"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" (Acts 4:13).
The book of Acts begins where the Gospels leave off. All four gospel books in the Bible, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, tells the story of Jesus. The Gospels could be call the acts of Jesus, because each Gospel has a theme that builds around the Good News. There is a bridge that takes us from the Gospels to the Acts of the Apostles. This bridge is quite heavenly. In the Gospels, we plainly see that the Apostles are dependent upon Jesus, for they had forsaken all to follow Him.
Jesus recruited a few everyday individuals to accompany Him in ministry. He didn't go to different establishments nor did He advertise for "whosoever" might be interested, but He called some fishermen, a tax collector, and a few nobodies. His mantra was, "follow me."
The disciples in the Gospel had been with Jesus for about three years. It is not until we read in the Acts' account that they received the Holy Spirit. Receiving the Holy Spirit transformed them. Listen to the words of Jesus in Acts 1:5, "John baptized you with water," he reminded them, "but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit in just a few days." And another time he appeared to His disciples and told them, "But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power to testify about me with great effect, to the people in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth, about my death and resurrection" (Acts 1:8).
The Holy Spirit would empower the disciples to carry on the ministry that He, Jesus had entrusted to them. No longer would they be able to touch Jesus in the physical, but He would be present in the Spirit to lead them, guide them, and bring to their remembrance the things He taught them.
"And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place" (Acts 2:1). All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different languages. The Spirit came like the rushing of a violent blast, accompanied by signs of the sound of the wind and fire. The coming of the Holy Spirit took place on the Jewish day of the festival of the Pentecost. It was celebrated fifty days after the Passover and for Christians today, it is followed fifty days after Easter. A list of other nationalities was listed, as devout and God-fearing men from every country under heaven who heard the sound and were astonished and bewildered, because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language.
While waiting for their commission to evangelize, Peter takes the lead and becomes the spokesperson. Peter's speech starts with a reference from Joel 2:28-32. Imagine seeing Peter denying Christ three times, but this day he is standing in the midst of the crowd preaching a sermon. Peter said that God says, "I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Acts 2:17-21; Joel 2:28-32).
Then Peter continues, "Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know" (Acts 2:22-23). But he didn't stop there, he accursed them of murdering Jesus. Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain" (Acts 2:23).
There were those present that when they heard Peter, "were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do" (Acts 2:37). Peter did not hesitate and answered, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost" (Acts 2:38).
That day was a glorious beginning for the assembly, for three thousand were saved and baptized. "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers" (Acts 2:42). And many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. It is evident here that the apostles had been with Jesus and that the Holy Spirit had fallen upon them. Peter in the gospels was always putting his foot in his mouth, but Peter in Acts, was a man of true confidence, as he tells it like it is. God has given him the power of the Holy Spirit, to witness to whosoever would listen.
In Acts, chapter three, Peter and John make their way to the "temple at the hour of prayer." "And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple" (Acts 3:2). This man reminds me of those individuals who I see on the streets at the entrances and exits of the expressway, begging for a handout. What is amazing to me, these individuals are at the same place just about everyday. The point here is, this was not this man first time at the gate of the temple. Peter and John, fastened their eyes upon him. Then Peter said, "Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk" (Acts 3:6).
The people were amazed, but Peter and John had been with Jesus and dared not to take the credit, and they understood that with Christ the impossible is always possible. Peter said, "Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk" (Acts 3:12). The priest and others were "grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead" (Acts 4:2). So they seized Peter and John and put them in jail until the next day. The next day the elders, rulers, and teachers of the law met in Jerusalem and the high priest Annas were there. They brought out Peter and John and wanted to know by what power or what name did they heal the man. Let me repeat the question to you again, "By what power" could they recognize and could they not deny that what Jesus had said in Acts 1:8 was real. Now the authorities did not know that Jesus had said, "But ye shall receive power, and ye shall be witnesses."
Then Peter filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers and elders of the people. If we are being call 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 stand before you healed. He is the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone" (Acts 4:8-11).
"When they saw the courage of Peter and John they realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13). Let me repeat this again, "they had been with Jesus." There is nothing like being with Jesus and possessing the Spirit of God. They were impressed with the boldness of the apostles. This is significant inasmuch as Peter had denied his Lord in fear, just a few weeks before. The phrase, "unlearned and ignorant" literally means "untaught and unlettered." What they were saying is, the apostles had not been instructed in the schools of the rabies. Yet, they knew so much more about the Scriptures than did the religious leaders. They also took in the account they had been with Jesus.
You know when you meet somebody, sometimes you can automatically tell, by the way they carry themselves if they have been with Jesus, because when you have been with Jesus you become different. The way you carry yourself. The way you talk. There are some things you will never do any more, because you have been with Jesus. Your walk is different. You no longer hangout with the same group of people. You will monitor what you watch on television, and what you hear on the radio. Everything about you changes, for the better. You become super sensitive of your surroundings.
Out of the twelve apostles, none were of high intelligence. The Lord was more interested in the person and developing him to his potential. Look at the development of Peter from when he first met Jesus and the time he walked with Jesus, and his first sermon at Pentecost, and his second sermon after God used these apostles at a critical junction, and they stood boldly. They spoke with power and authority. They refused to cease witnessing to all who would listen, because they had been with Jesus.
Being with Jesus was their preparation to be what Jesus desired them to be. You don't just one day decide to walk in ministry as a leader. You must first walk with Jesus. You must study and seek God's willingness to open you and be poured into. There are three "L's" that constitute preparation:
You must LEARN the Word of God.
You must LISTEN to the Word of God.
You must LIVE the Word of God.
Being with Jesus was their transformation. He transformed them from fishermen of the sea to fishermen of men. Jesus took Paul from a destructor of the church to the master builder of the church.
Being with Jesus was their inspiration. He touched the disciples and left His imprint on them. Although in the beginning, they failed miserably in the Gospels, but they took wings over the bridge to the Acts, and beyond.
Being with Jesus was their obligation. The disciples had a charge to keep and a God to glorify. They had been charged to continue the ministry of Christ. This is what Jesus had trained them for.
Being with Jesus was their salvation. How can you not be saved when you walk with Jesus and gave Him your heart, mind, and soul. Faith plus nothing equal salvation.