Mark 13-14 (ESV) by Wordle*

Today’s reading is Mark 13:1-14:72.

“Peter said to him, ‘Even though they all fall away, I will not’” (Mark 14:29).

I believe Peter was absolutely sincere when he made this promise. He could not possibly imagine any future event that would make him fall away from Jesus. He was ready to die with Jesus. There was no way he would deny his Master. I’m certain that is true because the guy who pulls out his sword in Mark 14:47 and struck the high priest’s servant was Peter (cf. John 18:10). Peter was ready to fight. He was ready to die. But he was only ready to die on his terms. When Jesus told him to put his sword away, he was confused. He couldn’t understand. He was ready to die in a fight, but it never occurred to him that death might come without a fight. He fled.

How many times have I said, “I’ll never do that”? How many times have I thought that there was some line I would never cross? How many times have I told God, “No matter what, you can count on me to avoid such and such”? Or how many times have I said, “Alright, God, I’ve got this figured out. I’ll never do that again”? How incensed I would get if someone suggested I needed to be a bit more humble. “Oh no, no matter what anyone else does, I’ll never do that (again). How dare you think that of me.” How puffed up with pride. How much I have tried to stand on my own feet. And it was as if Satan was just waiting for that opportunity so he could kick my legs out from under me.

I’ve had to learn some humility. God is teaching me to turn away from rash promises and rather to say, “By God’s grace, I haven’t done that yet. I pray that God will keep me from it.” That reminds me that I have to rely on God and His strength if I will keep from whatever it is. If I ever start relying on me, I realize I will do whatever it is I’m committed to not doing (cf. Romans 7:14-24).

So, today, I’m not making God any promises. Rather, asking God to fulfill His promise to me and grant me the strength to overcome.

Keep the faith today and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading? Click here to add your input.

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*Today’s illustration was generated by the creative tool at Wordle.net. You can find all my wordles here.

Acts 11-12 (ESV) by Wordle*

Today’s reading is Acts 11:1-12:25.

“And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. Recognizing Peter’s voice, in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate. They said to her, ‘You are out of your mind.’ But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, ‘It is his angel!’ But peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed” (Acts 12:13-16).

I don’t think, as some do, that these people lacked faith in God’s ability to grant their requests for Peter’s freedom. Rather, I believe they simply placed God in a box. If He would release Peter, it would be by something like getting Herod to change his mind and deciding to set him free. It simply didn’t occur to them that God would defy natural order and let Peter walk through locked gates and walls to escape under the very nose of Herod.

The point then is not to pray with faith, though that is necessary. The point is to never assume God will say, “Yes,” the way we expect. Don’t put God in a box. Take your requests to Him and let Him answer the way He wants. He will amaze you.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading? You can add your input by clicking here.

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*Today’s illustration was generated by the creative tool at Wordle.net. You can find all my wordles here.

Acts 1-2 (ESV) by Wordle*

Today’s reading is Acts 1:1-2:47.

“Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’ And Peter said to them, ‘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’” (Acts 2:37-38).

I’ve been cut to the heart before. How do I respond? Do I turn against the one who has cut me? Do I stop my ears and sing, “La, la, la, la, I can’t hear you”? Or do I examine myself. Do I recognize the despair my own actions have caused?

I usually want to avoid that despair because I think there will be no solution. I think things are too far gone and no one, not even God can do anything about it. But when these folks cried out, there was a solution. Repent. Be Baptized. Receive forgiveness and the Spirit’s gift. Peter had an answer to their seemingly unanswerable question, “What shall we do?”

Peace has never come by ignoring the despair of a pricked heart. It has only ever come for me when I faced it and asked the questions I thought had no answers. When I face those questions, I find that God does have an answer. He will forgive my sins. He will preserve my soul. He will protect and guide me. Blessed are the mourners, for they shall be comforted.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading? You can add your input by clicking here.

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*Today’s illustration was generated by the creative tool at Wordle.net. You can find all my wordles here.

Today’s reading is Mark 13:1-14:72.

“And Jesus said to him, ‘Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.’ But he said emphatically, ‘If I must die with you, I will not deny you.’ And they all said the same” (Mark 14:30-31).

How many times have I told Jesus I will not commit some sin ever again? How many times have I done it again? But I am not alone. Even Peter, the great apostle, did the exact same thing.

Of course, this doesn’t give me permission to go out sinning today. It simply reminds me that if Peter did this and Jesus accepted Him, providing Him with progressive victory and growth, Jesus will do the same thing for me. I must not revel in my failures. They are not a badge of honor, but a cloak of humility. However, I do not have to linger in despair over them either.

I will still make my commitments to overcome. But, when I falter, I will not turn away from Jesus but turn back to Him. 

Thank you, God, for you grace in Jesus Christ.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Luke 5:1-6:49.

“And Simon said, ‘Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets’” (Luke 5:5).

What on earth could a carpenter turned itinerant rabbi know about fishing? That was Peter’s job. He had done it his whole life. He knew the good spots. He knew the good times. He even knew that some times you just came up empty netted. Now, here’s this guy telling him to let down his nets again.

But there is something about this Jesus. I don’t know what Peter’s prior experience with Jesus had been, but something convinced him to listen. Something convinced him to move his faith from his own experience, his own ability to measure, his own ability to see and grasp and get his mind around the directive. Something convinced him to place his faith in this man, Jesus. His doubts weren’t completely removed. He did make sure to voice an objection. But he had enough faith in Jesus to do what He said, even if Peter didn’t get it.

Peter surrendered to Jesus. Instead of fighting, he had faith–at least enough to surrender. Look at the payoff. That is the kind of faith I need today. I can’t always get my head around why Jesus asks me to do all that He does. I simply need enough faith to quit fighting against Him and surrender to what He says. I doubt I’ll end up with a netload of fish. But I’m certain the blessings will fill my nets to overflowing.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

P.S. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Galatians 1:1-2:21.

I’m so glad Peter is in the Bible. I mean, I know there are plenty of other people in the Bible whose warts are uncovered. But Peter’s are all over the place. Yet, he still has a place in God’s kingdom. Even after becoming an apostle, he really blew it over this issue with the Gentiles and Jews. Even after he had been the one who first brought the Gospel to the Gentiles, had convinced the Jews in Jerusalem it was alright, and been vocal in the Acts 15 argument in favor of the Gentiles, he fell to temptation and had to be rebuked.

Maybe there is still hope for me.

Thank You, God, for leaving Peter as an example.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

Today’s reading is Acts 9:1-10:48.

Peter had never eaten anything unclean. Though, interestingly, he was at a tanner’s home. That would almost seem to test the bounds of a statement that said he’d never eaten anything unclean. He was in the home of a man whose livelihood was touching dead animals. That touch made him unclean. But, let’s not get distracted from the main point.

He saw the foods in the sheet and knew they violated God’s Old Testament dietary laws (cf. Leviticus 11:1-47). He had not ever violated those laws and wasn’t about to start now. But God’s response was, “What God has made clean, do not call common.” In the big picture of this story, God was indicating to Peter that Gentiles were not common or unclean. They could be saved by Christ’s gospel just like Jews could. This led to the baptizing of Cornelius and his household.

However, this statement struck me today. “What God has made clean, do not call common.” I get two things out of this statement. First, if God has made something clean and proper, it doesn’t matter whether I like it or not. It is lawful. The Jews were not likely to come around on eating pork, but their lack of comfort wasn’t going to change God’s law. In the same way, there may be things in God’s word that rub me the wrong way. Because of my background, I may not like them. That doesn’t change that they are lawful and I shouldn’t place myself as judge over someone because they simply do what I don’t like.

Second, what God has made clean, should not be called common. However, if God has not made it clean, then it is common. Many today have the idea that just about anything is good unless God has called it bad. I suggest unless God has made it clean through the authorization of His scripture, then it is common and we should not arise and eat that. All scripture has been given to equip us for every good work (II Timothy 3:16-17). If God has not authorized it through His scripture, then we should not assume it is good.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

P.S. What did you get out of today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Luke 21:1-22:71.

Today is one of those days where the verse that jumped out at me with more questions than answers. I’ll share them with you and you can tell me what you get out of it.

Luke 22:31-32 says, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”

The implication of this statement is that Jesus was being granted His request. We, of course, know that Peter did return and would strengthen the brethren. We could jump to John 21:15-19 to talk about Peter’s return and Jesus’ commission for Peter to feed His sheep (strengthen Peter’s brethren). However, right now I’m getting stuck with Jesus’ statement that Peter’s faith not fail.

On the surface, I would say Jesus was told, “No.” Because Peter’s faith did fail. He denied Jesus. However, Jesus knew Peter was going to do that. In fact, in Luke 22:34, He backed Peter down by telling him he would not keep his promise to die for Jesus that night. 

Did Jesus pray for something He knew would be denied? Or is there some sense in which Peter’s faith did not fail? Is there something for us to learn from this that even though we mess up sometimes, it can be said that our faith did not fail?

Right now, I don’t have an answer. I mean, I have a “safe” thing that I want to say just to make this fit in with everything else I want to believe. However, I want to leave this door open for a few days to consider its implications. I’d love your input.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

P.S. What did you get out of the reading?

Poor Peter. No doubt he was miserable. He had done the very opposite of what he promised. Would he ever step up to the plate and be a sacrifice for Jesus the way Jesus was a sacrifice for him? Would Jesus even let him back into the fold after his betrayal. Yes, it was a betrayal as much as was Judas’ betrayal. He had verbally denied Jesus three times, calling down curses and taking oaths. He abandoned Jesus after promising to fight alone for him if he had to. Now Jesus was back. I imagine Peter could hardly look at Jesus in the eye.

However, Jesus pulls him aside and let’s Peter know there is a place for him in the kingdom. He let’s Peter know there is a job for him in the kingdom. He let’s Peter know that he will grow and keep his promise, he will sacrifice himself for Jesus.

There is an interesting textual occurrence here that we miss in the English. I know some think I make too much of this and I hope they add their thoughts into this discussion. But I’ll share what I get out of this.

In John 21:15, when Jesus asks Peter if he loves him, the author used the Greek word “agapao.” When Peter responded, “You know that I love you.” The author chose the Greek word “phileo.” This does not mean that Jesus asked, “Do you love me?” and Peter responded, “You know I like you very much.” Both words meant “love.” But these words had a different coloring. “Agapeo” is a selfless, ready to serve at all costs love. “Phileo” is an intense affection based on constant relationship. “Agapeo” means I’ll do anything for you. “Phileo” means I esteem you above everything.

Can you see why Peter might have balked at using “agapeo”? He loved Jesus, but his actions had already demonstrated he wasn’t able to do anything for Jesus. Peter wasn’t quite ready to say what Jesus said, but he did love Jesus. I have felt like that. I love Jesus, but my actions show I’m not quite there on the sacrificing part yet. Do I love Jesus enough? That has to be in Peter’s mind.

Jesus’ first question was “Do you love me more than these?” I have to think that was in reference to the apostles based on Peter’s earlier claim that even if all the apostles fell away, he would die for Jesus. Peter was humbled. He couldn’t say that. However, he did love Jesus.

So Jesus asked a second time, this time without reference to anyone else around. It was just, “Do you love me?” (agapeo). Peter again responds, “Yes, Lord I phileo you.” Even without the modifier, Peter has been humbled. Not only will he no longer brag about his greater love than anyone else. He can’t bring himself to say he would do anything. He is weak and small and he doesn’t think he can make it.

Finally, Jesus says, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you phileo me?” Peter was grieved that it was brought to this. But he responded, “Lord, you know everything, you know that I phileo you.” Jesus gave Peter a mission–”Feed my sheep.” In other words, “Peter, you are not called to make the ultimate sacrifice yet. If you love, just feed my sheep.” But then He provides the ultimate for Peter, “Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” In other words, “Peter, you didn’t make the ultimate sacrifice a few days ago. Right now you think you won’t ever be able to do it. But I’m telling you, you will. You will grow. You will keep your promise.”

The great lesson for me is that Jesus accepts us where we are. We don’t have to be the ultimately mature disciples to be on Jesus’ side. If we simply devote ourselves to Him, He will grow us. Our love will increase. With each passing day, our sacrifice will become greater. 

If Jesus would accept Peter back, He will take us and use us as well. And He will help us grow. 

Take comfort.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS: If you would like to read or hear more about this and more about the lessons I learn from this occurrence, check out the sermon I presented to the Franklin church at the following link.

If Jesus Would Take Peter Back…

Acts 10 is the source of a great deal of controversy. Many use it to claim baptism is not essential to salvation. After all, Cornelius received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Surely no one who was not already saved could possibly receive baptism of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, some say, Cornelius must have been redeemed from his sins before he was baptized. 

That, of course, neglects the fact that Peter said baptism is for the remission of sins in Acts 2:38 and that he wrote that baptism now saves us in I Peter 3:21. 

So, what is the answer. Was Cornelius saved and then baptized by the Holy Spirit and then baptized in water?Or was he baptized in the Holy Spirit and then baptized in water and saved through that baptism?

I believe Acts 11 answers this question for us. In this chapter, Peter is defending his actions to the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem who don’t like the idea of opening their fellowship up to the uncircumcised. In Acts 11:4, Luke recorded that Peter is recounting the story in order. In Acts 11:14, Peter revealed that Cornelius had been told by an angel that Peter had a message, by which Cornelius would be saved. Keep that in mind. Cornelius had to hear Peter’s message in order to be saved. But then Acts 11:15 says, “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them…” (ESV). 

Remember, Cornelius is going to be saved by the message he hears from Peter. However, Peter didn’t get the message out before the Holy Spirit fell on Cornelius. If Cornelius had to hear Peter’s message to be saved, then he wasn’t saved when the Holy Spirit fell on him. But what message did Peter finally give Cornelius? That he had to be baptized in water. When Cornelius did that along with his household they were saved.

Someone will ask, “But how could the Holy Spirit fall on Cornelius if he weren’t saved?” That could happen because God is not bound by our rules. God can do what He wants. I certainly believe God could save someone without water baptism. I just don’t believe He did that here or anywhere else after Jesus died and was resurrected. Don’t you believe that if God wants to, He could let the Holy Spirit fall on anyone He wants? Or does He have to live by the rules we set for Him?

I would love to hear what you think about this or any other topic in these two chapters.

Keep the faith and keep reading.

ELC