They Had Been With Jesus

Peter and John had had a very good day. As they were going to the temple to pray, they had encountered a man who was lame for 40 years sitting at the gate. The man asked for a handout; but they gave him the gift of healing and salvation and he went about leaping and dancing. Seeing what had happened, a great crowd gathered; and Peter, seizing the opportunity, preached to them about Jesus Christ. Five thousand men believed and were converted to the faith. It was a very good day!

Some of the religious leaders were grieved, however, that they taught the people about Jesus and took them and cast them in prison. The next day, they were brought before the rulers to answer for their actions. When given the chance to speak, God anointed Peter again with words of salvation. Scripture records, “...when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.”

I would hope that it is every child of God’s desire to be bold for Him, and to always have the right words to speak to those who need to hear about Him. After all, the great Commission wasn’t intended for the apostles only, but for every Christian man and woman. Jesus told us to, “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” We may not all be preachers or evangelists, but we certainly are gifted by God in some way that will both edify the church and reconcile the sinner.

The secret of those who possess this boldness is simply this: they have been with Jesus. Spending time every day in the presence of the Savior is how we gain power and anointing. There is no other way that we can achieve this. It is a personal relationship with Christ that is the very heart and breath of our walk and witness for Him. People recognize this vitality in us, this essence of Christ; and it draws them to us, and ultimately to God.

Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 3 that we are living epistles, or living letters, and that we are known and read of all men. People are constantly reading our lives. Whether what they read is good or bad is up to what has been written in our hearts. As we spend time with Jesus, His Spirit writes the Word in our hearts and it translates into our lives – the things we say and the things we do. It is not just filling our heads with the letter of the Word, but it is the spirit of the Word being sown in our hearts that truly transforms us. Any unbeliever can use the Word of God to beat down and destroy folks – even the devil uses the Word at times, twisting it to his own devices – but the Word that the Holy Spirit ministers brings peace and hope.

When Moses went up on Mt. Sinai to receive the commandments of stone, he spent considerable time in the presence of almighty God. When he returned to the camp, his face shone so brightly from the encounter that the Israelites could not bear to look on him for the glory of his countenance. He had to put a veil over his face so that they could bear to look on his face. How much more glorious should it be, when we spend time in the presence of the Messiah, the Alpha and Omega, the King of kings? There should be something different that men see about us after we have been with Him. We should come away with some of the glory of His brightness. Moreover, we should not have to veil our witness for the Lord, but, instead, we should let our light shine brightly for all to see.

As we spend time daily before Jesus Christ, speaking our hearts to Him and letting Him speak His heart to us, we will find ourselves changed into His image from one glory to another as we yield our will to His. The more we are changed, the more men will marvel at our witness; though we are unlearned and ignorant, they will take knowledge of us that we have been with Jesus!

Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart. – 2 Cor. 3:3