The effectiveness of a minister has much to do with the stability of his character. This is a basic requirement. If a man is shaky before God, he cannot be a minister, and the church cannot follow him. A fundamental problem with some brothers and sisters is the lack of a stable character. They are constantly changing. They sway back and forth and are never steady and firm before the Lord. They cannot serve the church, because they cannot stand firm and upright, and the gates of Hades easily prevail over them.

Thank the Lord that Peter was chosen as a pattern. God is looking for a man whose nature is the same as the nature of the foundation under him and the superstructure of the building around him. A minister must be a stable stone. Thank God that Peter was chosen as a pattern, because his case shows us that God can make anyone stable. Here was a man named Peter, yet he was not always a "Peter." His name referred to a stone, but his character was like water. He was not reliable. He was one thing at one time and another thing another time. One minute Peter was bold and the next minute he was very weak. This was the kind of person he was. The Lord put such a person before us to show us how unstable a person's nature can be before he is dealt with by the Lord. Before such a person becomes a stone, he cannot use the keys and cannot be useful to God in any particular way. God can only use him after his wobbly nature has been dealt with by the Lord. We thank the Lord that a man's character can change; it is not unchangeable. Peter was a wavering person, yet he could be changed into a stable person. When the light of the Lord burns our tongue, our talkativeness will disappear. When a lazy man is rebuked, his laziness wilts away. The Lord cursed the fig tree, and the tree dried up. The Lord's rebuke brings in His curse, and where His curse is, there is wilting and death. If we have never touched Him, we can go on in our merry way. But as soon as we touch Him, our frivolity wilts away. As soon as God's light touches us, either through a message or through a brother's direct rebuke, something in us wilts away. The Lord's rebuke results in an immediate wilting away. Here we are talking about a reconstitution or a remake of our character. Many people have a character that cannot listen to others. Or they may have a character that is too cold, lazy, or weak. But as soon as God touches them, or a brother comes along and points out their insensitivity in listening or their weakness, they will receive the light, and something in them will wilt away. It is God's grace that Peter was chosen. Had it not been for Peter, all those who are weak and unstable would have no hope. But the Lord chose one man and called him Peter, and after He made him a "Peter," He gave him the keys to bring men into the church.