ORDINARY PEOPLE

Acts 4:13 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.

Things are not what they seem to be sometimes. I recently saw a Top Ten list that included animals that are not quite what they seem to be:

• A koala bear is not a bear, it is a marsupial
• A guinea pig is not from Guinea and it is not a pig, it is a rodent from South America
• And for those of us in the DFW area… A horned frog is not a frog, it’s a lizard (sorry TCU alums)

I think God loves this kind of stuff. He loves to shock us with things that don’t seem to fit into our system. That’s what happened with the early church. Peter and John shocked the religious/political leaders. These disciples were not afraid. By all accounts they should have been. But they were bold and courageous.

Why were they courageous? Those watching that day noted that these guys had been with Jesus. Evidently they had seen this kind of boldness before. I believe what they were recognizing in Peter and John was the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus had told them, “When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.” (Luke 12:11,12)

The religious leaders were right about them. They were unschooled. But Peter and John and the other followers of Jesus were taught in a different way: by the Holy Spirit. That’s what happens when you spend time with Jesus. After all Jesus told us that the Holy Spirit was his own continual presence with his disciples (John 14:18).

The great thing today is that the Holy Spirit is promised to us, too. Peter spoke about it in Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost. The people in Jerusalem that day were convicted by the message of Jesus. They wanted to do something about their condition and so they asked Peter what they should do. Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” (Acts 2:38,39)

When we come to Christ, we too receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. We are the ones who are “far off” receiving the same amazing gift.

So, we too spend time with Jesus and grow in the power of the Spirit. Where is Jesus? How can we be with him? Here are a few of my thoughts on that…

• Serve people in need. Jesus told us that when we do that we are really serving him. Jesus is in the middle of humble service. (Matthew 25:40)
• Learn the words of Jesus. Jesus told that whoever hears his words and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on a firm foundation. Jesus is present in the learning of his words. (Matthew 7:24ff; Luke 6:46ff)
• Work for peace, unity, and reconciliation. Jesus told us that when we are people of reconciliation and forgiveness that he is there among us. Jesus is present in reconciliation. (Matthew 18:15ff)
• Help others follow Jesus. Jesus told us to go into the world for the purpose of making disciples. Jesus is present in his mission. (Matthew 28:18-20)

A horned frog is not really a frog…and a disciple of Jesus Christ is not some super educated, super talented person. It’s a person who has been with Jesus. And we believe that the Lord is transforming ordinary people into extraordinary disciples by the power of his Holy Spirit.

The greatest force for God’s mission in this world is ordinary people living for Jesus Christ.