[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during September 2026]
So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.
Ephesians 4 v11-12 [NIVUK]
Do you recall the nursery rhyme and childhood game of ‘Fly Away Peter, Fly Away Paul’? It dates from around 1765 and as a game it is much easier to demonstrate than to explain. Instead we will concentrate on the two men whose names give the game its title. Using Biblical sources and various commentaries we can form character portraits of the two men.
Peter was a hands-on kind of man, both in terms of his occupation as a fisherman and in his desire to get things done. He was a family man, evidenced by the references to his brother and his mother-in-law. In the Gospels he is shown as the leader of the disciples but he also comes across as impetuous – the archetypal ‘act now, think later’ guy. Later, in the book of Acts, he shows a maturity and understanding of spiritual matters beyond his humble origins.
When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realised that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.
Acts 4 v13 [NIVUK]
Paul was more scholarly, educated by the best rabbis of the day, as befits the son of a noble family with Roman citizenship. Paul was capable of constructing convincing arguments, both in his preaching and in his writing – even if Peter thought that they were sometimes hard to understand.[1] Some observers have considered him austere – not the sort of guy to take to the pub – but his care for his mentees and fellow workers is evident in his letters.
At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed.
Acts 14 v1 [NIVUK]
What did Peter write about Paul?
Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom that God gave him.
2 Peter 3 v15 [NIVUK]
What did Paul write about Peter?
[The apostles] recognised that I had been entrusted with the task of preaching the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been to the circumcised. For God, who was at work in Peter as an apostle to the circumcised, was also at work in me as an apostle to the Gentiles.
Galatians 2 v7-8 [NIVUK]
Do you have ‘apostolic preferences’?
What characteristics do you admire in church leaders?
Outside of the nursery rhyme, we cannot summon Peter and Paul to come back. However, we can learn from their example, irrespective of our own background and experience. The two men were so different yet both were called by the Lord into his service and they were both on the same side.
Are you on the Lord’s side?
Will you allow the Holy Spirit to use your background and experience in the Lord’s service?
References:
[1] 2 Peter 3 v16
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Contributed by Steve Humphreys; © Steve Humphreys