In Acts chapter 4, we find Peter and John being brought before the Jewish Sanhedrin because their teaching isn’t meeting their so-called high standards. This follows close after the healing of the lame man at the temple gate called Beautiful. That man had been begging there for many years, so was well known to those going in and out of the temple, and his healing drew a crowd, especially when he started walking, jumping, and praising God. Verse 10 of Acts 3 says the people were filled with wonder and amazement. They obviously had questions, and Peter and John were more than glad to answer.
The apostles take no glory for themselves concerning this healing. They are quick to point out that it’s Jesus who’s done it. They were merely his instruments. They don’t mince words, reminding the people of their part in putting Jesus to death, yet they share the encouraging and miraculous news of his resurrection, and declare it is because of the resurrected Jesus that this man who was lame can now walk.
Word of all this reaches the Sanhedrin, and the leaders are not pleased, especially over the accusations concerning their involvement in Jesus’ death. Thus, they insist Peter and John be corrected and disciplined. One of the big sticking points, as ever, is the resurrection of the dead. They don’t want this teaching about Jesus’ resurrection getting out, and so they seize Peter and John and throw them in prison overnight. (Acts 4: 3.)
However, the disapproval of the Jewish authorities cannot stop the gospel message from spreading and we are told in Acts 4: 4 that the number of men who believed grew to about 5000. I can imagine the leaders scratching their heads, wondering what on earth they could do to stop the spread of what they saw as false doctrine. Starting in verse 7, they question Peter and John about the authority by which they are teaching and performing miracles. Peter’s answer clearly comes from God, as we are told in verse 8 that he was filled with the Holy Spirit. Peter is a man who has learned to rely on the spirit. He learned the hard way after he denied Jesus 3 times after declaring he’d never do such a thing, and he’s not going to make the same mistake again. He boldly declares that it was by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth that the lame man was healed. I love the way he presents the gospel so clearly in verses 11-12, leaving no margin for misunderstanding. “Jesus is
“‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
As I was reading this recently, I was impacted by verses 13-14. “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished, and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say.”
The members of the Sanhedrin were highly educated in the Jewish law, yet here they were being confounded by 2 uneducated fishermen, all because they are filled with the Holy Spirit, and have been with Jesus. Reading these words, I felt convicted by the Holy Spirit, as he dropped a question into my heart. “When people come into contact with you, can they tell you’ve been with Jesus?”
We can know our Bibles from cover to cover and yet not impact others with our faith. I remember once hearing a Bible scholar preach. This man had been to college and studied God’s Word for several years, yet his message failed to touch my heart. It was dry and dusty. It felt as though he was giving a carefully prepared and researched speech designed to showcase his Bible knowledge, but his tone of voice was flat, and he spoke of Jesus as one would speak of a historical figure such as William Shakespeare. No doubt he could have answered many theological questions, but he didn’t seem to have the joy of being in a personal relationship with the Saviour.
In contrast, I remember a man coming to preach at our church who’d just become a Christian. He was literally bubbling over with the joy of the Lord and was excited to encourage others from his newfound faith. He had fallen madly in love with the King of all Kings and Lord of all Lords, and he spoke with equal amounts of reverence and respect and love and joy. Just listening to him share galvanised my own faith and made me want to experience more of what he had.
The difference between these two preachers was that one knew about the Lord, but the other knew him in a powerful and personal way. The second man realised what he had been before he became a Christian and rejoiced in the forgiveness and deliverance Jesus had brought him. He encouraged us to think about and share our testimonies and led us in one of the most exciting Sunday services I can remember. I was a teenager at the time, and usually only went to church once on a Sunday, but the fervour of this man’s preaching enticed me to go back in the evening and see what else he had to share.
My earnest prayer is to be more like the second preacher than the first – to be a person who shines with the joy of having been with Jesus. I yearn to keep my relationship with him fresh and invigorated, so I will generally have something new to share and not just keep regurgitating the same material year after year, yet for this to happen, I know I need to be doing the things Jesus did – encouraging, ministering, praying and teaching.
I remember reading about someone asking a famous Christian how they knew Jesus was alive. I imagine they could have given a very deep, spiritual-sounding answer, but the reply was simple. “I know because I was talking with him this morning.” I can imagine the questioner being dumbfounded. They were probably ready to debate, but what answer can you give to a statement like that?
I have always had a desire to teach new believers that the word of god is exciting, and that it is still more than relevant for us today. Yet in order for me to do that, I must be receiving fresh revelation to share from it each day. Although I have read the Bible several times from cover to cover, if I listen, the Holy Spirit will reveal new truths even from well-known passages. When he does this, I become very excited, and can’t help sharing what I’ve just learned. This, I believe, is one way in which people know we have been with Jesus.
Another important way in which we can testify to our intimacy with the saviour is in our relationships. How do we interact with friends and family during good times and bad? Do we aim to love them in the way the Bible instructs, even when it’s not easy? The gold standard for love can be found in the famous verses from 1Corinthians 13. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” (1Corinthians 13: 4-8.)
As we consider the life of Jesus, we will see this is how he loved – fully and perfectly, even when his love was treated with contempt. If we want to be known as people who have been with him, I believe we have to attain to love in the same way. I’ll admit I fall far short, but I keep asking my Saviour to guide me in my interactions with others.
This hurting world in which we live is full of angry and damaged people who won’t be willing to hear what we have to say unless they first see the evidence of our faith lived out in our day to day lives. If we want to introduce them to the Lord, we must display the differences he’s made in our lives. If they see no change in us, they will not know we’ve been with Jesus, and they will have no desire to meet the person who should have become our closest friend. When we have a good friend, isn’t it natural to talk about them and share the things we do with others? How much more should this be the case with Jesus. Everyone knew Peter and John had been with Jesus. There was no doubt. But do they know that same thing about you and me?