Peter’s Fruit
We've spent the week looking at Peter - an ordinary man who became extraordinary when he was filled with the Spirit's fire. When Peter was filled, his sinful flaws were replaced with fruit that glorified God.
Jesus had said that you'll know real Christians by their fruit. Peter's life is evidence of this.
We see in Peter the most fruitful preaching: "Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd… Those who accepted his message were baptised, and about three thousand were added to their number that day." (Acts 2:14, 41)
Peter now would speak with conviction, with belief, with understanding, and the people would respond. How different from the man whom Jesus had to rebuke for his misunderstanding and foolishness!
What Spirit-Filled Fruit Looks Like in Practice
In Peter we see fruitful caring and healing. When a man asked for his help, we read: "Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong." (Acts 3:6-7)
Peter boldly proclaims the power of Jesus and helps those who are seeking to find His power and be blessed by Him. Instead of fearfully denying Jesus, we now see in Peter fruitful courage! So much so that Acts says: "When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realised that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say." (Acts 4:13-14)
The courage of Peter - how different from the panic-stricken man who sank when he tried to walk on water! In fact, Peter was so fruitful that people just wanted to be close to him: "People brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by." (Acts 5:15)
Peter is not the man he used to be. He's not the same man who fumbled about for those early years. His faith is real, and the fruit shows!
Are You Ready for Entire Sanctification?
Friends, a hard question, but an important one: what growth and progress has there been in your Christian journey in the past three months? The past year? The past five years? Have you progressed past the basics?
Yes, the foundational belief in Jesus as Messiah was the beginning of Peter's journey. Yes, it was that simple belief that got him on the road. But he grew. He progressed. When he was filled with the Spirit, he became a new man.
In some circles of our church, we call this entire sanctification - a moment in your walk with Jesus where you realise that the foundation may be there, but the flaws are holding you back. You want to be a person who bears much fruit. You come to God and repent of all those flaws and sins that you are still doing in spite of your faith. You give it ALL to Him. You ask Him to let His fire fall, His Spirit's power. You ask Him for a powerful outpouring of His Spirit like it fell on Peter that day and changed him. You ask Him to put those flaws in the past so that the fruit can flourish like never before.
It all changed for Peter when the Spirit's fire fell and he received it. What's holding you back?
Maybe you don't quite believe that the Spirit's falling will do much. Maybe you've received it before, but then when temptation came you rejected the Spirit and went back to your old flaws. Maybe it's time to fall at the feet of Jesus again, receive His forgiveness, and ask for that fire to fall again - to make you a fruitful, Peter-like apostle.
When Peter received the Holy Spirit, the fumbling and failures of his earlier years gave way to extraordinary fruit - bold preaching, miraculous healing, and remarkable courage. Examine today what fruit the Spirit has produced in your life, and ask God to fill you afresh.