Acts 4:8-13 “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole; Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.”

Peter and John “marveled” their religious accusers when they recognized that Peter and John “had been with Jesus.” What they saw in the disciples far exceeded what they heard from the disciples. The text implies that these religious zealots saw at least three things. They saw a relationship with Christ. It was evident that the disciples not only knew about Jesus, but that they had a personal relationship with the Lord. You can know all the facts, but you can‘t fake the relationship. People know who you’ve been hanging out with. They saw a resemblance to Christ. They saw similarities in the way Jesus conducted Himself and the way the disciple conducted themselves. One example of this truth is the love we project, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:35). Do the spectators see sacrificial love or sinful lust projected from your life? They saw a reliance on Christ. The boldness of Peter and John hadn’t come from some inner strength, but the supernatural power of a supernatural person that now lived within them. Verse 8 says that Peter was filled with the Holy Ghost and it was from this filling that the boldness came! When the accusers looked upon Peter and John they saw a person and His name was Jesus. And when they saw Jesus, they saw some beliefs worth believing!