The Credentials Of The Apostle Peter
(Part 1 – His Ministry)
II Peter 1:16-21
Generally, when a minister is ordained he will meet with the Presbytery (or ordination council as some may call it) prior to the formal ordination service. This is a time when others who have already been through the ordination process have the opportunity to share words of encouragement and/or question the candidate concerning his beliefs and doctrinal views. Once all comments have been made and questions have been answered, the Presbytery will vote on whether or not to recommend the candidate for ordination.
When I went through this process, one question that I was asked stands out about all others. A wise older pastor spoke up and said, “if we take this vote and you are not recommended for ordination what will you do?" I responded by stating that regardless of their decision I was going to continue to preach the Gospel because Jesus called me to do so.
In my study there are two documents that are very precious to me. One is a Certificate of Ordination, and the other is a License Into The Gospel Ministry. Every day when I enter my office, those documents are a constant reminder that the congregation of Mt. Olive Baptist Church and a group of well-respected ministers had though enough of me to endorse my ministry.
As wonderful and humbling as that is, it cannot even begin to compare to the sense of awe that I experience every time I think that Jesus Christ Himself chose, called, and commissioned me to represent Him.
Sadly, there are many people, filling pulpits, pastoring churches, and running religious organizations that were never truly called by the Lord; even worse is the reality that many of them have never truly been born again.
It seems that every time we turn on a tv or radio or log on to the internet we are confronted with false prophets and teachers. Though this phenomenon is abundant in our day, it is not anything new. In fact, Peter dealt with the influence of false teachers over 1900 years ago.
In the closing verses of 2 Peter chapter 1 and throughout the entirety of 2 Peter chapter 2, the Apostle defends the authenticity of his ministry and confronts the actions of false prophets that were seeking to harm Christ’s Church. I would like to take some time and listen to Peter’s defense and examine “The Credential Of The Apostle Peter”.
Credentials speak of “an achievement, personal quality, or aspect of a person's background, used to indicate that they are qualified for something". If there was ever a man qualified to share the good news of Jesus it was Simon Peter. He was a man who had first-hand experience concerning the earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus. Peter was there for the duration and knew without any doubt that Jesus was indeed the promised Messiah.
During his time walking with Jesus Peter certainly had some moments of failure. Perhaps the most severe was the fact that he denied even knowing Jesus on the eve of the Crucifixion. Thankfully, as a result of the longsuffering of his Savior, Peter returned to Jesus and experienced restoration. In fact, the word restoration does not fully articulate the amazing transformation that happened in Peter’s life after he encountered Jesus after His resurrection. If you compare this man before and after the resurrection, you do not just see a changed man, you see a completely different man. The Gospels, Acts and his own Epistles reveal that Peter spent the remainder of his life sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, in fact he would ultimately lose his life in defense and service of his Lord.
The ministry that Peter was involved in and the message that he shared stand in contrast to the false prophets that were infiltrating and harming the church when he wrote this letter. I invite you to look with me to v16-18 as we examine:
I. THE MINISTRY OF THE APOSTLE PETER
In our day, anyone can start a so called "ministry". There are hundreds of thousands of ministries here in America. But just because you call an organization a church that doesn't mean that Jesus is in it. In fact many "ministries" that wear the name Christian are anything but that. This was not the case for Peter; when you examine his ministry you see that it was endorsed by the Savior. Notice:
A. IT WAS AN APPOINTED MINISTRY
Peter was called personally by Jesus and He was commissioned by Him. It was the desire of His Lord that Peter spend his days spreading the good news concerning God’s Kingdom. Notice that:
1) HE WAS APPOINTED TO EVANGELIZE
When Jesus first called Peter to be one of His Disciples, Jesus said to him “follow Me and I will make you to become a fisher of men” (Matthew 4:19). Prior to meeting Jesus, Peter had spent his days catching fish. It is apparent that he had been successful in this endeavor. But, when he met Jesus, everything changed.
Peter accepted Jesus’ invitation, surrendered his life to Him, left everything he knew behind and began to learn from his Master. During his time as a Disciple, he was taught and prepared to reach lost men and women with the Gospel.
- Peter was called to evangelize to lost, but a large portion of his future ministry would revolve around encouraging and strengthening the Saints. Notice that:
2) HE WAS APPOINTED TO ENCOURAGE
Prior to Jesus’ arrest in the Garden and Peter’s pending denial of his Lord, Jesus informed him that Satan desired to have him in order to “sift him as wheat”. It was on this same occasion that Jesus revealed that Peter would deny Him three times before the rooster crowed the next morning.
Peter did not believe that he would deny his Master; in fact, he declared that he would die before doing so. But Jesus knew better. Even knowing what was to come, the Savior informed His beloved Disciple that He had prayed for him.
Luke 22:32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”
Jesus not only prayed for Peter, He informed him that he would be restored and after his restoration it was his duty to strengthen the others. Scriptures prove that Peter accepted this responsibility and was faithful to the task that had been assigned to him. When reading the Gospel accounts and Acts, it is abundantly clear that after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, Peter was the leader of the Apostles and (as Paul put it), he was a “pillar of the Church”.
- Peter was appointed to evangelize; he was appointed to encourage, and we also see that:
3) HE WAS APPOINTED TO EDIFY
After His resurrection, Jesus met His Disciples one morning on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias. During that encounter, the Lord took Peter aside and asked Him some questions concerning his love for Him. Three times in that conversation, Jesus instructed Peter to feed His sheep and lambs.
Again, evangelism was vital to the mission that Peter had been assigned, but he was also used to teach, train, and edify those sheep who were in God’s flock. The very words that we are reading in Peter’s second epistle are evidence of his obedience to carry out the commission that he had received from the Lord.
Peter’s ministry was certainly one that was appointed by God. As we move further into this passage we will see that in contrast to the false teachers who were infiltrating the church, Peter’s was authentic. Notice:
B. IT WAS AN AUTHENTIC MINISTRY
v16 For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 17 For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” 18 And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.
The false teachers that will be described in chapter 2 were skillful in concocting these "cunningly devised fables". They would create and propagate astonishing myths and tales to get people to follow them. Their motivation was not spreading the Gospel of Christ but making a name for themselves. Their goal was to amass wealth, power, and prestige (much like the false prophets in our day).
In contrast to this, Peter's ministry was authentic. He had no reason to create myths and fables, for he was a personal "eyewitness of Christ's majesty".
Just consider all of the amazing things that Peter had seen with his own eyes. He saw the many miracles that Jesus performed during His earthly ministry. When the 5,000 were fed, he ate as well; in fact he passed out the bread and then took up the leftovers. Peter didn’t just witness Jesus walking on water, he stepped out of the boat and walked with Him. He was one who was present on every occasion when Jesus brought someone back to life. As the soldiers came to apprehend Jesus, Peter is the one who cut off Malchus' ear and then was able to watch as Jesus healed him. Peter was one of the two Apostles who saw the empty tomb. Even greater than that, he was a first-hand eyewitness of the resurrected Christ. After this, Peter watched as Jesus ascended to Heaven and received the promise from the Angels that He would return in the same way.
These are all amazing things that prove the authenticity of Peter's ministry. But in the context of this passage, Peter is specifically referring to an event that very few were able to witness. He is talking about the Transfiguration of Jesus.
In Matthew 17 Peter saw Jesus glorified on what he describes as "That Holy Mount". Jesus took Peter, James and John with Him to the top of the mountain and while they were there, the Lord was transfigured, the power and glory that was veiled in human flesh shined forth and Peter was able to see this transpire.
Matthew 17:2 and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.
As this occurred, Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus. When Peter saw this amazing sight, he did not want to leave. He even offered to build three booths on the top of the Mountain: one for Moses, one for Elijah and one for Jesus. As he professed his desire to do this, something even more amazing happened. Peter heard the voice of the Father from Heaven saying, " This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; listen to Him."
The Apostle references this in - v16b we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 17 For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
As amazing as the Transfiguration was, it was only a preview of the glory that will be revealed at Christ’s second coming. The wonderful news for us is that when He returns, we shall behold Him! Furthermore, we are assured through God’s Word that we will be with Him, and ultimately we will abide with Him throughout eternity.
Peter wanted his readers to know that he was not relaying second-hand information. He was telling them about things he had heard with his own ears and seen with his own eyes. His ministry was authentic. Not only was it an authentic ministry, it was simply amazing!
C. IT WAS AN AMAZING MINISTRY
By the time Peter penned his epistles he had already been very effective as a minister of the Gospel. At Pentecost he preached and over three thousand people were saved. Shortly thereafter, God used him to heal the lame man at the Beautiful Gate. With a massive crowd assembled in response to this miracle, Peter seized the opportunity to preach the Gospel to them and thousands more repented and believed in Jesus.
Because of this, Peter was taken before the Sanhedrin and commanded to cease preaching in the name of Jesus. Facing great opposition and extreme persecution, Peter proclaimed “we must obey God and not men”.
In Acts chapter 12 Peter was seized and imprisoned and Herod intended to cut off his head. But the church prayed intensely for him, and he was delivered from his chains.
From the time Peter began to follow Jesus Peter was a part of some amazing things and he faithfully carried out the ministry that Jesus had given him. The awe-inspiring things that Peter had been a part of were only possible because of Jesus, and that was the heart of his message.
Without a doubt, Simon Peter possessed the credentials of a genuine servant of Christ. He was a passionate evangelist, a compassionate leader, and a faithful teacher. His ministry has been used by God for the benefit of the church throughout its history.
With that being said, every born-again follower of Christ has been called and commissioned to serve the Lord in a similar way. While it is true that we are not Apostles in the sense that Peter was an Apostle, we have been given the privilege and responsibility of being ambassadors of Christ.
- Everything that we have learned about the ministry of Peter can be said of our own personal ministry for the Lord.
Like Peter, our ministry is an APPOINTED MINISTRY. We have been APPOINTED TO EVANGELIZE. We have been chosen, called, and commissioned by our Savior to go forth and share the good news of the Kingdom in the world around us.
Likewise, we have been APPOINTED TO ENCOURAGE. Our responsibility is not only to reach the lost, but also to minister to the Saints. Countless New Testament passages show us the importance of encouraging our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Intertwined with this responsibility is the fact that we have been APPOINTED TO EDIFY, that is, we are to teach, train and disciple other Christians. This reality is covered in the Great Commission, when the Lord gave that commission to His followers He declared that they were to teach others to observe all the things that He had commanded them. Like the original Disciples, we can carry out this command with full assurance that the Lord has promised His followers, “lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)
Like Peter, we are blessed to be involved in an AUTHENTIC MINISTRY. We are not peddling the word of God for profit; we are not promoting ourselves or seeking our own glory. We have been called by the Lord and we are merely His representatives in this world. If we will be faithful to Him and ensure that the message that we share is the genuine message that we have received (namely the Gospel), then we can carry out our ministry with boldness and confidence. We can plant and water and trust that God will give the increase!
Finally, we are able to enjoy an AMAZING MINISTRY. The Apostle Peter’s service to the Lord was not without trouble. In fact, it was marked by oppression and persecution throughout. As he penned this letter, heavy on his mind was the reality that he would soon leave this “tent of his body” behind. History tells us that Peter was martyred for his faith and service, just as Jesus had predicted. However, with all of the troubles, struggles and pain that he endured, I am certain that Peter wouldn’t have changed a thing. He would be the first to tell you that his time walking with the Lord during His earthly ministry and his time serving Him after His ascension was absolutely amazing.
We who belong to the Lord and are involved in His service can share the same testimony. Is Chrisitan ministry easy? Of course not! But it is definitely worth it! There are moments of opposition, frustration, discouragement, and trouble. But it is a truly humbling and amazing thing to be chosen by the Lord to represent Him in any capacity. We can endure the struggles with great confidence and rest in the truth that the Apostle Paul proclaimed in - 2 Corinthians 4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory”.
Be encouraged servant of God, never forget the honor and privilege that you have to be called to represent the Lord in this world. Concerning the ministry that you have been assigned, let me encourage you to be humble, be faithful and obedient, be steadfast, be bold and be vigilant. If you will serve in such a way, then you can approach the end of your life in the same way as the Apostle Peter; not fearing death but anticipating your glorious entrance into the eternal Kingdom of God.
