Daily Devotional

A Ministry of the Kerwin Baptist Church

January 28, 2019

by Pastor Hawtree

BIBLE READING: 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.

America has turned into a very cynical nation. I cannot really say that I blame people for being that way. There is a lot to be cynical about. There is so much “out there” in our day, on all ends of the spectrum, and people are confused. We believe that we have the truth, but when we share it with people, they are skeptical. And I understand why. There are some things, though, that even unsaved, unchurched people can figure out. The verse here uses the word “perceived”. It means even though they did not agree or like what Peter and John did or said, they could not argue with the result.

What can people always perceive?

1. OUR INABILITY
These people could see that they were “unlearned and ignorant men”. People can normally see right through our attempt to portray ourselves as something we are not. Now Peter and John were just being themselves here and these people could see that they were uneducated in certain things. What people can easily see is our shortcomings. It is better for you and I to simply be ourselves, admit that we are nothing without Christ, and never act like we are above anyone else.

2. GOD’S ABILITY
This passage says that when they saw the man that was healed, and they saw that he was standing there, there was nothing they could say. People can always perceive when something is of God. They might not always agree, or like it, but they can’t argue against it when it is God’s doing.

3. GODLY INTIMACY
These people, the Bible says, “marveled” because they saw that Peter and John were unlearned and ignorant, and yet they saw all the boldness and confidence that Peter and John had. They saw that their confidence was not in themselves, because they had nothing to be confident in, but they saw that they had boldness. That is when these people could tell that “they had been with Jesus“. A person can always tell if you have been with Jesus. And usually they can always tell when you haven’t. It’s hard to have boldness in Christ, when you have not spent time with Christ. I encourage you, spend some time with Jesus today.