Metro Thoughts #1

On my way into work today I began to think about the 1.8 million people who came to Washington, D.C. last week for the President Obama’s Inauguration. I wondered why so many people came for this event? Was it because they wanted to be a part of history and see the first African American president being sworn in or was it because they came to support the man they voted for? But I knew those weren’t the true reasons why so many people came from all around the country. The true reason so many people came to D.C. was because President Obama had given them hope. They came to see the man that had inspired them. They came to see the man they believe will turn this country around.

As I pondered this thought I pulled out my Bible to start reading it and I realized over the last several years I have never seen another individual read the Bible on the train. I’ve seen people read work papers, books, magazines and even newspapers but never the Bible. I have however seen one person read the Koran. Granted some may have the Bible on their iPod or MP3 player and I hope that is case. And there was that word again, hope. It made me think about what do people put their hope in? Last week at Inauguration it was President Obama, but whom will it be if he fails. Or whom or what will it be in years from now? I looked down and my Bible was open to the following passage:

“There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” “Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The poison of vipers is on their lips.” “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Romans 3:10-18)

To quickly highlight this verse it says we are all sinners. So if we are all sinners why would we want to put our hope in one another? Why would we put our hope in a person who is going to die? Or why would we put our hope into something material that we can’t take with us when we die? There is only one person who has ever risen from the dead. There is only one person who loves us enough to send His only son to die for us. There is only one person who offers us the free gift of eternal life. That person is Jesus Christ. So why would you want to put your hope in anyone or anything else? Stop and ask yourself whom do you put your hope in and let me know.

Doing it Right

I don’t know about you, but I am always disappointed anytime I watch an award show like the Emmy’s, Grammy’s or ESPY’s and not a single winner acknowledges our Lord and Savior for their success.  Winners thank there family, friends, co-workers, etc. but very few give credit to the one who deserves it most, God.  God is the one that created them, gave them the abilities and skills to be good at what they do, and is the one who opened the doors for them to be standing there at that very moment accepting that award.  

It just breaks my heart not to see people giving credit to the one who deserves it most.  It’s even sadder that these are the people our society holds up on a pedestal.  People want to be like Michael Jordan, Madonna, Brad Pitt, etc. and these people have such a huge platform to reach people for Christ and they don’t.  

Well, for the first time ever I saw not one, but two individuals accept an award and give the credit of their success to God.  These two men stood in front of a stadium of 50,000+ individuals and a worldwide television audience of millions and preached the Gospel like no celebrity I have ever seen on such a big stage.  These men truly lived out Mark 16:15 that day which says, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.”  These men truly ran the good race and finished well on that day.  These men are Darrell Green and Art Monk of the Washington Redskins.

Darrell Green & Art Monk of the Washington Redskins

These two men were inducted into the Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio just the other week and if you haven’t caught their speeches go check them out on youtube.  

I was truly proud of my brothers on this day.  If you take away anything from Art and Darrell please note that anytime you have the opportunity to give credit to God and preach the Gospel do it because our heavenly father deserves nothing less.

When was Jesus born?

Question:  When was Jesus born?

Answer:  We do not know the exact date Jesus was born, but we know it was approximately around 6 or 5 B.C. Evidence indicates that it was around this time-frame for several reasons.  First, Jesus was born before the death of Herod the Great in 4 B.C. and Matthew 2:1-12 shows Herod was still alive at the time of Jesus’ birth.  Second, the census ordered to be taken by Augustus while Quirinius was governor of Syria (Luke 2:1-2).  “Quirinius was in an authoritative position in Syria at the time of Christ’s birth, and that the registration of people for taxation could have been ordered in 8 B.C. It might have required several years for the decree of the census to be executed.  If so Jesus’ birth could have occurred somewhere in the period from 7 to 5 B.C.”(1)  In Matthew 2:9-11 we also have the wise men come from the east to see the King of the Jews, but this is not a trusted source because there is no way to pin point the date and time of the star they followed to see baby Jesus.  Today, the Western church celebrates Jesus’ birth on December 25 and the Eastern Church celebrates His birth on January 6.

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(1)  Lea D., Thomas and Alan David Black.  The New Testament, Its Background and Message, 2^nd ed.  (Tennessee: Broadman & Homan Publishers, 2003), 95.

The Ultimate Phone

I was on my BlackBerry the other day texting one of my buddies and I sat back and thought how much communication tools have changed since I was a young buck in high school.  First, there were pagers which were the original text messengers.  Remember, how you used to have to come up with messages using patterns of numbers?  Next, there were those largely oversized cell phones that had a huge battery pack.  Those things looked like they would give you a hernia just carrying it.  But as phones progressed they became smaller with many more features such as playing music, taking photos, sending e-mails, etc.  The latest and greatest communication tool is of course, the iPhone.  But what I realized was we all have had a communication tool since Jesus’ death on that old rugged cross and that tool is prayer.

You see God had the market on the ultimate communication tool even before the phone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876.  Prayer is the ultimate communication tool because it is free and doesn’t cost us per text message or phone call.  Plus, God will never discontinue your prayer service if you don’t pay your bill.   God also will never hang up the phone on you no matter how upset He may be with you.  Nor will He hit the mute button and ignore you.  Also, he always promises to answer no matter when you call Him and the only device needed to talk to him is yourself.   Yes prayer can malfunction, but only when we don’t do it.  It doesn’t malfunction as a result of anything God does.

Listen to what John Piper says about the number one reason why pray malfunctions in his book ‘Let the Nations be Glad’, “Probably the number one reason why prayer malfunctions in the hands of believers is that we try to turn a wartime walkie-talkie into a domestic intercom. Until you know that life is war you cannot know what prayer is for. Prayer is for the accomplishment of a wartime mission….But what have millions of Christians done? We have stopped believing that we are in a war.  No urgency, no watching, no vigilance. No strategic planning.  Just easy peace and prosperity. And what did we do with the walkie talkie? We tried to rig it up as an intercom in our houses and cabins and boats and car–not to call in fire power for conflict with a moral enemy, but to ask for more comforts in the den.“ 

In summation, Jesus’ death on the cross is the ultimate sacrifice in so many ways besides the forgiveness of our sins (Ephesians 1:7) and we sometimes forget this.  For instance, Jesus’ death also made him the ultimate high priest (Hebrews 4:14-16) in the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 5:6) thus allowing us to communicate directly to God.  His death made him the ultimate communication tool so to speak.  So remember not to let that free phone collect dust and just pray as we are always at war.   As John Wesley said, “God does nothing but in answer to prayer.”  God is our true BFF, so shouldn’t we be talking to Him more than anybody else?

Just like you and me: A devetional series on the life of Peter – Part V

Devotional #5 – Be the Rock and Go Out and Make Disciples of All Nations

Lessons to learn:

1. When asked about your faith be prepared to give an answer
2. Teach others about Jesus
3. It is never too late for you to change your ways

Read Acts 2:14-41.

In Acts 2 we find Peter teaching about Jesus at the Pentecost.  Here we see Peter explaining why the disciples were talking in tongues by explaining to his listeners that because they believed Jesus Christ was the Messiah they were filled with the Holy Spirit.  Peter is now a man of action and not just words.  George Eliot once said, “It is never too late to be what you might have become.”(1)  Peter finally acknowledged his call to serve others, a lesson he would have learned in John 13:6-11 when Jesus washed his feet.  Peter is actively living out his faith empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Remember, when Jesus first called Peter, he was an average person just like you and me.  Through his discipleship with Jesus, his faith and wisdom in God grew.  We now see Peter as ‘The Rock” to which Jesus said he would be in Matthew 16:18, “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”  In Greek, the language of the New Testament, the word for rock is petra, hence we get Peter.  The name Peter, then literally means, “Peter the Rock.”(2)   The English equivalent would be Rocky.  The metaphor was more a description of Peter’s function than his character as we have seen through these devotionals.(3)

 “Peter also captures the Christian imagination because he is the most prominent of Jesus’ disciples.  Though none of the writings attributed to him come from the apostle himself, the portraits of Peter drawn in the Gospels and Acts define what it means to be a follower of Jesus just as strikingly as the letter of Paul do.”(4)

It is clear that Peter’s life and work became absolutely foundational to the establishment of the Christian church as a fervent and coherent group of believers in the death and resurrection of Jesus.   Peter is one of the three pillars of the church to which Paul refers to in Galatians 2.

We can also see Peter as a fully devoted follower of Christ through the miracles he performed at Lydda (the paralytic) and Joppa (raising the dead woman) in Acts 9:32–42.  “These miracles are probably intended to parallel similar miracles of Jesus in Luke’s first work (Luke 5:18–26; 8:49–56).”(5)   Through this speech in Acts and the miracles he performed, we can see that Peter has become a fully devoted follower of Christ.  Peter was eventually crucified and because he refused to die in the manner of his Savior, he was crucified upside down.

Practical Application Today

Today, the Church continues to build on the foundation laid by Peter. For the church is the body of believers, not some building.  We need to follow Peter’s example and go out into this world and be the hands and feet for God and teach others about Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19).  So go out and be salt and light for God.  Ask God through prayer where He wants you to serve and listen to the Holy Spirit guide you.  If the Holy Spirit guides you to share with a co-worker or friend this week, stay true to the gospel and share the love of Christ with that individual.  And if you have been sitting idly on the bench, get up and get into the game. Live a life that is worthy of the calling you have been given. Peter did it, so can we.

Study Questions:

1. Give some other examples though scripture of why Peter was described as one of the three pillars of the church.
2. What are some ways we can actively live out our faith and not just be a person who talks the talk but doesn’t walk the walk?
3. Write out your salvation story in 400 words or less and share your story with your Small Group or a friend.  We must be prepared to share our faith at all times just as Peter did in Acts.

Conclusion of Devotional Series

As we have seen through this series of devotionals, Peter was a fully devoted follower of Christ as someone who grows, connects, shares and serves in the name of Jesus Christ.  We’ve seen an ordinary person chose to follow God.  We have seen him grow in his faith through incidents such as walking on water and the feeding of the 5000.  We have seen him connect in biblical community through following Jesus and sharing events with his fellow disciples, like the last supper when Jesus washed the disciples feet.  Also, we have seen Peter share the gospel when he taught about the Messiah at Pentecost in Acts. We also see him serving by healing others and being the hands and feet of Jesus, preaching the gospel to any who would hear it.  Peter’s faith grew immeasurably from the time he tried to walk on water to the day he preached so boldly at Pentecost.  Like Peter, our faith has wavered during our lives and we too have relied on our own flesh at times.  We also can be rash and jump to conclusions just like Peter. But at the end of the day, Peter started out as an ordinary guy, just like you and me. And through Christ, Peter accomplished extraordinary things for God. As you strive to follow God in your own life, remember Peter and how God molded him as he grew in his relationship with Jesus.  Do not become weary or give up.  Remember the lessons we learned from the life of Peter and stand firmly on the promises of God as you pursue his will for your life.  Just like Peter, God will never leave you or forsake you and he will use you for his glory if you follow him.

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(1) Card, Michael. A Fragile Stone, The Emotional Life of Peter (England: InterVarsity Press, 2003), 131.

(2) Ehrman, Bart D. Peter, Paul, & Mary Magdalene, The Followers of Jesus in History and Legend (New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 2006), 3.

(3) Lea D., Thomas and Alan David Black. The New Testament, Its Background and Message, 2^nd ed. Tennessee: Broadman & Homan Publishers, 2003), 216.

(4) Ehrman, Peter, Paul, & Mary Magdalene, 3.

(5) Douglas, J. D., P. W. Comfort, and D. Mitchell. Who’s who in Christian history (Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House, 1992).

Just like you and me: A devetional series on the life of Peter – Part IV

Devotional #4 – Learn From Our Failures and Never Say Never to God

Lessons to learn:

1. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak
2. Never say you won’t do something
3. Learn from our mistakes so we don’t repeat them

Mark 14:27-31 says,” “You will all fall away,” Jesus told them, “for it is written: ” ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’  But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”  Peter declared, “Even if all fall away, I will not.”  “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “today—yes, tonight—before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times.” But Peter insisted emphatically, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the others said the same.”

We see this prophecy from Jesus come true in Mark 14:72 when the rooster crows after Peter disowned Jesus for the third time.  Peter denies he knew Jesus to save his own skin.  We may think we won’t do something, but God is the only one who truly knows what the outcome will be.  Seek him in all you do and never say never, to God.

Have you ever said that you will never do something, but then you end up doing that something you thought you would never do?  For example, I said I would never go overseas to do a mission trip because I thought the need to do missions within the U.S. was more important.  The problem with my thinking was that it was my thinking and not God’s.  I didn’t ask God what he wanted me to do and I was making a statement based upon what I wanted to do.  Next time you say you will never do something ask God first what he wants you to do because His plan may be different than your own.  Since, I asked and listened to what God wanted I have been on three international mission trips to Indonesia, Argentina and Israel.

What I have realized in my walk with Christ and what we can learn from the life of Peter is that only God knows what we are truly going to do in our life.  God knows every hair on our head and has known us before we were ever created in our mother’s womb. As it states in Psalm 139:16, “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

Peter thought he knew himself better than Jesus knew him, which was an oversight on his part, to say the least.  Peter learned from this experience that God would always tell the truth.  We must not only never say never to God, but when we don’t listen to Him and make mistakes we must learn from those mistakes.  Don’t dwell on the past, but learn from it.

Peter shows us that it is easy to want to be faithful but hard to obtain the goal.  “More than almost anyone else in the early Christian tradition, Peter is someone whom followers of Jesus have been able to relate to: good-hearted and eager to please but, when it comes to the moment, vacillating, impetuous, unreliable – one who claims to be willing to die for his master but then in fact denies him not just once but three times.  For Peter, the spirit was willing but the flesh was weak.”(1)  We must realize that our strength comes from God and never think the strength comes from us because when we do this we fail.  Coming to the realization that we are weak in the flesh is profound, but trusting God for strength is even greater.

Practical Application Today

Keep your options open, as you never know what God is going to call you to do. And if God tells you something is going to happen, no matter how unlikely it may seem, have the faith to believe in that.  Abraham was one hundred years old and Sarah was ninety when God told Abraham that they would have a son (Genesis 17:15-22).  Abraham laughed at God when He first told him this but God’s word is always true and never fails as seen by the birth of Abraham’s son Isaac.   If you do something against what God is telling you to do and you realize this, repent and seek His forgiveness.

Study Questions:

1. How do we know that God is always right?  Use scripture to back up your point.
2. Why are we weak in the flesh and what are some ways to avoid giving into our flesh?
3. Does God forgive Peter for denying him? (Hint: see John 21)

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(1) Peter, Paul, & Mary Magdalene, The Followers of Jesus in History and Legend (New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 2006), 21.

Just like you and me: A devetional series on the life of Peter – Part III

Devotional #3 – We May Not Always Know the Answer

Lessons to learn:

1. Why things happen in our lives may not become clear until a later period of time
2. Gather all the facts before coming to a decision
3. Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry

Read John 13:1-17.

After reading this scripture we quickly notice that Peter never seems to have a problem with blurting out whatever is on his mind.  He literally speaks before he thinks.  I know I have been guilty of this mistake on more than one occasion.  Peter’s unguarded and unthinking tendency to protest Jesus’ statements cannot only be seen here when he tells Jesus not to wash his feet but also when Peter rebukes Jesus at Caesarea Philippi for telling Jesus he will never die (Mark 8:32). Peter did not believe his master should wash his feet because it was a mark of honor for a host to provide a servant to wash a guest’s feet in Palestine during those days and Peter thought he was Jesus’ servant.  At the time, Peter did not understand the lesson Jesus was trying to teach him.  Jesus was trying to demonstrate that “Unless I wash your sins away by My atoning death (cf. Rev. 1:5) you have no real relationship to Me.” (1)

Have you ever jumped to a conclusion at work before having all the facts only to find out later that you were wrong?  I know I have.  Peter didn’t understand what Jesus was doing, thus he made a comment based upon his own knowledge when he told Jesus that he shouldn’t wash his feet.  Just like Peter, we can be quick to overreact or jump to conclusions.  What we can learn from Peter is that we need to be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry (James 1:19).  We need to get all the facts before making a decision and trust the Holy Spirit to guide us.

We also see from Peter that sometimes in life we may not truly realize why events happen to us until later in life.  It wasn’t until sometime after Jesus’ resurrection that Peter truly understood why Jesus had washed his feet that evening.  We don’t always understand why things happen but must know that there is always a reason why things happen because God is sovereign and He is in control of everything.  Also, we need to be aware that sometimes that reason may not be revealed to us until later in life or perhaps not at all.

Additionally, we can learn from this passage that Christ did this to testify his love to his disciples (John 13:1), give an instance of his own voluntary humility and condescension (John 13:3-5) and most importantly set an example to the disciples of how they should live their lives self-sacrificially for others (John 13:12-17).

Practical Application Today

The next time something happens to you that you don’t understand ask God through prayer why that thing happened to you.  Seek Godly counsel from a fellow brother or sister in Christ because God can speak to you though other believers.  Most importantly be patient and know that you sometimes you may never understand why things happen.  Remember, God is sovereign and in control of everything.

Study Questions:

1. What are some things you can do to avoid jumping too quickly to conclusions in the future?
2. List some ways that Peter served others in scripture after Jesus’ resurrection.
3. What are some practical ways you can serve others?

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(1) Walvoord, J. F., R. B. Zuck, and Dallas Theological Seminary. The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An exposition of the scriptures (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985).

Just like you and me: A devetional series on the life of Peter – Part II

Devotional #2 – Anything is Possible When Our Eyes are Focused on Jesus

Lessons to learn:

1. Faith is something that grows as we mature as believers
2. Our faith may waiver, but keeping focused on God makes it stronger
3. We must step out in faith when God calls us and believe that He will provide all we need when we faithfully follow Him

Matthew 14:25-31 says, “During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.  When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I.  Don’t be afraid.”  “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”  “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.  But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”” 

Lack of faith is something we all struggle with at some point in our walk with Christ.  You may be thinking “I have never doubted my faith,” but have you ever questioned it when someone close to you died, or when a brutal terrorist attack happened (i.e., 911), or you lost your job or something bad happened at work, or a natural disaster struck (i.e., Hurricane Katrina) and hurt someone close to you.  I’m betting you have questioned it at some point in your walk.  Peter and the disciples had Christ walking with them, performing miracle after miracle, and they still questioned their faith.  Think of how much more we probably question our faith since we don’t have Jesus physically living among us.

Peter was the only disciple that had faith enough to step out of the boat.  Peter dared to be bold.  We must have the faith to take the first step out of the boat like Peter did.  However, Peter’s attempt to walk on water like Jesus failed because it was accompanied by insufficient faith.(1)  Peter’s faith failed in the same way that our faith falls short many times in our lives.  Peter’s response to Jesus represents an example of true faith, which did not survive through a crisis of temptation.(2)   Peter’s faith failed numerous times throughout the New Testament.  We see it fail when the fierce storm hit Jesus and the disciples (which included Peter) in Sea of Galilee while Jesus was sleeping.  The disciples thought they were going to drown so they woke Jesus up to save them and Jesus rebuked them for their lack of faith (Matthew 8:25-27).  We also see Peter’s lack of faith when he and the other disciples question how Jesus was going to feed the five thousand people when they only had two fish and five loaves of bread (Mark 6:35-44).

From walking on water Peter learned that trials in life are not always easy but if we keep our eyes focused and our hearts and mind fixed on Jesus anything is possible, even walking on water. Trials teach us to trust Jesus Christ alone and to obey His Word no matter what the circumstances may be. It has been said, “Faith is not believing in spite of evidence, but obeying in spite of consequence.”(3)   As soon as we take our focus off of Jesus, we begin to sink, as did Peter.  But even though we are sinking and loose sight, Jesus still reaches out to keep us on track as he is the author and finisher of our faith as stated in Hebrews 12:2.  Anything is possible with Jesus.

Practical Application Today

Just like Peter, we are going to go through circumstances in our lives that challenge our faith.  We must remember these challenges help our faith grow and transform us into more mature believers.  We also need to step out in faith to serve God as Peter did when he jumped out of the boat.  A great example of stepping out of faith can be seen in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.  Indiana faced three challenges that he had to pass to recover the Holy Grail in this movie.  One of those challenges was a leap of faith where he had to take a step out into a twenty-foot bottomless ravine with no bridge trusting that he would somehow, miraculously be supported. When he took that first step, a hidden walkway was made visible and he safely crossed over the ravine.  Indiana had to put his complete faith in God like we need to do everyday in our walk.   When you struggle in your faith, seek fellow believers to discuss this struggle to encourage you and help you to keep your eyes focused on God.

Study Questions:

1. List someone in your life who you believe truly walks by faith and give the reasons why you believe this person walks by faith.  What can you learn from this person’s faith that you can apply to your own life?
2. What are some practical things we can do to help our faith continue to grow?
3. Can you have faith in God without deeds?  (Read James 2:14-26)

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(1) Grant, Michael.  Saint Peter, A Biography  (New York:  Michael Grant Publications Ltd., 1995), 67.

(2)  Lea D., Thomas and Alan David Black.  The New Testament, Its Background and Message, 2^nd ed.  (Tennessee: Broadman & Homan Publishers, 2003), 213.

(3) Wiersbe, W. W. The Bible Exposition Commentary (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1989).

Just like you and me: A devetional series on the life of Peter – Part I

Introduction

Throughout the story of the New Testament, there are many characters that God uses in a mighty way to help complete His story of redemption, most notably His Son Jesus Christ.  But everyone else God used in His great story were people just like you and me.  Men like, Peter, John, Matthew, Paul, Barnabas, and others were used to complete this great story.

In this devotional series we will study the life of Peter, a man just like you and me.  Like us, Peter went from insecurity and unbelief in Jesus to becoming one of his most fully devoted followers.  Each lesson in this series will focus on specific experiences in Peter’s life that we can learn from as we also strive to become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.

These devotionals can be used as a Bible study series for either a Small Group or single individual.  The lessons taught through this study will help both new believers and veteran believers grow in their walk with Christ.  Each devotional study will take approximately 45 minutes to complete.

Devotional #1 – The least of these

Lessons to Learn:

1. You don’t have to be someone important or special to be chose or used by God
2. God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called
3. Who God chooses doesn’t depend on sex, culture, religious preferences, or social status
4. Lack of knowledge or experience should not be an excuse to ignore God’s call because God always provides a way to accomplish His will

Matthew 4:18 says, “As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew.  They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fisherman.  “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”  At once they left their nets and followed him.” 

When I read Matthew 4:18 I wonder why Jesus chose a fisherman like Peter to be His disciple.  Jesus could have chosen a priest who was highly educated in the Torah and the religious laws of that day or a political leader who had considerable influence, but Jesus chose a fisherman like Peter instead.  Peter was an average Joe, just like you and me.

Through examining Peter’s life we learn that he was a person, a human being, just like you or me. Obviously he was a fisherman by trade, but he had no extraordinary qualities, in fact, he had limited education and life experiences.  Acts 4:13says that Peter is an unschooled, ordinary man.   However, the Greek word used in Acts 4:13 (agrammatos) most likely means something like “without an advanced education” rather than illiterate.(1)  Peter originated from an unprivileged stratum of society but to carry out his missions he must have been bilingual, if not orally trilingual.(2)   We also know that Peter was married because in Mark 1:29–31 Jesus heals his mother–in–law. Peter held a job, had a limited education, spoke several languages and was married. However, I can’t help but wonder, what made Peter so special?

When Jesus chose Peter as one of His disciples it demonstrated that God uses ordinary, every-day individuals like you and me to further His kingdom.  What makes us special is God’s favor and surrendering to his plan for our lives. Peter didn’t have strong scriptural knowledge or time tested experience in religious practices.  What he did have, and what God saw in him, was a heart to love the Lord and the potential to grow in faith. Like Peter, it isn’t necessary for us to know a lot about God when he first calls us to follow him so don’t let lack of knowledge or experience hinder you from pursuing his call on your life.  God does not show favoritism to anyone as stated by Peter in Acts 10:34-35.  God can use anyone to further His kingdom, even non-believers.

Lets explore this point that God does not show favoritism by studying other ordinary men and women in the Bible that God used in extraordinary ways.  God used Abraham to bless all the people of the earth (Genesis 12:3).  Abraham came from the pagan background of Ur and Haran.  The fact that anybody can become a Christian can be seen through people like Abraham who chose to follow God despite his family’s pagan roots.  Consider David, a mere shepherd boy who spent his days in fields tending sheep for his father (1 Samuel 17:14) but who, through God’s special favor, became a strong and mighty leader for God’s people. David was the equivalent of a blue-collar worker who after surrendering to God’s plan for his life, was named in scriptures as a man after God’s own heart. Before the apostle Paul’s conversion, he played the role of the most zealous representative of the Jews in persecuting the church.(3)   Saul, as he was known before his conversion, was an enemy of God yet God opened his eyes and showed him a new way that ultimately led to Paul preaching the gospel to the Gentiles. Before becoming a prophet, Paul was a tentmaker as we see in Acts 18:3.  So we can see how God took Saul, a persecutor of Christians, and transformed him into Paul one of Christ’s most fully devoted followers. Look at Ruth, who God used to demonstrate the type of faithfulness, loyalness and servants’ heart that pleases God.  Ruth wasn’t even a Jew, but a Moabite (Ruth 1:22), a people who were enemies of the Jews.  Ruth stayed with her mother-in-law Naomi when her husband died even though she was no longer bound to her by cultural norms.  Through each of these individuals we see that God uses both men and women from other cultures, but he can also use those who do not even know Him.

Practical Application Today

This devotional teaches us that God can choose anyone to serve him as seen through God’s choosing of Peter. So if God calls on you don’t question it, “Just Do It” like the Nike slogan says.  God’s will always prevails.  If we ignore God, there will be consequences. We can see this through the story of Jonah.  Jonah tried to run away from God’s calling to preach to the city of Nineveh by fleeing on a ship to Tarshish.  Jonah ended up getting tossed overboard by the ship’s crew to save themselves from being punished for Jonah’s disobedience through a great storm that God had unleashed upon the ship.  Once Jonah was tossed overboard he ended up in the belly of a whale for three days before consenting to God’s will.  The moral of the story is that disobedience comes with consequences. In the end, Jonah ended up doing what God had requested of him, but not before God got is attention through a series of traumatic events.  If Jonah had originally followed the “Just Do It” principal he would not have had to go through that whole ordeal.  The next time you feel God calling you to step out in a ministry role such as going on a mission’s trip or serving at a homeless shelter, remember that God chose you because He believes in you and that you shouldn’t let fear or a lack of experience keep you from following the Lord.  Remember, we are just the tools and God is the one who uses those tools to further His kingdom.

Study Questions:

1. Who are some other people in the Bible who re-enforce this principal that God can use anyone?  Use scripture to support your answer.
2. What are some other characteristics of Peter that you see through reading the New Testament that make him like you and me?
3. How do we know God is calling us to serve Him?  List some ways God has called people in the past to serve HIm.  Can God call us in the same ways He called people in the past today?

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(1) New International Version Archaeological Study Bible(Michigan: Zondervan, 1984), 2011.

(2) Grant, Michael.  Saint Peter, A Biography (New York:  Michael Grant Publications Ltd., 1995), 56.

(3)  Pfeiffer, F. Charles and Everett F. Harrison. The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, A Phrase by Phrase Commentary of the Bible (Chicago: Moody Press, 1990), 1140.

Is drinking a sin?

Question: Is drinking a sin?

Answer:  Ephesians 5:18, “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.”

This is a very loaded question.  No pun on words attended!  No where in the Bible does it state that drinking is a sin or that there is anything wrong with drinking. In fact, do a word search on ’wine’ in the Bible and you be surprised how many times the word wine shows up in the scriptures.  In Jesus’ first recorded miracle he changed water into wine at a wedding in Cana of the Galilee (John 2). Do you think Jesus would have made wine if drinking it was a sin?  However, the Bible does say getting drunk is a sin as seen through Ephesians 5 above.  

Here is the kicker!  When your drinking is going to cause another brother/sister to stumble it then becomes a sin.  God tells us in Romans 14:21, “It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall.”  So if your drinking is going to lead another to sin then you shouldn’t do it in the presence of that person because you don’t want to cause your brother or sister to stumble.

Drinking is also a sin if you are under the legal age to drink alcohol.  For instance, it is a sin If you are under the age of twenty-one in the United States and you are drinking.  God commands to follow the laws our governments establish.  Romans 13:1 says, “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” 

I know that many people avoid drinking because they can never become drunk or cause someone else to falter or stumble if they don’t drink.  This is totally fine, but don’t relate drinking to sin because it is not and please don’t make up laws like the Pharisees did just to put a fence of protection around yourself or others.  God has already provided us with all the laws we need.