Telltale Signs

We can often tell where people have been just by looking at them. For instance, if someone walked by wearing a wet swimming suit and sand-encrusted sandals, we would conclude that person had just come from the beach. We could see the telltale signs.

The Bible tells us there was something about Peter and John, something about the way they lived and the things they said, that were telltale signs to unbelievers that they had been with Jesus. One day on their way to pray in the temple, they met a crippled man. He asked them for money, but Peter told him, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk” (Acts 3:6). It was a dramatic, radical miracle.

The religious leaders didn’t like this. They thought they had already dealt with this problem when they eliminated that man from Nazareth known as Jesus. But now His followers were popping up everywhere. So they called Peter and John to appear before them. Acts 4:13 tells us, “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.”

If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? You may put Christian stickers on your car. Perhaps you have three or four Bibles in your home. Your wardrobe might include several T-shirts with Christian slogans on them. But what about your behavior? Would there be enough evidence to prove that you have been with Jesus?