At the Temple Gate, Peter and John encounter a beggar who had been disabled since birth. The beggar ask for money, but gets healed instead. The man’s healing causes quite a stir among the people in the temple courts, and Peter seizes the opportunity to speak to the crowd about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is the first miracle following the inauguration of the Christian community and it testifies to the authority of Jesus’ word through His apostles While the Holy Spirit is not named in this chapter, He was certainly at work in and through the Apostles, performing His ministry of glorifying Jesus Christ. In Acts 1, the Apostles were waiting for the Holy Spirit. In Acts 2, the Apostles and 109 others experienced the coming of the Holy Spirit in tongues like fire and equipping each person to speak to a gathered crowd in their own dialect. God received the Glory. Here, the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead has empowered the Apostles to do great works in the power of Jesus Name. Now that they were filled with the Holy Spirit, the Apostles were no longer competing for greatness, but were at last working faithfully together to build the church and Glorify the Savior. In chapter 3, we see new Priorities. Peter and John were not so caught up with large crowds that they had no time for individuals… Nor were they so busy in ministry that they could not pray… They had learned their lessons well from the Lord Jesus (Mark 1:35; Luke 8:40). In acknowledging this disabled beggar, the Holy Spirit led Peter and John to see beyond the financial need, an empowered them to see the beggar's spiritual bankruptcy. The Holy Spirit led Peter and John to restore his physical and spiritual issues. The beggar leaped. I call him the Bouncing Beggar. In this chapter, we see a new Power. The emphasis in chapters 3–4 is on the name of Jesus, the name above every name (Phil. 2:9–11). Phil. 2:9–11 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Peter is careful to portray this miracle as the work of Jesus; in doing so, he expresses Jesus’ nature, character, and power by praying, "In Jesus Name.' Luke, who is a physician, observes the specific way Jesus’ power works instantly to overcome the man’s lifelong disability. There is power in the name of Jesus. Faith in the name of Jesus releases power so that lives are changed… To pray or minister in His name means to ask or act on His authority (Matt. 28:18–20) so that He alone gets the glory. We also see a new Proclamation by Peter and John. At Pentecost, the sound of a rushing wind drew the crowd; but here the witness of a changed life brought the people together… Thus, Peter had the opportunity to preach, and two thousand people were converted… This tells us that we are to reach out to individuals and God will give us opportunities for a bigger harvest.
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Pastor Shan SmithJesus follower, Husband, Father, Student Ministries Pastor at Marshall Baptist Church Archives
May 2020
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