Equal With Peter?

I was just clued in to an interesting passage last night. It was a letter that my dad recieved from Desiring God Ministry and it started with a passage of scripture. It kind of rocked my world... Let me preface sharing that passage with a question: Do you ever wonder if as a Christian you should be experiencing more? You should have more of the Holy Spirit's power? You should live more righteously? I do. I often wonder if there is more to this thing called Christianity than just attending church and going on missions trips and doing a couple good works. I really want to live like the early church. They did life crazily! And without the Spirit of God at work in them there is no way that it would be possible!? Last night I was studying the Word with my family and in John chapter 3 it says, "... for God gives the Spirit without limit" (verse 34). God gives the Spirit without limit!? In this context it is talking about Jesus, but I don't think that it is restricted to Him. God gives the Spirit without limit to those that seek him, to the disciples, to the apostles, to YOU! Check out this incredible verse that we stumbled on....

"Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 1:1 ESV)

Peter is addressing this letter and this is his opening statement "to those that have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours"?! Equal standing?! With the Apostle Peter? Ok, let me just remember for a minute who this Peter was; The Rock, the first disciple to recognize that Jesus was the Christ, present at the transfiguration, reinstated at the see of Galilee, first person to preach the Gospel, healed the sick, pillar of our Christian faith, people wanted his shadow to fall on them, he was the man! Peter is saying to us... "you have obtained a faith equal with mine." He doesn't say, "like mine," or, "similar to mine," or, "near mine". He says, "equal to." We have a faith equal to his. I do not want to be arrogant, I realize that I am no Peter. And honestly Peter is not that big of a deal. It is the Spirit in him that makes him amazing. That same Spirit is available to me, to you, to us! We need to believe that! We need to beg God that he would pour his Spirit out in us without restriction. I want to be a youth group that is filled with the Holy Spirit! Imagine if we all lived like Peter!?! If we bought into the fact that we have a faith of equal standing with the Apostles?!? Let's pray that we would see that happen! God would you please pour out your Spirit without restriction on us?