Unlikely FighterSample

The Fisherman with No Filter

“Act first, think later” sums up Simon Peter’s appearances in the Gospels—the four books of the Bible that tell about Jesus’s life on Earth. 

Early in Jesus’s ministry, Jesus chose Peter to be part of His inner circle. At a glance, it’s not clear why Jesus picked Peter, an uneducated fisherman. In the stories the Gospels record about him, he tends to start off well—with good intentions—but he bungles things by the end. For example:

• He’s the only disciple to step out of the boat in faith to walk on the water to Jesus. But then he looks around at the waves and his faith crumbles, causing him to sink. 

• He’s one of the first to recognize that Jesus is the Messiah, which Jesus blesses him for. But then Peter rebukes Jesus’s plan regarding the cross, causing Jesus to denounce him as a stumbling block.

• He vows to stand by Jesus to the death but instead denies him three times—with curses—before the night is over.

Time and again, Peter doesn’t quite measure up. He’s clearly passionate, and his heart is in the right place, but he has no impulse control, so the results are not good.

In the Gospels, that is. 

When we get to the book of Acts, the historical account of the early Church after Jesus’s resurrection, Peter transforms before our eyes. It’s been less than two months since he denied Jesus, but he now speaks and acts with authority, conviction, compassion, and consistency. He’s become the primary leader in spreading Jesus’s life-giving message.

Why the change? It wasn’t primarily that Peter finally understood Jesus’s message—although I’m sure that was the case. It wasn’t even just that he saw the resurrected Jesus—which he did. The true change came after Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit filled and empowered Peter and the other believers. God’s Spirit now lived inside Peter—guiding him, strengthening him, and filling him with the fruit of the Spirit, which includes self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

This is great news for anyone who trusts in Jesus for salvation, because the Holy Spirit now permanently dwells in you as well. If you’ve put your faith in Jesus, the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead now lives in you. And He can use you every bit as powerfully as He used Peter.

Reflect:

Have you trusted in Jesus’s death and resurrection for your salvation, so that His Spirit now lives in you?

What is the Holy Spirit prompting you to do to help grow God’s Kingdom?