Acts 3:1-10

 

Acts 3:1-10

Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple.  Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms.  And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.”  And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them.  But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!”  And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong.  And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.  And all the people saw him walking and praising God, and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

The call of Jesus to the disciples was that they might become like Him.  We can see how the disciples imitated Jesus in the way that they preached and now we can see how they imitated Jesus in the way that they healed.  The Spirit was leading these me to continue the ministry of Jesus and empowered them to do the works that He did.  This was a means of establishing the authority of the apostles and authenticating their message.  However, it was also a means of serving a man who had been suffering for years.  God’s love and power are on display in this passage just as they continue to be on display in all the world today.

A BEGGAR REQUESTS MONEY: A man who had been born lame and had never been able to walk was relegated to a life of begging for money at the gate of temple every day.  People would carry him there in hopes that those who came to worship would have pity upon him and give him money.  It is likely that those who carried him would also exploit him and take a percentage of his money.  He was a man without dignity and without hope and had been this way for a very long time.  When Peter and John approached the temple that morning, the man did as he always did; he made a request for money.  Begging is a part of cultures all around the world.  People who have an obvious need will appeal to those who may be able to help them with that need.  Those who contribute are often moved by pity or guilt to contribute to the person.  The reality is that all of mankind is living in spiritual poverty with no hope of being able to resolve his problem on his own.  This causes men to reach out for help from anywhere they think they can find it.  We must learn to seek for our hope and help in the Lord.

PETER RESPONDS BY HEALING: The presence of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers empowers them for ministry that brings glory to God.  It must have been the prompting of the Holy Spirit that led Peter and John to stop on the way to the temple and heal this man who had been lame for all his life.  The apostles, like Jesus, did not heal everyone who was sick.  The Lord had compassion on this man and recognized that this was an opportunity to give credence to the apostles and their ministry.  They were continuing the work of Jesus, so their messages and miracles looked like those Jesus had performed when He was with them.  The power of the Spirit is on display and Peter is careful to articulate the fact that the miracle was done in the name of Jesus.  His power is the key to success in ministry as all that believers do is a continuation of His work on earth.  It is important to be sensitive to the Spirit’s leading and confident in the Spirit’s power to help us wherever He leads.

THE LORD RECIEVES WORSHIP: The result of the lame man’s need, and the Spirit’s work through Peter was praise and worship of the Lord Jesus.  This is the way life in the Spirit should be.  Sin has inflicted the world with terrible affliction.  God is at work in the persons of the Trinity to save mankind from all of these afflictions.  When men trust Jesus, they become active participants in this mission.  They experience transformation in their own lives and begin to work in the world to help others to be transformed.  The final result in all of this is the glory of God.  As men observe and experience His power, they will respond with worship.  When the needs of men encounter the power of the Spirit, the result should be the worship and praise of the Lord.

APPLICATION: Recognize that this world is full of people who suffer under the consequences of sin.  Have compassion on people and know that we who have the Spirit are empowered by Him to meet the needs of the people around us.  Serve others with gladness so they can rejoice in glorifying God together with us.