Now Is The Time: Acts Adult JourneySample

GIVE WHAT YOU HAVE

PRAY:

Father, remind me that Jesus is completely adequate to save anyone, anywhere, in any condition.

READ:

Acts 3.1-26

The power of Pentecost heals the paralysis of the world. The wind of Pentecost carries the Church to people in need. The fire of the Spirit kindles warmth for others. The excitement and enthusiasm created by the Spirit motivates believers to be instruments for the healing of the world.

On their way through the Beautiful Gate of the temple to a prayer meeting, Peter and John met a cripple. The man was carried there by his friends to beg; Peter and John were led there by the Spirit to touch human need. Peter said to the man, “I don’t have any silver or gold! But I will give you what I do have…” (v 6). The hand was Peter’s, the power was Christ’s, and soon that cripple was walking, leaping, healed, and free (vv 7, 8).

What did Peter have to offer to a man experiencing the brokenness of the world? You know, you can only give what you have. You can only share what you possess! Peter told the crowd what he did not have: material possessions (v.6), their own power (v 12), or religious piety (v 12). Then, what did Peter and John have? Certainly they had compassion (v 4). They stopped when they saw the man in need and did not pass him by on their way to worship. They had holy boldness as they commanded the crippled man, saying, “Look up at us!” (v 4)

Peter was convinced that the exalted Christ was completely competent (“omni-competent”) to heal this man. The apostle knew that God’s people, through the years, were the beneficiaries of God’s miraculous, intervening power. Peter also had a conviction about Christ. He believed that nothing was impossible for Jesus to accomplish; that Christ was not a faded memory but a living power, the author and pioneer of life. It was this conviction that gave Peter courage—courage to offer Christ alone to the cripple, and courage to confront the crowd with the truth (vv 14-19).

Fear paralyzes so many people around us. They are trapped and chained by their own insecurities. Like Peter and John, you have what they need, who they need, and who they are truly looking for. His name is Jesus and he is completely able to save.

REFLECT:

Who are the crippled around you? Can you see their faces? Who comes to mind right now? With such staggering need, it is easy to be discouraged, overwhelmed, and to remain silent. Remind yourself that what you have to offer is the exalted Christ who is completely able to save to the uttermost.

RESPOND:

Take a few minutes to recall how God has intervened in your life and praise him for how he has demonstrated his power. Encourage someone who is struggling with life’s difficulties by sharing your testimony and by telling them that what God has done for you through Christ, he will do for anyone, anywhere.

Father, in the name of the exalted Christ, lead me, in the power of the Spirit, to where hurting people are, and let me extend to them the simple invitation, “Jesus is the source of life for you.”