Life Project Blog

As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him.

When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

Mark 1:16-20

Mark has given us something really interesting to sink our teeth into in verses 16 ff.

This is His first command to His disciples: “Follow me.” I always enjoy pointing out that His ministry begins in earnest with “Follow Me” and ends with “Go and make disciples”. In between these two commands Jesus makes disciples and saves the world. If you stop and think about that, you will surely gain wisdom, for you will be looking right directly at the eternal purpose of God.

Another interesting aspect to this story is that when Jesus walks up to these guys and says “Follow Me,” they actually drop everything and obey His command! What would I do if some 30-year-old kid walked up to me and said that? If I was in a really good mood I might say, “And you are… who exactly?”

These guys just dropped their nets and answered His call, and when you read that they dropped their nets, understand that those nets were their profession, not their amusement. Jesus has called you and me to do a number of things. He’s called us to love one another; do we drop our nets and follow? He has called us to make disciples, do we drop our nets and follow? I’m sure you can see where this is headed, and no, we usually put up a bit of a fuss with Him when He calls us to do something.

Over the past several weeks, we’ve been looking at various aspects of the Christian life, and taking stock of things, as we should all do periodically. Each topic we’ve looked at comes down to this: “Follow Me”. Are we following Jesus, or are we going along our own paths?  Are we following Jesus when it is easy? Are we following Him when it is hard?

Here is another way of saying the same thing: If we were arrested and charged with being a Christ follower, would there be enough evidence to convict? Hmm…

No matter how good we are doing in life, we can, with His guidance, with His help, by His mercy and grace, and with His strength, do a little better in this great Adventure that we call life.

Ephesians 2:1-10

Beginning here in chapter two, Paul reminds us of how we have been made alive in Christ. It’s a funny thing, but I nearly added the word “again” to that sentence, but Paul’s point is not that we are now “alive again,” rather he is making the case that we have never been “alive” before. How could we have been alive when we were merely following the lead of the one who is in opposition to the One who is “the Way, the Truth and the Life”?

All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. (v. 3)

Have you ever watched what dogs do? OK, maybe this isn’t the most tactful comparison, but when we were not following Jesus Christ, we were a bit like a dog, following our noses to whatever feels good and then doing it with no thought of consequences; a dog just doesn’t know any better, but a man does. Ah yes, that’s where the “wrath” comes in.

Notice the contrast in verses 4 ff. In Christ, we have been lifted up from that old life with its ways to the heavenly realms, by grace through faith. Paul makes it very clear in vv. 8-9 that this “lifting up” in life has nothing do with any works on our parts, nor does it have anything to do with our great abilities, so no one can boast of their accomplishment of salvation. 

After making these glorious points Paul throws us a bit of a curve in verse 10: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” You might wonder, as many have before, how “works” found its way back into the picture here…

We cannot work to earn our salvation; it just isn’t possible. Yet now that we have received our salvation by grace through faith, God has work for us to do in His Kingdom, namely sharing its awesome blessings with others, just as Jesus did. I can testify, no doubt along with many of you, that entering relationship with our Lord is a wonderful thing, an experience that is life-changing as a matter of fact, but serving Him in His Kingdom work is even better!

Peter speaks at Pentecost Acts 2:14-47

Peter begins by speaking to the silly notion that they are all drunk, reminding the crowd that it was still only nine in the morning. By tradition, the ninth hour was the time for morning prayer after which the first meal of the day would be eaten; silly notion indeed. Then Peter gives an explanation of what was going on that morning, by telling the people that “‘In the last days, God says,I will pour out my Spirit on all people. (2:17a). The prophet Joel, who is being quoted here (see Joel 2:28-32) spoke in a time of trial when the people were feeling the weight of their sin during a time of plague, when God had spoken of a future when Messiah would bring about the fulfillment of God’s purpose with His people, pouring out His Spirit upon all people. This was the longed for age of the Messiah for which they had been yearning such a long time now. In addition to Joel, Isaiah, Hosea and Micah had called this time “the last days”, as would New Testaments writers such as Peter himself, John and the author of Hebrews. Those in the crowd that day would have had no difficulty in understanding the reference, since it was a rich part of their heritage.

Joel made it quite clear that these wonders of God would be for all of the people. Notice that he said things like “all people”, “sons and daughters”, and “both men and women” that mark a great contrast with the restricted activity of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament. Now, the Holy Spirit was to be “poured out” on all who believed; God was expecting universal acceptance. In 2:19-20 we see a number of apocalyptic elements that add to this the sense that God is doing a work of staggering proportion, and finally in verse 21 we see that what is coming about is a new age of salvation for all of those who will accept it:

And everyone who calls
    on the name of the Lord will be saved

From our point of view, this passage is somewhat more difficult to grasp then it would have been to those who heard it first, for most of us are not well versed in the Messianic understanding of the first century; some today even suggest that Peter might have been mistaken in citing this passage from Joel as what was happening at that time, preferring instead to place its fulfillment at some point that is still in the future. Of course you are welcome to your view on the subject, but as for me, I must respectfully reject such thinking, and here’s why: In 2:1-12, we are told that the Apostles received the Holy Spirit. Their having been filled with the Spirit was so much in evidence that they began to speak in other languages (tongues), and while this was still going on, Peter applied the Joel text to that moment in time. Thus, we have in this very highly documented point in time, as we understand time, an Apostle who is under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit making an assertion that Joel’s prophecy was being fulfilled at that moment, nearly 2,000 years ago.

This event is being recorded by Luke, who although not an Apostle himself, is under the oversight of an Apostle while also being inspired by the Holy Spirit. Our whole understanding of inspired Scripture is that each author, either Old Testament prophet, New Testament Apostle, or a New Testament believer under the direction of an Apostle, is accurate and reliable precisely because of the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, if either Peter or Luke got this wrong, then none of the 66 books of the Bible are reliable as the Word of God. As a consequence, any time I think the Scriptures might be mistaken, I recheck my work, for it is I who am mistaken.

At any rate, we can all be assured that Pentecost was the day the Church began as had been foretold long before. Peter moves on from explaining to the people what they had witnessed, to telling them about the Messiah, and in doing so, he will pull no punches.

Acts 2:22-41

We left off earlier after Peter’s citation of the prophecy of Joel 2:28-32 (cf. Acts 2:17-21). Our text picks up in verse 22 as Peter moves forward to drive his point home. I would certainly recommend that you read the text at this point, if you haven’t already. He mentions the name Jesus of Nazareth in that verse, reminding them that He performed miracles and wonders in the midst of the people which were intended by God to confirm His identity and authority, and that his hearers knew all about these things. Then Peter goes right to the nitty-gritty:

This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. (2:23)

This is an amazing contrast to the Peter who not long before had denied Jesus three times and gone into hiding, and it might even be called a reckless thing to say to a large crowd of Jews in Jerusalem at that moment, yet Peter boldly proclaimed the truth. He continued in his proclamation of the truth by boldly announcing that Jesus had been raised from the dead in 2:24-28, including another quotation, this time from Psalm 16. His explanation of the day’s events is wrapped up in 2:29-33, and then Peter closes his remarks with this:

For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,

“‘The Lord said to my Lord:
    “Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies
    a footstool for your feet.”’

“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” (2:34-36)

Let’s pause a moment and take in the power of what we’ve been reading of the address by Peter at Pentecost…

Peter began to address this very large crowd of thousands when people in the crowd began to say that he and the other Apostles were drunk (2:13-14). This was not only silly, as Peter pointed out, but it was an attempt to marginalize the magnitude of the coming of Holy Spirit, which had been God’s purpose all along. Yet the Holy Spirit, through Peter, took that slur and turned it completely around on the scoffers and used the occasion as an opportunity to proclaim the Gospel of Christ in a most convincing way; who could argue with it?

Apparently, no one dared to do so. I would suggest to you that the coming of the Holy Spirit was the greatest miracle of that day, but the working of the Holy Spirit through Peter comes in a very close second. Look what happened next:

When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” (2:37)

Where are the scoffers now?

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. (2:38-41)

Here’s a question to ponder:

When did Peter become such a Bible scholar that he could cite and interpret Scripture so insightfully that people would see truths they had never before seen? Peter was a fisherman, not a theologian; he was a working man, not a Rabbi − where did this come from?

Another question might be, what had Peter really done?

The answer is simplicity itself: Not much. On that amazing day, the only thing Peter had done was show up, and get out of the Spirit’s way; the Spirit did the rest, and about 3,000 people were saved from destruction. The same Holy Spirit that was in Peter is in all of us; brothers and sisters, what shall we do?

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Acts 2:42-47

Luke abruptly shifts the scene from Pentecost to a summation of the period that followed in which he tells us what they did and how they lived during this early time. What is there for me to add to this picture?

Not much. There is one thing: For me at least, there are two references here that are easy to miss: First, notice that during this period they are said to have enjoyed “the favor of all the people” and finally, the Lord “added to their number daily”. When the love of Christ shines through the Body of believers into the larger community, amazing and wonderful things happen.

That should give us something to ponder…

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;  but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.  For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?

And “if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless man and the sinner?”

Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.

1 Peter 4:12-19

Peter ends the fourth chapter by once again mentioning those under persecution for their faith.  Since he is repeating the thought here, I thought this might be a good time to reflect upon those who suffer for other reasons.  We all know people who suffer with chronic disease, mental and emotional problems, financial hardship, disabilities and other conditions or circumstances that cause pain, hurt and despair, and these need our loving support.  It is for us to reach out to offer help, to nurture and to bring comfort; may we not forget this.

For those who might find themselves in such a situation, Peter offers encouragement and guidance. We should be cheerful and hopeful. Always we should keep our trust and hope in Him, that we might give Him glory and impress those around us, not with how great we are, but so that they may see how great He is.

Yes, it is true that this life has been called a “vale of tears.”  There are certainly times like that, but our hope, our joy and our strength in Christ has overcome all that.  It is rather for us to have our eyes, minds and souls fixed upon Jesus through any hardship, so that His glory, power and love might be made manifest to the whole world around us.

Within the Church

Peter is winding up his letter now with some insight that he shares with local church leaders… and the younger men. First for the leadership:

To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.

1 Peter 5:1-4

The words that are usually translated into English as “elder, pastor, shepherd, bishop and overseer” are used interchangeably in the New Testament to refer to the leaders of each local church congregation; what I like to call the Leadership Team.  I realize that many who read this come from church backgrounds that have a structure different than that of the first century church, so in that case, the principles and application should apply to your church leaders, whatever they might be called.

The thing that really jumps out to me is the fact that a leader is not at all a big shot, he is instead the servant of all. Notice that Peter emphasizes humility, rather than position, service, rather than rank and sacrifice rather than personal gain. An elder is to be an example of servant-leadership, as Jesus Himself was our example of servant-leadership. So often churches go wrong because the leaders of the church seek to exalt themselves above their flock, rather than to serve in humility, forgetting entirely that the crown of glory does not come in this life, but when Jesus returns.

Next, Peter has insight for the younger ones…

In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,

“God opposes the proud
    but shows favor to the humble.”

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

1 Peter 5:5-7

Younger people are not famous for being submissive to their elders. We must understand that in context, Peter isn’t referring only to those who are young in years, but also to those who are spiritually young.  When my kids were teenagers, they knew everything.  They knew that getting along in life, paying bills, managing finances and maintaining a household was really easy, and that I wasn’t very good at it; they all could have done a better job than I did.  Now they are grown and have their own households… and they all, each in his or her own way, have admitted that it isn’t as easy as they thought it would be.  As a leader in the local church for more years than I’d like to count, I can recall many times when younger Christians of various ages were quite vocal about things they knew much more about than the leadership; they didn’t hesitate to point out everything we did that was wrong in their eyes… and then later had to admit that there had been so many things they hadn’t understood before. Peter, of course, is aware of all of this, for little has changed in human nature.