It was noted by the Jewish authorities, in Acts 4:13, that “when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they recognized that they had been with Jesus”. The assumption sometimes is made that these men, schooled by Jesus, were exactly what these Jewish authorities stated: “unlearned and ignorant men”. But not so. They may not have been previously schooled in rabbinic teachings but some were businessmen: Peter/Andrew, James/John owned fishing businesses; Matthew worked in finance and so on. They came from different disciplines of life, with varied work experiences and skills. They were successful in their own fields of endeavor and yet, there was a spiritual void, an emptiness within the soul that success/wealth/position could not satisfy because, as Augustine so aptly stated, “our heart is restless until it finds its rest in Him”. Jesus was very strategic about choosing the leaders he was going to invest His time with and train.

Unlike these Jewish authorities, Jesus taught them about Kingdom values; instructed them in the disciplines of fasting and prayer; showed them the place of spiritual authority over demonic forces and sickness. They had almost all that they needed to do the work but there was one thing they still lacked. This one thing could not be taught. It had to be received, imparted by God to them. That’s why Jesus’ instructions to them, just prior to His ascension, were so crucial. “You shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now . . . you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be my witnesses” (Acts 1:5, 8). They waited 10 days for this to happen. There was no shortcut, no microwave effect to this event. They waited; they prayed; they waited; they prayed until they were baptized with the Holy Spirit and we see the effects. These men, from various disciplines of life, spoke the word with boldness and power. The result was that many people gave their lives to the Lord Jesus Christ.

F.B Meyer put it this way. “If Christ waited to be anointed before He went to preach, no young man ought to preach until he, too, has been anointed by the Holy Ghost”. There can be no substitute for this. If we want to see Kingdom impact, it is absolutely imperative that we have Kingdom power and that we walk in Kingdom authority. 

What’s changed from that day to this? Leonard Ravenhill asked the same question. “Do not we rest in our day too much on the arm of flesh? Cannot the same wonders be done now as of old? Do not the eyes of the Lord still run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong on behalf of those who put their trust in Him?” 

Hosea ‘s prescription for the shallowness in his day was this: “Sow for yourselves righteousness. Reap in mercy. Break up your fallow ground. For it is time to seek the Lord, till He comes and rains righteousness on you” (10:12). The same may be said of the shallowness of the church in our day.

Schooled by Jesus; anointed by the Holy Spirit and they turned “the world upside down” (Acts 17:6). May this be said of the church in our day.

Blessings!