The early church had two great leaders. Peter was the first to step up and lead. A number of years later, Paul became the leader, or perhaps a co-leader. The powerful men were close and worked together in spite of the vast differences between them. Christians have long believed they were even martyred together in Rome.
Would you rather be a Peter or a Paul?[1]
Simon, whom Jesus re-named “Peter” was Joe Cool, right? Peter was a MAN OF ACTION.
Peter is down-to-earth. We can relate to him: he is not an intellectual genius, but a simple fisherman. He is impulsive, he talks too much and often says the wrong thing. But he is enthusiastic. He was so full of faith that he walked to Jesus on the water (no one else has EVER done that). He preached the sermon at Pentecost and led 3,000 people to faith in Christ. Incredible!
Peter was the leader of the church in the early chapters of the Book of Acts. Even today, the Catholic church considers Peter the first pope. After all, when Peter said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God,” Jesus responded by saying that God had revealed that deep truth to Peter and “thou art Peter and upon this rock will I build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” Matthew 16:16-18.
Standing in contrast is the Apostle Paul, the leader of the church in the later chapters of the Book of Acts. Saul, whom Jesus re-named “Paul” was not so much Joe Cool as Joe School.
I don’t think we relate to Paul as easily. People remember Paul for his intellectual heft. Even the Roman Procurator Festus spoke of Paul’s “great learning” Acts 26:24. He had an education that far exceeded that of Peter and the other disciples.
Paul was more professor than fisherman.
Paul had been trained as a Pharisee by the respected member of the Sanhedrin, Gamaliel (a teacher so famous, he is mentioned outside scripture in the Jewish Talmud). Paul was so smart, his letters require serious study if they are to be understood. In fact, Peter himself comments on Paul’s writing: “Some parts of his letters are hard to understand,” 2 Peter 3:16. (My uncle Bill loved this verse because it made him feel better about the difficulty of the Pauline epistles. These short, dense books are no joke!)
Paul’s words and concepts can be tough. This is not a Sunday school flannel-graph with colorful animals making their way to the ark. Paul deals in heavy topics. But without Paul’s clear statements and numerous step-by-step arguments, the early church would never have come to a proper understanding of grace vs. law. Only Paul could have teased out the distinction between legalistic Judaism for-Jews-only and a grace-oriented, faith-based church offering forgiveness and fellowship to Jews and Gentiles. It is true that Peter led the way in the acceptance of non-Jews following Peter’s vision in Acts 10:10-16. However, Peter later fell back into old habits and began associating with Jews only. But Paul was having none of it and “opposed him to his face” Galatians 2:11-14.
Paul is a study in contrasts. Just as King David not only wrote poetry and cuddled lambs but also destroyed Goliath and led thousands into battle, so also there is more than one side to the Apostle Paul. Don’t let Paul’s brains overshadow his brawn.
Just like Peter, Paul is a MAN OF ACTION.
When we meet him in Acts, he is watching, arguably facilitating, the stoning of Stephen. Then he becomes a persecutor himself, traveling about with a security detail and arresting everyone who believes in Jesus. He threw them in jail, probably beat them, and argued for their execution. This is not a quiet man sitting at a desk with a quill pen. Paul was a man of action. Many scholars are content to WRITE about what they believe in, but not Paul. Paul was out there rounding up his enemies and throwing them in jail. Then after he became a believer, Paul traveled an estimated 10,000 miles (much of it on foot) preaching the gospel and risking persecution and death. Consequently, the one-time persecutor endured tremendous persecution himself:
“I have worked harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was pelted with stones. Three times I was shipwrecked. A night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been in danger from rivers, danger from bandits, danger from my fellow Jews, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the country, danger at sea, in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, there is the daily pressure of concern for all the churches….” 2 Corinthians 11:23-28.
Peter and Paul are two great MEN OF ACTION. These are not Christians who watch sports all weekend. They are doers. Paul is a thinker, of course. But he is a thinker who is out there hustling every day, outworking everybody. And Peter too was always busy, leading the young church for years. If you are a Peter, perhaps with a fisherman’s education like my grandfather (who had to leave school after third grade), God can use you. Your wisdom, common sense, and encouragement can build the faith of Christians around you every day.
And if you are a Paul, with a scholar’s gifts, God can use you. Your training will serve you well, provided you are not afraid to get your hands dirty.
God calls us to be men and women of ACTION.
The Christian life is not primarily an intellectual pursuit. It is serving as a soldier in a battle for souls. God is looking for people who are ready to go to war. Whether you are a Peter or a Paul, Jesus can use you in His kingdom!
Read Acts 10.
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[1] Recently I wrote that given a choice of characters in the Prodigal Son story, it would be better to be the older brother than the younger. Assuming both repent of sins and are restored by grace to a proper relationship with their father (and each other), the younger brother will nevertheless reap the consequences of years of hard living, while the older brother will reap the consequences of “hard thoughts.” Both types of consequences matter, but most understand that hard living is the more damaging of the two.
Household Words: 