Have You Been with Jesus?

And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.

— Acts 4:31

 

Just as with the apostles Peter and John, your relationship with Jesus should be apparent, even to your enemies.

What are the earmarks of a person who has been with Jesus? When you spend time with Jesus, you become more like Him.

A person who has been with Jesus will boldly share his faith:

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. (Acts 4:13)

A person who has been with Jesus will be a person who knows the Scriptures. If you are walking with Jesus, you must spend time in the Word. Jesus said, " 'If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed' " (John 8:31).

The book of Acts shows us that a person who has been with Jesus will also be a person of prayer:

So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord. . . . And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. (Acts 4:24, 31)

If you share your faith, if you know your Bible, if you are a person of prayer, people will know that you have been with Jesus.

They Had Been with Jesus

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.

— Acts 4:13

 

The number of people who claim to be Christians today has never been higher. Yet our moral and spiritual climate has never been lower.

You see, most people don't understand what it really means to be a Christian, to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

The apostles Peter and John were men who were like Jesus. One day, when they went to the temple to pray, they healed a man who had been lame since birth. Then they preached with such boldness that 5,000 people believed that day (see Acts 3–4).

The apostles were arrested and questioned, but those who questioned them—even though they were nonbelievers—could hear the voice of Jesus speaking through Peter and John. They could see Him in their eyes. They could tell that these were followers of Jesus:

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. (Acts 4:13)

It was unmistakable. Even their enemies could see that Jesus Christ had profoundly impacted these men.

Could a statement like that be said of you? Could it be said of you and of me that we have been with Jesus?

No Other Options

From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?" But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

— John 6:66–69

 

"Where else can we go?" Peter says. He had come to realize that no one else could save him from his sin. He understood what Jesus was saying. "We get it, Lord. We know what you are saying. You alone are the Savior. There are no other options."

For many it is repulsive, even offensive, to think they are sinners in need of a Savior. They can live with religion. They can even live with the idea of having Jesus as an example to follow in life.

But He is more than that. He died on the cross because you have sinned and you need to cry out to Him. Some might say, "I don't need to do that." Oh yes, you do.

You don't realize how perilous your situation is. You don't realize how much you need a Savior.

You might think you are a good person. But the fact of the matter is that we have all sinned. We have all fallen short. We do not measure up to God's standard, which is perfection.

You're in need of Jesus Christ. He offers His forgiveness to you. What are you going to do?

Come to Him.

Alpha and Omega

 "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."

— Revelation 1:8

 

There are some who follow Jesus because they want God to conform to their plans instead of them conforming to His.

Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, "This is truly the Prophet who is come into the world." Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to a mountain by Himself alone. (John 6:14–15)

They wanted to take Him by force and make Him the king. They saw the Messiah as a political liberator. They didn't understand that before He will come to reign as Lord of lords and King of kings and establish His kingdom, He would first suffer and die for the sins of humanity.

Sometimes people are that way with God today. They expect the Lord to conform to their conception of Him. They expect God to conform to their plans. They decide, and He is supposed to cooperate.

It doesn't work that way. He doesn't conform to your plans. You conform to His plans.

The only thing that is going to turn us around, conform us, is a change of heart, a spiritual awakening, and that can only happen through prayer and the proclamation of the gospel.

Jesus Christ is not a means to an end. He is the end. He is the all in all. He is the Alpha and the Omega.

More Bread, Please

"Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you."

— John 6:27

 

After Jesus' miracle of feeding the 5,000, He went across the Sea of Galilee. A crowd followed Him to the other side.

And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, "Rabbi, when did You come here?" Jesus answered them and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him." (John 6:25–27)

Jesus could see right through them. These people had no real interest in the supernatural. Nor did they really have a desire even to know Jesus Himself. They just wanted their food. They wanted Christianity without Christ.

People want forgiveness, but they don't want to repent. They want to go to heaven, they want to wear the crown, but they don't want to bear the cross.

But it's a package deal. You don't get to pick and choose the things that you like. You may think, "I want forgiveness. I want to know I'm going to heaven. But I still want to sin." No. It's not going to work.

You have to decide—do you just want bread, or do you want the Bread of Life?

More Bread, Please

"Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you."

— John 6:27

 

After Jesus' miracle of feeding the 5,000, He went across the Sea of Galilee. A crowd followed Him to the other side.

And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, "Rabbi, when did You come here?" Jesus answered them and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him." (John 6:25–27)

Jesus could see right through them. These people had no real interest in the supernatural. Nor did they really have a desire even to know Jesus Himself. They just wanted their food. They wanted Christianity without Christ.

People want forgiveness, but they don't want to repent. They want to go to heaven, they want to wear the crown, but they don't want to bear the cross.

But it's a package deal. You don't get to pick and choose the things that you like. You may think, "I want forgiveness. I want to know I'm going to heaven. But I still want to sin." No. It's not going to work.

You have to decide—do you just want bread, or do you want the Bread of Life?

The Right Reason

Not everyone who says to Me, "Lord, Lord," shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

— Matthew 7:21

 

During His earthly ministry, Jesus faced the problem of people who would follow Him for the wrong reasons. He was constantly challenging them to count the cost and to make sure that their motives were right.

He wants us all to follow Him, but He wants us to do it for the right reasons.

To truly come to know God, I must come on His terms and not my own. I must do it His way and not mine.

It is not for me to pick and choose the commandments in the Bible that personally appeal to me or the attributes that I personally find interesting or appealing. It is for me to live life God's way or not to follow Him at all.

It is clear that there are many today who do not follow Him for the right reasons. Jesus taught that there would be those on judgment day who thought they were believers but really were not.

In Matthew 7:21, Jesus makes this radical statement, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven."

If you are primarily interested in what is cool or what is hip or what is socially acceptable, I need to tell you right now that following Jesus Christ probably won't work into your plans.

But if you are interested in what is right and what is the best way to spend your life, and if you are interested in the hope of heaven and a life with meaning, then there are no other options to choose from.

The Three R's of Revival

"Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works . . ."

— Revelation 2:5

 

Before we can ever talk about revival in the church, every Christian must ask themselves, Am I personally revived? Am I living as a committed, on-fire follower of Jesus Christ?

Ask yourself that question right now. If your answer is that you are not a committed, on-fire follower of Jesus Christ, you exist as part of the problem, not part of the solution.

Listen to what Jesus said to the church of Ephesus in the book of Revelation. He says,

"I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name's sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent." (Revelation 2:2–5)

Jesus gave the church of Ephesus the three R's of revival: remember, repent, and repeat.

"Remember therefore from where you have fallen," and then He says. "Repent." In other words, turn away from your sins. And finally repeat, "Do the first works." Get back and serve God like you once did.

Remember, repent, and repeat. Put the three R's of revival into practice, because we need to be revived before God.

Revival—One Prayer Away

I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit.

— Ephesians 3:16

 

The Holy Spirit typically uses one individual as the catalyst for revival.

The last great American revival was the Layman's Prayer Revival of 1857–1858. It began with a 48-year-old businessman named Jeremiah Lanphier.

He began a noon prayer meeting on Fulton Street in downtown New York. Jeremiah handed out flyers to downtown businessmen, saying, "Come to our prayer meeting when you are having a break for lunch."

Only a handful of people showed up. But Jeremiah persisted; and that handful of people kept meeting for prayer.

Then something dramatic took place. The stock market crashed. Suddenly, the prayer meeting grew. People fell to their knees, and then the prayer meeting exploded. Prayer meetings were popping up quickly throughout New York City.

Within six months, 10,000 people were gathering for prayer in New York City alone. They were renting venues, which Broadway normally used, and packing them out at lunch time with men and women who were calling on the name of the Lord.

Fifty thousand New Yorkers reportedly came to know the Lord from March to May. During that single year, the number of reported conversions throughout the country reached an average of 50,000 a week for about two years. Even a notorious criminal nicknamed "Awful Gardiner" shocked everyone when he came to Christ through the prayer meetings.

When it was all over, one million people had come to faith.

No one orchestrated that revival in New York. It wasn't a campaign planned by people. It was a work of God where He poured out His Spirit.

Jeremiah Lanphier was not a great preacher. He was not a famous person. Jeremiah Lanphier was an ordinary Joe—but he decided to pray.

You can do the same.