After Jesus' death and resurrection, the disciples, including Peter, were given the Holy Spirit. By an act of God's grace, they received the gift of repentance and were converted (John 20:22; Acts 2:1-4). On that memorable Day of Pentecost, some seven weeks after Jesus' death, Peter gave his first public sermon. He urged devout Jews to repent, become converted and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38).But Peter spoke about repentance and conversion — a turning to God — in a surprising way. First, he did not tell these Jews they had to change their lives in terms of obeying the law of Moses more diligently and accurately.The people listening to Peter were already God-fearing Jews who worshiped and obeyed the law (verse 5). Most of these devout Jews did not need to repent of what we commonly think of as depraved, corrupt, immoral behavior. As devout Jews, they were careful to keep God's law (Torah). They were what we might call good, church-going, religious folks. They weren't flagrantly and habitually defiling the Sabbath, doing homage to idols or killing people.In the context of repentance and conversion as "turning one's life around," what could these Jews have done differently? Externally, not that much. But Peter's directing them to repentance was an imperative request, a command. He asked them to enter into a new relationship with Jesus as their resurrected Savior. The context of Peter's first public sermon makes his purpose clear. He began by pointing his hearers to Jesus Christ, whom he said they had rejected and their leaders had killed (verses 22-23). This was the basis of their guilt and sin.Throughout the sermon. Peter hammered away at one point: Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior, and people must put their faith in him. This turning to Jesus in faith was summarized as a simple charge to his hearers: "Repent and be baptized" (verse 38).What they were to repent of was their rejection of Jesus as Messiah and Savior. Peter's sermon explained repentance as a change of mind about Jesus — as an experience of him — as an acceptance of him as Savior. Peter called on his listeners to believe in Jesus Christ and to place total faith in him as their Savior.Follow meThe apostles and evangelists always pointed people to Jesus Christ and the resurrection. We can see this throughout the book of Acts, Luke's story of the spread of the gospel of salvation. Apostles such as Peter encouraged people to understand Jesus as the One who saves. In this, they were following their Master himself, who spoke often of the need to follow him, to become Christlike.To Jesus, "following" and "becoming" were the essence of repentance and the converted life. "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me," Jesus Christ taught his disciples (Matthew 16:24).People were to follow and trust Jesus at all costs. The choice of allegiance has always been between Jesus and everything that makes up our world. To make the right choice - to accept Jesus and crucify the self — was to repent.Jesus' summons to repentance and conversion closely ties to his person. An individual's decision to repent or not to repent is a choice for or against Jesus personally. When we are called to repent, we are not primarily confronted with changing a doctrine, a belief or cultural practice (although our commitment to Christ often leads to that as well). More importantly, we are faced with the living Christ himself. We are called to come to Christ and to allow him to transform our lives.Lifetime walkSome speak of conversion, coming to Christ or being "born again" as a onetime event. But Jesus did not call for merely a singular dramatic event. He asked for much more.We can see this if we again look at the devout Jews who repented and became Christians in the first century. They had to accept an important reality: They needed to recognize that God had acted in history in Jesus. They were called to believe that the promise of grace and salvation made to the "fathers" (among them Abraham and David) had been fulfilled in Jesus' life, death and resurrection. God's Messiah had come, and every knee was commanded to bow to him.The person willing to acknowledge this as a life-changing fact is converted by God through the gift of the Holy Spirit. That person now has a new ongoing loyalty — an allegiance to the triune God, who in the person of Jesus Christ became our Savior.How about you?Have you experienced a repentance and conversion in Christ? Have you come to Christ in faith? Have you accepted him as Lord and Savior?If not, Jesus bids you come and follow him. As he did in Paul's day, God commands men and women everywhere to repent. His purpose is that all people come to a knowledge of the truth and repent.If the enlightening power of the Holy Spirit has opened your eyes to see who Jesus Christ really is — our Messiah and Savior — then you have an important choice to make. God is waiting for your positive response to his offer of salvation. He is waiting for you to take the steps that demonstrate you accept Jesus Christ as your Savior.
Peter The Rock, the corner stone on which Jesus built his church, just a regular man, a fisherman, with much doubt and fear, who said he'd go anywhere with Jesus and never abandon him even unto death. Only to ran away and lied in the end; didn't do him much good, Christ had already told him he would be the stone on which he built his church, and he was. A very strong leader of the Christians after Christ's death refusing to give up until his own death.
Jesus is helping Peter
Jesus and the Apostles on top of St. Peter's
Peter and Jesus Jesus washing the feet of the Apostles Peter denied Jesus three times. Peter's crucifixion Apostle Peter's Grave behind glass. It's suppose to be the grave with the actual bones of Apostle Peter.