We have been studying the calling of the twelve disciples in small group, and tonight we are examining Peter. I love Peter because I relate to him more than any other character in the Bible. He was a natural born leader, eager to participate, quick to assert his opinion, and determined to get the job done. His strong personality was both a virtue and a vice- as it often got him into trouble. Peter was so driven that his desire to do the right thing often lead to him doing the exact opposite of what God would have wanted Him to do. He rebuked Jesus when he should have supported Him, he spoke at the Transfiguration when he should have remained silent, he attacked the solider in the garden when he should have embraced peace. Peter was lacking humility, submission,and restraint. Through teaching, correction, experience, and rebuke Jesus molded Peter into the solid rock he was destined to be. Peter was born to be a leader, but he had to be transformed by Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit before he could fulfill his role as a leader in the Church.


While I also have a bit of Jonah embedded in my history of leadership development, I am inspired by Peter because I see many parallels between his transformative process and my own. Like Peter, I am a natural born leader- quick to initiate, to be involved, to volunteer, to question, to answer, to speak... driven, determined, eager... and still in need of some serious transformation.

I love John MacArthur's analysis of Peter's transformation in his book Twelve Ordinary Men. (Which is definitely worth reading, we are using it as a reference as we plan small group and its an excellent book.)
"Peter was formed and equipped by God's sovereign design to be the leader. Moreover, Christ Himself shaped and trained Peter to be the leader. Therefore, when we look at Peter, we see how God builds a leader.

Peter's name is mentioned in the Gospels more than any other name except Jesus. No one speaks as often as Peter, and no one is spoken to by the Lord as often as Peter. No disciple is frequently rebuked by the Lord as Peter; and no disciple ever rebukes the Lord except Peter. No one else confessed Christ more boldy or acknowledged His lordship more explicitly; yet no other disciple ever verbally denied Christ as forcefully or publicly as Peter did. No one is praised and blessed by Christ the way Peter was; yet Peter was the only one Christ ever addressed as Satan. The Lord had harsher things to say to Peter than He ever said to any of the others.

All of that contributed to making him the leader Christ wanted him to be. God took a common man with an ambivalent, vacillating, impulsive, unsubmissive personality and shaped him into a rocklike leader- the greatest preacher among the apostles and in every sense the dominant figure in the first twelve chapters of Acts, where the church was born." (38-39).
I don't know about you, but I find this truth to be extremely encouraging. Peter was messed up and he messed up continually. Jesus loved him enough to discipline him, to mold him, to shape him into the rock. I fully believe that Christ desires to transform each one of us to fit the roles we are destined to fulfill just as He transformed Peter from a loud-mouthed fisherman into the leader of His Church. While none of us may be called to apostleship, we are called to specific places in God's Kingdom where our skills, character traits, and experiences can be most effective. Christ is intentional. The way God designed us is inline with our destiny, our life experiences are part of the transformation process, and our character develops as we learn and grow along the way.

I am messed up and I mess up continually, yet I know that Christ is transforming me so that I can fulfill His plan for my life.... and that is just too awesome for words.

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