Episode 1443: Acts of the Apostles, Part One, Chapter Three

We have launched a special series on The Acts of the Apostles: taking a close look at those whom Jesus called and trained and ministered with and then entrusted to continue His work after His Ascension. The first apostle is a man who was known as Simon, who was born in the fishing village of Bethsaida, in Galilee. John the Baptist's message challenged every assumption about inherited religion, calling people to a deeper repentance that transformed the heart rather than merely preserving outward traditions. While Andrew responded immediately to John's testimony and became convinced that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah, Peter remained skeptical, shaped by years of disappointment and practical concerns. Yet Andrew's simple invitation led Peter to an unforgettable encounter with Jesus, who looked beyond the fisherman he was and named the disciple he would become—Cephas, the Rock—planting within him a new identity and a growing anticipation that would eventually lead him to leave everything and follow Christ. God's invitation often comes not as a detailed explanation but as a simple call to “come and see.” Faith begins when we are willing to take a step toward Jesus, trusting that He knows who we are—and who, by His grace, we can become—even before we fully understand Him.