THE PETER WE SEE after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension is a far different Peter than the one who denied Jesus in the courtyard of the high priest not once, not twice, but three distinct times, wherein “The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered. And he went outside and wept bitterly.” (Luke 22:61-62) Neither is he the Peter that said, “I’m going out to fish,” influencing the rest of the apostles, who said, “We’ll go with you.” (John 21:3) Later, the spiritually maturing Peter, early in the Book of Acts, opens his mouth and speaks boldly, saying “I can tell you confidently, God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” (Acts 2:29, 32, 36) He then presents the gospel in its purest form “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 2:38) And because of the power of the Holy Spirit working through both him and them, “about three thousand were added to their number that day.” (Acts 2:41)
We must never underestimate the power of the gospel, nor the mysterious way in which the Holy Spirit works in the hearts of those who are quickened to respond to it. The encounter between the Ethiopian eunuch and Philip gives testimony to this fact. An angel of the Lord assigns Philip a mission. “‘Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. Go to that chariot and stay near it.’ Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ Philip asked. So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. The eunuch said, ‘Look, here is water. Why shouldn’t I be baptized?’ Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.” (Acts 8:29-38)
Peter’s new boldness touches upon the same concept as this second example regarding Phillip. A simple presentation of the good news about Jesus Christ is immediately met by a positive response from someone who’s soul has already been prepared by the power of the Holy Spirit. Peter explains that these events are meant to happen, and reveals that this is a fulfillment of prophecy. “This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. And everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.’” (Acts 2:16-21; Joel 2:28-32)
This same confidence that Peter and Philip exhibit in testifying about the Lord Jesus is also ours; it is the mission assigned to every man and woman called into relationship with Jesus. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts. 1:8) Nor should we worry about our knowledge or our eloquence, for we are told, “do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.” (Luke 12:11-12)
Modern evangelist Bill Fay says that God can use anything that we say to bring glory to himself, but that silence in these matters is a sin. Imagine a Holy Spirit encounter with someone during a brief encounter at, say, a small grocery market. The Holy Spirit nudges you to witness to the person standing near you, and, stammering and stuttering, you manage to squeak out, “Uhhh, would you, umm, like to come to church with me?” This literally happened, and the quote is exactly what was said. And Wayne—his real name—got saved that week. Fay goes on to say that silence is a sin, because God cannot use silence in these circumstances.
May you have a divine appointment this week, and may you open your mouth so that God can use it. Jesus tells us, “Do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” It’s not that hard, when God is doing the talking.
Q. When is the last time I spoke to someone out in the dark world about the light of Jesus?
Leave a Reply