Peter the restored disciple

In the Right Place  

On the Day of Pentecost Peter and the disciples were in the right place, they were where Jesus had told them to be and as a result doing what Jesus had called them to do. 

In John chapter 21 we see something different. We see that Peter and some of the disciples were not in the right place, they were not doing what Jesus had called them to do. 

How did he get from the ordinariness of John 21 to the wonder of being a disciple at Pentecost?

Jesus restored him to the right place.

Over the past weeks we have been encouraged to introduce others to Jesus. If we are honest many in our churches are not in the right place to do this. As disciples we need to be restored.

First we need to look out for the warning signs that we are living in the wrong place.

• We will no longer have: the joy of worshiping God, 
• the awe and hope in our lives as think of the wonder of heaven, 
• the confidence and reassurance of following Jesus. 
• The joy and challenge of Scripture and prayer. 
• We’re not telling others about Jesus. 
• Our lives will be filled by chasing after the same idols that the world does.
• Our priorities will not be on building treasure in heaven but on earth.

So we need to ask ourselves, are we different now than we were before we became Christians? 

Are we different from the non Christians around us?

Are we living in ordinariness or in the wonder of being a disciple?

The journey to restoration

Remember when we met Jesus – in John 21 Jesus reminded Peter of their first encounter, when Peter gave up fishing to follow Jesus. And the joy of that decision.

Remember our Calling – As Peter remembered deciding to follow Jesus, he would also have remembered that Jesus called him to catch men, to be a fisher of men. This was to be the mission and purpose of his life.

As we remember these it start to bring us to the right place, restoring us as disciples.

The life of a disciple

Love Jesus

The disciples motivation is to love Jesus.

If we were sitting beside Jesus and he said:
“do you truly love me more than these?“
What would he be pointing to?
As we seek to be Jesus’ disciples, let us love Jesus more than anything else.

Serve Jesus

The disciple lives to serve Jesus. We do this by:

First
“Feed my lambs.”
We are to be involved in the spiritual nourishment of new believers and the young.

How do we as a church do this?

Second
“Take care of my sheep.”
This means to shepherd and it implies that we all should be involved in the pastoral care of fellow Christians. Connecting with and loving one another.

How do we as a church do this?

Jesus said in John 10:16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.

We are to be involved in building up the flock, the church, by introducing others to Jesus.

Third
“Feed my sheep.
This is similar to the previous 2, it reinforces them them, telling us how important it is that we are involved in the spiritual nourishment of Christians.

How do we as a church do this?

Conclusion

Jesus give himself for us the church. And the church will suffer attack, spiritual war is real and Satan wants to destroy each of us, and he will use our failures to stop us loving and serving. He want us to just be passengers at church, aimlessly sitting in the pews, never feeling the fulfilment and blessing of serving, telling others about Jesus, shepherding, loving, sharing life together, praying with, studying with and encouraging each other, challenging and being challenged, nurturing and being nurtured, nourishing and being nourished.

Let us hear the encouragement from Jesus at the end of this passage and Follow him. let us be restored disciples.

Questions to consider for personal study or in Life Groups.

1. After his failure, Peter finds himself going back to what he knew best, fishing. Why do you think this was? At this time how might Peter have been feeling? How might you have responded if you were in his place and failed as he did?
2. In spite of what Peter had done and how he may have been feeling, Jesus meets him in all of this. Peter’s reaction wasn’t to run away ashamed, rather, he runs towards Jesus. What does this tell us about Jesus? What does it say to us about Peter’s view of Jesus? How does this speak into our own situation when we fail?
3. Peter is restored BY Jesus and will go on to be a restorer of others THROUGH Jesus. As we look to introduce Jesus to others, how might these verses speak to us in our own context as disciples who want bring restoration to our world and its people? Are there any concrete example of how this might apply to your own life at the minute?

Apply

As I reflect what have I found interesting? 

As I reflect what has challenged my life, attitudes and actions? 

Is there one practical step I can apply to my life to help me to become more like Jesus?

How would this help me to introduce others to Jesus?

Is there there anything I need to pray about, explore further or extra help I need?

Is there someone I should share with, pray with or encourage?

Getting Along Side and Sharing Our Salvation Story

At the end of this passage we see the power of Sharing our Salvation Stories.

39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers. 42 They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

Because of this woman’s testimony about Jesus and what Jesus had said to her, the people of the town then discovered the wonder of Jesus for themselves. 

Salvation came to that town. What a powerful conclusion to Jesus’ interaction with one woman.

All this happened because as we will see Jesus came along side this woman

Let’s see what we can learn from Jesus interaction with the woman. 

In the following we see what Jesus did for the woman he did for us and then we can do the same for others. 

Jesus was in a place to connect v4-6

Jesus was tired but yet he approached, interruptible v6

Jesus interacted asking for something, sometimes we think we have to do the serving v7

Jesus connected an everyday activity/need and turned it into an opportunity to bring hope. v7-10

And to do this he had to as J. John points out break through barriers:

• 1. A moral barrier (she had committed adultery in the eyes of a Jew by taking several husbands).
• 2. A social barrier (she was a woman; he was a man).
• 3. A racial barrier (she was a Samaritan and Jesus a Jew, and the two ethnic groups despised each other).
• 4. A religious barrier (Jews and Samaritans didn’t mix on religious grounds).

Yet Jesus addressed her at her point of need, which was greater than the supposed barriers: she was thirsty for living water and he cared enough to break the social taboo and offer it to her.

John, J.. The Natural Evangelism Course. Philo Trust. Kindle Edition.

This is key:

Jesus connected to the root her problem the thirst for fulfilment v11-18

And in doing so:

Jesus accepted her for who she was, knowing her situation v17&18

In Revelation 21 v 6, Jesus says: “To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life”. Well, who doesn’t thirst for this perfect life? Everyone is striving for it. The problem is, most people look for this “water” in the wrong places. It’s only truly offered by Jesus. As he told a woman who had made a mess of her life by looking in the wrong places: Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.

(John 4 v 14) Jesus came to give living water, at no cost to those who accept it but at monumental cost to himself. And in the new creation, we will live in Jesus’ presence and drink from the water of life, for ever. Anyone can. So evangelism is like pointing a parched friend to the fountain. You and I have found the fountain; many around us have not. Our joyful privilege is to tell them where it is to be found, by telling them about Jesus. So why witness? Because the new creation is wonderful and the future is certain. Maybe we should read Revelation 21 and 22 each day when we get up. If we’re excited about where we’re heading, or rather who we’re heading towards, we’ll be motivated to tell others that they can be heading there, too.

Tice, Rico. Honest Evangelism: How to talk about Jesus even when it’s tough (Live Different) (p. 27). The Good Book Company. Kindle Edition. 

In doing this Jesus corrected her distorted view on worship and following God v19-26

The Samaritan Woman connected with God

You can trace the way Jesus cut through the barriers, as they spoke and she responded.

First, she addressed him as ‘Jew’;

then, she called Jesus ‘Sir’;

then, she called him ‘prophet’.

Finally, she spoke of him as the ‘Messiah’.

And as she responded to Jesus with her heart, she couldn’t help but tell others the Good News, even though she simply raised a question, ‘Come, see a man who told me everything I’ve ever done. Could this be the Messiah?’ (John 4:29).

John, J.. The Natural Evangelism Course. Philo Trust. Kindle Edition.

This is important because living like Jesus, becoming more like Him and introducing others to Him is the most fulfilling way to live. As we see here:

31 Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” 33 Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?” 34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.

Doing the will of God serving him and serving others, sharing the salvation story has an energy and flow of life that is fulfilling, enthusing, energising and sustaining. Beyond anything natural, it super natural as the Spirit works in and through us. 

We need to catch this because the challenge Jesus give us is so clear and strong. 

35 Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. 36 Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37 Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. 38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”

Let us draw along side others and share our Salvation Stories and see Jesus change the world. 

Apply

As I reflect what have I found interesting? 

As I reflect what has challenged my life, attitudes and actions? 

Is there one practical step I can apply to my life to help me to become more like Jesus?

How would this help me to introduce others to Jesus?

Is there there anything I need to pray about, explore further or extra help I need?

Is there someone I should share with, pray with or encourage?