3 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.
Two thousand years ago there were no jobs in an office sitting at a computer. It was an agricultural society. If you can’t walk you can’t work. If you can’t work you have no function. Each one of us needs a function. The gospel is that in the Kingdom the Lord “goes to prepare a place for us”. Each one of us has a function, just like members of the body. You might think that hair is not a very important function, but suppose you got a disease that caused all your hair to fall out. Same thing with fingernails, or teeth. There isn’t a single member of our body that we would want to lose or would not miss if we did lose it. This is the gospel. You are necessary. The body needs you. The Lord needs you to walk.
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. 12 When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?13 The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go.14 You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. 15 You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. 16 By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see.
There are many, many people who have turned their lives around after being saved. They might have been drug addicts or gang members and now their testimony is that they are completely healed. It is by faith in the name of Jesus that they were made strong. People describe sinning because they are “weak”. They are unable to resist temptation. Faith in the Lord’s name is what made them strong. God desires to do this because healing you glorifies His Son. Imagine how much you would regret having disowned the righteous one and instead embracing a killer who then kills you. Imagine the guilt in having killed the author of life and then seeing Him raised from the dead. If it was a mistake, then repent of disowning Jesus, call on His name and faith in His name will save you and completely heal you.
17 “Now, fellow Israelites, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders.
It is easy to blame the leaders, but they are no different from us. Everyone is ignorant, everyone didn’t know what they were doing. That is why Jesus is Lord and they are not.
18 But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer. 19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,20 and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus.
This is the gospel. Repent of your sins, turn to God, be forgiven and your sins will be wiped out, you will be refreshed and He will send Christ, even Jesus to you. All true believers are looking to the Lord’s coming. If you see that day approaching within you there should be a rejoicing. You can be both fearful and rejoicing, just like you would be before a big championship game is about to begin. But if you are feeling dread that indicates you have to deal with sins and get right with God. Fear the Lord, Love the Lord, rejoice at His coming. Those are all healthy. If instead you want to hide when you hear Him coming, that is what Adam and Eve did when they had sinned.
21 Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.
Once again the return of Jesus the King is an integral part of the gospel and what we believe. We are all pilgrims looking for a better kingdom. Right now you are seeing worldwide condemnation of the kingdoms of this corrupt age. That is half the story, the other half of the story is that Jesus came to rescue us from this corrupt and evil age.
22 For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. 23 Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from their people.’
It isn’t complicated. There are bibles everywhere, even free on the internet. Nothing could be easier than to listen to everything Jesus has told us.
24 “Indeed, beginning with Samuel, all the prophets who have spoken have foretold these days.
The Bible is filled with prophecies that foretell the end of this age, the last days, and the great day of the Lord’s wrath.
25 And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’ 26 When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”
Jesus was sent first to us, for us to repent and turn from our sins. But the ultimate goal of the covenant we have with God is that all peoples on earth will be blessed through us. The gospel is for the whole earth. It is going to deal with injustices. The protests going on all over this earth are from people who feel they have been disowned, that they have been treated like a murderer while the real killers go free. That may be a surprise to them, but it isn’t a surprise to the Lord, nor is it a surprise to all those who have received Him and been made strong by faith in His name. The gospel is not simply that the world is corrupt, but even more importantly that Jesus will save us from this evil age. Silver and gold is not salvation, anyone who thinks that is like a person on a sinking ship holding tightly to a chest of gold. If you want to be saved you must have faith in Jesus and you must listen to everything He tells you. Do that and we will walk through the midst of the sea on dry land while Pharaoh's armies will be swallowed up behind us.
Two thousand years ago there were no jobs in an office sitting at a computer. It was an agricultural society. If you can’t walk you can’t work. If you can’t work you have no function. Each one of us needs a function. The gospel is that in the Kingdom the Lord “goes to prepare a place for us”. Each one of us has a function, just like members of the body. You might think that hair is not a very important function, but suppose you got a disease that caused all your hair to fall out. Same thing with fingernails, or teeth. There isn’t a single member of our body that we would want to lose or would not miss if we did lose it. This is the gospel. You are necessary. The body needs you. The Lord needs you to walk.
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. 12 When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?13 The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go.14 You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. 15 You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. 16 By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see.
There are many, many people who have turned their lives around after being saved. They might have been drug addicts or gang members and now their testimony is that they are completely healed. It is by faith in the name of Jesus that they were made strong. People describe sinning because they are “weak”. They are unable to resist temptation. Faith in the Lord’s name is what made them strong. God desires to do this because healing you glorifies His Son. Imagine how much you would regret having disowned the righteous one and instead embracing a killer who then kills you. Imagine the guilt in having killed the author of life and then seeing Him raised from the dead. If it was a mistake, then repent of disowning Jesus, call on His name and faith in His name will save you and completely heal you.
17 “Now, fellow Israelites, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders.
It is easy to blame the leaders, but they are no different from us. Everyone is ignorant, everyone didn’t know what they were doing. That is why Jesus is Lord and they are not.
18 But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer. 19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,20 and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus.
This is the gospel. Repent of your sins, turn to God, be forgiven and your sins will be wiped out, you will be refreshed and He will send Christ, even Jesus to you. All true believers are looking to the Lord’s coming. If you see that day approaching within you there should be a rejoicing. You can be both fearful and rejoicing, just like you would be before a big championship game is about to begin. But if you are feeling dread that indicates you have to deal with sins and get right with God. Fear the Lord, Love the Lord, rejoice at His coming. Those are all healthy. If instead you want to hide when you hear Him coming, that is what Adam and Eve did when they had sinned.
21 Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.
Once again the return of Jesus the King is an integral part of the gospel and what we believe. We are all pilgrims looking for a better kingdom. Right now you are seeing worldwide condemnation of the kingdoms of this corrupt age. That is half the story, the other half of the story is that Jesus came to rescue us from this corrupt and evil age.
22 For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. 23 Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from their people.’
It isn’t complicated. There are bibles everywhere, even free on the internet. Nothing could be easier than to listen to everything Jesus has told us.
24 “Indeed, beginning with Samuel, all the prophets who have spoken have foretold these days.
The Bible is filled with prophecies that foretell the end of this age, the last days, and the great day of the Lord’s wrath.
25 And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’ 26 When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”
Jesus was sent first to us, for us to repent and turn from our sins. But the ultimate goal of the covenant we have with God is that all peoples on earth will be blessed through us. The gospel is for the whole earth. It is going to deal with injustices. The protests going on all over this earth are from people who feel they have been disowned, that they have been treated like a murderer while the real killers go free. That may be a surprise to them, but it isn’t a surprise to the Lord, nor is it a surprise to all those who have received Him and been made strong by faith in His name. The gospel is not simply that the world is corrupt, but even more importantly that Jesus will save us from this evil age. Silver and gold is not salvation, anyone who thinks that is like a person on a sinking ship holding tightly to a chest of gold. If you want to be saved you must have faith in Jesus and you must listen to everything He tells you. Do that and we will walk through the midst of the sea on dry land while Pharaoh's armies will be swallowed up behind us.