We belong to Jesus Christ—our words and actions should reflect that to those around us.
Acts 2:14-36 (KJV)
14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:
15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.
16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come:
21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:
23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.
25 For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:
26 Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:
27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
28 Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.
29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.
30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;
31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
When Jesus called him to a life of discipleship and service, Peter left his fishing career to become a leader in the church at Jerusalem. We can learn much from both the high and low points of his transformation.
Peter publicly acknowledged that Jesus Christ was the Messiah. When the Lord asked the disciples who they believed He was, Peter spoke up and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16). He boldly confessed his faith in front of the other disciples and didn’t hold back for fear of their opinion. In a similar way, the basis for our identity—in public as well as in private—ought to be that we are followers of Christ. Our words and actions should proclaim to those around us that we belong to Him.
After Christ’s arrest, Peter’s faith faltered. When he was challenged about having been with Jesus, he denied it. Just as the Lord had predicted, the apostle refused three times to acknowledge their relationship. How bitterly the disciple wept about what he’d done (Matt. 26:69-75). But following the resurrection, Jesus forgave Peter and then called him to love the lost “sheep” of the world (John 21:15-17).
After being filled with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, Peter began his ministry by sharing the gospel with thousands of people. (See Acts 2:6-11, 41.) Through God’s power, many were saved.
Peter is a good example of the type of person our heavenly Father can use—someone with strengths and weaknesses, who learns from mistakes and is surrendered to the Lord for His purposes. Have you committed yourself to following God’s plan for your life?
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