They had been with Jesus

'They had been with Jesus'

— Acts 4:13

When Peter and John appeared before the Sanhedrin, the Scripture tells us ‘They took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.’ Those men, who had no reverence for God, no regard for Christ and no interest in the gospel, took notice of Peter and John as being men whose lives were evidently under the influence and control of Christ. Their communion and conversation with Christ so influenced their speech and conduct that even their enemies acknowledged them to be followers of Christ.

That fact is of great interest to me. It causes this question to pierce my heart: ‘What does my life say about the Christ whom I profess to trust, love and serve?’ Of this much I am sure if I truly know Christ, if I live in communion with Christ by faith, Christ will be, to some degree, manifest in my life. My attitude, my speech and my conduct will, in some measure, reflect him.

The true believer is a person in whom Christ dwells. The new birth is nothing less than Christ coming into a man’s heart, taking possession, ruling and causing that man to become a follower of him. Anything less than this is not Christianity. The new birth creates a desire in the heart to be like Christ, causing the person who is born again to seek and strive after the perfection of Christ’s character in himself. We know that this perfect conformity to Christ cannot be attained in this life. But that fact in no way hinders us from seeking it. The highest aspiration of the believing heart is to be like Christ. His submission and dedication to the will of God and the glory of God, his patience, love, kindness, tenderness and forgiveness, his self-denial, self-sacrifice, humility and unflinching boldness in the cause of God are things all of God’s people seek. Let us ever seek these things ardently. When we close our eyes in death, we shall have this blessed conformity to Christ!