Who are these guys? And what have you done with Peter, John, and the other disciples?

Have you ever had someone you know make such a radical change that you wanted to say to them, “Who are you?! And what have you done to … (Sally, or Fred, or whoever)?”

It wasn’t that the change was bad, in fact it was very good for them. It was just radical. Radically good!

That kind of radical change is what we see in the apostles and some of the other disciples of Jesus.

Immediately following the crucifixion (and resurrection) of Jesus, we see them afraid and hiding behind locked doors: “That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! ‘Peace be with you,’ he said,” John 20:19.

Even when the disciples were with the resurrected Jesus, who was about to speak to them the “Great Commission,” some still doubted: “Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him —but some of them doubted!” Matthew 28:16-17.

And even after Jesus had been resurrected, had spent some time with the apostles on a few occasions, and now was about to ascend to heaven, the apostles still didn’t rightly comprehend the kingdom of God: “So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, ‘Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?'” Acts 1:6.

But all of that would soon change.

Radically.

The fear would be be replaced with boldness, and lack of comprehension would be replaced with discernment and understanding of the scriptures they had and what Jesus had taught them.

The difference?

The gift of the Holy Spirit.

After receiving the Holy Spirit, the apostles step out in front of the people — likely many of whom were the same people crying out for the one they followed, Jesus, to be crucified — and boldly preached the Good News of Jesus (Acts 2:14-41).

And instead of cowering from the religious leaders who had manipulated Pilate and the crowd to crucify Jesus, Peter and John not only preach to them, but are defiant in the face of their threats (Acts 4:1-22).

After being threatened to no longer teach and preach in the name of Jesus, Peter and John return to the other apostles and they pray together.

Did they make central in their prayer a request for God to protect them from the same men who had arranged for the crucifixion of Jesus and were now threatening them?

No.

They prayed that God would “pour it on” all the more!

“And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus,” Acts 4:29-30.

What a difference the Holy Spirit makes in the life of a person!

Just in these examples mentioned above we see the Holy Spirit rids the apostles of fear of man, enables them to understand the truth Jesus taught them and truth in scripture, enables them to finally grasp an understanding of — and then prioritize — the kingdom of God, and find their security in whatever God’s will was for their lives.

Receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit when you become a follower of Jesus can, and should, change your life! That’s because of what comes with receiving the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul wrote, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline,” 2 Timothy 1:7.

Imagine how that could change your life!

The presence of the Holy Spirit bears fruit in our lives: “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” Galatians 5:22-23.

The longer you walk the Way of Jesus, the longer the Holy Spirit works at transforming you into the likeness of Jesus, it should be more common for someone to at least think, if not actually ask you, “Who are you? And what have you done with [your name]?”

Scotty