Is it evident that you’ve been with Jesus?

 

Over the past few days, I’ve been pondering a verse found in the book of Acts and I’ve been doing some soul searching in regard to a phrase we find there.

Acts 4:13 KJV - 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.

This verse comes just after Peter and John were arrested by the hands of people not happy with the preaching and proclaiming of the gospel.

Acts 4:1-3, 13 KJV - And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them, Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next day: for it was now eventide.

Peter and John, through God’s empowerment, had seen a lame man made whole, who then went walking and leaping and praising God, to the amazement of the onlookers.

But what stood out to me was not only the boldness of Peter and John, but it was the fact that others could see that they had been with Jesus.

After they were brought before the rulers, elders, scribes and high priest, Peter preached a short and powerful message which had these wicked men scratching their heads.

These men marvelled at the fact that Peter and John could preach so boldly and eloquently and powerfully with no formal education or training. They were not scholars or great theologians, but simply men who had been with Jesus.

It wasn’t their education, their training, their heritage, but the fact that they had been with Jesus. And it was so evident that others could see it and sense it.

When you spend time out in the sun for any length of time, no matter how good your sun protection is, it will be evident that you have been in the sun. You can see it on your skin. It’s obvious.

So, what happens when you spend time with the SON? S-O-N. The Son of God.

Peter and John had spent so much time with Jesus in his time on earth, that their ‘accent’ proved it. The way they talked and the way they acted was obvious to others that they had spent time with Jesus. And not just a casual acquaintance.

Reading this passage got me thinking about how I am seen of by others.

Do I have the accent of Jesus? Have I spent time with Jesus so often that I sound like him, act like him, imitate him?

If you spend very much time with someone of a different nationality, or maybe live in another country for a period of time, you are going to come away with possibly a slight accent or find yourself using phrases only used in that particular culture. Maybe you’ll carry yourself a little differently or eat differently or talk differently.

When we worked with indigenous youth for the first 5 years of our life here in the Northern Territory, having them in our home, playing with our girls, teaching them at Youth Group and Sunday School, we found ourselves talking like them and using Kriol words instead of English words and using phrases our other family members didn’t understand because the phrases were native to our part of the country.

Now, we didn’t go about trying to imitate them, but by being around them so often, we naturally began to talk like them.

That’s why it’s so important we are discerning about who we choose to spend the bulk of our time with. If we surround ourselves with friends who use bad language, crude humour and coarse jokes, it’s going to rub off.

It is crucial that we spend time with Jesus.

If we saturate our souls with the Word of God and fill our hearts and minds with heavenly things and thoughts of Christ and his love, taking time to read and pray and meditate on his Word, fellowshipping with other believers, we will begin to have the accent of Jesus.

In the book of Matthew, we read the sad story of Peter’s denial of Christ before his crucifixion. We see Peter warming his hands at the fire, standing at a distance from Christ in the high priest’s palace and it is there that we read of his denial.

As he stands there, a first time and then a second time he is asked whether he was with Jesus, and finally, a third time, a young girl comes to him and states plainly that he was with Christ Jesus of Nazareth and we read of Peter swearing and cursing.

But just before that something interesting is said.

Matthew 26:73 KJV – And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee.

Did you see that the people come to the conclusion that he is one of Christ’s because his speech gives him away?

His speech betrayed who he belonged to. It revealed who he had spent time with. It was evident that he had spent time with Jesus.

Peter couldn’t hide his identity even when he wanted to. It was so ingrained in him.

Thankfully, it is not the end of the story, because our passage in Acts proves that and we see Peter once again boldly preaching the gospel. Praise God that we serve a God of second chances. He is patient and gives us another chance after we fail him.

So, the question is, do you have the accent of Christ? Do others know that you have been with him? Have you spent so much time alone with God that the accent of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness naturally flow from your life?

Are you around Christ so much that you sound like him? Act like him? Can the world tell that you have been with Christ?

If all that people know of you is what you do on a Sunday and where you go to church, then you’re in trouble.

People should know that you’re a Christian before they know your schedule.

They should see it in your walk, your talk, your actions, your honesty, your loyalty, your faithfulness, your kindness, your love.

They might not know that it is Jesus they are seeing, but they should see and sense something different about you.

The world needs to see that we have been with Jesus. They need to see a visual, tangible picture of Christ in our lives.

We need to radiate God’s love to the lost world.

When we meet together as Christians, in our church services, at our Bible studies, in our prayer meetings, we should see in each other the evidence of time spent with God.

We should see growth in each other’s lives. Others should hear it in our conversation, they should sense it in our attitudes toward them, they should see it in our service to Christ.

We need to become a people who spend time sitting at the feet of Jesus, just as Mary did (Luke 10:39), choosing the better part. We should long to study our Bibles, digging into its depths, seeking out the treasures it holds, applying what we’re learning to our lives, growing more and more like Christ each day.

We are, as Christians, in fact, in the very name, to be ‘little Christs’.

The first time the disciples were called Christians was in Antioch (Acts 11:26) and it was used as more of a derogatory term. In Latin the ending ‘ian’ means ‘party of’, so Christian meant ‘of the party of Jesus’. It was like saying ‘Jesus-ites’ or ‘Jesus people’.

What those first mockers saw as insulting, we should find it a compliment. If we are a reflection of Christ and we are ‘of the party of Jesus’, little Christs, then it should be a joy to be called a name associated with Jesus. We need to imitate Christ and walk as he walked, living as he lived, loving as he loved.

So how can we spend time with Jesus?

We can spend time with him by reading the Bible. Meditate on God’s Word and apply what you learn. Get to know him better by learning more about who he is.

We can spend time with God in prayer. It involves both listening and speaking. Talk with God in conversation and pour your heart out to him and listen for his answer.

We can spend time with God through praise and worship. God inhabits the praises of his people (Psalm 22:3). When we come to him with a heart of worship and praise, God shows up!

We can understand that God is with us all day long. He walks beside us. We can talk with him anytime, night or day. We can memorize scripture so that we can bring to mind God’s Words as we go through the ups and downs of life.  

When you consistently spend time with the Lord, with a sincere heart and a teachable spirit, people will be able to see it. They will know that you have been with Jesus.

You won’t be able to hide it. Just as Moses was unable to hide the glow on his face from being with God, your heart will overflow, and it will be evident in your face and your speech and your actions.

1 Corinthians 10:31

Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

 

 

Let your light shine and let it be evident that you’ve spent time with Jesus!