After healing a man lame from birth in Acts 3-4, Peter and John are arrested by Jewish priests and Sadducees and challenged as to what authority guided this action and their teachings. They were forbidden to preach Jesus any longer.
Yet, these officials were amazed at their boldness and confidence, seeing the transforming power of the Holy Spirit within them. “. . . and they began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.” Does this mean that they recognized the same inexplicable power, confidence, and quiet authority in the teachings and manner of their Master? Under the threats of the religious leaders (who had just railroaded the crucifixion of Jesus), these disciples did not pray for their own safety, but for boldness in continued preaching of God’s word.
Lord, give me, too, this same boldness and confidence!
GRATEFUL 
Spurgeon was saying: “I will tell you not only what we ought to be, but what we should be: we should be pictures of Christ, yea, such striking likenesses of him that the world would not have to hold us up by the hour together, and say, “Well, it seems somewhat of a likeness;” but they would, when they once beheld us, exclaim, “He has been with Jesus; he has been taught of him; he is like him; he has caught the very idea of the holy Man of Nazareth, and he expands it out into his very life and every day actions.”
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Thanks, Michael, for your good comment. I love Spurgeon. I remember that you read him in a daily devotional. I just ordered his “Flowers Picked From a Puritan Garden.” My son Scott gave me a gift certificate to Banner of Truth for Christmas.
Richard
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