Pastor Bell's Words To Live By

The way Peter lived prior to meeting Jesus is typical for many of us. We go about our business and are concerned only for our wellbeing and for the wellbeing of our immediate families. Peter’s mindset was fixed in the way he saw things, which in turn dictated how he operated. He wore his cultural lenses at all times and accepted the status quo. That all changed when he was introduced to Jesus by his younger brother Andrew. After Andrew brought Peter to Jesus he is seldom mentioned in the scriptures, but he was there working away in the background, bringing more and more people into contact with Jesus.

Like Peter, many people go through life without taking off their cultural lenses and therefore fail to participate in the rich cultural diversity that God has afforded us. Once we are exposed to ‘others’ and their ways of doing things, our attitudes and tolerance levels can be revolutionised.

Jesus’ mission was to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to those in captivity and release to those in prison (Isaiah 61:1-2). He gave sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf and healed those who had physical, emotional and spiritual ailments.

However, the greatest healing an individual can undergo is that to the human spirit. This only occurs when we open up to the Spirit of Jesus and allow him to remove our cultural masks so that he can reveal to us what it is to be truly human. Peter experienced this and was able to embrace the very people who were oppressing his nation for many years (Acts 10) to bring salvation to them.

Today can we be like Peter and allow the Spirit of the sovereign Lord to open up our blinded eyes, heal our broken hearts and release us from selfishness and bigotry? So be like Peter and let Jesus turn your world upside down.

Read Mark 14:26-31 & 16:6-8 see how Peter went from a denier to a pillar.