How Peter Came to Know Jesus

During the time that Peter spent with Jesus, he saw many lovable characteristics in Jesus, many aspects worthy of emulation, and many which supplied him. Although Peter saw the being of God in Jesus in many ways, and saw many lovable qualities, at first he did not know Jesus. Peter began following Jesus when he was 20 years old, and continued so for six years. During that time, he never came to know Jesus, but was willing to follow Him purely out of admiration for Him. When Jesus first called to him on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, He asked: “Simon, son of Jonah, will you follow Me?” Peter said: “I must follow he who is sent by the heavenly Father. I must acknowledge he who is chosen by the Holy Spirit. I will follow You.” At the time, Peter had heard tell of a man named Jesus, the greatest of the prophets, God’s beloved Son, and Peter was constantly hoping to find Him, hoping for a chance to see Him (because that is how he was then led by the Holy Spirit). Although he had never seen Him and had only heard rumors about Him, gradually a yearning and adoration for Jesus grew in his heart, and he often yearned to one day look upon Jesus. And how did Jesus call upon Peter? He too had heard tell of a man called Peter, and it was not that the Holy Spirit instructed Him: “Go to the Sea of Galilee, where there is one called Simon, son of Jonah.” Jesus heard someone say that there was one called Simon, son of Jonah, and that people had heard his sermon, that he too preached the gospel of the kingdom of heaven, and that the people who heard him were all moved to tears. After hearing this, Jesus followed that person, and made for the Sea of Galilee; when Peter accepted Jesus’ call, he followed Him.

During his time following Jesus, he had many opinions of Him and always judged Him from his own perspective. Although he had a certain degree of understanding of the Spirit, Peter was not very enlightened, hence his words when he said: “I must follow he who is sent by the heavenly Father. I must acknowledge he who is chosen by the Holy Spirit.” He did not understand the things Jesus did and received no enlightenment. After following Him for some time he grew interested in what He did and said, and in Jesus Himself. He came to feel that Jesus inspired both affection and respect; he liked to associate with Him and stay beside Him, and listening to Jesus’ words rendered him supply and help. Over the time he followed Jesus, Peter observed and took to heart everything about His life: His actions, words, movements, and expressions. He gained a deep understanding that Jesus was not like ordinary men. Although His human appearance was exceedingly ordinary, He was full of love, compassion, and tolerance for man. Everything He did or said was of great aid to others, and by His side Peter saw and learned things he had never seen or had before. He saw that although Jesus had neither a grand stature nor unusual humanity, He had a truly extraordinary and uncommon air about Him. Although Peter couldn’t fully explain it, he could see that Jesus acted different from everyone else, for He did things far different from that done by ordinary man. From his time in contact with Jesus, Peter also realized that His character was different from that of an ordinary man. He always acted steadily and never with haste, never exaggerated nor underplayed a subject, and conducted His life in a way that was both normal and admirable. In conversation, Jesus was elegant and graceful, open and cheerful yet serene, and never lost His dignity in the execution of His work. Peter saw that Jesus was sometimes taciturn, yet other times talked incessantly. He was sometimes so happy that He became agile and lively like a dove, and yet sometimes so sad that He did not talk at all, as if He were a weather-beaten mother. At times He was filled with anger, like a brave soldier charging off to kill enemies, and sometimes even like a roaring lion. Sometimes He laughed; other times He prayed and wept. No matter how Jesus acted, Peter grew to have boundless love and respect for Him. Jesus’ laughter filled him up with happiness, His sorrow plunged him into grief, His anger frightened him, while His mercy, forgiveness, and strictness made him come to truly love Jesus, developing a true reverence and longing for Him. Of course, Peter only gradually came to realize all of this once he had lived alongside Jesus for a few years.

Continuation of The Word Appears in the Flesh—The Way to Know God

How to Know God’s Disposition and the Result of His Work

First, let’s sing a hymn: The Kingdom Anthem (I) The Kingdom Has Descended on the World

All people are cheering God. All people are praising God. All tongues are calling the one true God. The kingdom has come to the world.

1. All people are cheering God. All people are praising God. All tongues are calling the one true God. All people raise their eyes, watching the deeds of God. The kingdom has come to the world. God’s person is full and rich, God’s person is full and rich. Who doesn’t feel fortunate? (Who doesn’t feel fortunate?) Who wouldn’t dance for this? (Who wouldn’t dance for this?) O Zion! O Zion! Raise your flag of victory, celebrate God! Sing your song of victory, spread God’s holy name!

2. All things on the earth, make haste to cleanse yourselves, to offer sacrifice for God, to offer sacrifice for God! All stars in the sky! Return to where you were, to display God’s might in the universe! Closely God listens to people’s voices on earth; their songs saturated with endless love and respect for God. The day when all things, all things are revived, God Himself comes into the world. Just at this moment, flowers fully bloom, birds start to sing, all things rejoice! Flowers bloom, birds sing, all things rejoice! At the sound of the kingdom’s salute, the kingdom of Satan falls, shaken to pieces by the kingdom anthem, never to arise again!

3. People in the world, who dares to rise up and resist? For God has come upon the earth. Then following that, God has brought burning down, brought His wrath down, brought all disasters down, all disasters down. The kingdom of the world has become that of God! White clouds in the sky roll and billow by. Below the sky, below the sky, water in rivers and lakes toss and surge, playing a stirring, a stirring tune with joy. Nesting animals come out from their caves. All people in their sleep are woken by God. The day that all peoples have been waiting for has come in the end! They offer to God, offer to God the most beautiful songs! The most beautiful songs, offer to God!

THE DEVOTION OF GOD'S WORDS IN MOTHER'S DAY

"As a mother knows, knows her children, so does God know, know everyone. He knows everyone’s difficulty, knows everyone’s weakness, and knows everyone’s need, everyone’s need, much more knows what difficulty, weakness, and failure everyone will encounter in the process and course of entering into the transformation of disposition. God knows this best. So, God searches man’s heart and mind. No matter how weak you are, as long as you don’t forsake God’s name and don’t leave God or this way, you will have the opportunity to be transformed in your disposition.If we have the opportunity to be transformed in our disposition, we will have the hope to be left. Since we have the hope to be left, we will have the hope to be saved by God, to be saved by God" ("God Likes One Who Has a Resolution" in Follow the Lamb and Sing New Songs).

The Hymn of God's Word "How Important God’s Love for Man Is"

God gives Adam breath

Accompaniment: The scene painted in the Bible “God’s command to Adam” is both touching and heartwarming. Although the picture contains only God and man, the relationship between the two is so intimate we start to feel wonder, wonder and admiration.

1. God’s love overflowing is freely given to man, God’s love is around him. Man, innocent and pure, without a care to tie him down, lives in bliss in the eyes of God. God takes care of man, and man lives under His wings. All that man does, all his words and deeds, are bound up with God, can’t be apart.

God uses animal skins to make clothes for Adam and Eve

2. From the first moment God created the human race, God had them in His charge. What kind of charge is that? It’s for Him to protect man and to watch over man. He hopes for man to trust in, to trust in and obey His words. This was the first thing God expected of the human race.

Adam and Eve pick fruits

3. Bearing this first hope, God spoke the following words: “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, good and evil, you shall not eat of it: for in the day that you eat thereof you shall surely die.” These simple words, standing for God’s will, show that concern for man was already in His heart.

4. So, in these simple words, we see what’s in God’s heart. Is there love in His heart? Isn’t there care and concern? God’s love and care is something that can be both felt and sensed. If you are a person of conscience and with humanity, you will feel warm, being cared for and loved, you will feel blessed with happiness.

Adam and Eve walk in the Garden of Eden

5. When you feel these things, how will you act towards God? Will you cleave to Him? Will reverential love, will reverential love not grow in your heart? Will your heart draw close to Him? From this we see, how important God’s love for man is. But even more important than this is that man can feel and comprehend God’s love.

from “God’s Work, God’s Disposition, and God Himself (1)” in A Continuation of The Word Appears in the Flesh