Acts 4:13 NKJV
“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.”
When everyone assumed that the disciples’ supposed “drunkenness” (Act 2:15) in the upper room at Jerusalem was a one-time event, it was actually the beginning of a new period that continues on earth to this day. On the day of Pentecost, some in Jerusalem mocked the Spirit-filled disciples, saying, “They are filled with new wine” (Act 2:13 ESV). Oh yes, they truly were; only that the “new wine” under Whose influence they were, was not made by human hands, but sent from Heaven: He is the Holy Spirit! As the disciples spoke in other tongues, astonished Jews and non-Jews, and saw about 3,000 people saved, even greater manifestations of the Spirit were to follow.
Shortly after, God used Peter and John to heal a man who had been crippled for years and regularly begged at the temple gate, where he was well known. By the Spirit’s power, they ministered to him, and he was completely healed. That miracle was so powerful and clear-cut that many gathered to listen to the two disciples. In fact, many who heard the word believed, “and the number of the MEN came to about five thousand” (Act 4:4 ESV). Indeed, for about 5,000 men alone to believe in Christ within the deeply Orthodox Jewish culture of the time was no small feat! In a twist of things, surprisingly, Peter and John were arrested and brought before the Jewish High Court.
Two things distinguished Peter and John from those in the courtroom. Firstly, they were “…FILLED with [the power of] the Holy Spirit” (Act 4:8 AMP). Secondly, “…they had been WITH Jesus”, as in our text today. Hallelujah! These two encounters made the disciples very bold, full of wisdom, and they demonstrated the power of the Spirit—though they were “uneducated and untrained men”! Beloved, what excuse could we give for not serving God, and not serving Him in power, today? God has given us the same “Spirit of His Son into our hearts” (Gal 4:6 NIV). We are “IN Christ Jesus” (1 Cor 1:30), not merely ‘with’ Him. And by God’s grace, many of us have been taught and trained in the things of God. What excuse can we possibly give? May our hearts burn afresh to serve the Lord.
Pst. Emmanuel