.

One man in the group kept staring at him. Peter shrank back into the darkness but it was no use. A relative of Malchus who had been there when Peter had lashed out wildly with his sword and severed Malchus’ ear, challenged him. ‘Hey! Weren’t you in the garden with him?’ he said. Peter had already cooked his goose. He had been unmasked but he still persisted with his lie. Did anyone really believe him?

After three counts, the rooster gonged him out! John was silent about Peter’s response to the rooster. The other gospel writers pull the curtain aside. Peter was not only found out by the rooster for his foolish dismissal of his Master’s warning, his threefold denial of his Master and his shameless lying about his association with Jesus, but his utter emotional nakedness was also exposed by the gospel writers and revealed to the world.

Perhaps John still had traces of the old rivalry in his heart and deliberately excluded the heartrending scene of Peter’s regret. Didn’t he have a dig at Peter when Peter quizzed Jesus about John’s future (“Lord, what about him?” – John 21:21). Jesus cut him short with a sharp rebuke: “Mind your own business, Peter.”

“‘Jesus answered, ‘If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.'” John 21:22 NIV).

Jesus won the first round against Annas. With His insistence on the truth, He caught Annas out and all Annas could do was bow out by sending Him to Caiaphas. Let Caiaphas bear the brunt of Jesus’ astute understanding of the truth and what a fair trial was all about and see whether he could wangle a conviction against such an opponent.

Jesus was not trying to get an acquittal. He was committed to being the Passover Lamb of God that would be sacrificed for the sin of the world. At the same time, each person involved in the miscarriage of justice and the twisting of the truth to serve his own ends, had to face up to his own guilt. Among all those who were directly involved in His conviction and execution there was only one who remained not guilty — the prisoner Himself.

Even those who loved Him the most and who were the closest to Him failed at the crucial moment. Peter’s guilt was not only his own. Though the others did not verbalise their abandonment of their Master when He needed them the most, Peter represented them all with his words and actions.

And we too, though not there in person, stand among those who were guilty of condemning Him to death because it was our sin that He took upon Himself and our debt that He paid so that we can be free.

Ebenezer Family Church

HE IS RISEN!