There
is a beautiful story in Numbers chapter 22 that is written as a historical
narrative, not an allegory or a parable.
In it God uses two different Asses to preach. The first is an actual ass, Balaam’s donkey,
which the Lord used to preach to Balaam.
The second is the money-grubbing televangelist (or false-prophet) Balaam
who would “prophesy” whatever spiritual message you wanted to hear, for the
right price. Balaam is converted, in a
sense, and is then used by God to preach against God’s enemies. I am often reminded of this bit of church
history when I think of the Apostle Peter and myself. If God can use Balaam, Balaam’s donkey and
Peter then surely God can use a sinner like me.
Since Peter is so prevalent
throughout the New Testament I felt the need to confine the information that I
will be expounding on to the fist half of the book of Acts. There are three separate stories there that I
feel best-articulate Peter’s leadership characteristics. These would include: Peter’s Pentecost sermon
in Acts chapter two, Peter and John disobeying the Sadducees in Acts chapter
four, and Peter preaching to the Gentiles in Acts chapter ten.
Following Christ’s bodily
resurrection and ascension, Peter shows several of our leadership qualities in
the Pentecost sermon from Acts chapter two - willingness to take a stand,
influence of others, effective communication skills, leading change, and expressing
his passion for Christ.
Though a simple fisherman Peter’s
sermon reflects a deep theological understanding of the Old Testament and how
that points us to Christ as its fulfillment in the New Testament. I often hear young pastors today, who have
not been to seminary, justify themselves by the fact that the Apostles had no
seminary training. The truth is that
spending night and day with God incarnate for years is the best seminary
training anyone has ever received. Peter
also models for us servant leadership in how he preaches what Christ empowers
us all to preach: repentance and the forgiveness of sins found exclusively in
Jesus (Luke 24). He shows bravery,
influence and team building not just in standing amongst the other Apostles
but also in taking the spotlight to proclaim Christ. He shows effective communication in
confronting sinners (the Jews) with their sin (murdering the Messiah). He beautifully weaves bits of Old Testament
passages together with contemporary headline news to craft a theologically rich
sermon that explains to these Jews why Jesus was the Messiah they had been
waiting for and how it was God’s purpose, not just their ruler’s, that he
should be put to death. He then calls
these sinners to believe in Jesus, to be baptized and become fellow disciples (i.e.
The Great Commission from Matthew chapter 28).
In the Gospels we see a completely
different Peter. I heard a sermon once
as a kid called “Peter: the Apostle with the foot-shaped mouth” this briefly
describes Peter’s tendency, like mine, to run his mouth off without thinking
first. Peter’s passion at
Pentecost shows a deep change within him from the days when he would question,
rebuke, reject and deny God. Peter is
still brash and bold but he’s now committed to be a
pastor
(or shepherd) of Christ’s sheep (John 21).
Now, since he’s seen both Christ’s resurrection and ascension personally,
Peter is unstoppable. He fears neither the
embarrassment in calling his fellow friends and Jews Christ-killers nor does he
fear bodily harm from angry Sadducees. His
sole concern is turned toward fulfilling Christ’s commissions. When threatened by the religious rulers of
his day in Acts chapters 3 & 4 his response is, if it is better for us to
obey you, mere men, or God you must judge but I’m going to keep preaching
Christ. For Peter influence and
teambuilding meant confronting sinners with their Savior and then pastorally
shepherding with care and instruction any sheep (or disciples) that God put under
him (see 1st and 2nd Peter).
After the Lord raises a girl from
the dead for whom Peter prayed over. Then the Lord directs Peter’s feet to
preach to a house full of Gentiles in Acts chapter 10. Peter exemplifies again Christ’s teaching that
a real leader will spend their time, serving. While externally to us it looks like Peter is
leading change in being the first to extend the Gospel to the Gentiles,
Peter makes it clear that its not him “leading” as much as its him “following”
God. Preaching Christ because Christ empowers
him to in John 21, preaching to the Gentles just like God told him to in Acts
10. In this act God is slowly
sanctifying Peter, shaving off his own natural racism that can be seen in Paul’s
public rebuke of Peter in Galatians chapter 2 and Peter’s surprise that God
would extend Salvation by Grace through Faith to non-Jews in Acts 10 & 15.
In all of this we see the light of
Christ being reflected in the very earthen vessel of the Apostle Peter as he
strives to keep the Church together by preaching and teaching, by prayer, by
spreading the Gospel and confronting sinners with their sins, with facing open
opposition and persecution from Pharisees and Sadducees, by standing up to the
very people that killed Jesus and not stepping aside, or being passive or being
tolerant and accepting of diverse religious opinions. He confronted the
Law-based, Works-righteous church of his day with the Gospel and the established
church crumbled before selfless men who proclaimed not themselves and
their pragmatic leadership principles but the Gospel of Jesus and Christ
crucified for sinners.
In application, I would just like to
remind us that while Scripture records moments of personal
discouragement, it nowhere encourages doubt, disbelief, discontentment
or even disappointment with God. Where
Scripture instructs it instructs us in repentance, faith, trust, belief and
contentment with God’s sovereign rule over the universe. When Christ predetermines Peter’s martyrdom in
John 21 his initial response, like ours would be, Lord you can’t do this it
isn’t fair. Yet by the time of his death
Church History tells us that Nero was seeking to kill him and the church in
Rome encouraged Peter to flee the city and he got as far as the city gate and
was reminded by Christ of the death He had ordained for him and Peter stopped,
turned around and headed back into the city to die (Foxe, 2010). Even in this Peter models for us both servant-hood
and leadership. We can only pray
that God would grant each of us but a little of this titan’s strength, faith
and boldness to do what he’s called each us to do, to Lead and to Follow
faithfully until the time of our own appointed ends.
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