Confident and Courageous

Good Morning~ Another look at these verses--Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed,then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. He is " 'the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.' Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. "What are we going to do with these men?" they asked. "Everybody living in Jerusalem knows they have done an outstanding miracle, and we cannot deny it. But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn these men to speak no longer to anyone in this name." Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard." After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened. Acts 4.8-21

So, the Sanhedrin (the ruling Jews) stare at Peter and John after they had arrested them for having such an impact on the local citizenry. Let's face it--even if the lame man had been healed, if folks didn't know about it, if it wasn't combined with the attractive message of Jesus Christ that people were grabbing a hold of--nobody would have cared. It wouldn't have posed any threat to them. But, Caiaphas and Annas got it--they knew that this 'Jesus thing' could threaten the whole Jewish culture. What did they see in Peter and John, that we might wish to emulate?

~Luke says that Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit--vs. 8-- I believe that inspired awe, wonder, and a little fear in those who were questioning them. 'Makes me think, "O Lord, may my heart be a place You would want to reside. May people see the Holy Spirit in me." Because when I am observing someone who seems to be filled with the Spirit, I just think, 'Man, I want some of that.'

~They saw the courage of Peter and John, believing it was a direct result of their having been with Jesus. Would you call yourself courageous when it comes to stepping out in faith?

~Peter and John took advantage of the opportunity to share the Gospel--maybe I would have been more interested in getting out of trouble with the authorities, but not them. . .'you?

~So, confident in the Gospel message and in their loyalty to God, even when Peter and John were warned not to teach in Jesus' name again, they said, "We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard." They chose to obey God rather than the high priests telling them to keep quiet.

Check out this situation from my life that brought all of these elements together:
Several years ago, I officiated at a memorial service (for my friend's mother) at one of our local beaches. It had rained all night, and I was concerned about the weather, but about 30 minutes before we were due to begin, the clouds rolled back, and the sun came out, as if on cue. The water looked like sparkling diamonds as family and loved ones gathered to honor a woman's life, that had been prematurely snuffed out due to the ravages of alcoholism. That was sad enough, but when her closest friend stood up to eulogize her, the first comment out of her mouth, was, "Well, Alice wasn't a religious person; she just found her 'god' in everything." From that moment on, I had the sickest feeling in my stomach--a feeling of desperate hopelessness. (Now, it's true that we don't know what happened in her last moments of consciousness, and God is merciful, but based on her life choices, it would appear that she had not opted for eternity with the triune God.) As soon as I finished the service, I drove straight to my church where an incredibly compelling gospel message, "Potter's Field," was presented. When 'the potter' finished his message, the aisles were filled as people streamed forward to pray to make Jesus the Leader of their lives. COMPARE and CONTRAST these two vivid scenes within minutes apart. One was final, and apparently hopeless; the other was all about new life, change, and hope. Even days later, I found myself thinking about the two scenes that day. . . and then, I thought about my responsibility, my role in being the Hope Extender, the Truth Teller, the Messenger. Or not.

It all boils down to this--who do YOU say Jesus is? And, what are you going to do about it? Based on your answer, you will make your own decisions about engaging in a meaningful relationship with the true, living God, and, when you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you will be burdened for those who do not know Him. Like Peter and John, let's be people of courage, filled with the Holy Spirit, confident in the Jesus Christ of the Gospel, and eager to take advantage of every opportunity to share. . . what do you say?

Yes, let's be confident and courageous~
Christine (DiGiacomo), "Morning Briefings" group on Facebook, or respond to blog on AllAboutGod.com