Week 95
Peter—Not Remaining Strong for What is Right
Point to Emphasize: If we are not strong in standing for the truth, we often give in to peer pressure.
Reference Reading: Galatians 2:11-16
Memory Verse: Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, an unashamed workman, cutting straight the word of the truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)
Sample Story
In the last few times that we met, we have talked about Peter twice. At the beginning of the book of Acts, he was at the forefront. He was the one who spoke the gospel of Jesus Christ to a huge crowd in Jerusalem. Three thousand Jews believed. They were baptized and added to the church in one day! WOW! Then, in Acts 10 and 11, the Lord made it clear to Peter that he should drop his Jewish upbringing and consider all men to be the same before God. Following the speaking from the Lord, Peter continued to be strong in visiting Gentiles who were not Jews to share the gospel with them. His visit on that day was full of rejoicing because Cornelius and his household believed and were baptized! This was wonderful! And again, Peter was at the forefront.
Based on these two stories, what kind of person do you think Peter was? Was he powerful in his speaking? [Let them discuss. Maybe they might think that Peter was such a great guy, he could convince 3,000 people to believe his speaking, and he could be so strong as to set aside his Jewish upbringing and be in the same room with non-Jews, etc.] Our story this week shows that Peter was not some strong, invincible man. No, he was just like you and me.
Remember how we said that Jews and Gentiles did not associate with each other? A Jew would not enter a Gentile’s house. A Jew would not eat at the same table with a Gentile. Jews excluded Gentiles from everything. Therefore, it was a HUGE deal for the Lord to bring Peter to the understanding of considering all men to be the same, that all were equal. Since these Gentiles had become believers in the Lord Jesus, Peter considered them to be the same as he was and treated them equally. Peter entered the Gentiles’ homes and ate with them just as he would have with any Jews. He thought nothing of it. It was so normal for him to do so.
But then some came from James in Jerusalem. James and those in Jerusalem still kept some of the Jewish traditions, even though they were believers. One thing for sure, these ones from Jerusalem would NEVER eat with the Gentiles, believers or not! They still kept the Jewish way of separation. How terrible! And when these ones came to visit Peter, he crumbled under the peer pressure. He dropped his way and returned to the practice of the believers in Jerusalem. He no longer ate with the Gentile believers. He stopped doing what was right.
Peer pressure is an awful thing. [Storyteller, you should have a few empty aluminum cans on hand to demonstrate, such as a Coca-Cola can. Squeeze the can in the middle. Peer pressure comes from the sides.] It is like the pressure of a hand crushing an aluminum can. Does it take an extremely strong person to crush an aluminum can? [Let them answer.] No, even a second grader can do it. It does not take that much strength. The same is true with peer pressure. Peter stopped eating with the Gentile believers when he was faced with a little pressure. Peer pressure caused him to be like a weak aluminum can, so easily crushed under a little pressure.
This is a rather shameful story about Peter, isn’t it? As we share this, it should remind us of the times when we were crushed by peer pressure. We should be ashamed of them as we look back on the wrong things we have done because of peer pressure. If you are not ashamed of yourself, then your heart must be hard. Don’t be too sure of yourself that you are good and you are strong to resist peer pressure! In fact, if you are honest with yourself, you would recall the times you have given in to peer pressure and done many things that are not right! If we are open and honest with each other, we could have a discussion about what peer pressure has caused us to do and how we felt about ourselves afterwards. This would really open our eyes to see that we are not as good or as strong as we think we are. Next time we are faced with peer pressure, will we be strong enough to stand for what is right or cave in and go along with things that are not right? [This should lead to a discussion about what the children can do with the shame they feel and how to avoid giving in to peer pressure. They can talk to God. They can also talk to their parents or an older person about it. Storyteller, please remember that you are talking with children, not adults or believers. We should give them age-appropriate answers.]