Peter Stood Up

Acts 1:12-26

Key Verse 1:15

In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty)

About two weeks ago Missionary Paul Koh fixed the desktop at my office at the center. This PC remained down for a long period of time. We tried a number of ideas like reformatting it with different software. But it did not work. I was frustrated, so in order to buy a brand new one I visited Circuit City. But the most basic ones were all around $500. So, I didn’t buy one and came back home. Then, the other day, I walked into the office, and saw the PC up and running: Paul Koh downloaded some software from somewhere, and got it fixed. The conclusion was that nothing was wrong with the hardware. Something was wrong with the software. A computer man fixed the problem, and it is now up and running. 

There are people which are very similar to my PC which was once broken. Their hardware is alright, but something is wrong inside, so that like a computer which does not work, they are not up and running. Their existence is either ineffective or counterproductive. They allow God's investments in them to go idle, and thereby they let all the talents in them waste away. What abuse!? What a waste?! 

Once upon a time Simon Peter also had moments of being dysfunctional. But in the passage thanks to the help of the Lord Jesus, he overcame the problems he had on the inside. How did it happen? Let us think about how he did it in four ways.

First, he moved forward, rather than backward.

Look at verses 12-13. "Then they returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day's walk from the city. When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James." This passage begins with the expression "to Jerusalem". This phrase stands in contrast with the one word in the previous passage, that is, Galilee. Because they were men of Galilee, and since the Risen Jesus had gone into heaven, with no one directing them physically standing next to them, they, particularly Simon Peter, could have gone back to Galilee, his home town. 

The alternative to go back home might have been particularly attractive especially because of the financial predicament Peter was in. While on earth Jesus did not give them a salary. Jesus did not offer them classes on how to build a career, or make a living. Upon leaving them behind in this world Jesus could have left for them at least one studio apartment with a refrigerator and perhaps a microwave oven. But Jesus left nothing for them. Their pockets were all empty. How then could they survive in this dog eat dog world? Who would pay for the rent? As in the U.S. Peter lived in the society of capitalism where money talks. So, the issue of how to make a living must have always been on their minds. And had Peter gone back to Galilee he could have always made a living through fishing. But in Jerusalem he had no one to hire him. He did not have any job skills that would most likely help him to get by. Rather than job opportunities religious cops were waiting to hunt him down to put him in jail simply on the basis of his association with Jesus. Yet, together with other disciples he "returned" to Jerusalem. In obedience to Jesus' direction, he denied his natural instincts, and returned to the place where life was far more challenging. 

"Then they returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day's walk from the city. When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying." Here we find four words: returned, walk, arrived, and went. We also find the word "upstairs." Maybe this walk took about a day, maybe about an 8 to 12 hour journey. This journey which began at the Mt. of Olives and ended at an upper room which most likely was within the premises of the Jerusalem temple, was the most significant one for the rising of Peter. 

The point for us to remember here then is to understand the nature of the life in the Lord. That is, it is always forward looking, future-oriented, and upward-mobile. It never looks backward. Our call is heavenward. Although we are in this world, we are not of this world, and as long as we are in this world we will always be in trouble. And we should not be afraid of challenges for Jesus overcame the world. Let us then not be afraid of challenges, particularly the challenge to get into college campuses, and find students who would commit themselves to serving the Lord's world mission command. 

Second, he prayed.

By nature challenges (such as the problems inside and the problems outside of a believer or a church fellowship) are more spiritual than physical. Spiritual problems require spiritual remedies.  And thank God. The Lord God provided us with prayer as a powerful means to get all of our problems resolved. 

The disciples all returned to Jerusalem. Yes. They all gathered in a room upstairs. Then what? There was no more Jesus around. Tons of enemies were out there ready to tear them apart. And they did not know what to do. Of course Jesus asked them to "wait" for the promised gift. But nothing is more painful than just waiting. They had problems both inside and outside, especially the problem of doubt and fear, anxiety and nervousness.

Under such dire circumstances what did they do? Facing these challenges, what spiritual remedy did they resort to? Look at verses 14-15. "They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty)." 

Yes. They relied on prayer.  Indeed prayer is a formidable weapon, powerful enough to destroy and blow up the devil's strongholds. But even coming to the seat of prayer is not always easy. This was particularly true with the disciples. Like many of us, they were young so they must have preferred going out to try to do something rather than sitting down, praying, and doing nothing. In addition, they had their own wishes and wants, likes and dislikes. Yet they set aside all of their differences, even the difference between men and women. For the common prayer topic, that is, to wait for the promised gift and carry out the mission to live as Jesus’ witnesses, they denied themselves, and waited on God in prayer. And they all prayed like one person. 

How long did they pray? Most likely this continued for about ten days or a little less than that. 

To unspiritual minds, prayer looks like nothing but killing time. But to those whose minds are open to God, prayer is the time where one's attention is directed towards God. As one's mind, heart, and spirit are tuned to God, he or she starts gaining God's perspective, gets all of his problems illuminated by God's light, and is then able to clearly see the do's and don'ts, and the why's and how's. 

Obviously, this was what happened to Peter, for the Scriptures say that it was in those days that Peter stood up and was able to address the problem decisively, completely repair the broken vessel, and got the army of the Lord ready to go. 

Third, he studied the Scriptures.

To say that it is in the time of prayer that we can secure God's direction, is more easily said than done. On many occasions, although one keeps praying, desperately seeking to hear God's voice, still one ends up getting nothing but headaches. However, how was it that Peter came out being a totally different person than ever, knowing exactly what to do? 

We find an answer to this question in verses 16-20. Look at these verses. "And said, "Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through the mouth of David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus-- He was one of our number and shared in this ministry." (With the reward he got for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out. Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) "For," said Peter, "it is written in the book of Psalms, "'May his place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in it,' and, "'May another take his place of leadership.'" When Peter stood up, the first thing he mentioned was what was written in the Scriptures. Specifically he recited two places from the book of Psalms. Combine this fact with the fact that he got himself engaged in prayer. This combination indicates that while he was praying, instead of constantly bobbing his head up and down towards the wall, every once in a while, he must have stopped praying, knelt down, opened the Bible and read the Scriptures ever so intently and prayerfully. And he did this with a sense of problem. Then as he was reading the Scriptures, suddenly he was illuminated to God's will, wisdom, and the best solution concerning the problems he had - the problem of Judas Iscariot, the problem his congregation suffered from, and the action plan he needed to take to address the problems. 

Peter's example indicates that whatever problems we have, the problems which seem so complicated and without any possible solutions, we must bring them to the Lord God in prayer and at the same time put them under the light of God's word. 

It has been said, that prayer and the word are two means of grace. By grace we mean the gifts from God and gifts include all that are given from God to us for free - the wisdom to cope with the problems we have, the courage to meet the challenges, the strategy to deal with the enemies, and much more. 

In general terms, prayer can be seen as the way to direct one's attention to God. Bible studies during the time of prayer can be understood as a means to read God's will with specificity. Figuratively speaking it is like a man leaving Downey, going up to the LA Observatory, and then gazing at the stars using their gigantic telescope. We then can say that going up to the LA observatory, and sitting on the hill of Griffith Park is like a man praying. Then, looking into the sky to watch the stars through the telescope and gazing at the stars at night is like reading into the Scriptures to find God’s answers. When one relies on his naked eyes alone, things may seem dark and confusing. No stars may be in sight. But the world that is seen through the telescope can be a totally different experience. Such is the case with the Scriptures. 

"Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through the mouth of David concerning Judas..." Again it was through the Scripture that Peter heard God's voice. God does not contradict himself. God's word contained in the Bible represents God's final expression of his will and plan. A lot of people say that while in prayer they were able to meet the Risen Jesus personally, and Jesus said to them directly this or that, go to this place or that place, meet this person or that person, ask this man or that person do this or not to do that. As fabulous as it may sound, one must remember that a man who says things like this is already setting himself above the Scriptures. In Paul’s terms, he has gone way beyond the Scriptures. Furthermore, he is misrepresenting Jesus because Jesus never did or does anything that tends to put the Bible in a false light or diminish the authority of the Bible, which is plenary.  To Jesus God's word is perfect and complete. The Bible is so complete and comprehensive that there is nothing to be added or subtracted from it. So, Jesus does not say anything that is beyond or outside or more or less than what we already have in the Scriptures. 

"Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through the mouth of David concerning Judas..." David lived about 1000 years before Christ. Imagine a man living today, saying something that will happen, let’s say, on a day 1000 years in the future. Would you believe that his word would come true? But this was what happened to the words of David. About 1000 years prior to the coming of Jesus, David already had seen what was to happen down the road in Jerusalem in regard to Jesus and Judas Iscariot. And David even prophesied about what must be done to iron out the wrinkle, that is, to find a replacement for Judah’s Iscariot.   

One may say, "Okay, that might have worked for a man like Simon Peter, but not for me. My problem is so unique and modern that it must have escaped the purview of God's perception and consideration." But remember what Hebrews 4:13 says, "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." What does “nothing” mean? Nothing means nothing. What does “all” mean? All means all. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Let us assume hypothetically that Mr. Problem-ridden gets hit by 12 problems each day. He will then have 120 problems hitting him in the next ten days. Then, let us say he is going to live 1000 more days. Then assuming that each day he will run into 12 problems on average, during the 1000 days remaining he will have gone through 12,000 problems. Are all the problems seen by God? The answer is yes. Are all the solutions to the problems written down in the Scriptures? The answer is yes. The problem is how to find the solutions. Oh, yes. You now believe that the Scriptures have all the answers to all the questions you have in life. Then, by all means, keep the Bible close to you, and start digging into it prayerfully, and do that with a keen sense of problem, believing in all that the Bible has to offer.

Once  upon a time, Michael Turner, the astrophysicist at the University of Chicago and Fermilab, said that God designed the universe with great precision. Speaking of this truth, he said, "The precision is as if one could throw a dart across the entire universe and hit a bulls-eye one millimeter in diameter on the other side." The universe is as vast as billions and zillions of light years in diameter. For one to see a dart completing its journey from one end of the universe to the other, he would need to live his life billions and zillions of times all over again. Yet, God is so precise, his eyes are so all encompassing that the passage way of the dart that takes such a long time is all in God's full view and control. And it has been said that the Lord God gave us two revelations: general revelation and special revelation. The universe and everything in it represents the general revelation, and the Scriptures special. And it is in the Scriptures the Lord God put all things fully considered, mapped out, and written down for us to delve into. 

Fourth, he stood up for the right cause.

A lot of people are tangled up in a number of different problems, and do not know how to sort them out much less to get out of them. But problems are always opportunities for greater blessings. And there are always solutions to all the problems. In studying Peter's confession of faith, the Christ of God, we already saw that Jesus came to solve two fundamental problems: the problems of sin and death. 

Seemingly Simon Peter in the passage, and of course all others who were gathered with him numbering about 120, had a lot of problems: job problems, marriage problems, language problems, health problems and much more. But basically they did not have any problems. Why? They have already seen the Risen Jesus. 

If they had issues of life, the only remaining issue was how to carry out the will of the Risen Jesus. As Simon Peter returned from Mt. Olives to the room upstairs in Jerusalem, this agenda must have been on his mind. And it must have remained so all the while - the nights and days of his prayer vigil, and Scripture readings. 

What Peter proposed to do after standing up from his prayer also testifies to the same truth. Let us read verses 21-26 responsively. Here we see Peter proposing to fix the broken vessel for a purpose, that is, to use the vessel to effectively carry out Jesus' will, that is, to witness to Jesus' resurrection. "Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from John's baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection." Then, when Matthias was chosen and added to the number, the number became complete: 12 apostles. In short, Peter stood up for the right cause, that is, to testify to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

Let us pause for a moment and think about this cause. Imagine a man who was seen brutally murdered in public. Then this man came back to life. And you spent time with that person for a period of over 40 days! This man is Jesus. One may ask, "Well it is good for Jesus to rise again. It is good for Jesus, but what does that mean to me?" We already know the answer. Jesus said, "Because I live you will also live." Here, "you" refers to not just the 12 apostles but all who believe in Jesus. This is the message given to the church. This is the cause for which all of us need to stand up! Peter stood up. And he stood up for this cause which is truly worthy. This raises a question for all of us: is there any reason why each of us should not stand up for this cause? 

One word: Peter stood up!