Wednesday, May 27, 2009

This is the day.

Acts 4:13 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.
14 And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.

Sometimes we think that we should not be 'too pushy.' While it is true that Christians should not try to 'shove Jesus down someone's throat,' I think that more often than not, we suffer from the opposite problem. I find in my own life that I tend to not be bold enough. Sometimes the people I am trying to reach 'stump' me, or 'make me mad,' and I find myself at a loss for words, and wondering how I got there. Peter and John were characterized by three things: I. They were bold. II. They were unlearned and ignorant. III. They had been with Jesus. These three things would be a great lesson for all of us sometimes. First, we all could probably use more boldness, while avoiding talking down to those we witness to. Second, though I don't think we should be proud of our ignorance, we should not try to "wow" sinners with our "vast" knowledge of the Bible, doctrine, etc. Finally, we should all strive to have the testimony that we have "been with Jesus."

The outline presented in the statement above is pretty good.
A good testimony.
I. Boldness
II. Simplicity in what we say. Peter and John were not actually unlearned and ignorant, THEY JUST WEREN'T EDUCATED IN THE RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS OF THE DAY. A true believer cannot spend three years in the sweet presence of Jesus, and not have learned something. Actually that is the problem with the majority of preachers today, THEY DO NOT SPEND NEARLY ENOUGH TIME IN JESUS' PRESENCE, BUT RELY ON THEIR EDUCATION TO GET THEM THROUGH. Peter and John didn't have the flowery speech, but they did have the power of God, and a knowledge of Who Jesus is, and What He wants for mankind.
III. A personal walk with Jesus.
IV. Every once in a while, some fruit is also a requirement. v.14

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