Christian Leadership: Learning from the life of Apostle Peter as a role of leader (4)
His contributions
i) For
approximately 15 years after the resurrection, the figure of Peter dominated
the community.
ii)
He was the first who raise his voice and preached at Pentecost, the day
when the church came into being (Acts 1:14-39).
iii) He served as an advocate for the apostles
before the Jewish religious court in Jerusalem (Acts 4:5-22).
iv) He defended the cause of the gospel
when the authorities of the Jews took action against the apostles.
v) He exercised the role of judge in
the disciplining of those who erred within the church (Acts 5:1-10).
vi) He led the Twelve apostles in extending
the church here and there among them all (Acts 9:32).
vii) He went first to the Samaritans
(Acts 8:4-17).
viii) He introduced Gentiles into the
Church.
ix) He introduced an innovation that
insured the opposition of the Jewish Christians and others.
x) He was the most prominent figure in
the Jerusalem church up to the time of his departure from Jerusalem after his
imprisonment by king Herod and his subsequent release in the New Testament
account ( Acts 12:1-17).
His writings: The first letter, addressed to persecuted
Christians living in five regions of Asia Minor, exhorts the readers to emulate
suffering Christ in their distress, remembering that after his passion and
death Jesus rose from the dead and is now in glory. The Christians are urged to
repay evil with goodness and to love one another and are cautioned to safeguard
their reputations as good citizens of high morality, thereby removing all doubt
about injustice of their sufferings.
The subsequent letter is mainly
worried about the second happening to Christ. The author attributes the
apparent delay to God’s patience in allowing time for universal redemption and
notes that in the sight of God 1,000 years are like on day. The author
additionally cautions against misleading instructors, whose direct is however
shameless as their words seem to be underhanded. They, and the people who
follow them, says the essayist, will be obliterated in an extraordinary blaze
that will go before new heaven and new earth in which nobility stays' (3:13).
Significance of his life with Christian leaders today
Every Christian
loves the Apostle Peter because each can easily identify with him. Regardless
of our personality, we find an event in Peter's life throughout the pages of scripture
that one time or another relates to us.
i) At times he was bold: John 18:10
Then Simon Peter, having a
sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear.
The servant's name was Malchus.
ii) At times he was afraid:
Matthew 14
v.29) So He said,
"Come." And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on
the water to go to Jesus.
v.30) But when he saw that
the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried
out, saying, "Lord, save me!"
iii) At
times he was inappropriate: Matthew 17:4
Then Peter answered and said
to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, let us make
here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.
iv) At times he was a learned disciple:
Matthew 16:16
Simon Peter answered and
said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
v) At times he was faithless: John
18:7
Then the servant girl who
kept the door said to Peter, "You are not also one of this Man's
disciples, are you?" He said, "I am not."
Peter had a good character and leadership potential. He became a
successful leader because he demonstrates little desire to learn or to be
equipped to lead others. He was always eager to asked Jesus doctrinal and
ministry related questions when he didn’t understand, and the Lord allow him to
work on building his faith. Peter also manifested initiative, which is his
another characteristic of good leadership, he was often the first disciple to
respond questions, and he was always concerned to give the true identity of
Jesus Christ. He was always at the centre of activity. He stayed close to Jesus
and naturally wanted to be involved in every ministry, he remained nearby,
though his fellow disciples had all run away. As a leader he remained faithful
in proclaiming God’s work inspite of all difficulties. So also, a Christian
leader needs to have the desire to learn to be equipped others, to take
initiative in facing every challenges to give the true identity of Jesus Christ
and to be always close to Him for His guidance.
He is one of the most vividly drawn and
charming in the New Testament. His sheer humanness has made him one of the most
cherished and winsome individuals from the apostolic band. He was eager,
impulsive, energetic, self-confident, aggressive, and daring, but also
unstable, fickle, weak and cowardly. He was guided more by quick impulse than
logical reasoning, and readily swayed from one extreme to the other. He was
preeminently a man of action. His story exhibits the defects of his qualities
as well as the tremendous capacities for good which he possessed, but his loved
for and associations with Christ moulded him into a man of stability, humility,
and courageous service for God, becoming one of the noble pillars (Gal.2:9) of
the Church.
SOURCES:
Douglas J.D. and Comfort Philip W.
(eds), Who’ Who in Christian History.
Illinois: Tyndale Publishers.
Douglas,
J.D. (ed), New International Bible
Dictionary. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan.
George Eldon
Ladd, A Theology of the New Testament.
Grand Rapids, Michigan: W.B. Eerdmans Publications.
Jon Courson’s Application Commentary (New Testament). Nashville, Tennessee:
Thomas Nelson.
McBirnie, William S., The search for the Twelve Apostles. Secunderabad: OM Books.
Merill C.
Tenney, New Testament Survey.
Leicester, England: Inter-varsity press.
Naismith, Archibald, Pen Pictures of Early Church Leaders. Madras: Steward Press.
Paul J.
Achtemeir (ed), Harper’s Bible Dictionary.
Bangalore: Theological publications.
Ralph P. Martin,
New Testament Foundation: A guide for
Christian Students Vol.2. Grand Rapid, Michigan: W.B. Eerdmans
publications.
Thomas, W.H. Griffith, The Apostle Peter. Grand Rapids,
Michigan: Kregel Publications.
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