I would like to take you back to Acts 3 when the crippled beggar at the gate called Beautiful was lifted off his mat and miraculously healed. He was lame since birth, considered filthy and without worth and yet Peter and John stopped, took notice of him and healed him by the power of Christ. Can I suggest this for your consideration; when the Spirit of the Lord poured through the beggar and the moment his legs were healed, the man formerly known as the beggar preached the power of God. As the formerly lame man jumped for joy and then entered the Temple grounds, his actions testified to the power of God. I personally do not think that he could have contained the joy and excitement of being able to walk, of having the opportunity to be declared clean and made a part of the community as a full member. He was preaching the Message in his actions and, filled with the Holy Spirit, he walked arm in arm with Peter and John through the Temple grounds and up to Solomon’s Colonnade, one of the more prestigious locations at Temple. Were they noticed? Yes, they were, and they were arrested for preaching His message. The next day, they stood in front of the religious leaders and ...
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of our people, are we being questioned today because we’ve done a good deed for a crippled man? Do you want to know how he was healed? Let me clearly state to all of you and to all the people of Israel that he was healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead. For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says,
‘The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’
There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:8-12 NLT
Here is the question I ask myself less often than I should. Am I as on fire for the Lord and so filled with the Holy Spirit as the former beggar at the gate called Beautiful as I could be or as I should be? This is a question I believe we all need to reflect on all the time. There will be those who would argue the point, but I stand firm in my belief. There is always more we can do to communicate the Good News throughout the world. Do our lives reflect the love of God within us, and do we jump for joy in His name, so high and so loud that those around us notice and want to know more? Are we so strengthened in His power that we stand up to those who would persecute us for faith in Christ or do we shrink into shadows like Peter did when confronted before the crucifixion? Consider this then.
The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus. But since they could see the man who had been healed standing right there among them, there was nothing the council could say. So they ordered Peter and John out of the council chamber and conferred among themselves. Acts 4: 13-15 NLT
Peter and John, filled with the Holy Spirit, spoke boldly and the man formerly known as the beggar was there with them. The same Peter who ran away in fear was now helping others to realize the power of the Lord through his testimony. Lean not on your own strength but rather testify of your faith in the Messiah with all the joy and love He provides you. We are all healed in the name of Christ, rejoice and praise His name.
This week, Pastor Todd will be continuing the series on Acts 3 and 4. We invite you to join us either in person or online. Our service is at 10:30 AM both online and in person. The service will be broadcast online on our website (https://www.mainavefellowship.ca/socialplatforms), or you are more than welcome to join us in person at 402 Main Ave. W in Sundre, AB.
Blessings,
Our Mission “To live the love of Christ”
