Year 1, Day 236: Acts 3

Power

How cool would it be to be able to reach out and touch someone and have their problem cured?  I mean, seriously.  Can any of us really say that we wouldn’t be interested in being able to do what Peter does here?  Or if not do it – at least see it done in person?

Unfortunately, my line of thinking really leads me down the path of the answer to the question: Why don’t we see this kind of act more often?  The truth is that I genuinely think we don’t see this often because our mind is in the wrong place.  Look at where this act leads those involved.  Peter and John get dragged before the Temple authorities (see chapter 4, which we’ll get to tomorrow).  Even before that, this act of healing turns to would-be healer (Peter) into the would-be preacher and actually into the would-be person of rebuke!  Yes, I’m sure at some level Peter’s notoriety increased, but it didn’t increase in a good way in terms of popularity!

You see, so many of us see spiritual gifts in terms of what they can do for us.  So many of us see spiritual gifts in terms of the popularity they can bring – or perhaps even the line of thinking that “we could use them to bring joy to the world.”  But here’s the truth about spiritual gifts.  They aren’t given to us to increase our popularity.  In fact, they aren’t even given to us to make other people happy!  They are given to us to make God’s name be praised and His truth declared.

How many of us – if we were able to heal someone – would have the guts to proclaim not only that it was through the power of God but also then say to the gathered crowd: “Shame on you all for not believing in Him as seriously as you should?”  How many of us are willing to say that without the miracle?  What’s to make anyone think that if we aren’t going to say it without the miracle that we would even think to say it when the miracle would bring obstacles like notoriety and popularity into our midst?

No, gifts of God are used bring bringing glory to His name, honor to His name, and remind people that we should be worshipping God rather than ourselves and this creation.  How many of us really are about that message?  If we aren’t about that message, then why would we expect to see great healings like we see here?

Furthermore, how many of us welcome trouble?  Peter and John get dragged in front of the Sanhedrin and are sternly chastised (again, we’ll get to that tomorrow).  They get into serious trouble (a theme we’ll encounter in Acts).  The use of God’s gifts and the proclamation of God’s Word will bring us at odds with the world.  How many of us genuinely desire to be at odds with the world?  If we don’t really want to be at odds with the world – rather, we just want to honor God with our lips and still do our own thing – then why would God display His power through us? 

There are people out there that make the claim that these supernatural gifts like healing and speaking in tongues no longer happen because we are not in the “dispensation of the Apostles.”  Hogwash!  God is God.  You can’t possibly convince me that if God wanted to give me the power to heal someone who was born lame that God couldn’t do it.  Of course God could do it!  The problem isn’t that we are in the wrong “dispensation of time.”  The problem is that we are not the disciples (or apostles).  We don’t want to face imprisonment or death.  We don’t want to give up everything to follow Christ.  We don’t want to be crucified with Christ.  We do want God to dwell in our pretty church so we can come and do our thing, play nice with each other, hear the “word of God” that makes us feel good about ourselves, and then go back to the life we live for the other 167 hours of the week.

Peter and the Lame Man

Peter makes the lame man look at him.  The man hears Peter’s proclamation.  Peter isn’t afraid of proclaiming Jesus in the very place and among the very people that crucified his Lord a month or so earlier.  Peter wasn’t afraid of bringing in the stick of judgment.  Peter spoke harsh truth.  Peter boldly proclaimed God above the world.  Peter tossed his life in front of the bus and trusted God to stop the bus in time, pull Him out of the way, or deliver him safely into the life to come.  Now that’s apostolic power, folks.  That’s what Acts 3 is all about! 

So we wonder why God granted the apostles the ability to do supernatural things.  God granted it because they proclaimed God to the world unashamedly and without fear!  They didn’t hide in their fancy churches worried about keeping the “financiers happy.”

Other Things to Share

My post is long I didn’t mention quite a few other neat things.  I’d like to do so here:

• Notice that Peter and John are headed to the Temple – likely to pray.  They are keeping the commandments of Jesus and keeping up with Jewish traditions.
• In Jewish tradition, remember that it is the unblemished that are allowed to get close to God.  The healing of this lame man does more than just cure his physical problem, it allows him to become unblemished and quite literally “get close to God!”
• Notice that this first post-Pentecost miracle is done by John and Peter.  These were two of Jesus’ most prepared apostles.  They were with Jesus through it all as they were some of the first called.  And they were paired for ministry.  They didn’t compete, but complemented each other.
• Notice that the onlookers are filled, but not necessarily with the Holy Spirit.  They are filled with wonder and amazement.  Just because people see God’s power displayed does not imply that they will make the right connection to God without proper teaching and discipleship.
• Peter’s speech points us to true repentance rather than false repentance.  False repentance is along the lines of “I’m sorry I got caught” or “I’m sorry someone got hurt.”  True repentance is “I’m sorry I did what I did because it is wrong” and “I’ll try to not ever do that again.”

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