Am I A Peter Or A Paul?
We are most familiar with Peter because he walked with JESUS
as a disciple, then served JESUS as an Apostle and a Bondservant (1 Peter 1:1,
2 Peter 1:1). We know that he lived in Capernaum and with his brother Andrew was
a fisherman by trade; they were not poor as is often portrayed, but they were
not rich. We know that Peter was married and that one of the Mark’s in The Bible
is his son (many believe The Gospel of Mark was written by Peter’s son).
We know of his failure at the trial of JESUS, where Peter
denied knowing JESUS three times. And we know of his success on the Day of
Pentecost, his first sermon led to 3000 people getting saved. He led the Church
in Jerusalem and Judea for the first few years; where the Church was stuck.
The martyrdom of the Deacon Stephen let to the Church finally
going into Samaria preaching The Gospel.
GOD gave Peter a vision of animals being let down from heaven
on a sheet and told him to kill and eat; but Peter said “Not so LORD! For I
have never eaten anything common or unclean.”, and GOD told Peter “What GOD has
cleansed (Declared clean) you must not call common.”, this happened three
times. Then GOD told Peter to go with the men who were knocking at the gate,
this led to the Gentiles hearing and receiving the Gospel Message.
Peter wrote two of the Epistles, (though not in The Bible, he
went to Rome and was crucified upside down).
We are also familiar with Paul because of his great
conversion experience and his many evangelist travels. He called himself a Bondservant
and an Apostle, and once a Prisoner of Christ (Philemon 1:1), to the
Thessalonians he just called himself Paul. He was from Tarsus of Cilicia, a
Jewish Roman citizen, brought up in Jerusalem under Gamaliel as a zealous Pharisee,
but not a member of the Sanhedrin. He would have been familiar with JESUS and
His teachings, which is why he said, “I persecuted this Way to the death...” He
was not married as some teach, in 1 Corinthians 7, teaching about marriage, he
says, “But I say this as a concession, not as a commandment. For I wish that
all men were even as myself. But each one has his own gift from GOD, one in
this manner and another in that. But I say to the unmarried and the widows: it
is good for them if they remain even as I am.”
Paul made three know and described missionary trips preaching
The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles (Acts11:19-30, 12:25-28:31), making disciples
and raising up local leaders. He traveled with several different people over
the years and raised up many of the first century Church Leaders; he wrote 14
of the Epistles; (like Peter some of Paul’s life is not in The Bible, but we
know he was beheaded in Rome during his second imprisonment there).
All of the Apostles did missionary travels and started
Churches, discipling and raising up leaders; we just do not have their stories
in The Bible. Together they wrote 7 epistles, and they were all martyred for
their faith. James the brother of John of the sons of Zebedee, he was martyred
by Herod Archelaus (Matthew 2:19-23; Acts 12:1-4). James (the brother of JESUS
called himself a Bondservant; John did not introduce himself in his Epistles; Jude,
another brother of JESUS called himself a Bondservant.
So what is the difference between Peter and Paul? Exuberance!
Peter was more laid back taking things as they came, Paul was a go getter (type
A personality). Peter was hotheaded before the Day of Pentecost, so was Paul
before his meeting with JESUS, he held the cloaks of those stoning Stephen,
then he started arresting and persecuting Christians. (if you have ever been
persecuted by a Christian hater the one thing they all are is hatefully in your
face!) Paul and Barnabas broke up their team over John Mark.
But Peter and Paul both did what JESUS called them to do,
though Peter sometimes needed a little encouragement (shove).
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