“And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:13
They stood before the religious council to answer the charges: healing a lame man in the name of Jesus. Close to 5,000 men had seen the miracle, heard the message and now believed. The city was in an uproar with everyone praising God – everyone except the religious leaders. They were incensed and demanded to know by what power the man had been healed.
Filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter proclaimed, “You and everyone else in Israel should know that it is by the power of the name of Jesus that the crippled man stands here today completely healed! You crucified Jesus Christ of Nazareth, but God raised Him from the dead. This Jesus is the stone that you, the builders, have rejected, and now He has become the cornerstone! There is no one else who has the power to save us, for there is only one name to whom God has given authority by which we must experience salvation: the name of Jesus.” (Acts 4:10-12 TPT) Bam! – no denying, no cowering, no back peddling, no fear – the same man who lied and denied Jesus three times just a few months earlier now proclaimed Him unashamedly in the face of his enemies.
The religious leaders were astonished. Peter and John were ordinary men with no religious training, but the religious leaders recognized that they had been with Jesus. We’re not talking about men who checked in with Jesus once a week. These men were sold out. They left everything to follow Jesus and lived in His presence. They learned to do life from Him. Like us, they wrestled with doubts and unbelief, lived with unanswered questions, but they obeyed Him even when it didn’t make sense. They failed Him, denied Him, and didn’t get it right sometimes, but they saw His love for the Father and learned firsthand what it meant to live in that love and perfect oneness. Perfect love casts out all fear.
Yet, it was only after they encountered the Resurrected Christ and received His Spirit and been baptized with power that these men could testify boldly of Jesus, loving not their lives unto death. They stood before the same enemies that they hid from a few months before, accused them of murdering the Messiah and proclaimed that Jesus’ power alone healed the lame man.
Does the Holy Spirit’s power flow through you to testify of Jesus too? Is there evidence in your life that you’ve been with Jesus? Do signs and wonders accompany the gospel as you share it? There’s a form of godliness that’s lacking in power. It’s rooted in religion, rules, and checking boxes without knowing Jesus personally. Don’t be deceived. The life that is truly His abides in His presence, is led by His Spirit, and is continually empowered to be His witness to this lost and dying world. Let your enemies marvel that though you’re just an ordinary man or woman not steeped in religious training, they recognize that you’ve been with Jesus.
“Father, reveal anything that is false in me – anything that keeps me from oneness with You. I offer myself as a living sacrifice. Fill me with Your Spirit, and grant that I would speak Your word with all boldness while You stretch out Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of Your holy servant Jesus. Your Kingdom come and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
~Lisa Moore