Having arrested Him, they led Him away and brought Him to the house of the high priest; but Peter followed at a distance. After they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter was sitting among them. And a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the firelight and looking intently at him, said, "This man was with Him too."
But he denied it saying, "Woman, I do not know Him."
A little later, another saw him and said, "You are one of them too!
But Peter said, "Man, I am not!"
After about an hour had passed, another man began to insist, saying, "Certainly this man also was with Him, for he is a Galilean too."
But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are talking about." Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed.
Usually when we look at this passage, we draw attention to the denial that Peter exclaimed. Why would an apostle of Jesus Christ blatantly and explicitly deny knowing the Lord; especially a man as bold in tongue as Peter often was?
What we don't often look at is the reasons behind his denial - Peter was only willing to follow Jesus at a distance."
Allow me to speculate for a minute: Peter thought he was doing good. Peter told Jesus he would die for Him. Peter rebuked Jesus for prophesying His death, because Peter believed in Jesus power to rise above the enemy. Peter was likely confused when Jesus told him of his own imminent denial. Peter was the only one of the disciples that didn't scatter when the enemy came. He alone followed Jesus to His trial - but he followed at a distance.
Peter wasn't bold enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Lord. But he figured his gesture of being in the vicinity was good enough. Peter could see Jesus. Peter was keeping an eye on his Lord. But Peter would not draw near in this time of trouble.
Look at what Peter did do:
1) Peter followed at a distance - He would not draw near to Jesus, but stayed within a "comfortable distance", straddling the line between Jesus and his captors.
2) They kindled a fire...and Peter sat among them - If he wasn't going to stand shoulder to shoulder with his King, where else would he go? The only other option was to sit with the enemy. Peter got cozy with those who also denied Jesus. Sure, he was there for good intentions. He wanted to stay close (enough) to God. But he refused to distinguish himself from the enemies of God.
3) He said, "I do not know the Man." - His comfort around the enemies' fire grew to complacency away from the Lord. His survival instinct set in. He was no longer talking a big game with the other disciples. He made camp with the enemy. And he finally tried to identify as one of them. It was going to be way too much of a hassle to explain his relationship to Jesus and why he was there, at the enemy camp. So, if you can't beat them, join them.
Peter's crucial error was not his denial - yes that was the ultimate culmination of his mistakes, but he started down a path of denial when he only followed at a distance out of fear and halfhearted zeal. But what does that mean for me and you?
Work, school, friends, etc. No matter where we are or what we are doing, we will find ourselves eventually surrounded by people who deny our Lord. The question we have to ask is, "Will we stand shoulder to shoulder with Jesus, or will we sit by the fire with Peter, following at a distance?"
1) It's easy to go to church on Sundays. It's easy to pray with the family. But if that's all we do - we are just keeping our eye but not preparing to stand with Him till the end.
2) When we leave the church and go to be with our friends of the world, if we are not actively stand with Jesus then we will likely be hanging out/working with our friends and colleagues of the world and trying to fit in with them and hoping no one recognizes you from church or asks about your faith. It's a lot more comfortable to sit around the fire and not deal with the reality that you will be on trial with your Lord if you speak up.
3) When we are comfortable and fearful, it's easy to just give in. While we are at the fire it's just simpler and safer to say, "No, I don't really do church," or "My parent's go, but that's not really for me." Suddenly we are explicitly denying our relationship with Christ. And if we do that long enough, odds are we will start believing the lies ourselves.
If we are going to continue following Jesus, we cannot afford to follow at a distance. We must stand with Him, shoulder to shoulder, or we are bound to not follow him at all.
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Expectations
I was on the phone with one of my good friends last night, PJ, and we were talking about life and catching up. Some people would look down on PJ because of the decisions he has made of the last three years. PJ is 22 years old, he got engaged his freshman year of college, got married after his sophomore year, stopped going to school full time after he got married, a year and a half into his marriage he and his wife now have a beautiful baby girl, he still doesn't have a college degree, and is supporting his family by selling devices and plans at the local wireless network store. Underwhelmed with PJ's life yet?
Here's the kicker - PJ is making more money than most people do right out of college. He is more than supporting the needs of his small family. And he is taking on a leadership role in their small, struggling church. In fact, I'm a little envious of PJ's success!
Why is it that when we see someone working retail, without a college degree, and raising a family at the age of 22, we immediately question their responsibility and life choices? Many of these people are doing the best the can with what they have, and a lot of those are actually living productive, fulfilling lives! So many people have looked down on PJ because of his lack of degree that he has begun to look down on himself. He's actually pretty depressed about it lately! But why?! I see PJ doing 4 awesome things with his life:
1) Genesis 2:24, "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife we both naked and were not ashamed."
Ephesians 5:32-33, "This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband."
PJ is fulfilling God's expectation of his people to have good, holy marriages that reflect the perfect relationship between Jesus and His bride - the church. And looking at it from this perspective, PJ got a head start on a lot of people! He couldn't wait to fulfill this purpose of God. He started doing this good thing at the age of 20! PJ and his wife have left their parents and have been joined together in a shameless, guiltless relationship. Nothing is standing between the two of them. You might say they are naked and are not ashamed! That's a relationship so many people long for!
2) Genesis 1:28, "God blessed them; and God said to them be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it..."
Ephesians 6:4, "Fathers do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord."
The beautiful relationship PJ has with his wife has resulted in the creation of a beautiful new person. It seems that one of the initial purposes for marriage was for procreation. We were meant to give God more people for His kingdom; not just in birth, but in raising them to follow God! PJ is fulfilling this holy expectation too. He will make mistakes; every father does. But PJ is focused on his God granted role as a father, and is doing his best to do right by his baby girl.
3) Genesis 2:15, "Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate in and keep it."
Ephesians 4:28, "He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he may have something to share with one who has need."
1 Timothy 5:8, "But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever."
No where in scripture does God demand we have to have the best education money can afford in order to have a good seat in heaven. In fact, quite the opposite is true. Jesus give places of honor to servants/slaves. Solomon says that gaining wisdom (or education) for the sake of gain wisdom is vanity of vanities. PJ is blessed. God has given him a job to allow him to support his family in everything they need, without needing a college degree! He is working hard, and God is allowing that to show. Is PJ rich? Not by a long shot (at least not in this county, we can compare to the international market later). But his wife and daughter eat every day. They have a functional home; and plenty beyond that.
4) Genesis 1:28 (I know we've used this one already), "God blessed them; and God said to them be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."
Ephesians 4:11-13, "And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we attain the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature that belongs to the fullness of Christ."
Matthew 28:19, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you..."
In the garden, God wanted man to subdue the earth through procreation and child rearing. Today, we have another caveat to how we are to subdue the earth - by making disciples for God's kingdom! PJ worships in a community with very little true Christian influence. The church there is in chaos. PJ has stepped up to make a difference in that community, despite the excuses he could make about his busy life.
Our world puts an undue burden on us, especially our young people. Personal and spiritual life is always supposed to take second and third place in this world. Our culture worships the almighty dollar, and part of that worship service is often the demand of a college degree! I'm not saying a degree is a bad thing. Often it is a valuable tool to help us the competitive climate of our cultural economy.
My point here isn't to discourage going to college on any level. My point is to give a little perspective on whose expectations we are living toward and demanding of others. God demands an honest life, dedicated to Him and serving in our relationship here. That's all. Grow a godly family. Provide for them. Spread the kingdom of Christ. Don't look down on people like PJ. Encourage them. Help them. And if you are someone in this position - don't be disappoint with yourself. Serve God now, how you can, with what you have.
Matthew 6:33, "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."
Here's the kicker - PJ is making more money than most people do right out of college. He is more than supporting the needs of his small family. And he is taking on a leadership role in their small, struggling church. In fact, I'm a little envious of PJ's success!
Why is it that when we see someone working retail, without a college degree, and raising a family at the age of 22, we immediately question their responsibility and life choices? Many of these people are doing the best the can with what they have, and a lot of those are actually living productive, fulfilling lives! So many people have looked down on PJ because of his lack of degree that he has begun to look down on himself. He's actually pretty depressed about it lately! But why?! I see PJ doing 4 awesome things with his life:
1) Genesis 2:24, "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife we both naked and were not ashamed."
Ephesians 5:32-33, "This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband."
PJ is fulfilling God's expectation of his people to have good, holy marriages that reflect the perfect relationship between Jesus and His bride - the church. And looking at it from this perspective, PJ got a head start on a lot of people! He couldn't wait to fulfill this purpose of God. He started doing this good thing at the age of 20! PJ and his wife have left their parents and have been joined together in a shameless, guiltless relationship. Nothing is standing between the two of them. You might say they are naked and are not ashamed! That's a relationship so many people long for!
2) Genesis 1:28, "God blessed them; and God said to them be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it..."
Ephesians 6:4, "Fathers do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord."
The beautiful relationship PJ has with his wife has resulted in the creation of a beautiful new person. It seems that one of the initial purposes for marriage was for procreation. We were meant to give God more people for His kingdom; not just in birth, but in raising them to follow God! PJ is fulfilling this holy expectation too. He will make mistakes; every father does. But PJ is focused on his God granted role as a father, and is doing his best to do right by his baby girl.
3) Genesis 2:15, "Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate in and keep it."
Ephesians 4:28, "He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he may have something to share with one who has need."
1 Timothy 5:8, "But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever."
No where in scripture does God demand we have to have the best education money can afford in order to have a good seat in heaven. In fact, quite the opposite is true. Jesus give places of honor to servants/slaves. Solomon says that gaining wisdom (or education) for the sake of gain wisdom is vanity of vanities. PJ is blessed. God has given him a job to allow him to support his family in everything they need, without needing a college degree! He is working hard, and God is allowing that to show. Is PJ rich? Not by a long shot (at least not in this county, we can compare to the international market later). But his wife and daughter eat every day. They have a functional home; and plenty beyond that.
4) Genesis 1:28 (I know we've used this one already), "God blessed them; and God said to them be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."
Ephesians 4:11-13, "And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we attain the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature that belongs to the fullness of Christ."
Matthew 28:19, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you..."
In the garden, God wanted man to subdue the earth through procreation and child rearing. Today, we have another caveat to how we are to subdue the earth - by making disciples for God's kingdom! PJ worships in a community with very little true Christian influence. The church there is in chaos. PJ has stepped up to make a difference in that community, despite the excuses he could make about his busy life.
Our world puts an undue burden on us, especially our young people. Personal and spiritual life is always supposed to take second and third place in this world. Our culture worships the almighty dollar, and part of that worship service is often the demand of a college degree! I'm not saying a degree is a bad thing. Often it is a valuable tool to help us the competitive climate of our cultural economy.
My point here isn't to discourage going to college on any level. My point is to give a little perspective on whose expectations we are living toward and demanding of others. God demands an honest life, dedicated to Him and serving in our relationship here. That's all. Grow a godly family. Provide for them. Spread the kingdom of Christ. Don't look down on people like PJ. Encourage them. Help them. And if you are someone in this position - don't be disappoint with yourself. Serve God now, how you can, with what you have.
Matthew 6:33, "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."
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