TRANSFORMED INTO A MAN OF GOD

One of the most fascinating transformations in the New Testament is that of Peter. A fisherman by trade, impetuous Peter was also a man hungry for a real relationship with God. His brother, Andrew, after encountering Jesus, went to him and said, “We have found the Messiah . . . and he brought him (Peter) to Jesus” (John 1:41-42).

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The transformation in Peter was not instantaneous. He made a lot of mistakes and even denied that he was one of Jesus’s followers after boasting to Jesus, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death” (Luke 22:33).

We get to see the transformation more clearly when, after the infilling of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, Peter preaches the first post-Pentecost sermon and three thousand were added to the infant church (see Acts 2:41).

Peter became one of the leading apostles of the early church. While he was not as widely used as the Apostle Paul, the change in him is most clearly seen in the depth of his writings to the church in what we know as First and Second Peter.

  

In his first epistle, Peter encourages and teaches a church under severe attack. This is not the lightweight teaching of someone who had a one-time experience with the Lord but then never matured as a man of God. What we read, in both epistles, is the writing of a man greatly matured in his spiritual life; he had learned from his mistakes and had become a man of God. Jesus had challenged Peter to become a shepherd to the church and in his letters we can see that Peter had, indeed, become that man, a shepherd of God’s people (see John 21:15-17).

In First Peter 3:8 we read:

“Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.”

In the posts of this week and next, we will look briefly at the five different words that Peter is exhorting the church to understand and embrace as the people go through a very difficult time. These are just as important to us as we go through the encroaching darkness of the days ahead.

1.   Unity

2.   Sympathy

3.   Brotherly love

4.   A tender heart

5.   Humility

We will look at the first two of these words today and the rest in next week’s post. Please be reminded that Peter is writing to encourage and equip the church that was under siege by the attacks of the world around it. Peter was helping the church to see and to do what it needed to in order to survive the troubled times it was in.

1.   “Have unity of mind”

Why would Peter begin this list with the need for “unity”? He was with Jesus when He taught the disciples the need for unity. In Matthew 12:25, Jesus said, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand” (see also Mark 3:24-25 and Luke 11:17).

Unity of mind doesn’t mean that we have to agree on every minor point of doctrine and church conduct. We agree on the major issues and agree to not let minor issues cause division. Some of my legalistic friends have occasionally rebuked me because over my years in the ministry, I have moved freely among all segments of the Evangelical and Protestant community. But I have chosen never to make an issue out of the minors.

Peter is imploring the church is be united in mind because “united we stand and divided we fall.”

2.   “Sympathy”

In today’s world, sympathy carries the meaning of “shared feelings.” It allows us to casually say, “I sympathize with you on that.” That’s not the meaning of the word Peter chose to use that is translated for us as “sympathy.” Rather, the word he chose is an intense word that speaks of actually sharing in the suffering of a fellow believer.

Sympathy, as it is used here, demands action on our part — sharing in the needs of the other person. In other words, it means giving, or going, or doing something. It is not real biblical sympathy if it does not result an in action. Just as James said, “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:26), so sympathy without action is also dead.

Perhaps the reason so many contemporary churches are not really alive in the life and spirit of the Lord is because they are not following through and putting into action their sympathy. The church cannot just talk about prayer, or missions, or evangelism, it must follow through and engage with its talk. Perhaps understanding biblical sympathy will assist us in understanding why Christianity is in decline in America.

Next week we’ll carry on regarding 1 Peter 3:8.