"Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!” “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life." Mark 10:28-30
Recently, a social media influencer named Stefan James said, "Having people to look up to is CRUCIAL in order to remain inspired! It’s important to have these people in your day to day life. However, you can also benefit from looking up to others that might be a bit less accessible to you in life. Personally, I admire the likes of Tony Robbins, Robert Kiyosaki, and others. I find great value in learning from their experiences and the knowledge that they share with their audiences. Inspiration comes in many shapes and forms. People that are known for being successful in their respective fields are one of those ways. Who’s a celebrity that you look up to and why?" The responses to this statement and question were what you would expect. One person wrote, "Keanu Reeves is such a sweetheart and has lots of wisdom too. I aspire to be as kind and humble as him." This comment was followed by, "Kevin Hart...his drive, positivity, and goals are an inspiration, and watching him keeps me inspired." And, of course, there was the obligatory, "I look up to you, man." All of these are great answers. They not only answer the question, but they also mention individuals who are at the top of their respective industries, are popular, and are well paid, to say the least. Most, if not all of them, overcame personal struggles to get to where they have reached in life. Tony Robbins grew up poor and had a parent who abused prescription drugs. Robert Kiyosaki overcame a failed marriage and multiple bankruptcies. Keanu Reeves, among other setbacks, endured the death of his child who was stillborn. Kevin Hart has achieved success despite growing up with a drug-addicted father who was in and out of jail throughout his childhood. As for Stefan James, growing up with a strict father led to severe bouts of shyness, anxiety, and depression. However, all of these individuals are well known within their circles of influence, if not the entire world. Tony Robbins is a success coach, public speaker, actor, and self-help author with a net worth of $600 million. Robert Kiyosaki is an accomplished real estate investor, author, and public speaker with a net worth of around $80 million. Keanu Reeves is an actor, musician, producer, and philanthropist who has a net worth of $360 million. Kevin Hart is a comedian, actor, and producer with a net worth of $200 million. And Stefan James is a YouTuber, entrepreneur, and life coach with an estimated net worth of $7 million. All of these individuals have overcome many life obstacles to achieve financial and personal success. Is it any wonder these celebrities are an inspiration to those who seek to achieve similar results in their lives? However, it is one thing to be an inspiration to others for having overcome personal obstacles in order to achieve wealth and success. But, what about those who have gone in the opposite direction? Can a person inspire others for seeming to have lost everything in life?
When it comes to being a Christian, worldly success is not what inspires us to live a life for our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. In fact, many Christians have lost everything the world would consider worth attaining as a result of their faith in Jesus Christ. To many of us, it is their example that inspires us to continue in and contend for our faith. The Apostle Peter, famously known for denying Jesus Christ three times prior to the Lord's crucifixion, was told by Jesus of how he would die for the Gospel. In John 21:18-19, Jesus said to Peter, "Truly, truly, I tell you, when you were young, you dressed yourself and walked 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. And after He had said this, He told him, “Follow Me.”" Shortly after Paul's encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, God was instructing Ananias, a believer, on what He wanted him to do. "But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name (Acts 9:15-16).” History records that "Peter when he was condemned to death in Rome, requested to be crucified upside-down because he did not believe that a man is worthy to be killed in the same manner as Jesus Christ." The details surrounding the death of Paul are not certain. However, tradition holds that somewhere between 64 A.D. and 67 A.D., "he was beheaded in Rome and thus died as a martyr for his faith. His death was perhaps part of the executions of Christians ordered by the Roman emperor Nero following the great fire in the city in 64 A.D." These are just two prominent examples of what one could lose in order to follow Jesus Christ. Peter was a fisherman prior to his conversion and following Jesus Christ. This was a modest, but respectable living. He was willing to walk away from that to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Furthermore, Peter was told about how he would die after Jesus restored him for his denial. Peter denied Jesus for fear of being persecuted and possibly being put to death. However, he gladly went to his death for His Lord. Paul, by his own admission, was "faultless" in his righteousness as a Pharisee. Yet, considered it all "dung" in comparison to knowing Jesus Christ. It was this attitude that carried him through numerous experiences of suffering on his way to dying for the Lord. These men, and others like them throughout history, lost everything for the sake of Jesus Christ. These are the "celebrities" that I look up to and get my inspiration from. I may never meet the likes of Tony Robbins, Robert Kiyosaki, Keanu Reeves, Kevin Hart, or Stefan James. But, I will meet Peter and Paul when I go to be with them in heaven on the day the Lord calls me home. That is where I find my inspiration.
Showing posts with label Peter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Peter. Show all posts
Sunday, July 12, 2020
Saturday, March 21, 2020
Make Known With Boldness
"With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak." Ephesians 6:18-20
What is behind the transformation of the Apostle Peter? Peter could easily be described as someone who spoke boldly but was quite the opposite in his actions. His denial of Jesus Christ is a prime example of this. In Matthew 26:31-35 it says, "Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: “‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.” “Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “this very night before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the same." Peter confidently denies what Jesus predicts will happen. It is as if Peter is trying to put up a front before God and the Lord sees right through it. Was Peter trying to convince himself that he would not deny Jesus or appear bold before Him like a child showing off in front of a parent? As history would have it, Peter would go on to fulfill the prediction of Jesus. Shortly after Jesus was arrested, Peter was confronted in a courtyard. "Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. “You also were with Jesus of Galilee,” she said. But he denied it before them all. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said. Then he went out to the gateway, where another servant girl saw him and said to the people there, “This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.” He denied it again, with an oath: “I don’t know the man!” After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, “Surely you are one of them; your accent gives you away.” Then he began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know the man!” Immediately a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly (Matthew 26: 9-75)." We can all empathize with Peter. All of us seek approval and acceptance from others in our own, unique ways. It is a way for us to express our desire to be something we are not in hopes that we can achieve some sort of meaning for our lives. When we see Peter weeping, it makes me wonder if it was solely because he had denied Jesus after boldly saying he never would or a combination of that and the humbling confirmation that he was not as bold as he proclaimed to be.
Suddenly, this seems to all change for Peter. After Jesus' death, resurrection, and the receiving of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, Peter changes. In Acts 2, just after God gave the Holy Spirit to the disciples, Peter turns to address the crowd in attendance. Acts 2:14 begins, "Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd ..." After the conclusion of his speech, it says, "Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day (Acts 2:41)." In less than a couple of months, Peter went from a fearful, cowering, and disheartened disciple of Jesus Christ to a bold proclaimer of His Gospel; converting thousands. The fact that scripture tells us that Peter "stood up" says a lot. He was sitting down and took the initiative to stand up and become, arguably, the first Christian in history to proclaim the Gospel. This says a lot about his transformation. Peter went from frightened to fearless. From running away to standing firm. From saying, "I don't know the man" to "God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah (Acts 2:36).” This change can be directly attributed to the receiving of the Holy Spirit. Salvation is the restoration of the life of God. On the Day of Pentecost, God gave the promised Holy Spirit that Jesus testified of prior to His death. In John 16:7, Jesus said, "But I tell you the truth, it is for your benefit that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you." The "benefit" of Jesus "going away" is so He could send us the "Advocate," otherwise known as the Holy Spirit, to indwell us as He did back in the Garden of Eden prior to the Fall. It is in the receiving of the Holy Spirit that makes us alive to God once again. We then have the capability and desire to proclaim the truth about God and His message of salvation. Peter went from an unforgiven, spiritually dead, follower of Jesus Christ to a forgiven, spiritually alive Apostle of Jesus Christ. He had become what the Apostle Paul would later describe as someone who would "make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel." That mystery is "Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27)." The God that Peter denied was now living within him and proclaiming His message of forgiveness and eternal life to the world. The mystery has been revealed to the world and has been accepted by every born again believer in Jesus Christ. Everything is available for us to be a bold, confident, and uncompromising witness for Jesus Christ. We can know what it is to stand up before the crowd, like Peter, and tell them about the love of God and all that He offers them through faith in Jesus Christ.
What is behind the transformation of the Apostle Peter? Peter could easily be described as someone who spoke boldly but was quite the opposite in his actions. His denial of Jesus Christ is a prime example of this. In Matthew 26:31-35 it says, "Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: “‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.” “Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “this very night before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the same." Peter confidently denies what Jesus predicts will happen. It is as if Peter is trying to put up a front before God and the Lord sees right through it. Was Peter trying to convince himself that he would not deny Jesus or appear bold before Him like a child showing off in front of a parent? As history would have it, Peter would go on to fulfill the prediction of Jesus. Shortly after Jesus was arrested, Peter was confronted in a courtyard. "Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. “You also were with Jesus of Galilee,” she said. But he denied it before them all. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said. Then he went out to the gateway, where another servant girl saw him and said to the people there, “This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.” He denied it again, with an oath: “I don’t know the man!” After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, “Surely you are one of them; your accent gives you away.” Then he began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know the man!” Immediately a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly (Matthew 26: 9-75)." We can all empathize with Peter. All of us seek approval and acceptance from others in our own, unique ways. It is a way for us to express our desire to be something we are not in hopes that we can achieve some sort of meaning for our lives. When we see Peter weeping, it makes me wonder if it was solely because he had denied Jesus after boldly saying he never would or a combination of that and the humbling confirmation that he was not as bold as he proclaimed to be.
Suddenly, this seems to all change for Peter. After Jesus' death, resurrection, and the receiving of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, Peter changes. In Acts 2, just after God gave the Holy Spirit to the disciples, Peter turns to address the crowd in attendance. Acts 2:14 begins, "Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd ..." After the conclusion of his speech, it says, "Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day (Acts 2:41)." In less than a couple of months, Peter went from a fearful, cowering, and disheartened disciple of Jesus Christ to a bold proclaimer of His Gospel; converting thousands. The fact that scripture tells us that Peter "stood up" says a lot. He was sitting down and took the initiative to stand up and become, arguably, the first Christian in history to proclaim the Gospel. This says a lot about his transformation. Peter went from frightened to fearless. From running away to standing firm. From saying, "I don't know the man" to "God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah (Acts 2:36).” This change can be directly attributed to the receiving of the Holy Spirit. Salvation is the restoration of the life of God. On the Day of Pentecost, God gave the promised Holy Spirit that Jesus testified of prior to His death. In John 16:7, Jesus said, "But I tell you the truth, it is for your benefit that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you." The "benefit" of Jesus "going away" is so He could send us the "Advocate," otherwise known as the Holy Spirit, to indwell us as He did back in the Garden of Eden prior to the Fall. It is in the receiving of the Holy Spirit that makes us alive to God once again. We then have the capability and desire to proclaim the truth about God and His message of salvation. Peter went from an unforgiven, spiritually dead, follower of Jesus Christ to a forgiven, spiritually alive Apostle of Jesus Christ. He had become what the Apostle Paul would later describe as someone who would "make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel." That mystery is "Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27)." The God that Peter denied was now living within him and proclaiming His message of forgiveness and eternal life to the world. The mystery has been revealed to the world and has been accepted by every born again believer in Jesus Christ. Everything is available for us to be a bold, confident, and uncompromising witness for Jesus Christ. We can know what it is to stand up before the crowd, like Peter, and tell them about the love of God and all that He offers them through faith in Jesus Christ.
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