Peter was a man of many contrasts. Brash in defending Jesus, but he denied Christ three times on the night of that illegal trial and hid when Christ was crucified. Peter passionately proclaimed “Thou art the Christ” but he also tried to stop Jesus from going to Jerusalem. Peter saw miracles and was present at the transfiguration, but this fisherman from Galilee knew prophecy and how accurate it is.

He saw Jesus ride into Jerusalem exactly when Daniel’s prophecy foretold He would (Daniel 9:25-27) and in the manner in which Zechariah had foretold (Zechariah 9:9). He learned from his mistakes and we can learn from him. Peter also learned how to be sure of your salvation: walk the straight and narrow path.

Many people accept Jesus in a time of crisis or during the emotion of a revival meeting. Is that real salvation? It can be, but most people go back to worldly living once the crisis is past or the emotion stops. Peter walked with Jesus and heard His words, but when things got tough he hid. How about you?

Do you profess to be a Christian, but when friends pressure you to deny Him by joining in worldly activities, what do you do? Peter had hidden on the night of the trial and was not at the cross during the crucifixion, but he knew Jesus died and was buried. When news came that the tomb was empty, Peter ran to see for himself.

“Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed wondering in himself at that which was come to pass” (Luke 24:12).

Peter must have been filled with joy and confusion, but he went with the other disciples to Galilee as Jesus had directed. It was on the shores of Galilee that Peter truly met Christ.

The risen Christ met His disciples there on the shores of Galilee. He prepared food for them and they talked. Peter had denied Jesus three times on the night of the trial, and Jesus asked him three times “Do you love me?” Peter answered that he had a brotherly love, but wasn’t able to proclaim the deep committed love that he would grow into when the Holy Spirit filled him.

Jesus knew the ministry which lay ahead for Peter and with each question of “Do you love me?” came a challenge. The first was “…Feed my lambs” (John 21:15c). The Greek word bosko means to feed. Pastors, and indeed all mature Christians, need to feed new Christians (the lambs) and help them to grow in the Lord. We do that by studying and applying God’s Word to our everyday life, then being an example and encouraging these young lambs.

“I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able” (1 Corinthians 3:2).

New Christians must learn the basic truths of Christianity and need encouragement to walk that straight and narrow path without feeling deprived of the sugar drenched ways of the world. They need to be fed with nourishing food of God’s Word so they don’t go back into worldly ways.

Jesus asked Peter a second time “Do you love me?” and urged Peter to: “…Feed my sheep” (John 21:16c). This time the word translated “feed” is poimaino. This means to tend, to shepherd, and to guide. Even those who have been Christians for years need guidance. How many congregations have men and women sitting in the pews who embrace sin with no regard to honoring God in all areas of their life?

Christianity isn’t a Sunday morning part of life, but is an everyday way of living. We need to help fellow Christians to not wander from the straight and narrow path. We can’t do that if we don’t apply God’s Word to our own life. Never rebuke in anger, but always use Scripture.

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Then Jesus asked a third time if Peter loved Him and urged Peter to: “…Feed my sheep” (John 21:17c). This is the same word used in verse 15 above meaning to feed. The Lambs need food to grow strong, but the sheep need to be fed a different kind of food. The sheep need to delve deeper into God’s Word in order to stay strong.

Christians need to encourage each other to walk close to our Lord. If you see a brother or sister reverting back into worldly ways, remind them of what Christ did. The sacrifice he made to purchase salvation should never be taken lightly. Jesus was perfect and owed no sin debt, but loved us enough to pay the price of our redemption. We owe Him everything, but do we follow His ways?

Peter did and went on to be a strong leader among Christians. In the gospels we see Peter as a man who spoke whatever came into his mind. After Jesus urged him to feed the flock, Peter saw his purpose and in the book of Acts we see the Holy Spirit changing Peter. Peter still needed help from others in order to stay on track. Paul brought Peter’s mistakes to his attention.

“But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed” (Galatians 2:11).

Peter took the rebuke to heart and got right in his walk with the Lord. When Peter came to the end of his life, he wrote letters of encouragement to fellow believers. He wrote about Christian growth, and must have pulled from his own experience in life. When we first come to Jesus we need to move away from our worldly ways. When we have been walking with the Lord for some time, we need to continue to be diligent in our walk. God gives us power to overcome the temptations of life, but we need to tap into that power and live set apart lives.

“According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue; whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:3-4).

God has given us what we need. Paul also wrote about this in his letters to the very worldly Christians in Corinth.

“All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any” (1 Corinthians 6:12).

Christians have been forgiven of all past, present, and future sin, but that doesn’t give us an excuse to continue sinning. If you don’t begin to move away from living a sinful life and are happy wallowing in sin, then you haven’t grown. Have you truly accepted Christ for salvation, or is he just someone you give lip service to? You need to be sure.

Life after death is eternal. If you’ve rejected Him for your salvation you will find out that all the lust of this life wasn’t worth your choice of eternal torment. If you have accepted Him, then you need to love Him and grow in your Christian walk. How do you grow from a lamb to a sheep? Peter tells us how. He gives us a step by step guide.

“And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge” (2 Peter 1:5.)

We come to Jesus by faith, now we need to add virtue, or arête. This is moral excellence. While we live on this side of heaven we will never stop sinning, but we need to recognize our sin and move toward moral excellence. The lambs need to be fed so they leave the lusts of the world behind, and the sheep need to be tended so they don’t return to the world. Virtue, or moral living, comes from knowledge of the Lord and study of His word.

“And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness” (2 Peter 1:6).

One step at a time; from lost sinner to saving faith, from faith to virtue and knowledge. Then there comes temperance. This is self-control. Knowledge of God’s Word will teach you how God feels about things like anger, marriage, alcohol, and more. Learn to control your worldly desires and bring them into obedience to the Lord. It takes time, but that’s where patience comes in. Patience for your own growth, and patience in encouraging someone else in their growth. When you fail ask forgiveness and try again.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Pretty soon there will be fewer failures and we will become more virtuous in our actions and words. If God holds a place of honor in your life, it will show.

“And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity” (2 Peter 1:7).

Brotherly kindness, or philadelphia in Greek, toward fellow Christians grows by loving and honoring God. By growing in your faith and following the steps laid out by Peter, you will find that old ways no longer appeal to you. There will be joy in being around your brothers and sisters in Christ, and the pull of the world will ease its grip on you.

As you grow in the knowledge of the Lord your love of God will take over your life and you’ll find joy in sharing His love with others. Christian charity, agape, will flow from your words and actions and others will be encouraged.

A Christian needs to build on these things. It’s a lifelong process, but this encourages a strong walk with our Lord. These things aren’t to be done for public display, but need to be a part of our private life too.

“For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:8).

If you study the guidelines that Peter set out, you will be a good witness to others around you. If you love Jesus and have a desire to follow Him, your knowledge of Him will grow because you will study His word and apply it to your life. You will feed the lambs without even being aware that your example is nourishing to them.

“But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins” (2 Peter 1:9). It’s easy to forget what Jesus did on the cross when we go back to the filth of sin.

As you go through this life you will have temptations, but it’s how you handle those temptations that makes a difference in your growth as a Christian. If you follow Peter’s guidelines you will grow from a lamb to a sheep and will be an encouragement to Christians around you.

If you hold onto your sin you will be a poor witness to others, especially the young lambs. They will look at you and think that if you, a “mature” Christian, can embrace a particular sin then it must be all right for the lambs to also embrace sin.

“Abstain from all appearance of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:22).

Look to God’s Word for His example of living. When you understand what God views as sin, then you need to control yourself and not yield to temptation. If you see a brother or sister practicing sin, go to them and use Scripture to correct them in brotherly love.

We need to hold Christ as our example and move closer to His way. We can be so sure of the grace and forgiveness of Jesus that we forget that we are supposed to let go of sin and follow Him. Remember, He told the woman taken in adultery to “…go, and sin no more” (John 8:11b).

The New Testament letters are written by inspiration of the Holy Spirit to believers for encouragement and correction. We need to learn from them. Peter said that he would continue to remind his readers of God’s truth.

“Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth” (2 Peter 1:12). If you hold onto the same sin and don’t grow in your Christian walk, you need rebuke from Scripture. Re-read the various New Testament letters and be fed. Go over Peter’s instructions on how faith grows into a closer walk with Jesus. It isn’t good to remain a lamb.

Peter was an example of a man who was changed by the power of the Holy Spirit. Study his life and you will probably find similarities between yourself and Peter. Jesus knew that he would be a strong leader of the ekklesia (Christians) and many would be inspired by him. Today Peter is still feeding the lambs and the sheep.

God bless you all,
Nathele Graham

There is a trend today to deny the supernatural. Oh, we believe in a supernatural God, and He’s good, but there are no such things as ghosts, goblins, or any other scary supernatural entities. Right? It’s a fact that God is supernatural, and calling Him good is an understatement. It’s also a fact that there are supernatural entities that are pure evil.

We know this is true because the Bible contains many accounts of demonic possession. One of the best known is the man in Gadara who had been possessed by many demons. Jesus made a special trip by boat just to rid this man of demons.

“And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs” (Luke 8:27).

What a sorry state for a human to live in, naked and living among the dead. When anyone tried to control him, the demons inside of him broke the chains. The gospel of Mark gives a bit more insight to his torment.

“And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones” (Mark 5:5).

This man was a mess.

It wasn’t caused by disease or a mental disorder. He was demon possessed. In this modern world we live in, Satan has misled people on two accounts. First, many Christians believe that the spiritual gifts have stopped and so we have no authority through Christ over demons. Second Satan has convinced many people that demons are not an issue. Wrong on both points.

Demon possession was nothing new in the days when Jesus walked this earth and still are an issue today. Demons have names and in order for a Rabbi to cast out a demon he had to first ask its name. When confronting this demoniac Jesus did just that.

“And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him” (Luke 8:30).

Instead of a name, the demon gave a number. History tells us that a Roman Legion could consist of up to 6,000 men. Even half of that would be a torturous number of demons to have residing in your body. No wonder he lived in tombs and cried. Demons have to be given an opening in order to have rights to a person.

What did this possessed man of Gadara do to invite the demons into himself? We aren’t told what he did, but he had to open the door and invite the demons in. That hasn’t changed. Dabbling in any occult practice opens doors to allow a demon to have rights to your life. You may think reading your horoscope is an innocent thing or that an Ouija board is just a game, but these are occult activities.

Even though God says not to do certain things, people are rebellious and disobedient and think they are smarter than God. King Saul was a man who disobeyed God and was tormented by demons. When he had a demonic episode, David would be called in to play music for him. Saul was rebellious towards God and that always means trouble.

“For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he that also rejected thee from being king” (1 Samuel 15:23).
Saul’s rebellion ultimately brought on his own death after he went to a witch to call up the spirit of Samuel for advice. God does not condone witchcraft or talking to people who have died. When we rebelliously go against God we give rights to demons. God gave a law against cutting the flesh and getting tattoos.

“Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you:

I am the LORD” (Leviticus 19:28).

The Israelites were to enter the land God promised them, but it was filled with demon worshipping pagans who, among other things, cut and tattooed themselves. Today tattoos are seen on many people and there is a trend where people cut themselves to draw blood. Even though Christians aren’t under the Law this shows how God feels about such things.

God said not to do this because of the demonic connection. Could these identifying marks be behind much of the demonic activity surrounding us today? Satan demands blood sacrifice because he always tries to copy God. Jesus Christ, God incarnate, shed His blood as the once for all sacrifice for our salvation. On the other hand, Satan demands blood and sacrifice from humanity.

Cutting your body and spilling your blood is following Satan in sin. Many occult groups require the drinking of blood. The satanic god, Allah, requires those who follow him to kill innocent people as a sacrifice to him and we also see a rise in cannibalism. The One true God has never required His people to shed human blood; human sacrifice is a sin. Blood is not to be ingested, whether it is human or animal.

“For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof: whosoever eateth it shall be cut off” (Leviticus 17:14).

Demon possessed people perform all sorts of unnatural acts of self-destruction. Look around you and pay attention to the things that are being accepted by the world today, and then watch the evening news to see how many murders occur. Guns get blamed but demonically inspired people are the ones who pull the trigger. There are many ways to open yourself to demons, and as we move closer to the end of time demonically inspired behavior is becoming acceptable.

“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20).

The use of “recreational” drugs is one way to open doors to demons, as is drunkenness. Yoga, contemplative prayer, and meditation are all ways of inviting demons in. Homosexuality and any sexual activity outside of a one man/one woman marriage are rebellion to God and satanic in nature. Secular music praises Satan and many singers brag about selling their soul to Satan.

Most movies today show evil as being good and are filled with profanity, violence, and perverse lifestyles. Television programs mock God and promote immoral values. Demonic ways are infiltrating every part of our life, which makes it easy to dabble in the demonic if you aren’t alert.

If you are a Christian and don’t place Christ first in your life then you’re in danger of satanic attack. If you aren’t a Christian, you are in danger of demonic possession. Demons recognize God so the demons in the man from Gadara recognized Jesus.

“When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not” (Luke 8:28).

The Jewish religious leaders were blind to the fact that Jesus was their Messiah, but these demons knew exactly who He was and feared His authority. They knew that they had to obey Him and that there would come a time when they would be ordered into the abyss, but that time had not come yet.

“And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep” (Luke 8:31).
The “deep” is translated from the Greek word abyssos which is the bottomless pit.

“And there was there an herd of many swine feeding on the mountain: and they besought him that he would suffer them to enter into them. And he suffered them” (Luke 8:32).

To a demon, even the body of swine is better than having no body at all. To the swine it was unbearable.
“Then went the devils out of the man, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake, and were choked” (Luke 8:33).

Demons are evil and have no mercy on anyone they possess. Christians are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and can’t be possessed by evil spirits. The Holy Spirit is God, and demons fear God. Believers can’t be possessed but can suffer demonic attacks. Brothers and sisters, take a stand against Satan.

Don’t dabble in anything demonic, even if that means shutting off your cable TV. If you join in anything that is not of God you invite demons to oppress you and steal your joy in the Lord.

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

Stand firm on God’s Word and don’t be a part of worldly ways. Strive to live your life on biblical principles without compromise. The closer you walk with Jesus the more joy you will have.
“Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded” (James 4:8).

Study His Word, listen to Christian music, and enjoy fellowship with Christian friends. Draw closer to God.

What happened to the man in Gadara? When Jesus cast out the demons, the man became calm and normal. What a relief he must have felt. The man wanted to go with Jesus, but Jesus had other plans for him.
“Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him” (Luke 8:39).

The man now possessed a great witnessing tool—his very own testimony. Jesus told him to go and tell everyone about the great things God had done for him, and how God had compassion on him. He did as Jesus commanded and we can only imagine what a wonderful witness he was. Every Christian has been forgiven of sin.

Not all of us have had demons cast out, but we all have been forgiven. We each have a testimony and need to tell everybody around us what great things Jesus has done for us. Eternal life isn’t something to keep quiet. Christians need to turn away from those things that are of Satan. We have power through the Holy Spirit to cast out demons, but most people deny His power.

Many have a “that was then, this is now” attitude that denies the power given to us through Jesus. Jesus gave this power to His disciples, and sent seventy out to evangelize. That power is available to Christians today.

“And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name” (Luke 10:17).

God’s power has never changed, but we limit God by thinking the spiritual gifts have stopped. Satan loves that attitude. As mere human beings we have no strength on our own to fight against the powers and principalities of darkness, but in the name of Jesus we can do wonders.

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13).

Through the shed blood of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, we are forgiven. His love and mercy are unlimited. We still need to make a choice each day…each minute of each day…to live according to His Word. He will strengthen our walk and protect us from evil. If we choose to live your life in opposition to Him, then we have made the choice to open the door to Satan and his minions. If you claim to be a Christian, then live like it.

Don’t dabble in the demonic. Give your entire life to Jesus.

God bless you all,
Ron and Nathele Graham