March 3, 2023

Acts 4:13-22 (HCSB)
13 When they observed the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed and recognized that they had been with Jesus. 14 And since they saw the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in response. 15 After they had ordered them to leave the Sanhedrin, they conferred among themselves,          16 saying, “What should we do with these men? For an obvious sign, evident to all who live in Jerusalem, has been done through them, and we cannot deny it!             17 However, so this does not spread any further among the people, let’s threaten them against speaking to anyone in this name again.” 18 So they called for them and ordered them not to preach or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it’s right in the sight of God for us to listen to you rather than to God, you decide; 20 for we are unable to stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” 21 After threatening them further, they released them. They found no way to punish them, because the people were all giving glory to God over what had been done;  22 for this sign of healing had been performed on a man over 40 years old.

Jason Ricciardi
My maternal grandpa had dyslexia. That held him back in the military. He was skilled but couldn’t pass a test. After he got saved, his commanding officer assaulted him. He didn’t fight back because he was also a pastor. He may have had limitations, but people recognized the time he spent with Jesus. Yesterday, we saw Peter make a simple declaration about Jesus. Today, we see Peter and John getting threatened for their faith. A LOT of stuff happens between yesterday’s passage and what we see here in Acts 4. In between we see hard times–dissension, fighting, murder, suicide, doubts, and...THOUSANDS of people get saved! Their bold faith left others speechless! Threats didn’t stop them...Going back to my grandpa, I wish I could say his assaulter got saved but he didn’t. That’s not the point–it’s that though my grandpa may not have had eloquent words for his faith but others STILL recognized the time He spent with Jesus. How bold are you willing to be in your faith despite any perceived limitation? Will you let anyone threaten you into silence? Or...might you leave others silent because of the time you spend with Jesus? It might be hard, but it WILL be worth it!