Pentecost: The First Great AwakeningSample

Advancing All In

Before His ascension, Jesus had a conversation with Peter that prepared Peter for the days of intense ministry that would follow Pentecost. In this conversation, Jesus asked Peter whether he loved Him three times. This seems repetitive unless you consider the words Jesus chose for love. 

The first two times Jesus asked Peter whether Peter loved Him, Jesus used the word agapeo, a self-sacrificial love, and Peter answered with the word phileo, a deep camaraderie or affection born of common experience. In other words, Jesus asked Peter whether Peter loved Him enough to serve and sacrifice, and Peter answered by assuring Jesus his feelings ran deep…not quite what Jesus was looking for.  

The third time Jesus asked Peter whether Peter loved Him, He turned the tables to make a point, using Peter’s word phileo back at him. Hurt because Jesus felt the need to confirm what he’d already conveyed twice, Peter assured Jesus one more time that his feelings ran deep after all they had been through. Jesus told Peter, once again, to feed His sheep, making it clear that emotional attachment was only a starting point and the call to follow Him in obedience would involve service and, ultimately, sacrifice. 

Peter decided to follow Jesus anyway. 

When the opportunity to advance God’s Kingdom presented itself, Peter recognized and took it. Backed by his band of brothers, Peter openly identified himself with Jesus Christ—a big deal for someone who had denied Him three times before—and advanced the truth of the Gospel, knowing full well what it would cost him in the end. Later, he would urge others to do the same. 

You see, the call of God on a person’s life is two-fold, and you can’t answer half of it. It involves both the surrender necessary for salvation through Jesus Christ and the obedience that must follow that surrender by the power of the Holy Spirit. You can’t be saved unless you fully intend to obey God, and you can’t obey God consistently without the power of the Holy Spirit inside you. 

What about you? Have you answered God’s call by surrendering your life to follow Jesus Christ in obedience? Does the way you live your life prove the presence of the Holy Spirit in your heart? Do you take advantage of opportunities to advance God’s Kingdom even when it costs?