Revealed by God the Father

Revealed by God the Father

S - Matt 16:13-18 (NASB)
13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"14 And they said, "Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah ; but still others, Jeremiah , or one of the prophets."15 He said* to them, "But who do you say that I am?"16 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."17 And Jesus said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona , because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.18 "I also say to you that you are Peter , and upon this rock[14

O - Peters confession of who Jesus is,  was perhaps one of the first evangelistic statements spoken.  Up to now only Jesus had been proclaiming who he was through his actions and his words.  As we can see though Peter also did not come up with this conclusion on his own, but it was revealed to him by God in Heaven.  And this is perhaps the path for all of us.  While we may witness Christianity in the flesh, and receive the truths of the Gospel in our heads, it is God in heaven through His spirit that reveals his plan for our salvation to us.

A - The application for me is to recognize I need to follow Jesus' commandment and example to deliver God's message of salvation to all people, but trust that it is God himself that will reveal himself to people.    He is preparing people hearts and we can participate in the harvest if we are willing to share His truth others.

P - Dear heavenly Father I confess I struggle with sharing my faith with others.  I can encourage them in things I have knowledge of , and help them think through their decisions, but I fall short on having a willing heart to share the truth of your Gospel to those I might push away or feel would reject it.  Help me Lord to to be open to sharing, and trust that you are preparing the hearts, and that your love for me and these other people are not dependent on my performance.   I pray all this in Jesus name, Amen.