Acts Chapter 3

In Acts chapter 3 we see Peter and John going to the Temple. They came across a man laying at the gate called Beautiful. This man was carried to and put there daily so he could ask money of those entering the Temple. When he asked Peter and John for money, Peter replied and told him that they did not have money but what they did have was Jesus. Instantly, the lame man was healed and he got up and began to jump around and praise God as they entered the Temple. All the people saw this and when they recognized him as the lame man who sat at the gate, they were filled with amazement.

Peter then took the opportunity to preach the Gospel to the people and gave credit to God for the healing of the lame man. Peter went on to tell the people that Jesus was the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies, and, ultimately, they were responsible for crucifying Him. He then called for the people to repent of their sins and turn to Jesus.

There are couple thing we can take from this chapter:

1. The Jews missed Jesus.

The lame man sat at the gate every day asking for money but never recognized his need for Jesus. Like many of us, he regularly came to church but it was nothing more than a means to an end. He was so focused on his physical situation that he didn’t see his spiritual need. This was typical of  the Jewish people. You see, not long before this particular day, Jesus had been right in front of these same people, healing, forgiving sins, and loving the unlovable. They did not recognize Him for who he was. Even though there was more than enough evidence to support Jesus’ claims, the Jews were always asking for more signs. This, sadly, was the case for the nation of Israel through out the Bible. Despite all of the amazing things that God had done for them through out their history, they always asked for more.

Let us not be guilty of the same thing. Let us recognize who Jesus is and our need for Him.

2. Peter and John gave Jesus.

Peter and John didn’t have money but they did have Jesus. Most of us have people in our lives who are not believers. When was the last time you took an opportunity to give them Jesus? As a result of this, chapter 4 tells us that many people gave their lives to Jesus. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians that the Gospel is a stumbling block to some and foolishness to others but our duty, as believers, is to preach Christ crucified. It’s not our job to make it make sense. It’s our job to simply preach the Gospel and let God work in people’s lives.

Let us take every opportunity to preach the Gospel to those around us. But, more than just uttering words from our lips, we must live it, also. We see in Acts chapter 2 that the believers were able to praise God and have favor with men and, as a result, the lord added to their numbers daily. This means that when those who were not believers saw what was going on in the Church that they wanted to get in on it. This is why people responded when Peter preached. As the actions of our life and the words we utter both line-up with the Gospel, God will do amazing things.