Luke 22:31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat.
32 But I have prayed for thee, that your faith fails not: and when you are converted, strengthen thy brethren.
It’s of critical importance for us to observe that the above assessment was made by Christ, Who never makes a mistake in His evaluation of persons. When Christ says to Peter directly those words “When you are converted” Jesus is implying by default that the one to whom He is speaking is not converted at this present time, and therefore, conversion would take place at some later period.
Some persons have been alarmed at this statement from Christ, for Peter, as well as the other disciples had been so close to Christ for most of His ministry, and because of this, many would take it for granted that Peter should have been converted by then.
This should immediately ring alarm bells in our souls for it is a documented fact that being close to Christ does not always mean that a person is converted. In fact, when we study Peter’s experiences, before and after conversion we often would see the man in the mirror, in our own experiences, for there are those who may be currently close to Christ and yet, some are not converted.
At this juncture it’s important for us to be reminded that the plan of salvation was not founded on shaky ground, it was founded on The Rock, even the man Christ Jesus, who ever lives to make intercession for those who are, and aren’t converted just yet.
Thus, in order for us to better understand what The Lord meant by His statement to Peter, we only have to observe Peter’s behavioral patterns, before and after his conversion, and when we do this, we will be better able to know where we stand currently, as it pertains to our own conversion.
Very many years ago before migrating to the United States we had to convert all our Trinidadian money into U.S currency and thus, when we took our funds to the bank in Trinidad for exchange, they took our cash and converted it into greenbacks, and thus, in the process we entirely gave up the old for the new.
As we left the bank in Trinidad, headed for the U.S. we retained nothing of the former currency on our persons, for the process of conversion had already taken place and therefore, nothing of the old would be present, to raise eyebrows as we passed through customs. It is called currency conversion.
The same was true of Peter, for after his conversion, there should not be found anything of the old man, mingled with the new. This sacred truth should be studied closely by all of us, who are members of the Laodicean church, for in some cases, there are still remnants of the old currency in our persons.
Thus, there are several points for us to take note of as we drill down into Peter’s experiences, because his before and after behavioral patterns will appear in stark contrast like night and day. To put it bluntly, there are certain things a truly converted individual does not do.
It cannot be otherwise, because every scriptural description of true conversion leaves us no doubt whatsoever, as to what this great change called conversion entails. Let’s read:
2nd Corinthians 5: 17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
This must become the case with everyone who may currently be in a pre-conversion state, for the very same Jesus who once made Peter’s assessment has also made a similar evaluation of Christians living in our day, and beyond the shadow of any doubt, this includes us, the remnant people of God. Let’s read:
Revelation 3: 14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God.
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.
18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye-salve, that thou mayest see.
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
The following therefore are behavioral patterns, as well as actions, deeds, and words, delineated in the pre-conversion state of Peter. They will include the good, the bad, and the ugly for we must keep in our minds that he has not been yet converted, although he is close to Christ.
[1] Peter was at this time baptized, and he had also been baptizing other people. Question: Is it possible for some preachers to be baptizing folk, while they themselves are unconverted? It is a very sobering question indeed. Let’s read:
John 3: 22 After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.
It is very unlikely that Jesus would have His disciples baptizing other people, if they themselves were not baptized, for that would have set up a contradiction which the scriptures do not endorse.
[2] Peter was a preacher at this time. Preaching the everlasting gospel, and actually winning persons to Christ, does not necessarily prove that the preacher in question is converted. This fact must cause every preacher, and teacher, including myself, to put our own selves in Peter’s shoes, to see if maybe, we are in a pre-conversion state and know it not. We read:
Matthew 10:1 And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.
2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother.
5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not.
6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
[3] Peter was studying the word of God. One who is studying the word of God regularly could still be in an unconverted state for a knowledge of the Bible does not necessarily guarantee that the person in question is converted. Let’s read:
Matthew 17: And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart.
2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
10 And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?
11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.
13 Then the disciples understood that he spoke unto them of John the Baptist.
[4] Peter, in his unconverted state, had been given the power to heal diseases. This should be of grave concern to persons in our day, for there are many faith, and fake healers nowadays who may seem to be close to Christ, who claim to heal the diseases of people who go to them for healing.
Now, even though most of them were nowhere to be found during the pandemic, when the citizens of this country could have used their services, the fact that Peter had been given power to heal, raises the prospect that certain faith healers can, like Peter be unconverted. Thus, the ability to actually heal is no guarantee that the healer in question is converted. Let’s read:
Matthew 10:5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not.
7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
Then there were the other behavioral patterns that were made manifest in Peter from time to time that demonstrated distinctly that he was not converted at the specific time when Jesus made the disturbing assessment. There was to be found in Peter, the use of expletives, revenge, self-preservation, lying, pride and boasting.
These elements of the “Old man” would surface from time to time whenever the right circumstances converged. We are not railing on Peter at all, for we are to see ourselves through Peter, so that a serious assessment of our true condition may ensue.
On Peter’s boasting and cursing, the Biblical record leaves no doubt. When Christ declared that Peter would deny Him, the disciple then became deeply offended, for in his mind, Jesus was questioning his loyalty. And in response, Peter uttered words that a truly converted person should never ever utter. Let’s read:
Matthew 26: 31 Then saith Jesus unto them, All of you shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.
33 Peter answered and said unto him, though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.
34 Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.
35 Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee.
We do not know for certain what we will or will not do in certain situations, for what we plan to say and do in a given circumstance is quite often derailed by devils who present their temptations tailormade for our weakest points. Thus, a truly converted person will walk humbly with God, not boasting about his or her spiritual strength, even if they are sincere.
However, it’s not all bad news, for the good news is that Peter was finally converted and when that took place, an entirely different person emerged, which mirrored the “New Creature” referenced in God’s word. A very great, and marked change came over Peter, and we must highlight those changes as they contrast with the behavioral patterns of the former man.
For clarity and distinctness, we will have some of the contrasting verses juxtaposed together, so that we may be certain about what Christ was stating, when He spoke of Peter’s conversion. Let’s read:
Previously, on the issue of boasting: Matthew 26:33 Peter answered and said unto him, though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.
After conversion: John 21: 17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, You know all things; you know that I love thee.
Previously, on the issues of anger, cursing, and retaliation: John 18: 3 Judas then, having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons.
10 Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear.
After conversion: Acts 5: 27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them,
28 Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name?
29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
40 And when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
41 And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.
It’s becoming more obvious to us that some drastic change must have taken place in Peter, for it seems as if the behavioral pattern of impulsive retaliation when his rights were violated is somehow, nowhere to be found. When folks become truly converted, a marked and decided change is made by God, which puts the former person into stark contrast.
There is no more use of expletives, for conversion also directly affects one’s speech. If you read the Bible from cover to cover, you would never find one single instance where Peter cursed after conversion for there are certain things a person does not do if they are converted.
And there is no more denial of Christ in the public or private square, for his conversion includes holy boldness for Christ, to the point where others took knowledge of him, that he must have been with Jesus.
Therefore, unless we become reconciled to the fact that true conversion, creates a radical, 180 degree change in the person, we will continue to buy into a distorted version of what Christ is endeavoring to accomplish in us, and as a direct result, persons will remain in a lukewarm state, if the necessary change in our perspective does not take place.
It is not the will of God, that after studying the life of Peter, that we should try to adjust, or modify our behaviors, for God is not looking for behaviors, He is seeking our total conversion, because, for too long, our walk with Christ, in many cases, have centered on behaviors.
In other words, if our understanding of conversion is strictly a behavioral change, then any guru, could give instructions on how that is to be accomplished externally. The problem with their version is that it does not come from, or reach the heart, and thus, persons can end up with a well-behaved preacher or priest externally, who is a pedophile internally.
The fact is that when persons are truly converted by God, the appropriate behaviors would surely follow, for if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. In other words, we are not to behave well, in order to be converted; we must be converted in order for us to behave well, even under trying circumstances.
When this type of conversion is accomplished in us, our faith would not fail when subjected to ferocious temptations from the devil. There would not be any responding chord on the inside, for satan’s darts to latch onto, so as to trigger an ungodly response, like the old man was accustomed to do.
Persons can then be shaken upside down and inside out, and yet temptations, trials and challenges will only make us stronger. To put it more plainly, it can then be said of such persons that “the prince of this world cometh, and finds nothing in me.” Let’s read:
[Great Controversy pp 622] Satan finds in human hearts some point where he can gain a foot-hold; some sinful desire is cherished, by means of which his temptations assert their power. But Christ declared of himself, “The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.” [John 14:30.]
Satan could find nothing in the Son of God that would enable him to gain the victory. He had kept his Father's commandments, and there was no sin in him that Satan could use to his advantage. This is the condition in which those must be found who shall stand in the time of trouble.
Therefore, the following is of critical importance, and must be understood by all: It isn’t necessary for persons to have a “Peter moment” like what took place in the court of Caiaphas for true conversion to take place.
Conversion does not need to be gory, and full of embarrassment in the public square, for when this occurs, as was the case with Peter, the kingdom of God is brought into reproach, and the skeptics and infidels, are given fodder to continue their mockery of Christianity.
God much prefers that conversion take place in the quietness, and privacy of the audience chamber of The Most-High, just as it did with Daniel, and Isaiah, for we do not read anywhere in the scripture where these two men had a Peter moment in public.
Instead, they were in the audience chamber of The Most High God, privately, when the grisly revelation and assessment was made and because they agreed with the assessment, there was no occasion for the devil to shame them in public on their weak points. Let’s read:
Isaiah 1: In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
2 Above it stood the Seraphim. Each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.
6 Then flew one of the seraphim unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar.
7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
Daniel 10: 2 In those days I Daniel was fasting three full weeks.
3 I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.
4 And in the four and twentieth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, which is Hiddekel.
5 Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz.
6 His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in color to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.
7 And I Daniel alone saw the vision: for the men that were with me saw not the vision; but a great quaking fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves.
8 Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength.
9 Yet heard I the voice of his words: and when I heard the voice of his words, then was I in a deep sleep on my face, and my face toward the ground.
Thus, it can and should be with us living in Laodicea, if we will only accept God’s assessments of us, and like Isaiah and Daniel, confess our utter sinfulness, then, the conversion processes would be a private matter, not a public shaming like what took place with Peter, when he fell a prey to the devices of devils.
This is what he failed to do, which then ultimately resulted in him spilling the beans in public, and thus making his profession of being Christian a mockery. If he had accepted the evaluation given by Jesus, he would have been saved from that earth shattering experience, which almost did him in.
Therefore, as we seek thorough conversion where warranted, we must return to the story of migrating to the United States when we surrendered all of our former currency to the bank in question. We did not do the converting, it was the bank that did it, for all we did was to surrender the old for the new.
Similarly, true conversion is not something that the human agent is capable of accomplishing. It must be done for us and in us, and it’s the work of God alone upon the human heart, without any human input or suggestions and additions.
Yes, we must cooperate with God by surrendering ourselves to be changed, but beyond that, it is an entirely creative work that never originates with man. It must be accomplished by a power outside of and beyond ourselves for it is the power of God working within us which brings us to that elevated state of spiritual maturity.
Thus, there is hope for us, living with the Laodicean frame of mind; if we would accept the evaluation of the true witness, we too may walk in the footsteps of those who underwent that radical transformation and change, the Bible speaks of.
So in closing, we are reminded and encouraged that God is still in the business of converting old Humpty Dumpty, for this work must be accomplished in all who would face earth’s final conflict. Let’s read with a humble spirit.
[D.A. pp 294] God takes men as they are, with the human elements in their character, and trains them for His service, if they will be disciplined and learn of Him.
They are not chosen because they are perfect, but notwithstanding their imperfections, that through the knowledge and practice of the truth, through the grace of Christ, they may become transformed into His image.
[The Desire of Ages. Pp 295] All the disciples had serious faults when Jesus called them to His service. Even John, who came into closest association with the meek and lowly One, was not himself naturally meek and yielding.
He and his brother were called “the sons of thunder.” While they were with Jesus, any slight shown to Him aroused their indignation and combativeness. Evil temper, revenge, the spirit of criticism, were all in the beloved disciple.
He was proud, and ambitious to be first in the kingdom of God. But day by day, in contrast with his own violent spirit, he beheld the tenderness and forbearance of Jesus, and heard His lessons of humility and patience.
He opened his heart to the divine influence, and became not only a hearer but a doer of the Savior's words. Self was hid in Christ. He learned to wear the yoke of Christ and to bear His burden.
The apostles differed widely in habits and disposition. There were the publican, Levi-Matthew, and the fiery zealot Simon, the uncompromising hater of the authority of Rome; the generous, impulsive Peter, and the mean-spirited Judas.
Thomas, truehearted, yet timid and fearful, Philip, slow of heart, and inclined to doubt, and the ambitious, outspoken sons of Zebedee, with their brethren. These were brought together, with their different faults, all with inherited and cultivated tendencies to evil. But in and through Christ they were to dwell in the family of God, learning to become one in faith, in doctrine, in spirit.
The time of trouble spoken of by Daniel the prophet will be at our doorsteps much sooner than we now expect, and therefore, it is high time that we awake from slumber, and surrender ourselves fully to God so that when the shaking intensifies, as it surely would, we will be found rooted, and grounded in Christ.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which should help us to do that which needs to be done, and we pray God that all who are so disposed, may be converted as soon as possible. Let’s read:
Romans 13: 11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.
13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
God Bless!