“Now, when the men of the Sanhedrin (Jewish High Court) saw the confidence and boldness of Peter and John, and grasped the fact that they were uneducated and untrained (ordinary) men, they were astounded, and began to recognize that they had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13-14 AMP).

Spending time with Jesus is literally life changing.  Take Peter for example.  Just prior to Jesus being arrested Peter told Jesus he was ready to die with him if necessary.  “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” (Matt. 26:35 AMP).  But then what happened when Jesus was arrested?  All the disciples scattered, Peter followed along at a distance but when questioned if he had been with Jesus, he denied it.  Three times to be exact.  Now Peter is out preaching to crowds and healing people.  And when he was arrested and questioned this time, he didn’t deny Jesus but spoke boldly to them, “let it be known and clearly understood by all of you, and by all the people of Israel, that in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you (demanded be) crucified (by the Romans and), whom God raised from the dead – in this name (that is, by the authority and power of Jesus) this man stands here before you in good health. (Acts 4:10 AMP).  So, what changed Peter?

The Passion Translation of Acts 4:14 says “They began to understand the effect Jesus had on them simply by spending time with him.”  Now Peter and John were not educated men, they were fishermen.  Yet they were preaching with such boldness and there was authority in their words.  They were not preaching the scriptures of old that the Sanhedrin knew, they were preaching the gospel of Jesus.  The gospel had been foretold by the prophets but even then, no one really knew how it all would unfold.  So how could someone preach something that no one had any understanding of?  It was because they knew Jesus, they had spent time with him; they believed He was the Son of God, the Messiah, the Christ.  And because they had been with him it transformed all that they knew so that when it was time for them to speak out, they knew they were speaking on his behalf.  When they were baptized by the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost they were empowered with boldness and courage which they did not have before.  And whenever they were persecuted or threatened for preaching about Jesus they just prayed for more boldness!  They knew truth because they had been walking with truth for three years and now it was time to share the truth regardless of the opposition!

Saul of Tarsus (later known as the Apostle Paul), prior to his encounter with Jesus, was highly educated and trained as a Pharisee and religious scholar.  When he encountered Jesus, he was so transformed that he was given a new name.  He threw out everything he knew regarding it as garbage, and he started walking with Jesus.  This was how he came upon all of the revelation he shares with us throughout all of his letters that make up most of the New Testament.  He writes in his letter to the Corinthians that this was God’s design, “But God has selected (for His purpose) the foolish things of the world to shame the wise (revealing their ignorance), and the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong (revealing their frailty). (1 Cor. 1:27 AMP).  Paul realized that the mysteries of God were being revealed to us through His Holy Spirit.  That doesn’t mean that the Old Testament scriptures are meaningless, but man’s own understanding of them is what produced religion.  And until Jesus came (the fulfillment of all those scriptures), man could not perceive the hidden mysteries of it all.  Jesus himself says in Matthew, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. (Matt. 11:25 NKJV). 

And now we have Holy Spirit who is our guide into all truth.  And He breathes on the Word as we read and study it.  He enlightens the eyes of our understanding to the mysteries of God.  But we only get these revelations by spending time with Jesus, meditating on the Word and allowing Holy Spirit to open it up to us and bring us deeper into it.  It is in this process that we are transformed, our minds are renewed, and our spirits are ignited.  When we have been with Jesus, people will recognize it because we will display all of Him that is in us, flowing to us, and then through us.    

In John 17 just prior to Jesus being arrested he prays for his disciples,  and he prays for us; those who will believe through their message. “You are my righteous Father, but the unbelieving world has never known you in the perfect way that I know you!  And all those who believe in me also know that you have sent me!  I have revealed to them who you are and I will continue to make you even more real to them, so that they may experience the same endless love that you have for me, for your love will now live in them, even as I live in them.” (John 17:25-26 TPT).  There is always more to know about the mysteries of God.  No one knows Him in the perfect way that Jesus does.  As we spend time with Jesus, Holy Spirit brings us into new revelations that deepen our understanding, our relationship, and our bond with the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.  We are filled with knowledge, but also boldness and courage to share it.  We are filled with love, but also compassion and wisdom to minister God’s love to others.  We are filled to overflowing with power and virtue; with Jesus and all that He is because He lives in us.  But it is only as we spend time with Jesus that this can happen.  God designed it that way because it is in our unity with Jesus that we can truly know the Father and be made complete. 

“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.  And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one; I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.” (John 17:20-23 NKJV).