Acts 4:13- 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
You will need to read the entire account that takes place in the 4th chapter of the book of Acts to gain the background needed for my comments. Go ahead, I'll wait. I see that you're back. It is a great story isn't it? I see 4 mistakes that were made by those that were questioning Peter and John.
1- They considered Peter and John ignorant men…….
Although it was true that these men were rough neck fishermen and they were not considered intelligent, formally trained scholars with regards to the intricacies of the law, they were far from spiritually ignorant. They had an education unequal to all others. They had sat at the feet of the Master for over 3 years and been trained by the greatest teacher of all.
2- They came to the conclusion that these me HAD been with Jesus....
Although the compassion and love and the teachings of Jesus could not have helped but influenced their lives, Jesus was not simply in their past. Through the person of the Holy Spirit, the presence of Jesus was still with them every step of the way, guiding their every word and deed.
3- They came to the conclusion that they could silence them with threats....
The early church and it's leaders had one thing in common. They couldn't be stopped. These early church leaders were tough on the outside and tender on the inside. They were unbending, strong, determined, disciplined and empowered by the Holy Spirit. They were people who didn't know what it meant to quit and had an unconquerable sense of power. Yet they were Tender before God. They had an immediate awareness of His presence and they were sensitive to God's voice. They were passionate and unswerving in their dedication to God. They stood alone and knelt often. How could you ever silence these men with simple threats?
4- They should have never arrested them in the first place.......
In their feeble attempt to quite these men, they arrested them. This did nothing but draw more attention to the miracle that God had performed in the life of the lame man and the resurrection of Jesus they so feared. You can arrest the messenger, but the message will live on. Acts 4:4- But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand
When people of the world look at our lives, what is it they see? Unfortunately, many times in todays situations we are just the opposite of what these men were. We tend to be fragile on the outside and stubborn and tough on the inside. The slightest thing can derail us. When we are criticize, or something doesn't go well, maybe no one will help us, or it takes to much effort, possibly the cost is too great then we end up in the corner some where licking our wounds out of self pity. God then tries to speak to us in that condition and we are so stubborn that we refuse to hear Him. We tend to be to concerned with public opinion or what others might think more than what God is saying to us. If someone of the world would look at your life, would they take note of your compassion and love and say to themselves that you have been with Jesus?
May we be people who sit at His feet, learn of His ways and His heart, be emboldened by the Spirit, and be tough without and tender within. I pray that people are astonished by our lives and that they take note and recognize that we resemble our Father.
1 Comments:
good devo
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