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The D-Day invasion seventy years ago — the greatest invasion the world had ever seen — wouldn’t have happened if those involved had not been convinced that their actions were needed for setting free a nation gripped by darkness and evil.

It was a history-defining moment involving a horrible battle within which thousands of “good guys” died.

But the victory then led to victory that still reigns today.

Thank you, men, for the conviction of doing the right thing, despite the threats.

I was reminded of the above while reading this morning from Acts 4.
Another brave stand was taken then, although with significantly different details.

Yet it, too, was a history-defining moment.

Christianity had just launched as a post-ascension movement and the enemies of the Gospel wanted to squash it before it secured a permanent beachhead in the spiritual mindset of the Jewish community.

Peter and John were told by religious rulers to stop talking about Christ and His power, but Peter said Christians had to choose between obeying God or obeying the Jewish bigshots.

You know which choice Peter and John chose. Why did Peter have such conviction?

Because of undeniable experience and proof that God was real, that His power was real and that inner peace available to believers was real.

Let these words move you as they moved me this morning:

“Let me (Peter) clearly state to all of you and to all the people of Israel that he (a man lame for 40 years) was healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead. For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, ‘The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’

“There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”

“The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus. But since they could see the man who had been healed standing right there among them, there was nothing the council could say.”

Let’s pray for wisdom and boldness so that we’ll more clearly display both to others that we’ve been with Jesus.

Let’s pray that an undeniable transformation in our lives is evident to those who disregard or even dispute the Gospel.

When people hear that we’ve stopped cussing or that we’ve stopped gossiping or that we’ve stopped backstabbing or that we’ve started forgiving or that we’ve started volunteering to help the needy or that we’ve started working harder to please our employer despite no pay raise, it will get their attention.

That’s when we can testify that we’re different because we’ve “been with Jesus.”

As always, I love you
Martin

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