The Courage Of Discipleship

“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” - Acts 4:13After Pentecost, the apostles’ teaching to the crowds resulted in people coming to faith in Jesus. Then after healing a man and continued preaching and conversions, Peter and John end up spending a night in jail. Now that morning has come, they are brought before the religious rulers and teachers of the law.These religious leaders thought they were done with Jesus when they managed to get him crucified. Now they want to do what they can to silence Peter and John, so they threaten them. But they also know that a great healing has taken place since everyone who goes to the temple knows the man who was lame...And now he’s healed?! How can this be?As they interrogate the disciples, Peter preaches with boldness and courage, and he links it all to Jesus. What shocks the rulers is that they know Peter and John as ordinary, unschooled people. They are fishermen. Yet somehow these two men, who are used to the Sea of Galilee, seem equally at home in the Sanhedrin council of rulers. And what do they note? That Peter and John had “been with Jesus.”As we continue with our sermon series this week on Godly courage, what we will discover is that when we trust in Jesus and are led by his Spirit, God can accomplish great things through us. My prayer is that WEPC will be known as a church that is “with Jesus.” Let’s put that into practice as we gather together in worship this week!Grace & Peace,Pastor Aaron