‘The Things Which We Have Seen And Heard’

‘The Things Which We Have Seen And Heard’

‘For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.’

Acts 4:20

Personal experiences are exciting to hear and to tell. The religious leaders were putting pressure on the disciples. In fact, verse 18 tells us, ‘So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.’ Our text for today is part of Peter and John’s response to them. Our text is the final word against which there could be no successful argument. The disciples had ‘seen and heard’ the words and works of Jesus for three years. They had been there to see His arrest, His trials, His sufferings, His death throes, and His resurrection. They had seen Him as He ‘presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many infallible proofs.’ They had seen Him ascend back to heaven, and heard His promise of ‘I will come again.’ These were life-transforming experiences for the disciples. These were the most exciting personal experiences of their entire lives. So it is for us. When God prepares us for our role in the Body of Christ, and in the world at large, He provides for us the spiritually exciting personal experiences about which we can speak with authority for the rest of our life. We have seen Christ in the Scriptures. The Holy Spirit has taken the things of Christ and shown them unto us. He has fired our souls with the glory of Christ. He has dealt with us in intimate personal ways. We have much that ‘we have seen and heard.’ Therefore, we have much to say of Christ.’

Our most Glorious God,
we rejoice in all the things which You reveal.
We praise You that we see Christ clearly through the Scriptures;
We hear His Words and therefore speak of Him.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning