Humble Obedience

I heard a sermon on Acts 10 this past Sunday at church and I’ve been thinking about Peter ever since. I keep coming back to the fact that Peter was told that he would be used by God for something important, but — to my understanding — wasn’t told what that was going to look like in his life. Peter is a very passionate guy and he makes a lot of mistakes — even to the point of denying Jesus — but he’s very relatable. He struggles, fails, has fears, has doubts, and so on. Peter is very human and he loves God — which sounds a lot like me and others that I know. His imperfections don’t prevent him from building God’s kingdom — God uses him in spite of all of his failures. In fact, God uses him in a big way and I didn’t even make the connection until I was thinking about him after Sunday’s sermon.

In Matthew 16:18, Jesus is talking and says, “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” This was before His death. I wonder what Peter thought that meant? I wonder if he had any idea how that would play out in his life. Peter had just confessed who Jesus was in Matthew 16:16, but if you’re familiar with Peter’s life, then you know that later on he’ll deny knowing Jesus three times shortly before Jesus dies on the cross (Mt. 26:75). After Jesus is resurrected, there is an account of Him and Peter on the beach eating breakfast where Jesus asks him three times if he loves Him and, in response to Peter’s repeated confirmation that he does love Him, tells him to “feed” His sheep (Jhn. 21:15-17). This account reminds me of the words of Jesus in Matthew 16:18 when He says to Simon that he will be called Peter and that He will build His church on this rock. It makes me wonder if Peter fully understood what Jesus meant this time. Did he know what feeding Jesus’s sheep was going to look like? Did he know all that was up ahead of him? I doubt it. In fact, it might’ve been for the best that he didn’t know everything because it led to deep trust in God and humility on his part.

In Acts 10, Peter has a vision and is told to welcome gentiles in as guests and then is told to go and preach to them. This was not common or normal at this time in history. Peter’s actions would have been shocking to other Jewish people and, had he not been listening to the Holy Spirit, he would never have done such a thing. Acts 10:28-29 says, “And he [Peter] said to them, ‘You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean. So when I was sent for, I came without objection. I ask then why you sent for me.'” In this instance, God spoke, Peter obeyed, and the Gospel goes on to be preached to gentiles!

This is a big moment in history for gentile believers and Peter speaks a truth that is so important to remember! Acts 10:34-35; 43, says, “So Peter opened his mouth and said: ‘Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him…To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.'” God shows no partiality — He forgives anyone who believes in Him. Jesus came for the whole world to bring salvation to anyone who believes and repents. God didn’t just build the church through Peter preaching to the Jewish people — He built the church through Peter preaching to the gentiles also!

Thinking about all of these events in connection with each other left me amazed, once again, at how God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things — and He doesn’t even tell them exactly what it’s going to look like! When Jesus called Simon, Peter, did he understand that he would one day be preaching to the gentiles? I highly doubt it. When Jesus told Peter on the beach to “feed His sheep” did he have any idea that he would be preaching to gentiles because they’re a part of the flock? I highly doubt it. In fact, I think it might’ve freaked him out if he had known because the time wasn’t right yet. God is in the details, and if you read Acts 10 you’ll see Him working in Cornelius, Peter, and the people who hear Peter’s preaching. God is always working — even when we don’t see it — and His plans go far beyond what we can see right now.

Peter was humble and obediently preached to the gentiles. In Acts 10:25 Cornelius bows down to Peter and starts to worship him, but Peter says to him, “‘Stand up; I too am a man'” (Acts 10:26). After he leaves Cornelius and goes to Jerusalem, he’s criticized for what he did — preaching to the gentiles — and this is a part of his response, from Acts 11:17, “If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?'” He shows humility in both of these responses. He acknowledges that God is God and he is a man. Peter cannot save anyone — only God can do that. What an honor it is to be used by God and to get to be a part of His plans. We are all human and God chooses to use us — what a gift.

Peter’s life involves more than these three instances mentioned, but I think it’s important to point out that Peter was used by God in spite of his past. He was used in spite of his failures, doubts, and denial. He might not be the most famous preacher in the New Testament, but he played a critical role in the advancement of the Gospel to the gentiles. I wonder if Peter ever knew how important his obedience and humility was. Did he ever fully comprehend the domino effect that would come from him preaching to Cornelius and the rest of the gentiles in that group? His bravery to go against societal norms because of what God was calling Him to do is very commendable. The one who denied Jesus three times is the very one who risked his reputation later on in order to bring the Gospel to the gentiles — what a redemption story! Stay humble before God and obey what He says — you never know what He might use you for.

Song of the Week: This week I chose “No Outsiders” by Rend Collective. Enjoy!