Restored to Service

“But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are saying!" Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times."  So Peter went out and wept bitterly.” Luke 22:60-62

“He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Feed My sheep. Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish."  This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, "Follow Me." John 21:17-19

also John Mark - Acts 12: 25(began), 13:13 (departed) , 2 Timothy 4:11(useful again)

   Messed up, sinned, letdown, failure, abomination, denial, defeated, disappointment . . . whatever you call it our lives are full of sin, and it causes us to do things which we know are against the desired will of God for our lives.  When we walk down the road of sin, especially as Christians, it is easy for Satan to convince us that we are no longer useful to the kingdom of God.  However if we look at scripture we will quickly see that is not the case.

   Perhaps the most pointed case could be that of Peter, the apostle.  In the verses above we see his denial of the Lord, and then his restoration. We all can identify with how Peter must have felt in the weeks between his denials and when he was restored at the Sea of Galilee.  Peter had spent almost 3 years following Jesus, and often expressed his desire to follow Him, even to death.  Then when the situation arose, he denied his Lord not once, but three times.  Peter went from thinking he was the #1 follower of Jesus, to a complete failure; as Luke tells us, weeping bitterly. The beginning of John chapter 21 tells us that Peter returned to his homeland and “went fishing.”  Once Jesus shows him that he is restored, at Pentecost Peter preached and 3000 were added to the church.  He can do the same with us, even as messed up as we are.

   For clarity, this does not mean we are to continue in sin, but that if we fall into sin, that we must repent, then return to the work appointed to us by God.  God chooses us in our weakness to show his power, not ours.  The Old Testament shows how he used drunks, murderers, liars, depressed, and unconfident people.  He still uses the weak of the world to condemn the strong.  We are a church of weak sinners redeemed into the unstoppable church of God.  There are 15,000 unchurched people in Hart Co., in His strength, let’s go and reach as many of them as we can!