Take The Time

[This is the fourth and final part in a 4-part series.]

As we once again consider Peter and John’s boldness and courage (see Acts 4:19-20), we note not only were they filled with the Spirit of God, but we also note that they enjoyed fellowship with the Son of God! Acts 4:13 states: “Now as they [the religious leaders] observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.”

It is important to note three characteristics that were clearly evident to the religious leaders. First, Peter and John were uneducated. According to John MacArthur in The MacArthur Study Bible, these men were uneducated “in the rabbinical schools and had no formal training in OT theology.” Second, Peter and John were untrained. They were common men with no rank or education; or, in other words, they were not seen as experts. The third characteristic is what stands out to me: the religious leaders noted that Peter and John had been with Jesus. Peter and John’s confidence was the result of them having fellowship with Jesus! It is clear that their confidence had nothing to do with their education or training.

Take the time to read through Peter’s sermons in Acts 2 and 3 as well as his response in Acts 4. You will also enjoy reading through the letters of Peter and John in the New Testament. Consider these questions as you read: What enabled Peter to preach with such power and write with such passion? What enabled John to pen his letters that are such an encouragement to believers today? As you will see, it is very clear that Peter and John were filled with the Spirit of God and enjoyed fellowship with the Son of God. Their fellowship was so evident that these religious leaders recognized Peter and John “as having been with Jesus” (4:13). Wow!

Lest you think Peter and John were some extraordinary men and that you are just too ordinary for God to work through you, think again! Remember, Peter and John were “uneducated and untrained”— talk about ordinary men! The difference? They had been with Jesus! What made the difference in Peter and John’s life—and what can make the difference in your life and mine—is the Spirit of God and the Son of God! What about your fellowship with Jesus? When people look at our life can they see that you and I have been with Jesus? In John 15, Jesus instructs His disciples to “abide in” Him (4). Abide means to be and to remain; to stay closely connected to; to settle in for the long term. When you and I take the time each day to be with Jesus then people will be able to tell by what we speak with our lips and by the way we live our lives that we have been with Jesus! So, let's take the time!