worship

Greetings Friends in Christ!

We continue with our series on Peter as we follow his call and life becoming an ambassador of Jesus. Today Jesus confronts the religious leaders for honoring tradition over truth.  He reveals that true defilement doesn't come from unwashed hands, but from an unclean heart. Peter is confused because Jesus' teaching directly contradicts the lifelong, deeply ingrained religious traditions of the Pharisees regarding ritual purity and kosher laws.  Peter (speaking for the disciples) struggled to grasp how traditional, God-ordained dietary rules could be suddenly deemed irrelevant to a person's spiritual state.  Jesus' message here was simple.  The issue isn't dirty hands - it's a dirty heart.  

Peter's story makes room for real people.   If you've ever felt too unimportant to make a difference, Peter's story is for you, flaws and all, to be included in God's family and to become an ambassador for Christ.

In His service,
Dennis Whitcher