An apostle of Jesus Christ, one who is sent away, a messenger

1 Peter 1:1-12 (NASB) from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen ² according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, ⁵ who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶ In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, ⁷ so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; ⁸ and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, ⁹ obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.

¹⁰ As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, ¹¹ seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. ¹² It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look.

As I read this letter from Peter I think the thing that impresses me most is not the text written on this page, but rather the living epistle which Peter was. He begins by saying Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ.  ( An apostle, from Classical Greek ἀπόστολος (apóstolos), meaning "one who is sent away", is a messenger and ambassador. The purpose of such "sending away" is to convey messages ) Peter, unlike Paul the writer of many of the letters in the Bible, was not formally educated as Paul was. Peter was a fisherman by trade. When we look at some of the accounts of Peter’s actions and reactions we recognize that he was a passionate but sometimes brash man, a man who in many ways embodies the paradoxes of our Christian faith better than any other of the early leaders.

In Matthew 16 we read about one of the examples of how Peter’s life and his faith displayed the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Jesus asks His disciples who people say He is, this is what follows:       Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” ¹⁴ And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” ¹⁵ He *said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” ¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” ¹⁷ And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. ¹⁸ I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”

Jesus calls Peter blessed. He says that Peter received the revelation that Jesus is the Christ from the Father, in heaven. Jesus says that upon this revelation He will build His church. Look then at the very next verses in Matthew 16.     ²¹ From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day. ²² Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.” ²³ But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”      In just a few moments Peter goes from blessed to rebuked.

Later in Matthew 26 we read of the beginning of another example of the highs and lows displayed through Peter’s faith and actions.    But Peter said to Him, "Even though all may fall away because of You, I will never fall away." 34Jesus said to him, "Truly I say to you that this very night, before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times." 35Peter said to Him, "Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You."    Later that night, later in Matthew 26 we read: Then he began to curse and swear, "I do not know the man!" And immediately a rooster crowed. 75And Peter remembered the word which Jesus had said, "Before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times." And he went out and wept bitterly.        Later, after Jesus resurrection we see the call and restoration of Peter, in John 21.

¹⁴ This is now the third time that Jesus was manifested to the disciples, after He was raised from the dead. ¹⁵ So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus *said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He *said to him, “Tend My lambs.” ¹⁶ He *said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” He *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He *said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.” ¹⁷ He *said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus *said to him, “Tend My sheep. ¹⁸ Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go.” ¹⁹ Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He *said to him, “Follow Me!”      Jesus calls Peter, the one who denied Him, to follow Him and to feed and tend His flock.

Again,  a short while later we see Peter begin to walk out this calling to feed Jesus sheep. In Acts 2 we read:     ¹⁴ But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: “Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words. ¹⁵ For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day; ¹⁶ but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel… Peter delivers his first sermon. He feeds the people the truth of God’s word, the good news of the gospel of Christ, he shares the revelation that Jesus is the Christ with the people. What is the result?  ³⁸ Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” ⁴⁰ And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!” ⁴¹ So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.

This brash fisherman, blessed, rebuked, the denier and the one who was called and commissioned to care for Jesus sheep in response to the love he had for Jesus, was used powerfully by God. What changed in Peter’s life and faith from the time he denied Jesus to the time he was so powerfully used. There were two primary differences in the Peter who denied Christ and the one who preached the gospel. First, although Peter recognized and believed that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah, the Lord and Savior in Matthew 16, Jesus had not yet gone to the cross. He had not yet paid the price to free Peter from his old nature. After the resurrection, when Jesus called and commissioned Peter, Peter was now the embodiment of 2 Corinthians 5:17.       Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.    We, like Peter, need more than just a knowledge of who Jesus is. It’s not enough that we know the Jesus who walked the earth. We like Peter need to see and receive the risen Christ, the one who has paid the price and made us new.

The other thing that changed in Peter, the thing that enabled and empowered him to walk in the fullness of his calling was that he was filled with the Holy Spirit. Peter was a brash, highly emotive man. He was passionate but not always thoughtful. The Holy Spirit did not take away those qualities that God implanted into Peter. The Holy Spirit, working in and through Peter maximized all the gifts God created in Peter. We too, need to yield to the Holy Spirit, allowing the Spirit to utilize and maximize the gifts and calling of God on and in our lives. There is no right or wrong temperament or personality type. Whether introvert or extrovert or whatever category or name for human temperament you have been called, God created them all and He created each of us individually, uniquely to fulfill the call and commission He has on and for our lives.

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ, precious Holy Spirit, I thank You that I am fearfully and wonderfully made in Your image. I thank You that through the revelation of Christ, through the power of the cross and the resurrection I am a new creation. I yield to the Holy Spirit, allowing You God to use me according to Your purposes and I pray, Your kingdom come, Your will be done, in and through my life, on earth as it is in heaven.   Amen