One Gospel, One Church

St. Peter and  St. Paul are two names known to every Christian, or, at least, should be. After our Lord Jesus, these two men are among the most important figures in the history of the Christian Church. Such is their importance that these two men were given the title “pillars of the Church,” due to their strong faith and great work of preaching the Gospel to multitudes of people.

One, Peter, was a simple fisherman from Galilee, a working man of humble origins. The other, Paul, was a highly educated Pharisee from Tarsus. Peter followed Jesus from the shores of the Sea of Galilee to the Garden of Gethsemane. Paul met the risen Lord in a blinding flash of light on the road to Damascus. Peter was brash, often speaking before thinking. Paul was brilliant, eloquent, and often found in chains.

But Peter denied Christ on the night of His trial. And Paul persecuted Christ’s followers, even going so far as to hold the cloaks of those who stoned St. Stephen the first martyr while the mob murdered him.

And yet God used both as instruments to preach Christ crucified. Today, we don’t celebrate them as individual religious heroes. We honor them together because they, so different in personality and background, were united in one Gospel and labored together for one Church.

To hear the rest, listen to this sermon from St. John's Lutheran Church of Oakes, ND!