Have you ever been in conversation with someone and they were always quick to let you know who they know, like celebrities or popular people? I know I’ve been guilty of being someone who namedrops.
In chapter 4 of the book of Acts, Peter and John were boldly sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and causing quite a stir, which led to their arrests. They stood unafraid before the Jewish leadership, not backing down from their message and proclaiming the truth of the Gospel.
In verses 13-14 we read, “When they observed the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed and recognized that they had been with Jesus. And since they saw the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in opposition.” And then further in verse 18, “So they called for them and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.”
One could argue that Peter and John were namedropping, but namedropping is typically a selfish action to gain status because of who a person knows. The difference here is that Peter and John were not selfish, and were in fact putting themselves in danger by sharing Jesus. But they never backed down and were bold in their message.
And the Jewish leaders recognized that they had been with Jesus. What a powerful statement.
Now I have to ask myself, do people recognize I’ve been with Jesus when they have a conversation with me? Does my family recognize I’ve been with Jesus because of my words and actions? The other question that comes out of this is have I actually been with Jesus? Have I been intentional about sitting with Him, reading His word and conversing with Him? Have I allowed Him access to my life and every part of me?
And for us as a church, does the world recognize that we’ve been with Jesus?