Acts 4
1 While Peter and John were speaking to the people, they were confronted by the priests, the captain of the Temple guard, and some of the Sadducees.
2 These leaders were very disturbed that Peter and John were teaching the people that through Jesus there is a resurrection of the dead.
3 They arrested them and, since it was already evening, put them in jail until morning.
4 But many of the people who heard their message believed it, so the number of believers now totaled about 5,000 men, not counting women and children.
5 The next day the council of all the rulers and elders and teachers of religious law met in Jerusalem.
6 Annas the high priest was there, along with Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and other relatives of the high priest.
7 They brought in the two disciples and demanded,
"By what power, or in whose name, have you done this?"
8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them,
"Rulers and elders of our people,9 are we being questioned today because we've done a good deed for a crippled man?
Do you want to know how he was healed?
10 Let me clearly state to all of you and to all the people of Israel that he was healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene,
the man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead.
11 For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says,
'The stone that you builders rejected
has now become the cornerstone.'
12 There is salvation in no one else!
God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved."
13 The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John,
for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures.
They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.
Here's the deal - the council recognized Pater & John as 2 men who'd been with Jesus.
Each time I read that I wonder - when people are around me or you, is there something about the quality of our personality that indicates that we've spent time in the presence of Jesus.
Is there something of a cumulative effect in who we are from our reading the Word of God & listening out for anything He might say through it.
Is there something of the essence of Spirit of Jesus about us - & do people see that, do they see Him?
They may not quantify it as Jesus, but they would say there is something about us, something out of the ordinary (in my case besides my craziness! ;-) )
Is that a bit of a stretch to take from this passage?
Maybe, maybe not.
The bottom line is that each time I read that section of chapter 4 in Acts, I always wonder the same thing - do people see Jesus in me simply because I'm around Him - has Jesus rubbed off on me?
1 While Peter and John were speaking to the people, they were confronted by the priests, the captain of the Temple guard, and some of the Sadducees.
2 These leaders were very disturbed that Peter and John were teaching the people that through Jesus there is a resurrection of the dead.
3 They arrested them and, since it was already evening, put them in jail until morning.
4 But many of the people who heard their message believed it, so the number of believers now totaled about 5,000 men, not counting women and children.
5 The next day the council of all the rulers and elders and teachers of religious law met in Jerusalem.
6 Annas the high priest was there, along with Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and other relatives of the high priest.
7 They brought in the two disciples and demanded,
"By what power, or in whose name, have you done this?"
8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them,
"Rulers and elders of our people,9 are we being questioned today because we've done a good deed for a crippled man?
Do you want to know how he was healed?
10 Let me clearly state to all of you and to all the people of Israel that he was healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene,
the man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead.
11 For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says,
'The stone that you builders rejected
has now become the cornerstone.'
12 There is salvation in no one else!
God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved."
13 The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John,
for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures.
They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.
Here's the deal - the council recognized Pater & John as 2 men who'd been with Jesus.
Each time I read that I wonder - when people are around me or you, is there something about the quality of our personality that indicates that we've spent time in the presence of Jesus.
Is there something of a cumulative effect in who we are from our reading the Word of God & listening out for anything He might say through it.
Is there something of the essence of Spirit of Jesus about us - & do people see that, do they see Him?
They may not quantify it as Jesus, but they would say there is something about us, something out of the ordinary (in my case besides my craziness! ;-) )
Is that a bit of a stretch to take from this passage?
Maybe, maybe not.
The bottom line is that each time I read that section of chapter 4 in Acts, I always wonder the same thing - do people see Jesus in me simply because I'm around Him - has Jesus rubbed off on me?
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