BEST INTENTIONS

When I think of the Apostle Peter, I feel like he was a man just like me. In our Sunday School class taught by our pastor, I always have something to add, or a question. I am sure I have adult A.D.D. because when I was younger, I know I had A.D.H.D. (my hyperactivity left along with the rest of my get-up-and-go). I just enjoy discussing God's Word and I absorb teaching like a sponge.

Peter always had something to say, as well. If he wasn't arguing with Jesus about His future crucifixion, he was chopping off an ear. I am sure he was a better fisherman than a soldier. One minute, Jesus is praising him for recognizing Him as the Messiah, and the next, He was addressing Peter as Satan. It was Peter who declared he would never deny Jesus, and of course he did, three times. Even though he was not as fast as the younger John, when he got to the tomb, it was Peter who went in. I can relate to Peter, even though my name is Paul. I admire the Apostle Paul as you will see, but I don't think I could hold a candle to his zeal for Christ.

Just before Jesus ascended into heaven from the Mount of Olives, Jesus told His disciples they were to wait in Jerusalem until the Father sent the Holy Spirit to indwell them (John 14:7; Acts 1:4). Most Christians agree that the Church actually started on the Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit took up residence in one hundred twenty believers (Acts 1:15;2:4). Of course, Peter couldn't just sit around in Jerusalem and do nothing for the ten days between the Ascension and Pentecost. He decided to hold a business meeting and replace Judas as the twelfth Apostle. Remember, he was totally acting according to human logic as the Holy Spirit had not yet been given. Peter was kind enough to decide what the qualifications were, and then narrowed God's choice to two men, presumably because God was probably too busy to weed through the others. Then, they drew straws to select the new Apostle. It was going to be Matthias. Peter was satisfied.
The only problem was, Matthias was never mentioned in Scripture again.

God had a plan to replace Judas, that was not restricted to Peter's list of qualifications. In fact, His choice would have been the last person Peter would have chosen. God chose a man who was a leader of the men who were gathering Christians to imprison or kill them. Saul of Tarsus hated Christians because they were just like Jesus, Who was given to the Romans for crucifixion. They threatened the status quo of Israel. In what must have been total irony, God chose Saul while he was in pursuit of Christians (Acts 9:1-20). Saul became the Apostle Paul and wrote at least thirteen books of the New Testament. Moral: Wait on God!