Peter: What Can We Learn From Peter's Life?Sample

“Sent to Samaria”

By this time Stephen, a deacon in the church of Jerusalem, had been made the first Christian martyr. After his death, the persecution in Jerusalem became so strong that the believers there scattered throughout the surrounding regions. The apostles however, remained in Jerusalem despite the danger.

As these new believers travelled they continued to share their faith. Philip - not the disciple of Jesus but a deacon in the church - found himself in Samaria. Samaritans were of mixed race, but partially Jewish. This ancestry and some of their religious practices caused great tension between them and the Jewish people, even though they worshipped the same God. Jesus had commanded that the Good News be preached in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8) but for a Jew to deliberately invite a Samaritan into the Kingdom of God would have required a level of love that did not normally exist between these two people groups. However, Philip decided it was important and when several people accepted the message of Jesus, Peter and John travelled to Samaria as well.

This was significant. As a prominent leader in the church, Peter’s presence showed Jewish believers that the Samaritan church was part of them. They were not to be separate, but one in Christ. This may have been difficult for many Jewish believers to accept, after hating Samaritans so fiercely all their lives!

Peter also had a run-in with a former Samaritan magician named Simon who had become a believer. This man thought he could pay for the power to pray for others to receive the Holy Spirit. Peter brought strong words of correction to him. There were times as a disciple where Peter had been bold enough to speak correction to Jesus Himself, speaking from his own incomplete understanding and wisdom. Now that he was filled with the Holy Spirit, he was able to use that same willingness to correct others with accuracy and truth. He previously spoke such words to the religious leaders, to Ananias and Sapphira, and now to Simon. God refined a gift Peter already had and used it to fulfill His purposes.

Reflection:

Are there people you struggle to consider yourself “one in Christ” with?

How might God want to refine some of your weaknesses so they can be better used for His Kingdom?