Back To Jesus Now

An encounter with God will change your life. Simon Peter was a self-proclaimed “sinful man” when Jesus Christ came to meet him. This is his beginning in the first encounter that he had when he first met Jesus Christ. Thankfully he did not remain this way. When God comes calling, He tends to change people for the better.

Luke 5:1-11 “So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, ² and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. ³ Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.

⁴ When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”

⁵ But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” ⁶ And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. ⁷ So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. ⁸ When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”

⁹ For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; ¹⁰ and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.” ¹¹ So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.

This is the beginning of the conversion of Simon Peter, but it would not be complete until the Day of Pentecost, after Jesus had risen from the dead, and beyond.

I look back over my life to try to understand who I am, and where did I come from. What becomes crystal clear to me is that there has been a new version of me in every decade of my life, many times more often then that. My life is constantly changing and evolving.

Much of it has to do with the growing process, my maturity level at each point of my life, my life experiences, my education, and especially the private encounters with God that I have had.

If you take a few moments to ponder on the different moments in the timeline of your life, you will see a different “You” developing, and growing, and changing all through your life.

It is not enough for us to clinically dissect the life of Simon Peter, like a bug under a microscope. Rather we have to do some dissecting of our own lives in order to be able to understand what happened to Simon Peter in his lifetime.

When the life of Simon Peter can touch our own life experiences, that is when true understanding begins to come to us. We gain a rapport with him, and his life with us. This is how true learning takes place.

Luke 22:31-34 “And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. ³² But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”

³³ But he said to Him, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.”

³⁴ Then He said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me.”

Notice carefully here that Jesus Christ said to Simon Peter, “When you return to Me”. This is extremely revealing as to what is going to happen in Simon Peter’s life.

Simon Peter was going to deny Jesus Christ three times before the rooster crows. It is going to spark a very dark and bitter time in his life.

It is much like what Saint John Of The Cross meant when he spoke of “The Dark Night Of The Soul”. It is through sorrow, pain, suffering, soul searching, and repentance that our lives undergo holy changes inside of us.

Luke 22:54-62 “Having arrested Him, they led Him and brought Him into the high priest’s house. But Peter followed at a distance. ⁵⁵ Now when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them. ⁵⁶ And a certain servant girl, seeing him as he sat by the fire, looked intently at him and said, “This man was also with Him.”

⁵⁷ But he denied Him, saying, “Woman, I do not know Him.”

⁵⁸ And after a little while another saw him and said, “You also are of them.”

But Peter said, “Man, I am not!”

⁵⁹ Then after about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, “Surely this fellow also was with Him, for he is a Galilean.”

⁶⁰ But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are saying!”

Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. ⁶¹ And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” ⁶² So Peter went out and wept bitterly.”

Notice how Simon Peter weeps bitterly when he realizes what he has done. This alone shows the great love that Simon Peter had for Jesus Christ. If he had not loved him, then he would never have wept bitterly.

Any true disciple of Jesus Christ will weep bitterly at times over their own sins. They admit them to Father God asking for forgiveness, but there will be times of bitter weeping as well. This is a part of true repentance taking place.

Today the word repentance is used so very loosely among those who profess to be sons and daughters of God. They just off hand say that they repent, yet knowing they will soon do it again, and again. This certainly is not repentance. Anything once repented of is never done again.

Now we shall look at the fulfillment of the prophecy of Jesus Christ to Simon Peter, when He said, “And when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” We will see that Simon Peter fully returned to Jesus Christ, and he also received another prophecy telling him what he shall do with his life.

John 21:15-19 “So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?”

He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”

He said to him, “Feed My lambs.”

¹⁶ He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?”

He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”

He said to him, “Tend My sheep.”

¹⁷ He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?”

And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.”

Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep. ¹⁸ Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.” ¹⁹ This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me.”

Simon Peter is now fully restored, and he has returned to his King Jesus Christ. Here is the three part prophecy summing up the remainder of Peter’s life on earth.

1) Feed my lambs, feed my sheep, tend to my sheep. Peter is to have a pastoral ministry to feed the sheep in the flock of Jesus Christ. Both young lambs, and older sheep.

2) He foretells the death by crucifixion that Simon Peter shall suffer when he grows old.

3) He tells Simon Peter “Follow Me”. He prophesies that Simon Peter shall follow him, and never grow lukewarm or cold in his lifetime. He shall live up to what King Jesus Christ said of him, ” I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. “.

The pastoral ministries that we need to follow carefully, and obey, are found in the books written by Peter, James, and John. Avoid the books written by Paul like poison. He teaches a different gospel, a different doctrine, and contradicts at least 90% of what Jesus Christ taught in the Gospel books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

I suggest that you do a careful study of what Jesus Christ taught and what paul taught. See for yourself the contradictions. Yet spiritual blindness is a very persistent adversary. Just 16 years ago I believed what I was taught in Bible School. I believed that paul was the greatest Christian to ever live.

Then Father God removed the blindness from my eyes, and I was utterly shocked when I saw that paul was a liar. Over the past 15 years I keep coming across more lies that paul told. Spiritual blindness hangs on, and it leaves little by little.

One things is for certain, when Father God begins the process of removing the spiritual blindness from you, it never reverses. It only keeps increasing more, and more.

The Bible is full of prophecy. We today should be receiving prophecies from Father God just as Simon Peter did. Many today speak of dreams and visions from God. Yet since these are pictures of something to come in the future, they are indeed prophecies. It is not nearly as strange as some people think.

My biggest vision yet happened just a few days ago on Christmas day. I was shown that my big prayers for finances will soon come to pass, I am now converted into a Messianic Jewish man, I am to live in Israel in Jerusalem, I have located the properties that I will buy in Israel, I will marry an Israeli woman who Father will show to me, I will father 3 children, I see clearly the work in ministry that I am to do. The remainder of my life has been mapped out for me to see.

The life of a true son or daughter of God is made from miracles from start to finish. Seek the Father daily for eyes that see, ears that hear, and a heart that understands. This is your greatest need. You need a true conversion. You need a transformation. God bless you as you do these things.