“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:13

We are going through the book of Acts in our seasoned learners Sunday school class.  I like to watch  some of the movies based on the book.  Some are very accurate; some not so much. Even though the fishermen on the screen do not match the fishermen of my mind,  I am reminded why Luke’s book of Acts is such a wonderful record  of the beginnings of the church.

After the seeing the risen Christ and receiving the Holy Spirit, the apostles showed courage reserved for few in history. In Acts 4:13 Peter and John are examples of what should happen when we meet the risen Christ and are indwelled with the Holy Spirit. The Apostles had walked with Jesus for three years and had seen His many miracles. They had seen His compassion and wisdom. They had seen His strength and His resolve. Yet, they still did not understand Him.

That is one of the things that I enjoy the most about the Bible. Its pages are filled with flawed men who are strong and weak, wise and foolish, fearless and fearful. One might think that “fake” book of scripture might be filled with sterling characters whose minor flaws are quickly excused by pointing out the tough circumstances and questionable people around them. This certainly wasn’t the case with the Apostles who spent much of the time they were with Jesus being scared and confused.

When Jesus was arrested, they ran. When He was being tried they hid. When Peter was confronted, he denied. After Jesus was crucified, they were discouraged. They talked about the good run they had had, but it was time to go back to fishing. Of course, these are some of the same emotions we all struggle with throughout our lives, and I am sure that the apostles felt as justified as we do.

But then something amazing happened. Christ rose from the dead and presented Himself to them. Suddenly, these men who were hidden in an upper room discussing their return to normal life began to be strengthened. They saw the risen savior and touched Him. They received the Holy Spirit and were filled by Him. They suddenly had more wisdom and courage. They went from hiding to preaching boldly, and all but John would go on to be martyred for their message.

The apostles behavior, attitudes, and priorities changed.  It reminds me of a message I heard was on someone’s answering machine. “I am not available right now, but I thank you for caring enough to call. I am making some changes in my life. Please leave a message after the beep. If I do not return your call, you are one of the changes.” It is though the apostles old acquaintance fear called them and they refused to return the call.

We should be able to do the same things the apostles did. We have seen the risen Christ through His Word and many other evidences. We have received the Holy Spirit. We know who Jesus was (and is) and what He means to this world. We should boldly step from hiding to the open proclamation of Him. We have had the same supernatural experiences as the men who walked with Him; we should have the same boldness. People should marvel that we have been changed and in us, they should now see Him.

Let’s not talk about how great it was that the disciples were changed; Let’s change who we are and talk about how great Christ is. Let the world marvel that we of lowly positions (most positions are lowly), seem to speak like we have some special knowledge and boldness- because we do.