The Redemption of Peter

Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. Acts 2:22-24

Peter stumbled and fell more times than not. Bless his heart - we can't be too critical of him because we can identify with him.

Peter was the kind of man you wanted in your corner, for the most part. He was brash and straightforward. Remember when Jesus wanted to wash his feet in the upper room? He was indignant that the Son of God would lower Himself to the place of a servant. But when he realized the meaning of it, he wanted in, whole hog, so to speak.

The Peter we see on the day of Pentecost is a completely different Peter than we saw standing by the fire denying Jesus. He has toned down the brash, rough edges to a holy boldness that was needed for the time. His sermon and testimony of the resurrection of Christ brought many to know the free pardon from sin through salvation. The boldness Peter displayed, no longer cataclysmic in nature, reflected the redemption given to him by Christ. He was determined to share the hope of salvation with as many as possible and he did not take this responsibility lightly.

The resurrection of Christ became the foundation of his dynamic ministry and the fuel of his faith.

We are often short-sighted in our faith. Just like Peter was, we act in haste and stumble. However, just like Peter, we can change. We can see the resurrection as not only part of our faith, but the foundation on which it is built.

So, go forth and be bold in your sharing of the good news. He's alive, no other religion can say that!

C