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Seeing is Believing
Evangelist Dr. Bob Sanders 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.” Take a moment to read Acts 4:8-13. In preparation for some articles I was writing for a bi-monthly teen devotional, my heart was drawn to this passage. As all of us know, there can be a great difference between what is said with the lips and what is seen in the life. Speaking to the Scribes and Pharisees which were in Jerusalem, Jesus said, “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me” (Matthew 15:8). It is far easier to talk the Christian life than it is to walk the Christian life. One old timer used to say, “If you’re going to talk the walk, walk the talk.” In the passage before us have Peter and John walking the talk! Peter and John were being detained in jail over night so that they could be questioned by the religious authorities. Peter and John were to appear before Annas the High Priest and several other religious authorities. Having been questioned, the disciples were given the opportunity to answer the charges against them. With a boldness that only comes from being filled with the Holy Ghost, the disciples “marveled” their accusers. The word “marveled” means to admire, to have admiration or wonder. Think of what is being said! The elite religious zealots of Jerusalem looked upon two uneducated and socially impoverished Galilean fishermen and marveled at what they saw! While these religious officials were in total opposition to Peter and John, they did admire them. Please understand this important truth; this admiration was generated by what they saw and not what they heard, “when they saw . . . they marveled.” The word “saw” means to discern by being a spectator. The spectators were moved by seeing Christ in the lives of Peter and John. The testimony of the spectators was “they had been with Jesus.” If you ever expect your friends to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and accept Him as Saviour, it will not be by what they hear you say, but what they see! While the spectators may not have known a whole lot about Jesus, they knew enough to know Him when they saw Him in the lives of Peter and John. Your friends and neighbors may not attend church and may not claim to have had any religious experience, but they know enough to know how a Christian is supposed to act! The only beliefs to be believed are those that can be seen as well as those that can be spoken! Peter and John “marveled” their religious accusers when they recognized that Peter and John “had been with Jesus.” What they saw in the disciples far exceeded what they heard from the disciples. The text implies that these religious zealots saw at least three things. They saw a relationship with Christ. It was evident that the disciples not only knew about Jesus, but that they had a personal relationship with the Lord. You can know all the facts, but you can‘t fake the relationship. People know who you’ve been hanging out with. They saw a resemblance to Christ. They saw similarities in the way Jesus conducted Himself and the way the disciples conducted themselves. One example of this truth is the love we project, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:35). Do the spectators see sacrificial love or sinful lust projected from your life? They saw a reliance on Christ. The boldness of Peter and John hadn’t come from some inner strength, but the supernatural power of a supernatural person that now lived within them. Verse 8 says that Peter was filled with the Holy Ghost and it was from this filling that the boldness came! When the accusers looked upon Peter and John they saw a person and His name was Jesus. And when they saw Jesus, they saw some beliefs worth believing! Seeing is believing! |