Scripture to Read: Acts 4:13–14
The reason Peter and John had been thrown into prison was that the religious leaders wanted them to stop proclaiming Christ. Peter boldly told the religious leaders that the man who had been healed (see Acts 3) was healed through the power and Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Peter said in Acts 4:10, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by this name this man stands here before you in good health. God used Peter to leave no doubt with the people listening that day that it was nothing he had done, but it was done by the God of all creation, our Lord Jesus Christ. The reaction of the religious leaders is priceless. God had Luke record this in Acts 4:13: Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus. The leaders were in awe of Peter and John’s boldness, but here is the key: they “recognized them as having been with Jesus.” We should have such an intimate fellowship with our Lord Jesus Christ that people recognize that we are with Jesus. We then read in Acts 4:14, And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in reply. In other words, God silenced them. God will always be victorious.
Challenge & Application
• What did the religious leaders recognize about Peter and John, and why is this important?
• What do people recognize about you, and how are you making sure they know you have Jesus living in you?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!