When they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they marveled and took note that these men had been with Jesus.Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and had perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled. They recognized that they had been with Jesus.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.Now when they beheld the boldness of Peter and John, and had perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.
5 sermons cite this verse
… not been to church. They should look at you and go, oh wow, they've been with Jesus. People should see it in us. Can people tell you have been with Jesus? I bring this up because here in Acts chapter four, verse 13, we read these words. The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John. For they could see that they were ordinary men who had no special training, but they also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus. Being a Christian isn't trying to imitate Jesus. It's not about imitation. It's about impartation. There's a difference, isn't there? Imitation is I'm trying to follow the example of Christ and walk in His footsteps and be a good Christian as people sometimes frame it. I'm not trying to be a good Christian because I'm a bad person. I need more than imitation. I need Christ living in me and the Holy Spirit enabling me to live the life that God has called me to live. I can't do it otherwise. …
… Because that was what they were doing. It was when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and they realized that they were largely uncredentialed, unlearned in relationship to theological structures, that they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. So they said, Lord, Make sure that we don't give up on this part. Make sure that we are bold so that as we go about our business, you will stretch out your hand and you will perform signs and wonders and healings and so on. All the things that as we read through the Acts of the Apostles were taking place. and then when they had finished their prayer that was their response to pray it actually says and I think this is so good and when they had prayed the place in which they were gathered together was shaken shaken I haven't been in an earthquake, I don't think. But I guess it shapes things. it would be it would be kind of cool if like we were in a prayer meeting and you said the person next to you did you move your chair just a little shake not a big shake not a whole lot of shaking going on just a little bit we can at least pray Lord, shake us. And they were filled with the Holy Spirit. And so we could pray, Lord, fill us. …
… ordinary fishermen spoke with so much confidence and so much courage and so much passion and so much boldness that the leaders were stunned. Acts chapter 4 verse 13 tells us this. The members of the council were amazed. They're taken aback. When they saw the boldness of Peter and John, they weren't amazed with their education. They weren't amazed with their oratory skills. They weren't amazed with the fly look that they had in the brand of shoes they were wearing. They were amazed at the boldness. For they could see that these two guys, Peter and John, were ordinary men with no special training in scripture. How'd they do this? How are these ordinary guys with no training, so bold and so confident? They were amazed by their boldness. when was the last time that someone looked on and was amazed by how bold you were for Jesus I'll tell you when I first became a follower of Jesus they were amazed because I was a punk that got saved and when I don't even know is punk a word nowadays not really back then it was a word punk I was a punk and I'm saying I was a punk like you you would have seen me you go he's a punk I was playing college tennis. …
… There's boldness in our lives. Acts 4.13, when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, they perceived, the people did, that these were uneducated and untrained men. This is my life verse. I got three semesters of Bible college, and I barely got out of high school intact, all right? Untrained, uneducated people. Peter and John didn't have fancy seminary degrees. Nothing wrong with a seminary degree. They didn't have higher doctoral degrees on the wall. These are fishermen. John, Peter, these guys were just basic people, untrained, uneducated. And yet, look at this. They realized they had been with Jesus. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. They could tell there's something different about you. It's not that you went to the Pharisee schools, or you went to this rabbinical. You didn't go to Rome and talk with Socrates. No, they said, oh my gosh, you've been with Jesus. How can we tell you've been with Jesus? Because you're bold. The characteristic of someone who has been with Jesus is boldness. …
… And I could not be happier about it. It says in Acts 4.13, when they saw the courage of Peter and John, and we're going to go back and understand what that courage was. And they realized that they were unschooled. These guys were, you know, fishermen, ordinary men. They were astonished. There's our word. and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. When they saw the courage of Peter and John and they realized these are unschooled and ordinary guys, but yet they had such courage and we'll see such boldness in proclaiming Jesus, they were astonished and they took note. They took note of their lives that these men had been with Jesus. Wow. Don't you want a life that people take note of and say about you? She has been with Jesus. You can tell by the way she lives her life. The context here is so powerful. You remember in Acts chapter 2, the Holy Spirit came, filled this room where the followers of Jesus were waiting, and they all went into the streets and started preaching the gospel in all these different languages to people who would come to Jerusalem for the feast. And that was chapter two. Then we go to chapter three, and we don't know how much time has passed between chapter two and chapter three. Could have been a day or it could have been a week, but it wasn't very long. It says Peter and John were going up to the temple as they would normally on a day. …