Part 3: Shaken By Being With Jesus
After hearing the Gospel message and seeing it confirmed by the miraculous healing of the lame man, thousands in Acts 3-4 sought the Lord and became Christians. As is often the case, however, opposing forces attempted to silence the apostles.
“1As they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them, 2 being greatly disturbed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they laid hands on them and put them in jail until the next day” (Acts 4:1-3).
Notice only the Sadducees are mentioned. Why were they so upset, even more so than the Pharisees? While the Pharisees believed in general resurrection, the Sadducees did not; their worldview would not entertain the “infallible proofs” of Christ’s resurrection.
The next day at their trial, Peter responded to the accusations, saying, “Rulers and elders of the people, 9 if we are on trial today for a benefit done to a sick man, as to how this man has been made well, 10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead— by Him this man stands here before you in good health… 12 And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:8-12).
AMEN! But how offensive to all the rest of the world. Why? Because the Bible is saying that if you do not believe in Jesus and His Word, you will not go to Heaven. Tough words, but true words. Therefore, if we truly love people, what will we do – TELL THEM THE TRUTH!
“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” (Acts 4:13).
This really shook them up. The conduct, words, attitudes, etc. of the apostles were such that there was no mistaking they had been with Jesus! This is one of the most profound statements of Scripture, and here’s why. I have heard it said to preachers, speakers, and teachers comments like, “Wow, you really know the Bible. I could never have the knowledge you have”, and so on and so on. Such comments may be meant as complimentary, but they should not be the greatest feeling of one’s life. Reason being, such comments are too often the excuse of the one giving the complement for not studying the Bible for him or herself. It is also far too often the excuse for not sharing Jesus with others. To stay in their comfort zone, many use the excuse of “not knowing the Bible well enough” for not sharing their faith. Yet, Jesus never demanded a Bible college degree for evangelism! NONE of the 12 had a 4-year theology or preaching degree: “they were uneducated and untrained men” (Acts 4:13). They had simply “been with Jesus”!!!
Have you? Do you know Jesus? That’s all you have to share with someone! If you cannot, then you need to ask yourself if you know Jesus? How did you become a Christian? Tell people that! If you can’t, then you need to ask yourself if you are one.
And for anyone who has ever received complements regarding their Scriptural knowledge, that’s wonderful and nothing of which to be ashamed. More importantly, though, can anyone tell that you’ve been with Jesus. This is not to belittle Scriptural knowledge. Far from it! Biblical literacy, knowledge of God’s Word is vital – it is how we walk the path of God (Psalm 119:109, 105); it is how we come to know Jesus (John 1:1-13, Hebrews 1:1-2)!
Hence, the answer to the question, “Do you know Jesus or the Bible?”, should be a resounding, “Yes!” If you know God’s Word, then you should know Jesus, which should have “shaken” you. Hopefully and prayerfully, the world will be able to see you and me and know that we have “been with Jesus.” And that may just be what opens the doors of their hearts to be shaken by the Spirit and Truth.
