Evangelism, How To Present The Gospel Study Manual

Page 63 of 279
The Lame Man Healed at the Temple Gate, Acts 3:4-10
Peter, gazing at him with John, said, “Look at us.” 5 So he paid atenon to them,
expecng to receive something from them. 6 Then Peter said, “I have no silver and
gold, but I give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up
and walk.” 7 He took him by the right hand and raised him up. Immediately his
feet and ankles were strengthened. 8 Jumping up, he stood and walked and
entered the temple with them, walking and jumping and praising God. 9 All the
people saw him walking and praising God. 10 They knew that it was he who sat for
alms at the Beauful Gate of the temple. And they were filled with wonder and
amazement at what happened to him.
Peter and John were on their way to church to join the prayer meeng. They were
not prayed up; they were not breaking a fast. They were walking and talking on
the way to church. Now a man who had been lame from birth was placed outside
the church doors every day to ask for alms. Peter and John were going to pass him
by like everyone else if they had not heard him ask them for alms.
Peter stopped; the lame man must have thought it was payday, but Peter knew he
had no money, but he could offer the man something far more valuable. “Look at
us,” Peter said, drawing the man's atenon to John and himself, “I have no silver
and gold, but I give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise
up and walk.” Peter was absolutely persuaded and convinced of the Gospel.
We may walk past some people unawares but if the opportunity presents itself as
it did for Peter and John, being unprepared in man's eyes, on the way to a prayer
meeng perhaps even inconvenienced. But they heard the call for help, please do
you have food or money to spare, and they stopped. Perhaps Peter heard the
voice of the Holy Spirit “Give to everyone who asks” or perhaps he remembered
the words of Micah “Do jusce, love kindness, walk humbly with God” or perhaps
he remembered the very words of Jesus “Those that believe shall lay hands on the
sick”. Whatever it was, Peter knew the soluon lived inside him, and trusng that
the son of man had come to destroy the works of the devil, Peter took the lame
man's hand in faith and pulled him up to a new life inside the temple of God.
Copyright © 2023 Bradley Sliedrecht, All rights reserved.