John 21:18-19

John 21:18-19...this is the place...this is the moment when Peter is told that he is going to be crucified.

"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me."

And indeed Peter was crucified, upside down, about 33 years after Christ died. Now I can imagine that at the time, when Peter heard this, he was not very excited about it. He had seen Christ do many miracles, he believed Him to be the son of God. But was that enough to die for? Well we see the answer in the later chapters, when Peter denies Christ three times.

But then...something changes...

You see never before, in the history of man kind, has one man died a death knowingly, with full ability to prevent it, purely under the belief that through his death others would be saved. Regardless of whether or not you believe Christ is the Messiah, this truth remains. He believed he was going to Jerusalem to be offered up for all of mankind. He didn't go with the assumption that everything was going to settle down and he would be allowed to leave alive.

And likewise, the disciples were warned many times, stop talking about Christ or you too will die. Something happened in their lives, in Peters life that changed everything.

Peter went from so frightened that he couldn't even claim to know Christ, to dying so that His mighty name would be proclaimed. What happened?

I'm sure that this will sound like all foolishness to any disbeliever who reads this, but light is hard to see after spending so much time in the darkness.

The change was a resurrected Son. Such a change happened in the heart of Peter that he was not only willing to die for Christ, but also to live for Him. To be persecuted, to be jailed, beaten, and  totally abandoned by the culture he was raised in. These things were all seen as a joyous honor to these men. These men...these men fled from Christ on the night He was taken. But the resurrection changed everything.

Suddenly the Helper was sent, and men no longer were moving by their own strength, but by a greater strength living in them.

Thats going to sound really odd in a world unwilling to give up their Magic Mike, or 50 Shades of Grey, to better serve the one true King. But these men, they gave all. Not just in death, but in everyday of their lives. Nothing else mattered, nothing else was needed, simply Christ, and Christ crucified. That was their bread. That was their comfort. That one man would die for all, this had to be told to anyone and everyone who would hear.

Why don't we see this in the church? I have an overly simplified answer. Many in the church believe in Jesus the way Peter did at first. Many of those who believe themselves to be Christians have never had an experience with the resurrected Son. Because of this, everything they do is based on their own ability and strength. However, once we come into contact with the Son, the Helper comes, and Jesus goes from being a Sunday topic to a life style. Everything is turned upside down. The entire world changes, everything in our lives become utter chaos and complete peace at the same time. 

I say this as one who saw the Jesus of John 21:18-19 for a decade. I could quote all the best TV evangelists. I could give lip service like the best of them. But I had a form of godliness while denying its power. I called myself a Christian, but I never cried out for a savior. I went to church, praised and worshiped, but was, truthfully, worshiping the idle image of myself. I called myself a believer, but I was an unsaved sinner deserving of hell. I cleaned the outside of the cup, but on the inside I was dried bones. 

If you see Christ through Peters eyes in John 21, if you pray but see no change, if you walk without power, if you ENJOY your sin, then you might be just as deceived as I was. The person most in danger of death due to sickness is the one who doesn't believe they are sick. That person will never, ever, seek help. We are all sick, we are all in need of a savior. Cry out to our heavenly Father, He is mighty to save! It doesn't matter how much better you are at pretending then others, at the end of this world we will all face the judgement seat. 

The most frightening scripture in the Bible is Matthew 7:22-23.

Some might read this and claim that I am bringing condemnation on you. This is 100% true. If you are not saved, you are condemned. There is only one who can save you. Not a silly prayer preachers say so they can boast about the number of 'converts' they have seen. I said that prayer a hundred times, it never saved me. Christ did. And when He did, it was like waking from a dream. All the things I use to love, I now hate. All the things I use to hate, I now love. Because you can not put new wine in an old wine skin. 

The Bible tells us to work through our salvation through fear and trembling. Salvation brings about regeneration. The old man will pass away, YOU will be changed. Through the strength given by our heavenly Father you will pick up your cross, and carry it. There is only one way to the Father, and that is through the Son.