STANDING TOGETHER

Verse 20 continues Peter and John's response to the Sanhedrin's command for them to be silent about Jesus, "we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard." There are three key points in this statement: the first is the effectiveness of your own personal witness (what you have seen and heard), in other words the work God has done in your own life and those close to you; the second, they were so directed by God and filled with the Spirit, they couldn't "help" themselves from speaking about it; the third is in the word "we" -- witnessing is so much easier when we do it with other people.

A solitary witness to an event is not as impacting as multiple witnesses. A single witness' testimony can be disputed (perception, dependability, accuracy, motivation, etc.), but here standing before the Sanhedrin was not only the evidence of the miracle (the cripple healed), but all three (Peter, John, and the cripple) giving credit to Jesus and using the opportunity to preach the gospel. It was very persuasive, especially because "all the people were praising God for what had happened" as well.

So often we can feel alone, isolated, and attacked. But our witness can be so much more effective when we team up and draw strength from one another as our testimony is supported.

pocketpower.org