The apostle Peter

Fisherman to fisher of men

John 1:35-42

Matthew 4:18-20 – start of the process

Hot and cold

Mark 8:31-33

John 13:6-9

John 13:31-38; Matthew 26:74-75, 57-58

First gospel sermons in Acts 2 and Acts 3

Withstood persecution of the council – Acts 4:1-31

Influences others into hypocrisy – Galatians 2:11-14

Was he the rock on whom the church was built?

John 1:42 – Peter or rock?

Matthew 16:13-20 – Is Peter this rock?

From Peter himself: I Peter 2:4-8

Backed up by Paul: I Corinthians 3:9-11

Was Peter the “Head Apostle” or “Chief Apostle”?

Hebrews 3:1 – Someone greater than Peter

Galatians 2:6-10 – not exclusive

Peter not always “preeminent”

James took front and center in much of Acts

Who sends the boos on a mission? Acts 8:14-15

No doubt, Peter was a prominent apostle

No indication that he ruled over them

With no position held, it couldn’t be passed down

Apostolic succession

Several schisms teach and follow this

Roman Catholicism

Eastern Orthodoxy

Mormonism

Hinges on two ideas

Peter was the head apostle

His authority was passed on to subsequent generations

New apostles replace those who pass on or step down

Matthias

Added to the eleven to make twelve again

Criteria defies continual replacement – Acts 1:21-22

Be a witness “with us”

Must have been present along with apostles

What about Paul?

Special mission, special apostleship

Mission determined by God, not man

Appointment directly from Jesus

Some call selves apostles but are not – Revelation 2:2

Veneration

Adulation bordering on worship

To apostles

To select or prominent saints

Special places of worship

Bearing saints’ names

Some containing their remains – Matthew 23:27

Contrast with apostles’ attitudes

Where did early church gather in Jerusalem?

What made place of worship holy? Matthew 18:20

We keep the things we do and places we do when we do them by the authority of Jesus Christ

Would the apostles approve?

Scriptures to consider

I Thessalonians 2:5-7

Acts 14:11-18

I Corinthians 15:9-10

II Corinthians 11:7-15

Acts 10:25-26

Matthew 17:4-5

Peter in tradition

Executed in Rome by Nero

Crucified upside down

Same time as Paul’s execution

Remains in St. Peter’s Basilica along with Paul’s

Count Joseph’s Commission in the fourth century

From Emperor Constantine

Martyrium built on site of Peter’s and Andrew’s home

The apostles – in closing

Single most convincing evidence

Never sought power or wealth

Unfailing witnesses of the gospel

Endured much discomfort and cruelty

Died for the faith, what they knew to be true

Deaths often by cruel means

Could have renounced faith

Why would they do this for a lie?