Unlearned and Ignorant… Yet They Had Been with Jesus

Unlearned and Ignorant… Yet They Had Been with Jesus

When the Spirit Turns Ordinary Men into Extraordinary Witnesses

Whether you are unknown or well-known, this article is written for you. It is for the ordinary person who sometimes feels overlooked—the one with limited education, no special training, no impressive platform, and no credentials the world admires. It is also for the person who may be better known, yet has learned (or is learning) to depend fully upon God rather than upon his own strength, planning, or programs. In both cases the truth is the same: God delights in choosing those who stay close to Him. When ordinary people—and even better-known people who refuse to trust in themselves—are filled with His Spirit, something remarkable happens. They begin to turn the world upside down. That is the hope and the purpose of these pages—to show you that dependence on Jesus, not impressive credentials, is what matters most.

Unlearned.
The Greek word is agrammatos. It means unlettered—literally “without letters.” These men had never been formally educated in the rabbinic schools. They had not sat for years at the feet of the great teachers of the Law. In the eyes of the religious elite, they were uneducated.

Ignorant.
The Greek word is idiōtēs. It does not mean stupid. It means a private person—a layman, an ordinary man without special training or public office. To the high priest and the Sanhedrin, Peter and John were simply common people, men of no standing and no pedigree.Untrained.

Ordinary. Unqualified.And yet these two men left the most powerful religious leaders in Jerusalem completely astonished.

They marvelled —they were filled with wonder.
They took knowledge of them —they fully recognized one undeniable truth:

These unlearned and ignorant men had been with Jesus.

“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.”
— Acts 4:13

A Mentality on Fire

What the leaders saw was not natural talent or formal training. They saw something far greater—a mentality on fire. This is not a phrase found in Scripture, but it describes the unmistakable reality of what happened to the apostles. Their minds and spirits had been set ablaze with divine purpose by the Holy Spirit. They were completely unshackled by their lack of education or social status.

This was the direct fulfillment of Jesus’ promise in Acts 1:8: “Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me.” The Greek word for power is dunamis—divine enablement, strength, and boldness. The Holy Spirit had come upon ordinary men and transformed them from the inside out. Their thinking, their courage, their clarity, and their passion were no longer limited by what they had never been taught. A holy fire had been kindled within them.

That is what the religious leaders encountered: not polished speakers or trained theologians, but men whose entire mentality had been set on fire by the Spirit of God. Their boldness, clarity, and authority came from one place only—they had been with Jesus and were filled with His Spirit.

God Chooses the Ordinary, the Lowly, and the Prayerful

This is still the way of God. He has never been impressed by human credentials. He chooses the foolish things to confound the wise and the weak things to confound the mighty (1 Corinthians 1:26-27).

He chooses the poor and lowly—those humbled by life’s trials—whose affliction becomes a pathway to deeper intimacy with Him.

He chose Gideon and said, “Go in this thy might… have not I sent thee?” (Judges 6:14).

He chose David, whose humble, devoted, and prayerful heart set him apart far more than any skill. While professional warriors trusted in armor and swords, David trusted in God and stepped forward with only a sling and a stone.

He chose Enoch, who walked closely with God for three hundred years while still living as a family man, bringing up sons and daughters (Genesis 5:22). Walking with God did not remove him from ordinary life—it transformed the ordinary life he was already living.

In our day, God is once again replacing the organized professional minister with the ordinary, childlike man of God—simple, humble, and praying. He is raising up those who have little of the world’s polish but much of His presence—and those who may be known, yet refuse to lean on their own strength or programs.

An Ordinary Man from a Quiet Village

We see the same pattern today. Arshad Nadeem grew up in the small village of Mian Channu in Pakistan. His father was a construction laborer. The family had little. The villagers themselves pooled their money so he could train. Official support was almost nonexistent. He practiced with improvised equipment and once had to appeal for funds just to replace a damaged javelin he had used for ten years.

From that ordinary background, with almost no advantages, he broke the Olympic record and won gold for his nation on August 8, 2024, at the Paris Olympics. An unknown young man from a quiet place was raised up for a great moment.

God still delights in doing this kind of work.

What We Expect in Lancaster County

This is the expectation as the Spirit of God continues to fall more and more upon the Amish in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

People will look at these men and women and wonder: How is this possible? They have limited formal education. Most have never attended Bible colleges. They have no impressive programs or platforms. Yet they are turning the world upside down.

This is not a criticism of education—it is an acknowledgement of what the Spirit of God can do through yielded, ordinary lives.

The only explanation will be the same one given in Acts 4:13—they have been with Jesus, and they have been baptized with the Holy Spirit.

Ordinary people. Simple lives. The poor and lowly. Humble, praying men and women who continue in the normal responsibilities of family and daily life. Yet marked by a mentality on fire.

You Are Not Overlooked

If you feel ordinary…
If you feel unknown…
If you have been humbled by life’s trials…
If you have no special training, no platform, and no impressive background…
Or if you are better known, yet are learning to depend fully on God rather than on your own strength or planning…

You are exactly the kind of person God has always chosen.

The question is not whether the world sees you as great.
The question is whether you have been with Jesus.

Stay near Him.
Speak with Him.
Walk with Him—right in the middle of ordinary life.
Let His Spirit set your mentality on fire.

One day people may look at your life and marvel—not because of your education or status, but because they recognize the unmistakable truth:

You have been with Jesus.

And that is enough.

Quotes:
Whether you are unknown or well-known, God delights in choosing those who stay close to Him. When people refuse to trust in themselves and are filled with His Spirit, they begin to turn the world upside down.

The religious leaders saw unlearned and ignorant men, yet they marvelled. These ordinary fishermen left the council astonished for one reason only: they had been with Jesus and were filled with His Spirit.

What the leaders encountered was a mentality on fire—a mind and spirit set ablaze by the Holy Spirit. Their boldness and clarity came not from education or status, but from having been with Jesus.

In our day, God is once again replacing the organized professional minister with the ordinary, childlike man of God—simple, humble, and praying. He is raising up those who have little of the world’s polish but much of His presence.

The question is not whether the world sees you as great. The question is whether you have been with Jesus. Stay near Him, walk with Him in ordinary life, and let His Spirit set your mentality on fire.