Week of August 9, 2019

1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ… 1 Peter 1:1

Reading just the first opening words of the book of 1 Peter as well as many other New Testament epistles can give the Christian great comfort and confidence in the authority of the New Testament. It is good to take a quick look at the title and position of an apostle of Jesus Christ.

The Gospel of Matthew tells us that Jesus, on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, called Simon, who at the time was a fisherman. Simon was invited to follow and participate in Jesus’ earthly ministry and later would become a pivotal leader in the formation of the early church. In conjunction with Jesus’ calling he would also change his name to Peter, which means rock. A name change in most cases signifies a change of status in a person’s role with God’s divine plan. Such was the case for Simon Peter.

The general meaning of the word apostle is “messenger” but with Jesus’ disciples it takes on an even higher meaning and title. Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 3:16 that the Word of God is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness. This means we can be very confident that what the Apostle’s spoke and recorded in the New Testament is more than just mere opinion of man.

We might find ourselves faced with many opinions from those who surround us when we have to make a difficult life decision. It is comforting that we can count on scripture as being more than just another opinion of what to do when we are struggling. The recorded messages of the Apostles allow us to directly interact with the breathed out Word of God. This is the best guidance we could truly ever ask for in life.

God Bless, Pastor Rick