His Presence in Us

Acts 4:13 (RSV) 13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they wondered; and they recognized that they had been with Jesus.

“...and they recognized that they had been with Jesus.” How did they know that they had been with Jesus? Was it because someone told them? Was it because of the words they had spoken without hesitation? Was it because of their spirit? Was it because of their actions? How did they know?

There should be a difference in spirit, word, and conduct when Christ is with you. I recall an incident some 47 years ago when I was in medical residency. I was doing my emergency room shifts and had just completed consults with a few patients so the charts were stacked up waiting for my completion. I took them into the staff room, found a corner to sit in, and started doing my records. A woman whom I had never seen before, came in, and said,”Hi”. Sitting down, she introduced herself stating she was the social worker. She asked who I was, how long I had been in emergency, and then stated,

“You’re a Christian aren’t you.”

To which I responded,”Yes.” And then asked her,”How did you know?”

“Oh, you can tell whenever you get close to a Christian.”

This interaction reminded me of CSLewis’ or Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s statement saying that the essence of Jesus should be felt by anyone coming within a 3 foot radius of a follower of Christ. They are not conscious of it but it is there. In fact, if you are consciously trying to portray that spirit, it is gone because it is your spirit, not Christ’s, that prevails.

There should be a spirit about you which lets people know you follow Jesus, just like the Jewish leaders recognized they had been with Jesus. This leaves me with the question, “Was it because there was evidence the disciples had been physically with Jesus weeks before or was it because they had been with Jesus in prayer and fellowship one day or one hour ago?” If the answer is “because they had been with Jesus physically..”, then God’s Spirit being revealed through us today is not possible. But the experiences of Christians over the centuries show that God’s Spirit is being revealed through us if we encounter Him regularly with fellowship and communion through prayer and meditation. I know I had not been having regular daily devotions during my medical residency, but I do know I consciously prayed that God would go with me as I walked down the tunnel from our apartment to the hospital.

I propose to you that it was because of the disciples’ prayers and constant communion with Christ that the Jewish leaders recognized the Spirit of God in them. Make it be so in me, Lord. May it be so.