The Leadership of Peter
The leadership of Peter was a result of his enthusiasm, eagerness, courage, loyalty and organizing ability among the disciples. He appears first in all four New Testament lists of the Twelve. And he often took upon himself the role of spokesman for the entire group (Matthew 14:28; 16:16; 17:24; 26:35; etc.).
But before his call to the ministry, he acted as the manager of the fishing business he conducted in partnership with Andrew, James, and John, who have been all disciples of John the Baptist at that time (John 1:35–42). After the baptism of Jesus, Andrew brought his brother to Jesus (John 1:40–42) who responded to the invitation to recognize Jesus as the Messiah, and identified with the Lord in His ministry.
Two years later, probably in the late spring or early summer of A.D. 29 (Matthew 4:12), Christ called this apostle to permanent discipleship, together with his brother Andrew and his business partners James and John (Luke 5:1–11; v. 7).
The lessons Peter had learned from Jesus (Luke 22:32; John 21:15–17) yielded its fruits. His natural gifts have been purified through conversion, and he came out as a leader in the church. But there was no dominance in his leadership. He exhorted his brethren to godliness and faithfulness.
Later on, in the early church, the leadership of Peter took a prominent part in evangelism. His was the only Pentecostal sermon that is recorded (Acts 2:14–40), and other sermons of his received special attention (Acts 3:12–26; 4:8–12; 10:34–43). He, with John, performed the first miracle of healing recorded in Acts (ch. 3:1–11), and his miraculous powers were mentioned in the following references (chs. 5:15; 9:32–41).
Also, he played a chief part in rebuking Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:3–11). It is clear that he held a leading position in guiding the early church and there is no further mention of him after Acts 15:7.
In His service,
BibleAsk Team
