They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: “By what power or what name did you do this?” Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people.” (NIV)

My older kids learned some new variations of poker this summer while backpacking with friends. Last night we were playing, and my youngest was betting big on a round called “King low, sweet chariot,” where kings and your lowest card(s) are wild cards. Turns out, when all his cards were down, he had 5 Aces!! He was skeptical that he had actually won until his siblings explained that he had an unbeatable hand, the highest he could get with the way we were playing.  

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It hit me later that night as I was thinking about this passage from Acts that, as believers who are filled with the Holy Spirit, we have an unbeatable hand. Not that we will always “win” at life; we are promised that we will face trials as suffer as Christ suffered. But we have access to the ultimate authority and power of the universe, God himself as we are indwelt by the Spirit. The Spirit can give us words to say, ideas of what to do, the patience to wait, and the bravery to move. Acts tells us that Peter and John were brave and bold as they shared the gospel and preformed miracles. They were going up against impossible odds at the time, but they too had an unbeatable hand, so to speak.

After Jesus was crucified and raised to life, he promised that One would come after him to help the disciples fulfill their mission on Earth (John 16:7). The Holy Spirit came to the believers at Pentecost, and then they were able to cast out demons and heal people. In Chapter 3 of Acts, Peter and John had healed a crippled man in the name of Jesus. The people watching were so amazed, but Peter was quick to set the record straight on what enabled them to heal someone, in verse 12, “Why do you stare at us as if by our own power and godliness we made this man walk?” He explained it was by faith in Christ alone that they had performed such a miracle. “It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can see” (v. 16).  

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Because of Peter and John’s bold sharing of the truth about God and Jesus, 5,000 believed the gospel message! Consequently, these disciples of Jesus were put in jail for the work they were doing to spread the good news. The “they” in today’s Scripture passage is the rulers, elders and teachers of the law. These men with great authority had Peter and John brought before them for questioning.  

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I don’t know that as a modern audience we appreciate the fact that Peter was speaking to some of the men with the highest authority for a Jewish man living in his day. I wonder if it would feel similar to coming before the highest judge in your state or the most famous pastor in your area. The high priests of that time were supposed to be the authorities on God and the Holy Scriptures. Who was Peter to question them?  

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Peter was challenging the status quo and, not only doing things that seemed impossible, like healing a crippled man, but saying things that seemed impossible, like Jesus had raised from the dead. But our Scripture today tells us he was filled with the Holy Spirit. He was not just an ordinary man but a vessel for God to use to do his work. As Peter yielded to the Spirit, it enabled him to boldly proclaim the truth.

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The filling of the Holy Spirit helps us to do the impossible too. God empowers us as believers to do his good work in his name, to glorify him. We may doubt what we can do on our own, and we should, but we have the unbeatable hand when we allow the Spirit to work in us. Where in your life do you need to access the Spirit’s power to speak the truth? To heal a broken relationship? To love the way Jesus loved and served others?  

Holy Spirit, give us an awareness today of your presence with and within us. You are our Counselor and Comforter, the One who intercedes when we have no words to pray. Forgive us for thinking and acting in our own weakness rather than in your strength. Help us to walk in authority today as believers as we yield to what you have for us to do. We praise you and thank you for your mighty power in us. Amen.