"When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that they had been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13).
"They," were the Sanhedrin. The Supreme council of the Jewish people. They had questioned Peter and John as to what power they healed the a man. They told them it was by the power of Jesus, "who "they" crucified." They said that Jesus was the stone they rejected that became the capstone (the head).
Peter and John did not back down from the intimidating Sanhedrin. They stood up and defended themselves. They went against the tradition of their day. A tradition they understood because they had grown up in the same tradition. Whenever an existing church tries to make the transition into a missional church, the leaders should expect opposition. It is going to happen and the way you react to opposition will determine whether the church can make the turn to become missional.
Peter and John show great boldness by standing up to the Sanhedrin, telling them they would not stop teaching in the name of Jesus. The boldness came from the confidence they had in Jesus. It came from the confidence they had in what he taught them. It came from the confidence they had from the fulfillment of prophecy. Most of all it came from the confidence they had in the leadership of the Holy Spirit.
Many church leaders ignore the Spirit's leading because of the reaction of religious people. Courage is when we stand up for the truth even in the face of opposition. The missional church stands up for truth. It is a church that is not lead by the people, it is lead by the Spirit.
Do you have the confidence and boldness that comes from the Spirit of God? Read through the book of Acts and see how many times early leaders of the church stood up for truth even if it meant they would be stoned, kicked out of a city or would cause a riot. The first missional church was made up of bold leaders. Leaders who were motivated by pleasing God not Man.
The result of this kind of leadership led to people taking note that they had been with Jesus. Missional leaders who have been with Jesus stay focused on the mission, even if it leads to persecution.
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