They Had Been With Jesus . . .

"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."  Acts 4:13

Wow, I love this verse!  It speaks to me in a number of ways!!! I love the part about Peter and John being "ordinary men", because I sure feel ordinary..  And then, I love the part about how people could tell that there was something different about these "unschooled, ordinary men". . . . because they had been with Jesus. Oh how I want that to be said of me!!!!   I recently ran across this devotional by Greg Laurie on this verse and he says it so well! 

"The number of people who claim to be Christians today has never been higher.  Yet our moral and spiritual climate has never been lower.  You see, most people don't understand what it really means to be a Christian, to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

The Apostles Peter and John were men who were like Jesus.  One day when they went to the temple to pray, they healed a man who had been lame since birth.  Then they preached with such boldness that 5,000 people believed that day (see Acts 3–4).

The apostles were arrested and questioned, but those who questioned them, even though they were nonbelievers, could hear the voice of Jesus speaking through Peter and John.  They could see Him in their eyes.  They could tell that these were followers of Jesus: 

'Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.' (Acts 4:13)

It was unmistakable.  Even their enemies could see that Jesus Christ had profoundly impacted these men.  Could a statement like that be said of you?  Could it be said of you and of me that we have been with Jesus?"