This is one time when I am probably safe to presume that we have all “gone somewhere we weren’t supposed to go”. Tim admitted that to me and I had to agree that I was guilty of the same thing. But this message is almost diametrically opposed to that kind of sneaking around. Today’s message is about learning through Simon Peter that The Christian walk is answering The Lord’s call to “going where we don’t want to go!” John 21 contains the endearing dialogue of Jesus as He lets Peter know He is aware of Peter’s failure, but that failure can be redeemed with repentance. It’s about Jesus calling Peter back to the purpose for which he was originally called, to be a Fisher of Men, not of fish. Although the whole story is good for any of us that have ever lost purpose or failed, I want to focus in on Jn21:18…”lead you where you don’t want to go”. Jesus is leading Peter to his ultimate fulfillment of his life and love of his Lord. But before Peter can make it to there, he has to learn the Christian life can’t be experienced fully without fully giving into The Lord and The Spirit’s leading us “where we don’t want to go”. Acts 10 records the story of Grace and Salvation being offered to the Gentiles with Cornelius. Before Peter goes into a Gentile home, The Lord has to convince him that he shouldn’t call unclean what The Lord has made clean. In other words, we must see things the way God sees them, and see people the way God sees people, or we will just be like the world; liking only those that like us and are like us…
