Acts 4:18-20 (NIV):  Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.  But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God.  For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

The leaders of the Jewish people ran into a big problem when they tried to shut up Peter and John.  They figured that threats would do it, but they underestimated the power of a personal experience!

Peter and John had, like the other disciples, lived with Jesus for three years, spending vast amounts of time with Him, listening to His every word, watching how He lived, and seeing Him perform stunning miracles.  They knew who He was.  They knew that the stories about His miracles were all true.

After Jesus died, all of the disciples went underground.  But three days later, when Jesus appeared in their midst alive again, it changed their entire worldview.  Then, forty days later, when they watched Jesus physically ascend into heaven, it put the cherry on the top of their whole experience with Him.

The disciples were commanded by Jesus to NOT start sharing the gospel for a few more days, until they were filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit.  Ten days later, that empowerment filled them to overflowing, and they were finally freed up to tell everyone what they had experienced.  When the authorities tried to shut them down, they could honestly say, “We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard!”

Paul was exactly the same way after his encounter with the risen Lord.  Nobody, no threats, no beatings, not even stoning, could shut him up.  He had had a life changing encounter with the risen Lord, and he couldn’t help telling everyone about it.

It seems amazing to me, and I am sure that it is amazing to God, too, how many people today claim to have had their lives changed by a personal encounter with the risen Lord, but instead of telling it to everyone, they choose to keep it to themselves.  For some reason, unlike those in the early Church, these 21^st century believers CAN help speaking about what they have seen and heard!

Father, I am ashamed to admit that this is true – that the vast majority of those who profess to have experienced the risen Lord for themselves seem to have no passion to share it with others.  I am afraid that a lot of people’s “experience” is only acceptance of a doctrine, or conformity to a truth, but not an actual encounter with Jesus Himself.  O, Lord, please impact all of Your people with a genuine life changing encounter that will change all of our lives, and will compel us to passionately share with everyone what it means to really experience Jesus for ourselves.  Amen.