Ordinary but Recognized

Acts 4:13 (NLTse) — The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.

As I was reading this passage this morning, two things struck me. First of all, Peter and John were ORDINARY men. There was nothing super special about them that made them noticeable except for one thing — they were bold. It actually says that the members of the council were amazed at their boldness. What further amazed them was that these two men were without any special training in Bible theology. They didn’t spend weeks or even years being taught in Bible training school.

What was the characteristic that made them so unique being merely ordinary men? I believe the second thing is the key — “they also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.” When we’ve been with Jesus, we don’t come across as ordinary men and women. Those having been with Jesus cross over from the ordinary to the extraordinary. They aren’t the “normal” people at work or school. They are the individuals who don’t blend in with society but rather, boldly stand out. Are people amazed at your boldness as an ordinary person? Do you stand out in the crowd? Are you identified by others as one who has “been with Jesus?” The key is having been with this man, Jesus. Let’s devote our lives to one thing as David did when he said in Psalm 27:4:

The one thing I ask of the Lord—the thing I seek most—is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in his Temple.