“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realised that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and took note that these men had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:13

The mission of God has always been in the hands of ‘ordinary’ people, rather than in the hands of the professionals.

When Peter and John were brought before the religious rulers, there were several things that were noted about them.

Firstly, they took note of their courage. This is worthy of our extra attention. After all, it was only several weeks since Peter, out of fear, had denied even knowing Jesus (Luke 23:54–60), and since all the disciples hid in the upper room behind locked doors “because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders” (John 20:19).

Secondly, they noted that they were unschooled and ordinary men. These were not professional priests, nor were they formally educated. These men had been fishermen.

Thirdly, they could tell that they had been with Jesus. Their fear and unschooled ordinariness had been transformed by their being with Jesus.

It appears to me that the average Australian Christian has an internal narrative that is defeatist when it comes to being able to help another person put their faith in Jesus. For many, they associate trying to share their faith with failure and even trauma. Hence, they aspire to simply being willing to invite a friend to an environment where someone else can do it.

It was not so with the first disciples. Their courage came from time in Jesus’ presence, which resulted in them “teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead” (Acts 4:2). May it also be so for us today.

The issue is not whether we are trained or somehow ‘special’. The mission of God is in the hands of ordinary people just like us.