Hearing the word Ignorant usually conjures up feelings of anger and may even invoke a feeling of retaliation against the person who uttered it. It is my prayer however that the true understanding and the word itself is embraced. I have come to this conclusion after taking a closer look at scripture written in Acts 4:13-14.

You know the book of Acts offers us such inspiration as it details the spread of the Church by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit takes first a group of disciples, ordinary men, who didn’t quite get it when Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, was in their presence. Yet now after the Holy Spirit, they and others began to share the message of Christ in a way that probably has not been matched in history. We have to be careful, cause we might be quick to give superhero status to these individuals, and neglect to honor the Holy Spirit who is the star of this historical account.

The names and feats are larger than life…..Peter, who previously had denied Christ, now preaches and three thousand souls are added to the church….Peter and John help facilitate the healing of a lame man in front of the temple….Paul, former persecutor of the church, now has become exhibit A of what the Holy Spirit can do.

In Acts 4, after the healing of the lame man, Peter and John are called before a council questioning their actions. (Doing good will always create opposition). The council points out three things for us to dwell on today:

Their Boldness

Their Residence

The Evidence

Verse 13 says that they noticed a Boldness about Peter and John. Isn’t it interesting that the world, which is lost and dark, has a boldness that the children of Light don’t have? As believers we have to be more out front and bold with our sharing of the gospel.

Even though the King James text says they were “ignorant”, scripture also says that they perceived that they had been with Jesus. Residing and abiding in Jesus, has it’s benefits and is noticeable. When you are in fellowship and communion with God, it shows up and people can’t help but to take notice. That is why the enemy fights you so hard to keep you out of fellowship with your local body of Christian believers. Even trying to take the good of the internet and Christian broadcasting to have you use that as a replacement for regular worship with a local assembly.

Lastly, there is the Evidence…the council lost all of it’s leverage when they looked up and saw the very man who had been lame now healed and standing before them. (By the way, when the lame man was healed his first act was to go to church) Even now YOU are evidence of God’s power right now. Everywhere you go, you are on display to highlight the power of God and what the Holy Spirit can do. Like a crime show the evidence is the final piece leading to conviction. Let your life be the final piece to help convict someone to accept Jesus Christ. God can use you if you are willing to humble yourself and accept being ignorant.

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