The Early Church - Accountable

Have you ever let someone down? It’s one of the worst feelings to know that someone trusted or counted on you and you disappointed them. If we could talk to him today, I think Peter would tell you firsthand how awful it is. He denied Jesus three times and then had to face Him when He returned. We’ve all been there. We aren’t perfect, but our mistakes don’t define us. They do, however, give us opportunities for growth.

Sometimes it’s really easy to mess up and tell ourselves that we aren’t good enough. The enemy feeds those lies; and all too often, we believe them. Peter gives us a great example of why we don’t have to listen to these lies.

In Acts 3, we see the same Peter – the one who denied Jesus -- preaching the Gospel and even healing a lame man through the power of the Holy Spirit. Then in chapter 4, we learn that because of his and John’s teachings, about 5000 people believed that Jesus was the Son of God.

If God wants to use someone who let Him down three times to His own face – and use him to heal the lame and bring thousands of people to the church – how is God wanting to use you? It’s such a Sunday School thing to say that your sins are forgiven, but to believe it and live it out can be hard. But know this one thing: the God of the universe wants to use you in miraculous ways to further His Kingdom!

So, when we stumble - and we will stumble - we aren’t meant to walk away in defeat. Instead we are to kneel before the Lord and call on Him for strength to grow. We ask for the power of the Holy Spirit to transform our lives and teach us to be more like Jesus. Growth sometimes doesn’t feel natural, or easy. It calls us out of our comfort zone. It challenges us.

However, as Christians, we don’t have to walk through that alone! We not only have the power of the Holy Spirit within us, but we also have our brothers and sisters in Christ that we can lean on for support, accountability, and encouragement.

I challenge you to sit down with someone and find areas in your life where you can grow - whatever that might look like. Maybe you indulge in too much social media. Maybe you struggle with addiction. Whatever you are going through, make tangible goals to grow and become more like Christ. Then regularly follow up with that person and hold each other accountable to your goals. In these conversations, we can begin to grow as Peter did.

By Keith Wilson

Keith is a Worship Associate at Immanuel’s Tates Creek Campus. He is from the Chicagoland area originally and has lived in Lexington for the last six years. He and his wife, Liz, have been married for almost 2 years. He is a former AcoUstiKat and has been singing since he could talk.