Message: In Acts 4 Peter and John were confronted by the priests, the temple guards and the Sadducees because what they were teaching provoked them. The next day they stood before the high priest, priestly family, rulers, elders and scribes in Jerusalem to answer about the healing of the lame man. This was no small thing but Peter was no less bold than he was before. He clearly explained to them that this healing was done not by them but in the name of Jesus- the one they killed but God resurrected. What took me back about this the most is that the leadership agreed that this miracle was undeniable. They knew it to be so because the men standing before them were uneducated fishermen and wouldn’t have been able to concoct this or even speak with this kind of clarity on their own. Even though the leaders acknowledged all that Peter and John said to be true, they hung onto their positions and instead they tried to forbid the name of Jesus. It both amazes and amuses me that they thought they could stop God by trying to intimidate these men. These men could not be moved because this was beyond opinion and beyond feeling. They had seen and witnessed the power of God in such a real way that they couldn’t deny it, they couldn’t unsee it and they couldn’t tolerate hearing it twisted or spoken any other way. They knew what they knew beyond any intimidation. Thinking about this I realized why so many believers are on shaky ground and others are so solid. Those who have not experienced God in a life changing way may believe from an intellectual standpoint or by reasoning or opinions of other people. When facts and reasoning include an encounter with God it becomes personal and real. The only way to experience this is to spend time with Him and watch the word of God become an undeniable reality in our real lives. Peter was unmovable to because he KNEW Jesus.
