What’s come over Peter?

He preached one sermon on the Day of Pentecost and 3,000 people got saved (Acts 2:41). His second sermon drew 5,000 souls into the Kingdom (Acts 4:4).

Now he and John stand accused before the Sanhedrin, the most powerful authority in Judaism. But Peter is not the same man who denied Jesus three times on the night of his arrest.

There he cringed before a domestic helper who recognised him as a disciple. But now, speaking for all the apostles, he confesses the name of Jesus with a courage and confidence that astounds the Supreme Court of Israel.

How do we account for this dramatic change in Peter’s life?

The obvious answer is Pentecost. Jesus said: You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses  (Acts 1:8).

What a difference the Spirit makes. The same anointing that rested on Jesus from the day of His baptism has transformed Peter from a reed blowing in the wind to a rock that cannot be shaken.

But the Sanhedrin doesn’t know about the Holy Spirit. They attribute the boldness of the apostles to the fact that they had been with Jesus. This was not meant as a compliment.

Like their teacher, Peter and John had no formal training in rhetoric or theology. They were ordinary fishermen. But bold as lions!

Just like Jesus, the carpenter from Galilee. The rulers and elders of Israel had never won a debate with Jesus. Now they’ve got Jesus multiplied by 12 on their hands. They had nothing to say in opposition.

Another source of Peter’s boldness has largely been overlooked. Not only had he been with Jesus and filled with the Spirit. He had also been with Satan in the arena. He met his enemy in pitch battle and survived by the prayers and the forgiveness of Jesus (Luke 22:32).

Peter has gone through fire and come forth as gold (1 Peter 1:7). He’s been humbled under the mighty hand of God. Now, God has exalted him (1 Peter 5:6). Fearless he stands before the Supreme Court of Israel – solid as a rock!

PrayerWatch

• Peter’s transformation was not the result of positive thinking, psychological therapy, or intellectual study. Nor was it a gradual upgrade of his personality. Peter was totally and radically transformed from the inside out by the mighty infilling of the Spirit of God on the Day of Pentecost.
   
  Singapore is overdue for such a divine visitation. Open heavens. Open hearts. Open homes. Open harvest. On your own and together with others, cry out to God for:
  • Unparalleled outpouring of the Spirit
  • Unstoppable revival-prayer movement
  • Unusual boldness in witness and proclamation
  • Unheard of hunger and openness to the Gospel
  • Unprecedented turning to Christ among pre-believers
  • Unexpected doors for Antioch missions.
   
• Do you want to be transformed? Really? Not all of us do. Confess. Pray: Lord, we know that change comes at a cost. It upsets the status quo. It often strains relationships. We hesitate to let go of what is safe, secure and predictable.
   
  But You have promised great power to those who hear and obey You. You have promised radical transformation to those who yield to Your Spirit. You have promised great opportunities to those who are open to change.
   
  We believe that Peter’s experience is available to every disciple. You have predestined us, not just to become good and likeable people, but to be conformed to Your image.
   
• In this post-modern age, truth telling and right living are ridiculed. The German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer said: All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.
   
  Watch and pray. Every generation must fight its own battles to establish truth and then pass it on to the next. What will our children and grandchildren and great grandchildren believe to be self-evident truth? The answer largely depends on our witness and testimony today.
   
  Pray that on our watch in these turbulent times, we will be solid as a rock and bold as a lion (Proverbs 28:1). That we will preach the Truth fearlessly, live righteously, and lead responsibly – so that the next generation will also be rock solid, standing tall as a beacon of light, a pillar of truth, and a torch of justice.
   
• Sing and pray the lyrics of this classic hymn:
  God of grace and God of glory, on Thy people pour Thy power!
  Crown Thy ancient Church’s story, bring its bud to glorious flower.
  Grant us wisdom, grant us courage, for the facing of this hour. (2x)
   
  Set our feet on lofty places, gird our lives that they may be,
  Armoured with all Christ-like graces, pledged to set all captives free!
  Grant us wisdom, grant us courage, that we fail not them nor Thee. (2x)

Read the devotional from Day 32, August 1: Three’s a crowd here.