The Power to Change

What strange tools the Carpenter of Nazareth used to shape a Simon into a Peter! His instruments of change were fish, roosters, pigs, and ordinary people like his wife, his brother, and even his mother-in-law. Shaped by adversity and hammered by time and circumstance, “The Rock” was chiseled into shape on the workbench of this world.

What tools will God’s carpenter use to get us into spiritual shape? He gives us, as He gave Peter, the privilege and capacity to cooperate in the process. He has the power to change us as He did Peter.

Dealing with Prejudice

Peter’s vision in Acts 10 reveals how God confronts and dismantles his deep cultural prejudice, preparing him to bring the gospel to Gentiles like Cornelius.

Helping a Crippled World to Walk

In Acts 3, Peter and John heal a man who has been crippled since birth, showing that the risen Christ—working through the Holy Spirit—now acts through His followers to restore a broken, “crippled” world.

Pentecost

Peter’s transformation from a fearful follower into a bold preacher happened because of the Holy Spirit, symbolized here by “fire.” Before Pentecost, Peter relied on his own strength...

From Failure to Faith

Peter’s denial in Matthew 26 shows that even sincere, devoted believers can fail, just as he did when fear made him disown Jesus three times before the rooster crowed.

Learning to Serve

In John 13, we learn about a servant’s lifestyle as Jesus uses the symbol of a towel to teach Peter that true greatness is found in servanthood, demonstrated most powerfully when He washed the disciples’ feet at the Last Supper.

First Steps in Following

Peter’s conversion in John 1 begins when his brother Andrew tells him they have found the Messiah, appealing to Peter’s shared religious hope for Israel’s deliverance.

Christian Partnership

Peter’s wife appears only briefly in Scripture, but Jill uses those small references to show that Peter and his wife shared a genuine Christian partnership—both were believers and both received God’s calling together.

Lessons from the Storms of Life

Peter’s life is introduced as a story of transformation in which Jesus, the “carpenter of Nazareth,” uses ordinary objects—fish, roosters, pigs, a boat—to shape him from Simon into Peter.