Discovering New Strength

The Peter we meet in the opening chapters of Acts is markedly different from the one we got to know in the Gospels. He clearly has the same boldness, the same passion that is by now familiar to us. But these core aspects of Peter’s distinctive personality have been transformed, channeled in a powerful new way toward God’s desired ends.

In the critical moments, as the crucifixion approached, Peter faltered. But at the critical moments in Acts, Peter steps forward to lead every time (see the stories that begin at Acts 1:15, 2:14, 3:12, 4:8, and 5:29). His grasp of Scripture and his confidence in the meaning of Christ’s death and resurrection is powerful and persuasive. There is no second-guessing, no hesitation, no wavering.

How did this happen? Where did this come from? The answer is the Holy Spirit. As we will read about in Acts 2, the Holy Spirit fell on the apostles at Pentecost and filled them with a new strength. The Holy Spirit is God in us, guiding and powering us in our journey as disciples.

The combination of Peter’s humble background and his mighty ministry stunned everyone. Luke tells us: “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13). People couldn’t believe what they were seeing.

Peter stood before hostile authorities and made a defense of Christianity, not in his own strength, but “filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 4:8). He refuses to stop speaking about Christ, choosing to obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29). As he suffers imprisonment and beatings, he rejoices that he was “counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name” (Acts 5:41). These are not the works of the flesh. These are the good works of a transformed heart.

Don’t misunderstand the change—it’s not that Peter has become someone else. The presence of the Spirit did not erase the old Peter, like replacing the hard drive of an aging computer. He’s not any less “Peter” now. On the contrary, he has become more fully Peter. He has become more fully who God made him to be. God’s grace does not erase or override nature. God’s grace perfects human nature, bringing it to its most fitting completion, its most beautiful expression.

From the beginning, humanity has fallen for the same lie. We believe that sin can make us whole. But this isn’t true. Sin distorts, defaces, and destroys what we are. Sin thwarts any attempt to become what we were made to be. It’s a dead end.

God’s grace, on the other hand, is the path to life. God’s grace restores what is broken in us, straightens what is crooked in us, and gives us the sure hope that we will one day be fully and completely what God intended. That’s where joy is found.

The disciple’s journey takes its course on a different kind of road, fueled by a different kind of power. It is a journey of the soul toward its Maker. It is a journey made only by God’s own strength working in us. Is this the kind of journey you are on? Are you relying on yourself or on God to get you there?

Prayer Priorities For the Week

Prayer is how we make our requests known to God. It is also how He aligns our hearts with His will. Determine at least three things that you want to pray for this week, then pray for these requests daily.

• I am praising and thanking God for:
• I am asking God for myself:
• I am asking God on behalf of others:

Key Verse for the Week

Memorize and write down the key verse for the week: Acts 3:12