 | This Weekend's Reflection by Jeff Taylor, Pastor of Teaching & Worship April 26, 2010 |
The setting: The Sea of Galilee
The characters: The disciples and a “ghost”
The event: As the disciples are out on the lake they see a ghostly image who turns out to be Jesus. Bravely, Peter asks Jesus if He will call him out on the water. Jesus does, and Peter steps out on the boat onto the water. But his bravery was hollow as a simple glance at the waves around him causes Peter to lose faith and sink into the water. Jesus reaches out and saves him, and takes Peter back to the boat.
The setting: A campfire outside the palace where Jesus is on trial for his life.
The characters: Peter, guards, servants, bystanders, and a rooster
The event: When Peter is recognized as a follower of Jesus, out of fear and insecurity, he denies ever knowing Jesus. Not once. Not twice, but three times.
Later, after Jesus’ resurrection, Jesus redeems Peter by giving him the opportunity to express his true heart of love for Him.
Peter was not known for his ability to be bold in the face of adversity, and take a stand in critical moments for what he claimed to believe in.
But fast forward to Acts chapter 2 and we find a very different Peter than we have seen before.
The characters: The disciples and a “ghost”
The event: As the disciples are out on the lake they see a ghostly image who turns out to be Jesus. Bravely, Peter asks Jesus if He will call him out on the water. Jesus does, and Peter steps out on the boat onto the water. But his bravery was hollow as a simple glance at the waves around him causes Peter to lose faith and sink into the water. Jesus reaches out and saves him, and takes Peter back to the boat.
The setting: A campfire outside the palace where Jesus is on trial for his life.
The characters: Peter, guards, servants, bystanders, and a rooster
The event: When Peter is recognized as a follower of Jesus, out of fear and insecurity, he denies ever knowing Jesus. Not once. Not twice, but three times.
Later, after Jesus’ resurrection, Jesus redeems Peter by giving him the opportunity to express his true heart of love for Him.
Peter was not known for his ability to be bold in the face of adversity, and take a stand in critical moments for what he claimed to believe in.
But fast forward to Acts chapter 2 and we find a very different Peter than we have seen before.
The setting: The city of
The characters: The disciples, some fellow believers, and a hoard of people from all over the known world.
The event: After 10 days of waiting in the upper room of a house with 120 other believers, the Holy Spirit descends on each believer individually. With power unlike they have ever known before, the believers begin speaking in languages previously unknown to them. Enter Peter, who emerges as a confident leader. He steps forward and begins to address the crowd with the confidence of a tenured theology professor. He speaks of prophecies from scripture with a clarity and a boldness that would impress Billy Graham. And he confronts the people with the truth of what they are witnessing.
For some, there may be clear evidences of the Holy Spirit, like we saw on the day of Pentecost, that God is moving in their lives. For others, the change and the impact may be more subtle. As believers we have been given authority in the name of Jesus. We have been empowered by the Holy Spirit, and we have been commissioned to go make disciples. So clearly we should be looking for, and anticipating a move of the Holy Spirit in our life. It may require some waiting. It may not look how we think it will look, but through faith, and the evidence I have seen in scripture and moments in my own journey with God, I can say that the Holy Spirit is alive, giving Spiritual Gifts, and moving in power.
Tell us of how you have seen the Holy Spirit move. What are some ways that you anticipate a move of God in your life? What are some ways you are stepping out in faith under the power of the Holy Spirit?
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