Easter Characters - Peter

Our Sunday, we continued our series on some of the main Easter Characters by focusing on Peter. We focused on how Peter went from being a fighter for Christ (John 18:7-11) to be a denier of Christ (Luke 22:54-62). Thinking through your life, when is it easy for you to go from a fighter for to a denier of Christ?

It is definitely hard to fight for Christ always as FEAR can creep in and cause you to deny - maybe not so much an an blatant denial, but it could be like not speaking up when you could say something.

Unlike Judas, the great thing for Peter is that he was given an opportunity for reconciliation with Christ.

Read John 21:15-19

1. What did Jesus ask Peter? How many times did he ask him this?
2. Why do you think Jesus asked Peter this and that many times?
3. What were the 3 responses Christ said to Peter's responses? What do you think these mean?

Application:

Christ asked Peter 3 times if he loved him. Christ didn't just model forgiveness here, but he also issued a challenge to Peter. He gave Peter the opportunity to reaffirm his commitment to himself (after denying him 3 times) and then told him to "feed my sheep". Peter went on to become one of the great evangelists ever as he was on the forefront of spreading the gospel, not just the the Jews, but to the Gentiles as well.

Christ gives us the opportunity to reconcile with him daily. But, just like with Peter, he calls us to go and "feed his sheep." We are to go and further his kingdom.

We can not let fear or anything else allow us to prevent us from furthering the kingdom. Considering that this week is Good Friday and Easter, it is the perfect opportunity for you to share the love of Christ to others. Ask the Lord to provide opportunities for you to share about him to others. Then, when those opportunities open up, walk in boldness because you know that the Lord has given them to you.

Pray