Disciples Doing what Jesus did

Intro

Passage

Acts 3:1–11 NIV

1 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. 2 Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” 5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. 6 Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” 7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. 8 He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. 9 When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. 11 While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon’s Colonnade.

v1 3 in the afternoon is prayer time

v2 - at the foot of the beautiful gate was something less beautiful - someone who had to beg for a living, someone who was only provided for by begging

v3 - he asked for what he thought was his greatest need (earthly mindset), Jesus shows us we can ask for more, we can see more if we step out in faith

v6 - something better than money

v7 - Jairus daughter by the hand () - seeing what Jesus did and doing it here

What started in the temple, is now sent outside of the temple - the place of healing was always inside the temple, in Jesus now it’s out there on the streets

v8 - Jumps to his feet and he’s completely healed

v10 - he was known by the people going in and out of the temple gate, they’d seen him there for many years. And now they recognised him and were filled with wonder and amazement

We ask and act in line with God. We want our hearts beating in time with his, our feet walking in step with him

So when we pray for healing we pray with the authority of Jesus

We don’t promise healing but we offer it.

Whether someone is healed in the way we want them to be, or not healed in that way, isn’t up to us. We just pray in line with what God is doing.

We step out faithfully and obediently when we feel him call us too.

Of course God brings healing, but it’s not always to the part of the body or mind which we think is needed.

Notice how the man thinks that his most pressing need is for money, but God see’s something far deeper, a need for acceptance in society, a place to be welcome. As peter and john step out in faith, Jesus heals this man’s legs.

For many we pray for, it’s not the physical healing, but the emotional or mental healing which Jesus brings. Ultimately the healing of the relationship between that person and God, the relationship we were created for.

Very occasionally I’ve felt that God was going to heal, but whether I’ve felt that he will heal, or whether I’ve just felt that gentle nudge that god is wanting to work in that persons life, I’ve prayed in faith.

I’ve approached someone and said, “I believe in a God who loves us and brings healing, can I pray with you?” And depending on the situation I ask if I can place a hand on their shoulder. Then we pray.

I start with thanking God for his son or daughter

And then speak to the illness or condition and command it to be healed

Why do we command? - we command because we are given the authority of Jesus in this, to speak his reality over them.

And I’ve already said, he doesn’t always bring the healing that we’re expecting

Sometimes we pray with people and they say “I’m still in the wheel chair, or I’ve still got that pain. We can pray more, and often we do, but actually when you ask “how you are feeling”, they nearly always say - “I feel at peace, I feel so close to God”. Or non-Christian’s often say “I feel a tingling, or a love, or a warmth that wasn’t there before”.

What’s happening is we’re coming into alignment with God, we’re being reconciled with him. We’re encountering him.

On the streets of Derby, I only saw headaches go in Jesus name, but I saw loads of non-Christian’s encounter Jesus. They weren’t always sure what they’d experienced, but when we gently said, that’s Jesus, that’s the God who loves you. If you want to find out more, come along to your closest church (and we’d give them a map) and find out more. We’d then get them plugged into an alpha course, and people came to faith. Sometimes the healings followed, other times the healing that God wanted, what they needed was that reconciling with him, over the body.

[Robbie Dawkins is an american preacher who has a healing ministry, prays for healing in quite an abrupt american way which is just so unlike me, but he says that he finds that praying for believers in the church almost always takes 4 times.]

Romania

Man with the stick, struggling to walk - known to all the poor village - before we’d even claimed the ground in Jesus name - he was sat in the chair

We prayed and he was instantly healed - he grabbed the microphone and started telling his story - ‘and they say Jesus healed me’