The rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. When they had made the prisoners stand in their midst, they inquired, "By what power or by what name did you do this?" Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers of the people and elders, if we are questioned today because of a good deed done to someone who was sick and are asked how this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. This Jesus is `the stone that was rejected by you, the builders; it has become the cornerstone.' There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved." Acts 4:5-12
Luke's account of the early Church points up some important characteristics central to living the Christian faith, which are worthy of our attention. First, the disciples, who are simple folks, act in new and powerful ways because of their relationship with Jesus. Jesus is not purely an example for them to be imitated. They are not just following some great teaching of Jesus. The disciples are living with new boldness and power, which transforms not just their lives but all who meet them, because God has raised Jesus from the dead, and the risen Lord is a presence empowering their living and actions!
The disciples have also discovered that their new living is not something they are producing themselves, but the risen Lord acting in them and through them. Before Jesus entered their lives through the Holy Spirit, the disciples hid behind closed doors in fear. When the disciples had received the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, they were completely transformed with power from above. Luke tells us that they met regularly together with their lives focused on Jesus. They had discovered that Jesus truly is the source of God's life in us! The power to live life fully and truly with God is found only through this new doorway.
For us today, who have heard the call of Jesus, let us ask for God's help to make him the focus of our lives. Learning from the early Church community, let us seek to follow our Lord in the community of our local Church. Let us be regular in the celebration of the sacraments and the proclaiming of Scripture to meet the risen Jesus. And finally, let us ask the Lord to use us as bearers of the good news of Jesus to all whom we meet, that they also might discover the wonder and power for living in relationship with our Lord Jesus!
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