When they saw the boldness of Peter and John ? they recognized that they had been with Jesus.
(Acts 4:13 RSV)
How do you recognize a Christian? Can you know a person is a Christian by the way he looks physically? Can you recognize a Christian by the superiority of her mind? Is a person?s outward action a sure indication of inner faith? By what sign can a Christian be recognized?
There is a sense in which a Christian is not recognized as such by others. The strongest Christian influence in our world always has been that of the unrecognized?the saints in hiding. These are people who need no badge. The mark on them is simply the mark of Christ, the reflection of His Spirit, the presence of His grace. They are people who have been "with Jesus."
This is the definition of a saint. The New Testament gives that name to ordinary men and women who, with all of their faults and follies, have been united with Christ in faith and have experienced His power in their own lives. We are all "called to be saints." This is a task that goes on in the silent depths of our own hearts. Peter and John were recognized finally by only one thing. It was not their appearance or their intelligence or their prestige. It was that they had been "with Jesus."
Thank You, Lord, for making us saints of Your kingdom. Amen.
(Acts 4:13 RSV)
How do you recognize a Christian? Can you know a person is a Christian by the way he looks physically? Can you recognize a Christian by the superiority of her mind? Is a person?s outward action a sure indication of inner faith? By what sign can a Christian be recognized?
There is a sense in which a Christian is not recognized as such by others. The strongest Christian influence in our world always has been that of the unrecognized?the saints in hiding. These are people who need no badge. The mark on them is simply the mark of Christ, the reflection of His Spirit, the presence of His grace. They are people who have been "with Jesus."
This is the definition of a saint. The New Testament gives that name to ordinary men and women who, with all of their faults and follies, have been united with Christ in faith and have experienced His power in their own lives. We are all "called to be saints." This is a task that goes on in the silent depths of our own hearts. Peter and John were recognized finally by only one thing. It was not their appearance or their intelligence or their prestige. It was that they had been "with Jesus."
Thank You, Lord, for making us saints of Your kingdom. Amen.
