When they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and discovered that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and recognized these men had been with Jesus. (Acts 4:13 NET)
Peter and John had been called before the highest court in Jerusalem (the Sanhedrin), accused of healing and preaching in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. A few weeks before, these same Jewish leaders had crucified Jesus. After His resurrection the apostles had been baptized with the Holy Spirit, and a great manifestation of the power of God had begun—people were healed and thousands had become followers of Jesus. As Peter and John stood before the Supreme Court of Israel, they spoke with courage, boldness, and wisdom. Humanly speaking, they were uneducated and ordinary, but there was something different about them, they were filled with God's Spirit and the glory and power of God was manifesting in them. The conclusion that these hypocritical religious leaders came to was that they had been with Jesus… their attitude and behavior must have reminded them of Him.
This is what God wants to do in you and me! He wants the world to see His courage, character, and wisdom in us. He wants to remove fear and doubt, and anything else that pollutes us, and make us new and whole. When we have been with Jesus—weak people become strong, poor people become prosperous, sick people become healthy, and sinful people become holy.
Jesus wants people to see His transforming power at work in us, and if those proud, hypocritical, self-centered religious leaders noticed the different in Peter and John, good and bad people around us will see the difference in our lives. But first we need to surrender our wills to God, and be humble to receive the Holy Spirit. Then an only then will people be amazed, and recognize that we have been with Jesus.
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