Praying through Acts- Chapter 3

Acts 3:6 NKJV

6 Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”

Tonight, we will continue to pray through the book of Acts. We will focus on chapter three.

There are a number of reasons we are praying through the book of Acts.

First, if we want to know God’s plan for His church, we should look at how the first church grew.

The gospels tell us how Jesus lived. The book of Acts tells us how to live like Jesus.

As we endeavor to do all God has called our church to accomplish, we have an original source to understand what God desires.

Second, through the book of Acts, we see the priority of prayer. I heard it said last year in a message, the book of Acts is not a book of miracles, it is a book of prayer.

When people pray, God does something supernatural. I thoroughly hunger and desire for God to confirm His word with signs following. However, it will never happen unless we pray.

So we’ve looked at and prayed through Acts 1 and 2. Let me give a quick refresher of these two chapters:

Acts 1, Jesus promised power for His followers. He prepared to leave the world and knew it would be a different world and time for His followers.

They would enter a new normal. They would still have a relationship with Jesus, but it would be manifested spiritually.

No longer would they physically walk with Jesus, but He had a plan. He was WITH them, know He would be IN them through the Holy Spirit.

So they followed Jesus’ instructions and prayed with prayer and supplication for the Promise of the Father.

Acts 2, shows us the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise. After waiting for ten days, the Holy Spirit fell and God dwelled IN His people.

The results were an initial fulfillment of God’s promise. His Spirit drew people to the Upper Room where Peter preached and 3,000 were saved, baptized in water and filled with the Holy Spirit.

The church continued to grow deeper to God and EVERY day people were saved.

If we were to list important chapters in Acts, I would say 1 and 2 are extremely important, but so is Acts 3.

Acts three shows us a continuation of God’s promise to walk WITH His church through the power of the Holy Spirit. It was a unique time in the church.

Tonight, when we pray, I want us to keep in mind, I believe God has placed us on earth for such a time as this. The same power that flowed in Acts 3 can flow tonight!

I have three areas of prayer, [Times of Healing], [Times of Repentance], and [Times of Refreshing].

1. Times of Healing

Acts 3:1–10 NKJV

1 Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 2 And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple; 3 who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms. 4 And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, “Look at us.” 5 So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. 6 Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” 7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. 8 So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God. 9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God. 10 Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

Let’s think of this scene for a moment. Peter and John, though they were saved and filled with the Spirit, were still Jewish. They believed in Jesus as the Promised Messiah.

In fact, the church was ethnically Jewish for year, it was not until Acts 10 that non Jewish people were accepted into the church.

So they, like good Jewish men, went to the Temple to pray at 3:00 pm. They did this often. Also, good Jewish men were to be generous to the sick and infirm.

Invalids would line the streets begging for money. I want to point out that this man had laid at the entrance of the Temple for years.

What does this tell us?

This man had seen Jesus and Jesus would have walked by him. But Jesus never healed him while He was on earth. Instead, He saved this special miracle for a later time.

So Peter and John have experienced the phenomenon of living in the fullness of the Holy Spirit. As people of prayer and full of the Spirit they saw this man, and they had compassion.

They stopped and informed the man, we don’t have what you’re requesting, we have something much better. They PRAYED and Jesus healed the man.

The first miracle in the church came from a foundation of prayer and dependence on the Holy Spirit.

It was the Holy Spirit who prompted Peter and John to pray for the man, and the Spirit distributed the gifts of healing to Peter and John for this man and the church’s benefit.

The response to the man’s healing was people praising God, with wonder and amazement of what God did.

As we pray, I believe we are in times of healing. I feel a renewed call from God that we, as Pentecostals, should pray the prayer of faith and believe God to heal the sick!

Who wants to see Jesus heal people?

It will happen as we commit to prayer. When we continue to pray, we can enter times of healing.

Healing has a benefit for the person who was healed. But it also goes deeper, for times of healing can lead to...

2. Times of Repentance

Acts 3:16–19 NKJV

16 And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. 17 “Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18 But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. 19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,

The man who was healed held onto Peter and John. I would have loved to see the sight. Scores of people go to see the commotion, only to find that the lame man was up, leaping and praising God.

Here is one of the reasons for healing and miracles. It is one thing to TELL people about God’s love and compassion of them, but healing shows it in action.

People’s hearts soften when they encounter the ONLY God capable of coming to a person who is sick and touching their body.

Peter did not miss the opportunity. He asked them, why are you so amazed? We did not heal this man. It was not by our power or authority.

This piqued their interest. He went on to explain, the God of our ancestors did this through Jesus. You know, Jesus, the one you denied in front of Pilate?

God heard your denial, but did not leave Jesus. Instead, He raised Him from the dead.

So, this mean was healed, through FAITH in Jesus. And the good news is, God does not condemn, but He will forgive ANYONE who repents with the same faith as this once-crippled man.

The greatest miracle that occurs is spiritual healing. When we repent of our sins, Jesus comes and forgives us, raising us to new life.

I pray for God’s supernatural intervention in our church. I ask God to let us see something we’ve never seen in our lives. For when we experience the real and raw power of God, it will lead people to repentance.

And remember, repentance is MORE than asking Jesus to forgive us. No, repentance is turning from sin and coming to Christ.

Yesterday, I began a book entitled, The Ten Greatest Revivals Ever. In the preface to the book, the authors explain, we shouldn’t only pray for revival, but we should focus on repentance.

When there is genuine repentance, revival will follow.

So Peter told them, we’re in times of healing, and these times of healing lead to times of repentance, which then leads to...

3. Times of Refreshing

Acts 3:19–21 NKJV

19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20 and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, 21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.

Peter outlines and explains the progression. Manifestation of healings led them to the place of repentance. Once they repent, they can enter times of refreshing.

The refreshing will come from the presence of God. One of the obstacles to entering God’s presence is sin.

Remember, God cannot stand sin, therefore we have the remedy through Jesus, who forgives sin.

Therefore, when we repent, we remove the obstacle that separates us from God. Then we can boldly enter the throne of grace.

We can go to the throne room and receive refreshing time in God’s presence!

Peter continues to expound on how Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promises. Jesus began the restoration of process of humanity.

No longer do we have to remain estranged and far from God. Instead, we can come close to Him. Every prophet since Samuel pointed to the coming of Jesus.

And now, God has raised Him up to become a prominent place in our lives!

Close:

As I have prayed for this service, I have felt strong in my spirit that God is in the process of positioning us for times in His presence.

I believe God wants us to enter into Times of Healing. God wants to manifest the gifts of healing, the working of miracles, and the gift of faith in our church.

Why?

Not just so people will receive healing. While that is a benefit, God wants to use His miraculous power to lead people to the place of repentance!

Sickness is a result of sin. That is not to say every person who is sick is involved in gross negligent sin. Instead, sickness originated when Adam and Eve sinned.

However, we have a key to receiving healing through REPENTANCE.

I so long for people in our church and community to see the power of God in a new way as He heals people in our church.

John Kilpatrick believes, “signs and wonders are the dinner bell to salvation.”

Though we do not seek a sign, think of what it will do for an unbeliever when they see Jesus do something supernatural, Something they know that is humanly impossible!

It will lead them to repentance, and from this position, God will refresh His people.

Who still believes Jesus heals?

Does anyone have a testimony of God’s healing power?

I have seen people healed, but I have never personally witnessed someone get out of a wheelchair.

But in 2010, I watched a video of a lady who was healed in Mobile, Alabama. She was in a tragic car wreck in 1987 and paralyzed from the waist down.

By 2010 Delia had been in a wheelchair for over 22 years. In August, she and her husband attended a conference hosted by evangelist Nathan Morris. “The evangelist got up and he started talking about healing. Had I known it was a healing service, I have to be honest, I would have never gone,” she says.   Delia was at the front of the church with her husband when Pastor Morris started praying for her. “Here I am confined for 22 ½ years in this wheelchair, and for the first time in the longest time, I find myself thinking that something could possibly, be really happening,” she says of the life altering moment. “I told them ‘I think I’m feeling something in my legs.’” As Pastor Morris prayed over her, he said, “The power of God is all over this sister right now. She normally has no feelings but right now, she can feel our hands on her legs.”

Delia adds, “I had to get to the heart of it, and the heart of it was, ‘Are you willing to risk your pride and take a step of faith, even if you fall? “ With the assistance of her husband, Delia slowly rose. She later stumbled and sat back down, fighting to block out the doubts flooding into her mind.

I watched the video. My pastor, Mickey Davis and his brother John Davis were in the service. The healing was progressive, at first she walked with assistance, but within a few weeks she walked unassisted, totally healed!

The Lord reminded me of this story. The first time I saw the video, it convicted me and caused me to want to repent of anything that might stand against God and me.

Then, I felt refreshed!

God has times of healing, times of repentance, and times of refreshing for our church, and it can start tonight IF WE PRAY!