Scripture:
Acts 4:13-14 ESV
[13] Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. [14] But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition.
Observation:
Peter and John had just been a part of something that could not be denied. Standing in front of the Jewish council and under scrutiny. The council determined that they were clearly not educated. They had not sat under any of the well-known Jewish teachers of their time. They were just common men. But they had recognized them from the crowd of people that were with Jesus, and it was perfectly clear that the beggar had sat by the gate for so many years asking for money because his legs didn’t work, and was now standing right next to them. There was no way to deny that a miricle had taken place. But how, and where did they get the boldness that they had? If you read further into the scripture. You see them not backing up, not moving off of what they saw.
Application:
Your level of education is not the important part of any of this, in my opinion, and I believe I can back that up not only in scripture. But from my life. You see when you have spent time with Jesus, it will be obvious. Others will be able to see it. I honestly can’t tell you how many men and women I know right now that someone at some point hasn’t come up to me and said. That guy is on fire. The Holy Spirit’s presence is completely evident in their lives. It’s totally awesome to watch. They have a boldness that can only come from one place. If you are reading this SOAP, you might be one of those people that I’m talking about. It all comes down to spending time with Jesus. Please don’t get me wrong when I make this next statement. But it has to be made. I am not the one who writes these SOAPS. I know that without a doubt, I’m not smart enough to do so. They are put together under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Just to be honest, I couldn’t even read very well until I found the bible. The Holy Spirit taught me how. Then, it led me to do this ministry. Every SOAP is prayed over before I get started. Because I can not do this without HIM. I am an uneducated person who does his best to submit to the authority of the Holy Spirit. That being said. I want to encourage those who are feeling the boldness that comes from spending time chasing after Jesus. Don’t stop. Although you might not see the changes in your life… others are. It’s not going unnoticed. They might not be telling you, but they are telling someone. The key is not to get complacent. Just take that time with HIM. protect that time with HIM. Because it’s seen. Don’t back up. Press on to win the prize of the upward call of GOD. Speaking truth seasoned with grace. I want to end with this. Make chapter 16 come to mind. These are the signs that WILL follow THOSE WHO BELIEVE. They will see the captive set free.
Prayer:
Father, your plan is amazing, and we want to be found right in the middle of it. Help us to protect our time with you. We never want to take it for granted. We can serve and get caught up in that and forget all about sitting at your feet, just embracing the moment. We know that spending time with you, and giving you our first fruits is the cornerstone of our day. Getting to you before the world gets to us can help our day stay on the right track. Let us never forget that. Father, we have only one request today. It’s the anniversary celebration of life recovery. This is a ministry that has allowed you to continue the work you started in my life some short time ago. So I ask that your presence be felt and heard and seen in the celebration tonight. I am humbled to be a small part of what you have done in the lives of so many men and women. I honestly can’t wait to see what you have in store for us tonight. So we lift up this celebration, and we pray that it’s not life recovery that we celebrate but what you have done through life recovery. That is noticed. We thank you to those who were involved in putting it all together. It’s in the mighty name of Jesus I pray amen