Now when they beheld the boldness of Peter and John, and had perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. (Acts 4:13)
Peter and John had healed the lame man the day before. As always, they used this obvious miracle as an opportunity to teach the gathered crowd and the result was another couple thousand people becoming part of this new and rapidly growing group. The powers-that-be heard about it and came too—the rulers, elders, scribes, the high priest and a lot of his family. Can't have something like this going on, can we? Their primary concern was probably their own power over the people and their pull with the Roman authority. Anything that hurt either of those things had to be dealt with.
But the thing I really want us to see this morning is this: they could tell that Peter and John "had been with Jesus." Maybe some of them recognized them, some might have even known about the blood relationship between Jesus and John, but there was something different about these men. For unlearned men they handled themselves extremely well, with discretion when called for, but bravery when necessary, and their speech was as if they were trained by the best teachers. And yet, I believe it was even more than that. They simply acted the way Jesus had acted.
I can think of nothing I had rather anyone say about me more than this: you can tell she has been with Jesus. How can that happen when he is no longer here? I can read his words every day. I can study his life in the gospels. And, as Peter tells us, I can follow in his footsteps. We're not talking about times like the one here when people were questioning the apostles and they had to give an answer in public under close scrutiny and in danger of physical persecution. We are talking about ordinary life.
When you go to work, can your co-workers tell you have been with Jesus? When you drive your car, can the other drivers tell you have been with Jesus? When you attend your child's Little League game, can the other parents tell you have been with Jesus? When you post on Facebook, can people tell you have been with Jesus? Or does it look like you have been spending your time with someone else entirely different?
Today as you go about your life, whatever you do, wherever you go, whoever you come in contact with, make sure they can see from your words and your behavior that you spend your whole life with Jesus.
He who says he abides in him ought himself also to walk even as he walked. (1John 2:6)
Dene Ward
Peter and John had healed the lame man the day before. As always, they used this obvious miracle as an opportunity to teach the gathered crowd and the result was another couple thousand people becoming part of this new and rapidly growing group. The powers-that-be heard about it and came too—the rulers, elders, scribes, the high priest and a lot of his family. Can't have something like this going on, can we? Their primary concern was probably their own power over the people and their pull with the Roman authority. Anything that hurt either of those things had to be dealt with.
But the thing I really want us to see this morning is this: they could tell that Peter and John "had been with Jesus." Maybe some of them recognized them, some might have even known about the blood relationship between Jesus and John, but there was something different about these men. For unlearned men they handled themselves extremely well, with discretion when called for, but bravery when necessary, and their speech was as if they were trained by the best teachers. And yet, I believe it was even more than that. They simply acted the way Jesus had acted.
I can think of nothing I had rather anyone say about me more than this: you can tell she has been with Jesus. How can that happen when he is no longer here? I can read his words every day. I can study his life in the gospels. And, as Peter tells us, I can follow in his footsteps. We're not talking about times like the one here when people were questioning the apostles and they had to give an answer in public under close scrutiny and in danger of physical persecution. We are talking about ordinary life.
When you go to work, can your co-workers tell you have been with Jesus? When you drive your car, can the other drivers tell you have been with Jesus? When you attend your child's Little League game, can the other parents tell you have been with Jesus? When you post on Facebook, can people tell you have been with Jesus? Or does it look like you have been spending your time with someone else entirely different?
Today as you go about your life, whatever you do, wherever you go, whoever you come in contact with, make sure they can see from your words and your behavior that you spend your whole life with Jesus.
He who says he abides in him ought himself also to walk even as he walked. (1John 2:6)
Dene Ward
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