Peter: The Pentecostal Preacher

Peter had a rapid transformation. There is a world of difference between Peter the fallible fisherman in the Gospels, and Peter the Pentecostal preacher in the Book of Acts. In the Gospels, Peter denied the Lord out of fear and wept in defeat. In the Book of Acts, however, Peter denied himself, and courageously proclaimed the gospel publicly, which led 3,000 people to salvation in one day. Why is that? Some have said that it was the baptism in the Holy Spirit that transformed Peter. And that is true — it is the most transformative experience available to mankind! But it is not that simple. It wasn’t just an instant experience — the instant experience came at the end of a painful process.

Peter came face-to-face with his own weakness, and it was only then that he was able to receive God’s power. Jesus had died. And being unable to understand that Jesus would be resurrected, the disciples went back to life as usual. After Peter had denied the Lord who was crucified, he went back to fishing. During those few days, in John 21, Peter finds himself jumping off the fishing boat and coming face-to-face with the resurrected Christ — the very One he had denied. After Jesus gently confronted him and restored him, he made a statement that spoke to the very core of Peter’s being. Jesus said, “Follow me” (John 21:19).

All of a sudden, Peter was taken back to the moment he met Jesus. He would have looked up and seen the sandy beach, his fishing boat, a few other people, and the face of Jesus looking back at him, saying “Follow me.” Surely it brought him back to day one with Jesus. The first time Peter encountered Jesus on those same shores, Jesus told him, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). This time, Jesus simply said, “Follow me.” Why did he not say Peter would be a “fisher of men?” Because the fisher of men had been made. In Peter realizing his own weakness, he was able to receive the power of God.


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This blog is an excerpt from Robert Presson’s devotional book, “People Of His Presence,” available on Amazon: Click here to purchase on Amazon.  Alternatively, the book is available for free when you give a donation of any amount to City Revival Ministries at  cityrevivalnola.com/give. Please indicate that you would like the book when you give.