Acts 3--Speaking from God's Power

Bible

Acts 3:1–16 NLT

1 Peter and John went to the Temple one afternoon to take part in the three o’clock prayer service. 2 As they approached the Temple, a man lame from birth was being carried in. Each day he was put beside the Temple gate, the one called the Beautiful Gate, so he could beg from the people going into the Temple. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for some money. 4 Peter and John looked at him intently, and Peter said, “Look at us!” 5 The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting some money. 6 But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!” 7 Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up. And as he did, the man’s feet and ankles were instantly healed and strengthened. 8 He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk! Then, walking, leaping, and praising God, he went into the Temple with them. 9 All the people saw him walking and heard him praising God. 10 When they realized he was the lame beggar they had seen so often at the Beautiful Gate, they were absolutely astounded! 11 They all rushed out in amazement to Solomon’s Colonnade, where the man was holding tightly to Peter and John. 12 Peter saw his opportunity and addressed the crowd. “People of Israel,” he said, “what is so surprising about this? And why stare at us as though we had made this man walk by our own power or godliness? 13 For it is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the God of all our ancestors—who has brought glory to his servant Jesus by doing this. This is the same Jesus whom you handed over and rejected before Pilate, despite Pilate’s decision to release him. 14 You rejected this holy, righteous one and instead demanded the release of a murderer. 15 You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. And we are witnesses of this fact! 16 “Through faith in the name of Jesus, this man was healed—and you know how crippled he was before. Faith in Jesus’ name has healed him before your very eyes.

Introduction

Let’s pray: Lord, help us to observe the power of the Holy Spirit when he moves, and use that to engage with those around us who need to hear about your love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Years ago, when I was living in Japan, my best friend Boydy visited me. We had a fascinating conversation about faith. Boydy was, and still is, a dogmatic atheist. In that conversation I remember asking him what it would take for him to believe in God. His response was along the lines of something like God writing across the sky in flaming letters a personalised message that he was, indeed, real.

This is quite a common request from dogmatic atheists, and it’s interesting to think about what this requirement says. For a start, they want God to address them personally. Mere rational evidence of God’s existence is not sufficient. Second, they want something that is unarguably the result of an intelligence, and not mere natural forces, namely writing. And third, they want something that can’t be man-made, namely flaming letters in the sky.

It’s interesting to compare this potential message from God to the real message that the lame beggar on the temple steps received. His legs, which had been useless since birth, abruptly and inexplicable grew strong at the word of these followers of Jesus! You can’t get much more personal than that. You can’t get a greater intelligence than one that surpasses all human medical knowledge. And you can’t get much more humanly impossible than instant healing of never-working limbs.

You can see why the once-lame beggar was overwhelmed with gratitude towards God. And why Peter could use this as an opportunity to share the Gospel.

God’s power

And Peter did use this example of God’s power to share the Gospel. He made sure that the people understood that it was God who was at work here.

Acts 3:16 NLT

16 “Through faith in the name of Jesus, this man was healed—and you know how crippled he was before. Faith in Jesus’ name has healed him before your very eyes.

Peter recognised how this demonstration of power attracted people’s attention:

Acts 3:9–11 NLT

9 All the people saw him walking and heard him praising God. 10 When they realized he was the lame beggar they had seen so often at the Beautiful Gate, they were absolutely astounded! 11 They all rushed out in amazement to Solomon’s Colonnade, where the man was holding tightly to Peter and John.

Speaking from God’s Power

And then, with this exercise of God’s power as the context, Peter took the opportunity to share the full Gospel—the whole good news, which starts with the bad. By the way, Peter’s sermon here is a pattern for us, not a formula. The difference between a pattern and a formula is simple: a pattern needs to be applied afresh to every situation, while a formula is simply followed, over and over again.

Let’s unpack this pattern.

1. Conviction of sin linked to God’s power

First, Peter spoke of the people’s sin, and he linked to God’s exercise of power here. He said,

Acts 3:14–16 (NLT)

14 You rejected this holy, righteous one and instead demanded the release of a murderer. 15 You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. And we are witnesses of this fact!

16 “Through faith in the name of Jesus, this man was healed—and you know how crippled he was before. Faith in Jesus’ name has healed him before your very eyes.

Notice how Peter draws their attention back to God’s work of power after he has pointed to their sin. If we have sinned against God, but God is distant and unrelated to the world, as in the belief system called deism, then sin isn’t going to be punished by God. But if God is powerful and at work in the world, then he is to be feared by sinners.

2. Call to repentance

Second, Paul called the people to repentance from their sins.

Acts 3:17–21 NLT

17 “Friends, I realize that what you and your leaders did to Jesus was done in ignorance. 18 But God was fulfilling what all the prophets had foretold about the Messiah—that he must suffer these things. 19 Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. 20 Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and he will again send you Jesus, your appointed Messiah. 21 For he must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through his holy prophets.

3. Promise of redemption

And third, he shared God’s promise of redemption for repentant sinners.

Acts 3:24–26 ESV

24 And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days. 25 You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ 26 God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.”

So: conviction of sin and reminder of God’s power, a call to repentance, and the promise of redemption.

How do we speak from God’s Power?

Now, even without my observation that this is a pattern, not a formula, it should be obvious that we can’t simply parrot Peter’s words. Not only do we not have any healed beggars clinging to us, but none of Peter’s words would make sense to anyone we spoke to. If we suddenly accused a fellow Gold Coaster of putting Jesus to death and demanding the release of a murderer, they would rightly think we were loonies. In the same way, we can’t ask them to think on the Old Testament prophecies, because they don’t apply to modern Australian culture. And finally, our promise of redemption is not going to look like Peter’s—God’s promise to Abraham is so far distant from the local experience of secular Australians that it is meaningless to them. We must find some other way to reach our fellow Australians.

Nevertheless, the broad patterns of Peter’s speech do retain their power, even today. There is a sense in which modern Australians have put Jesus to death: by their own sins. Somehow we need to find some way to relate God’s power to their rebellion against him. There is a sense in which Australians need to repent. We must explain the genuine benefits of that. And finally, there is also a sense in which modern Australians are beneficiaries of God’s promise to Abraham—we are amongst “the families of the earth [to] be blessed.” How can we explain that reality?

That is our task as God’s representatives: to keenly observe his power at work, and to use the opportunity to communicate powerfully and effectively the reality of sin, the need for repentance, and the blessings of belonging to God’s family.

What is an example of God’s Power in our world?

Now, you are undoubtedly wondering how this works. After all, it’s been a while since you healed a lame man, right?

But God’s power isn’t seen just in such obvious miracles. People see God’s power in his creation, too, as Paul says in Romans:

Romans 1:19–20 NLT

19 They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. 20 For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.

People see God’s power in how we love one another.

John 13:34–35 NLT

34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

People see God’s power in our answers to their questions about our lives and beliefs.

Colossians 4:5–6 NLT

5 Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.

None of these things are flashy. None of these things are what we normally think of when we talk about the “power of the Holy Spirit,” and yet all of these things are taken straight from the New Testament church!

We need to be on the lookout for God’s power at work in our lives, in little ways as much as in big ways. God heals bodies, yes, but he also heals minds and emotions and behaviours, and that healing is vastly more important, because, unlike physical healing, we carry it into heaven with us.

So when you’re looking for an opportunity to speak from God’s power, remember that those opportunities might be smaller ones than you think—but even small, they are still genuine and powerful.

I remember my response to Boydy’s challenge to God. I told him that God had sent him a much more personal miracle: me. I know that sounds arrogant, but Boydy had seen my struggles, he knew there was nothing special in me, but he also knew how God had given me strength and courage and purpose. I’m still waiting for Boydy to recognise God’s work, but I continue to pray for that.

How do we use these opportunities?

The second thing to be ready for is the way you can take advantage of these opportunities.

Just as the opportunities may be small, so might your audience. You don’t need hundreds of people gathered in one of the most spectacular buildings in the world. Sure, that’s what Peter had here, but I guarantee you that he had times when it was just him and one other person. Do you think he ignored that opportunity?

So, just as Peter pointed out sin, called for repentance, and pointed to the hope we have, we too need to do that.

Let me ask you three questions, then:

What are some of the common sins that contemporary Australians struggle with, which they are open to accepting that they struggle with them?

What would repentance of these sins look like?

What is the promise of God’s redemption that speaks to the heart of Australians?

Now, when I say Australians, I’m asking about the Australians you know, not some theoretical Australians.

Let’s spend some time discussing these three questions in groups of three or four, and then I’ll close. Remember that there are plenty of answers to these questions, not just one.

[three minutes]

Do people want to share a couple of thoughts to inspire the rest of us?

Let’s pray,

Lord, help us to look for your power at work, even in small ways, and to take these opportunities to share the full good news of your salvation with our neighbours.

In Jesus name and Spirit, Amen.