Acts 3
Acts 3:1-26
1 Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.
2 And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple;
3 who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms.
4 And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, “Look at us.”
5 So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them.
6 Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”
7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.
8 So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God.
9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God.
10 Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
11 Now as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon’s, greatly amazed.
12 So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: “Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?
13 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go.
14 But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you,
15 and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses.
16 And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.
17 “Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers.
18 But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled.
19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,
20 and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before,
21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.
22 For Moses truly said to the fathers, ‘THE LORD YOUR GOD WILL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET LIKE ME FROM YOUR BRETHREN. HIM YOU SHALL HEAR IN ALL THINGS, WHATEVER HE SAYS TO YOU.
23 AND IT SHALL BE THAT EVERY SOUL WHO WILL NOT HEAR THAT PROPHET SHALL BE UTTERLY DESTROYED FROM AMONG THE PEOPLE.’
24 Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days.
25 You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘AND IN YOUR SEED ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH SHALL BE BLESSED.’
26 To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.”
Peter and John were wonderfully blessed by the new life of unity in purpose the Spirit’s filling had brought to the fledgling church. Here again, though, was an example of a reason for their experience that went far beyond their own benefit. The repentance and conversion of those that would observe the evidence of their filling was the ultimate purpose. The encounter with the lame man they had surely passed innumerable times before resulted this time in life-transforming healing for the man and surely an encouraging and uplifting experience for Peter and John. So much greater than the temporary blessing of the moment, however, was the eternal effect that was made on those who were now open to hearing Peter’s highly confrontational message. His audience consisted of those who prided themselves in keeping a religious formality and yet were far from the way of life that required repentance and the removal of sins. While they could have been caught up in the moment and in magnifying this amazing miracle, it seems that Peter wasted no time in getting to what must have been his driving motivation – salvation and transformation for those who were lost. At the end of that day, the greatest accomplishment was surely the turning of hearts over the working of a miracle.
There will be blessed fruit in the Spirit’s filling that sets apart from the world and is apparent in its benefits for the church body. As long as this is the focus, though, there will be loss of a much greater purpose in bringing salvation to a lost world. For the disciples, the mission was not to be blessed and live in personal victory and freedom, although those things were essential for an effective testimony. The motive for the spirit-filled life was to carry a confrontational message to hearts that had to be turned from darkness to light. This was so previously demonstrated in Jesus’ earthly ministry as His reason for the works was shown to be the turning of hearts from sin. The key to desired demonstrations and enjoyed unity in the body will come around a unity of purpose that is beyond self-focus and around the heart of the Father for a world He sent His son to save. When there is a drive to convey the message of the Gospel, there will be signs and wonders to confirm and legitimatize that message with transformed hearts as the reward.
What great importance it is to offer what we do have to give, to others. Peter and John didn’t have money which is what the lame man was asking for, but they were open to give what they had received from God to others and it changed the lame man’s life.
Pastor Stephen did a series on what is in your hand is what is meant to be used by God right now and it was so powerful and something that I meditate on frequently. I might now have all the gold and silver, I might now have the best voice or the highest worldly degree, but I was given gifts and I am called by God to impact those around me with what He has given me. First and foremost the gift He has given me is Jesus, and I should be ready and readily willing to give Him to others!
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