Let’s pretend that tomorrow a moving van pulls up to the house next to yours. You go over and introduce yourself to your new neighbor, and he is carrying a copy of the Koran. “Hello, My name is David; I live next door; if I can help you, please let me know. Oh, I see that you are a Muslim; I am a Christian. I’d be happy to talk to you about my Lord, Jesus Christ, some time.” Probably both of you will incorrectly lump each other into one of the big religious groups. He may be a Muslim. But which variety: Druse, Ismaili, Shiite, Sunni, Sufi, Hashshashin? Which? At the same time, he’s lumping you together with Catholics, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons and Methodists. But you say, “That is not fair, that’s not where I belong, I’m different from those others.” Oh? Really? When was last time someone said of you, “You know, that person is different from the rest of us”? The High Priest of Israel looked at Peter and said, “That person is not like everyone else.”
By the way, I mentioned the name of a group within Islam – the “Hashshasins.” During the days of the Crusades, these Muslims would get high on a form of marijuana before they attacked the Christian fortresses. That drug made them fearless and reckless. If they were successful in taking that city or castle, they would often slaughter everyone they found. I am told that their name “Hashshasin” comes from the word “hashish.” And if you listen carefully, you just might realize that it is related to the English word “assassin.” It may be slightly unfair, but there are just two baby-steps between marijuana users and assassins. I know that it’s an over-simplification, but the State of Washington, by their current marijuana laws, may be raising future generations of monsters.
But getting back to our theme: Is there anything which sets you apart from world of unregenerate people? Is there anything which sets you apart from the rest of mediocre Christendom?
There once were two Galilean fishermen. They were raised on shores Genessaret, growing up among the nets, boats and the fish of that sea. They were true sons of Abraham, attending the synagogue and visiting Jerusalem from time to time. They knew many of the stories of their history and some of their scriptures. But they there unlearned in regards to the intricacies of rabbinical wisdom and law. They were unlettered in theology; definitely not Pharisees, rabbis or synagogue rulers. But they loved Jehovah and were not afraid to stand beside John the Baptist or with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Then John and Jesus were taken from them and these two humble Christians stood alone before the powerful Sanhedrin of Israel – the governing body of the land. Annas, Caiaphas and the others were awe-inspiring and formidable. These people were the most powerful Jews in the land. Their clothing proved their position, and so did their demeanor and their speech, and their pride. And then there were Peter and John – still in the speech and clothing of Galilean fishermen. But they stood before that august body without embarrassment – completely at ease. In fact, they were more at peace than the judges who sat on the thrones before them. They were different from most other Galileans, cowering and kowtowing with each glance of their rulers. Why were these two different?
The simple answer is that these disciples had been with Jesus, and that makes a very great difference.
We see that these two servants of God possessed a special kind OF POWER.
It wasn’t the power of the Romans, nor the power of the Sanhedrin. It wasn’t political or even religious. Their’s was a spiritual power, a power of the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Those national leaders were ignorant of a lot of things, but they knew Peter and John had been with Jesus. They had a boldness to do the work of Lord: A boldness to stand, to endure and even to rebuke their elders. Paul told Timothy, “Be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God.” That is precisely what we see in this scripture. And in Ephesians 3:7-12 Paul explained why and how this was to be done. “I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.” Paul asked the Ephesians to pray that his parallel to Peter and John would continue – 6:18-20: “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”
Boldness is one kind of spiritual power. So why is it that 98% of those who claim to be children of God lack that boldness? It is because simple earthly companionship with Christ is not enough to produce it. Look at John and Peter for the first three years of their relationship with Lord Jesus. Like all the rest of the disciples, they quarreled, questioned, quivered and quibbled about little things. And when push came to shove and Jesus was arrested, the disciples were no where to be seen. There are disciples and there are DISCIPLES, there are saints and SAINTS, there are professing Christians and there are Holy Spirit filled Christians. It takes something extra to make “that Christian different.”
The answer is not found in John, or Luke, or Matthew or Mark; or in the books that bear their names. The answer is found in the Book of Acts. Look at verse 8 for example: Peter was filled with the Holy Ghost and thus enabled to speak boldly to the Jewish apostates. Here lies the difference between warming before the fire and getting spiritually fired up. When a child of Satan is born-again and fully adopted into the family of God, he or she is nothing but a spiritual infant. There is a sense in which every new convert is exactly like every other new convert to Christ. It is whether or not we submit to the Spirit of Christ which will determine if we are like Peter was that day. As long as we cherish our own lives over the life that it could be for Christ….. As long as we harbor and protect our pet sins……… As long as prayer occupies a only a corner of our lives……. As long as we can either take the Bible or leave it.….. As long as the house of God is an option……. We’re going to be an ordinary Christian, indistinguishable from any other. In fact we may be indistinguishable from the moral, but unsaved, worldling as well.
Think about some of the closing words of Paul in I Thessalonians – “Pray without ceasing; In everything give thanks for this is the will of God. Quench not the spirit. Despise not prophesing, Prove all things, hold fast that which is good, Abstain from all appearance of evil.” If we put into practice nothing more than these 6 pithy pointers, we’d stick out in a crowd like John and Peter. Not only in the midst of the ungodly judges, but in the midst of our own church.
Those pseudo-priests were right, John and Peter had been with Jesus. They had lived their last three years in constant conversation with the Lord. Saints of uniqueness are saints of prayer. And there can be no long period of fellowship without agreement between the parties. In this case it wasn’t Jesus’ agreeing with the fishermen. John and Peter had learned the art of sharing with the Saviour; sharing everything.
Yes they had been with Jesus, but it was more than just a casual three-year walk. They were as much with Jesus at that moment after His resurrection, as they had been before His crucifixion. We don’t have to walk where Jesus walked to be with Jesus at this moment.
This walk DID something – it PRODUCED things in their lives.
Its first product was CHRISTLIKENESS. My mother used to be a firm believer in moth-balls. Whenever she was going to store clothes for a few months, they would go into a box or a drawer, and there would be a couple of moth-balls in there as well. And when those clothes came out hiding they all bore the smell that insect repellant. Did those clothes TRY to smell like the moth-balls? No, it was simply a natural product of being in the same drawer together for a long period of time.
How does a person become more like the Master? Does it take place when he takes two chapters of the Bible each morning, along with his Vitamins? Is Christlikeness the result of determination, a set-mind or a set jaw? No sir, if you set out to become a silhouette of Christ, you’ll just look funny. It won’t be a failure or a waste, but you won’t be truly successful either. The question is not “What would Jesus do?” but rather, what does the Holy Spirit want me to do? The way to become more like the Saviour, is found in constant fellowship with Him. Study Christ; read about Him, absolutely. But more importantly walk with Him throughout the day, and that includes Tuesday as well as Sunday. Seek His will and live in communion with the Lord. Recognize His presence with you. Pray without ceasing.
A second result of Peter and John’s contact with Christ was their BOLDNESS. And in this case, what was that boldness? It was unembarrassed speech before powerful unbelievers. If there is anything needed today, this is it. And the closer we get to the Lord the more easy that boldness becomes. People will get mad at you, but remember that it was that kind of people who crucified the Saviour. The closer to the river you dig the well, the more water you’ll have in it. The fuller the heart is with Christ the more boldness it demands.
And another result this kind of fellowship KNOWLEDGE of Christ. Peter and John knew what to tell those hypocrites and unbelievers. Remember – in the sight of the Pharisees and Sadducees, these preachers were nincompoops. But John and Peter knew what they knew. Out of the four gospels, John arguably wrote the best loved gospel. He wrote the Book of Revelation and three wonderful letters. And the theme of his first epistle is – “There are things that you can and must know.”
John, and his epistles, were also well-known for LOVE. “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” John was an unmistakable disciple of Christ.
What is the point of this?
It was not so much what Peter said that riled the Sanhedrin. Go back to the Muslim neighbour. He says, “Until you show me you got something that I want, keep mouth shut about being a Christian.”
It wasn’t so much what Peter said, but WITH WHAT he said it that riled up the priesthood. And how was that? It was with several unnatural characteristics which came fresh from fellowship with the Lord.