Scripture: Acts 3:1-10
Title: Beggars, Miracles and the Name of Jesus
In this passage we understand that the Church of Jesus is to 1. Be People who can deliver Hope 2. People who Look Outward not always Inward 3. People of Holy Spirit Power and not Powerless
INTRO:
Grace and peace from God Our Father and our LORD KING JESUS and the Holy Spirit!
What a great day to be serving the LORD JESUS CHRIST!
Let's get into our passage this morning - Acts 3:1-10.
Did you notice as we read our passage that there are three major things that have caused the Church of Jesus Christ to cringe over the years? Now, what are those three things? They are in no particular order - beggars, miracles and the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
+ Let's deal with beggars for a moment. Beggars bring up all kinds of uncomfortable images in most people's minds. In Peter and John's day beggars were a common sight around the Temple. Up until about 50 - 60 years ago they were a common sight around the great cathedrals and churches both here in the United States and in Europe as well. W. H. Davies, the tramp poet, tells how one of his vagrant friends told him that, wherever he came into a new town, he looked for a church spire with a cross on the top and began to beg in that area. It was his belief that wherever you found people who loved God that they would in turn love people as well; especially those who were marginalized. He could always count on people in the church and around the church for a meal or a few coins. (Barclay - Daily Study Bible - Acts of the Apostles).
Not so much today. In fact, you will find most beggars today either walking the streets of downtown cities, hanging around intersections (on and off ramps) or standing near grocery stores holding some type of handmade signs telling others around them that they need some form of help. Most of our churches are no longer bothered by traveling beggars knocking on our doors or hanging around our facilities.
Part of the reason for that is because most church doors are locked Monday through Saturday. If the Church does have a staff, often they are located in a building that is nearby or the staff does the majority of their work at home. The average church today has very little foot traffic Monday through Saturday. Of course, that is not true of all churches but as you travel around our country it is more often to find the doors of a Church locked Monday through Saturday than it is to see them open.
The Jewish Temple was different. It's doors normally opened around 6 AM and they closed at 6 PM. It's busiest times were the three scheduled times of corporate prayer - 9 AM, 12 midday and 3 PM every day of the week. You could always count on a number of people coming through the different gates surrounding the Temple during those hours. And because of the heavy foot traffic and the thought of "the LOVE OF MAN AND THE LOVE OF GOD GO HAND IN HAND" usually the gate areas were ideal locations for beggars and others that needed some type of help.
Another reason today we don't have a great deal of beggars hanging our churches is that we have for the most part transferred the responsibility of the care of beggars to Rescue Missions, Food Pantry's and Local Compassionate Ministry Centers. Taking care of beggars has become an offsite ministry in most locations. Some of that has been by accident while in other places it has been by design. After all, is the average American Church ready to handle someone on a Sunday morning who shows up disheveled, mildly intoxicated or reeking of sweat, bad breath and perhaps even urine? Is the average American Church ready to handle someone showing up looking malnourished, having slept on the ground the night before and shaking from withdrawal? Is the average American Church ready to take in a mother and some children who have been beaten and abused the day or week before?
The sad truth and it is one that we would rather not think about is that we are not ready. Most of our churches do not have food ready to hand out, immediate cash to take care of other's needs or even a place that we can quickly house them. If they come back when our offices are open then we will try to help them but for the most part our resources are inadequate. Most churches are not equipped to take care of beggars or needy families on an average Sunday morning. Most churches do not have a plan in place or even see the need to have a plan in place. Beggars coming to a church on Sunday morning is not something that we are used to seeing.
It appears that the Temple was not always ready as well. In our story our beggar suffered from some type of paralysis which of course meant that he was not allowed to go into the inner most chambers of the Temple. He could come to the gates of the Temple and beg but he had to stay on the outside. It seems that both the Temple and our churches today need some help in these areas. Perhaps it would do good for us to examine how we can be ready on a Sunday morning to help those in need who might come to our doors.
+Secondly, we see that the presence of miracles can also cause us some great concern. While we love to read about miracles they come with a two-edged sword. They inspire us and they provide for us great stories to share with one another. They enable us to believe in the impossible. They also serve as sign posts reminding us that we serve a God who can heal and restore.
But they also challenge us. They cause us to reflect and ask why they don't happen today like they did back in the days of the Early Church? They can cause us to begin to feel a bit uncomfortable about their absence today. They challenge our faith. They challenge the way we do ministry.
So, typically, we read stories like this and while we enjoy them we quickly put them away. We let them touch us on a surface level but not to any degree of great depth. The Church lectionary merely slides this story to the side and doesn't concentrate on it to any large degree. It's like it is there in front of us but let's not dwell to long on this particular miracle. It may cause us to examine why such type miracles are not foremost in the life of the church today.
Most commentaries do not know what to do with our passage this morning either. So many spend their time talking about how John and Peter were together as a team, the location of the Beautiful Gate or how if we only open our eyes a certain way today we can see just as many miracles happening everywhere around us.
The truth is miracles both amaze us and make us uncomfortable. We don't know what to do with either their absence or when they do occur. Why was this person healed and that person not? Why didn't Jesus heal this man one of the times that He had visited the Temple? Why weren't the other beggars at the other gates healed?
It bothers us because we can't explain why God does what God does. It bothers us that God seems to do what He wants to do without always telling us why? It bothers us because it means that we don't control things. It bothers us because we can't wrap our head around these types of stories. Are they to inspire us, cause us to pattern our lives after them or to be just historical stories of how the Holy Spirit worked in the lives of the Early Disciples?
+ All of this leads us to a third area that at times makes us uncomfortable. And that is when Peter uses the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. He has the chutzpah to call out the name of Jesus as a way of healing this man. It is right there in verse 6 -
In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!
Notice, the Apostle Peter didn't give himself any wiggle room. He could have said in the name of the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY or Jehovah Rapha or even El Elyon but he didn't. He might have used the name of Moses or one of the great prophets but he didn't. Instead, just to make sure the man and everyone around him could understand very clearly the Apostle Peter used the full name of Jesus along with the town he was from. Peter didn't say - Jesus of Jerusalem but Jesus Israel's Messiah from Nazareth. Peter cried out so that everyone could hear - I heal you in the name of Jesus the Messiah from the town of Nazareth. Jesus the man who just a few days ago the Temple had condemned to be crucified on a cross. Jesus who we know now is the Resurrected Messiah, Savior and King!
Wow! You know that all of that caused quite a stir. It always does when someone uses the name of Jesus. Back then it was consider blasphemy to use Jesus' name in such a way. No one in the Temple wanted to ever hear the name of Jesus much less hear his name being used to bring about a healing. No one wanted to face the reality that a person could be healed in Jesus' name and that just a few weeks ago the Temple had condemned him and sent him to die on a Roman Cross. No one wanted to face the reality that God in Flesh had been walking around them and had taught in the Temple and instead of receiving God in Flesh they did their best to kill him. No one wanted to face up to the fact that given a second chance to walk with God they had sinned even more than Adam and Eve. While Adam and Eve rebelled against the LORD the authorities of the Temple had done their best to kill God.
Sadly, we today even in the Church at times shy away at using the name of Jesus. We may sing about him on Sunday morning but when it comes to public prayers or to being a witness for him in the office, in the classroom or just around the water cooler we shy away from his name. More often than not those who don't believe in Jesus use his name more than we who do who believe in his name. More often than not Jesus' name is said in public as a swear word and not a word of praise, honor and glory.
And yet, it is at the name of Jesus that sins are forgiven. It is at the name of Jesus that everything and everyone shall bow the knee both in heaven, on the earth and under the earth. It is the name of Jesus that is above all names. It is the name of Jesus that brings salvation and transformation of life. Pure and simple it the name of Jesus that means everything.
The Apostle Peter is not quoting some new magical incantation. He is not calling upon the power of some supernatural force that is in opposition to God. Peter is calling upon the name of God the Son, God in Flesh - our Messiah, Lord and King. Peter is being a witness for Jesus. Peter is wanting everyone all around to understand that in Jesus the New Age has already begun. A new age of freedom, of healing and wholeness.
So, what do we do with this story? Do we merely stay uncomfortable because it involves beggars, miracles and the name of Jesus? Do we shy away from it only touching it as some Vacation Bible School Story or Children's Church story? Do we read it and brush it off telling ourselves that it has no application for today and for our churches today?
No, I think we read it and learn some very key lessons from this passage. Lessons that can help us and even challenge our faith, our prayer lives and our ways of doing evangelism and outreach.
What are those lessons? I am so glad you asked. Let's look at a few of them briefly this morning.
1. We are to be Bearer's of Hope
Where do you go when you need hope? Some would say that you should go to the Salvation Army or to an Addiction Recovery Center or even to some Eastern Religious Center that teaches contemplation, yoga or centered meditation.
For the ancient Jews there was only one place - the Temple. For the Temple was the only place where Heaven and Earth touched. The Temple was the only place where the Shekinah Glory of the LORD resided. That is why thousands of people would travel hundreds of miles to come and celebrate the Festivals and the Holy Days. It was not merely to see family and friends and to share in a time of fellowship although that did happen and was greatly enjoyed. The ancient Jews believed that when they came to Temple they could expect an encounter with the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY.
Their daily trips for prayer or for Bible study were not something that was merely a part of some regular religious habit or ritual. The Temple was where the Spirit of the LORD resided. The Temple was where one could experience and feel God. The Temple was where one could hear, see, feel, smell and taste God.
Sadly however, in this particular man's case, he could only get to the outer edges of the Temple. His handicap prevented him from being able to step inside and see the wonders of the Temple, join in the worship and study and experience the Shekinah glory of the LORD. His handicap was seen as a barrier to him being able to experience the LORD.
And so, he settled on the hope of temporary assistance in the form of money or gifts. He had given up all hope of really being touched by God and had decided that for him the best he could do was to obtain a little gold or silver or a gift that could be exchanged for food, clothing and shelter. He came by during the times of prayer not be to be healed or allowed to come into the inner court but to hear the sounds of some coins that would be placed in his box. Being lame also meant that he was unclean so no one going in our going out of prayer would have allowed themselves to touch him and therefore become unclean themselves. Those who brought him every day committed themselves of having to undergo a strict ritual bath for cleansing.
All around the church we find similar type of people. People who are looking for hope but believe that they are either not allowed or welcomed in our houses of worship and prayer. And so they for the most part don't even try to come in. They merely wait outside and expect us to give them a coin or two that will temporarily take away their pain, their hunger and their need. They don't even expect everyone to respond to them. They don't even expect anyone to talk to them or ask them how they are doing. They don't even expect to lock eyes with someone. They merely hope that every so often a coin or two falls their direction.
More than once I have attempted to do more than just give a check, a food voucher, a receipt for a paid utility bill, hotel room or a tank of gasoline. I have tried to reach out and tell the person that we want to be there as a presence in their lives not just today but tomorrow and the next day as well. That we are more than a gas station, a rest station or a place that is doing its best to cram some truncated message of Jesus down their throat.
At times I have been successful. More times than not I have been greeted with the look of - "Sure, I know you won't be here the next time" or "You are just helping to get some great story" or "You are only helping to get me out of here" or something similar. More times than not I have encountered those who no longer believe that we in the Church truly care for the long haul or that we will deliver more than once. We are good for one or two times a year helping them but any more than that and they will have to go down the street to other houses of worship or compassionate centers.
The answer is not easy. The answer is to go to prayer. The answer is to ask for wisdom. The answer is to put people above programs. The answer is to be willing to go out on the limb. The answer is to become uncomfortable. The answer is to be a true Good Samaritan. The answer is to not fall victim to thinking that because we can't help everyone then we can't help anyone. Far too long the Church has hid behind that one.
"But I don't come to church to help beggars. I come to worship the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY and be with my family and friends who seek to do the same." Hmm?
As far as we know there were might have been more than one person who was hurt that day in the story of the Parable of the Good Samaritan. As far as we know perhaps the man only had room for one, supplies for one and extra funds for one. As far as we know perhaps that day he was with others who picked up someone else and together they went down with more than just one man.
We don't know. But what we do know is when we can help one we must help one. Our church and the Church of Jesus Christ must be a place of Hope.
I visited a church one time that wanted to go by the name of Hope. I thought it was a great name. I was visiting and so I tried to tune in as much as possible to hear their mission and message. However, in the middle of the service during the sermon the speaker declared publicly that they were a place of hope but not a place where just anyone or everyone could get their needs met. He wanted to make sure that those present didn't take him to mean that the church would be in a total compassionate ministry enterprise. They were a place of hope if you needed some where to go on Sunday morning or you needed someone during that time to pray with you for a few minutes. Beyond that you would need to go to the local charities or compassionate ministry centers for help. I left saddened for them and for their future.
I believe the LORD is calling us as His Body to once again become places of hope. Real hope. Spiritual. Social. Emotional. Mental. Physical. Financial.
It will not be easy. It will make us uncomfortable. It will cause us to stretch and it will cause us to pray. To pray for guidance, direction and power. And then to reach out and see what we can do for others rather than merely sending them down the street.
II. We are to Look Outward and Not Inward
Both Peter and John had a great deal on their plates. They had a lot on their minds. Things like what were they to do now after Pentecost? How were they to share the message of Jesus? What would happen to them if they did share the message of the Resurrection and New Life? Would they be the next ones to be crucified on Calvary? Would they be cast out of the Temple and forever branded as an apostate?
How were they suppose to support their family and friends without Jesus? Where they to live in Jerusalem the rest of their lives or to pack up and go back to Galilee? Who would be their new leader?
You can imagine the both of them with their heads down walking towards the Temple burdened with everything that has gone on. You can even imagine them doing their best to slip into the side doors of the Temple understanding that just a few weeks ago their rabbi had been crucified on the cross. You can imagine them tying to be incognito.
But your imagination would be misguided. For it is the Apostle Peter that is in this story. It is the man who was bold enough to step out on the water. It is the man who was bold enough to argue with Jesus. It was the man who was bold enough to stand up on the Day of Pentecost and declare to all those around that they needed to repent, be baptized and enjoy the infilling power and presence of the Holy Spirit.
Peter and John were not looking inward. They were looking outward. They saw this man in need. They felt in their heart that they needed to do something. Something that would bring both healing and wholeness to this man while at the same time proclaiming the name of Jesus. They believed that they had a double mission. The mission of sharing the message of Jesus and the mission of bringing comfort, healing and transformation into the lives of people all around.
I believe that Peter had been praying for this very event. I believe Peter and John had been asking the LORD to lead them to do something that would enable them to proclaim the name of Jesus in a mighty way. I believe that they had been praying and following the lead of the Holy Spirit eager and ready to do something special for Jesus.
And so, when they saw this man the Holy Spirit quicken their hearts and minds. They realized that they were going to be able to help this man in a way that would turn his world upside down while at the same time giving Jesus praise, honor and glory.
These two men's holiness not only led them to the Temple to pray it led them to see the man in need. In fact, they never got to go in and spend all the time they needed in prayer because of the healing. The healing led to a sermon which then led to them being arrested for healing in the name of Jesus. The priests and the Sadducees got all in an uproar and instead of rejoicing with the man they put Peter and John in prison. How dare these men do something to bring healing and wholeness to another human being. If the Temple had thought that this man needed to be healed then it would have done something.
If we in the Church want to stay safe and secure all we have to do is focus inward. All we have to do is to focus on our own needs. All we have to do is to make sure every Sunday what we do here and what we say here stays here. All we have to do is to agree that Christianity is an "in the house" Sunday only experience. All we have to do is ignore the needs that are outside of the church and merely plan for a nice time of praise and worship. All we need to do is to focus and determine that all the monies raised will go towards taking care of the needs of the denomination, the staff, the mortgage on the building and some creature comforts of the local congregation. As long as we do that we will always be safe and secure.
It's only when we begin to focus on the outside needs of others that we find ourselves in trouble. It's only when we begin to see how we can bring new people in, be inclusive rather than exclusive, build bridges rather than walls and share from our hearts to others rather than be focused on our own needs that we find ourselves in trouble.
And take note - when we do focus outward we will find ourselves in trouble. We will find ourselves in trouble because in today's would we are only to preach about Jesus we are not to live like Jesus. We are not to bring Jesus to our work places, to our schools or even to our communities. We are not to bring a Jesus that will turn people's lives upside down, cause them to reject divorce, adultery, lust, addictions, pornography, lying, stealing, racism, hatred and malice. We are not to bring a Jesus that truly reaches out to the handicap, the poor, the disenfranchised or marginalized.
Peter and John were not surprised by either the healing nor the arrest. But what else where they to do? How else where they to live out a life filled with God's Holy Spirit? They were called to be people looking out for others not a people looking out only for themselves. They had been those people when they gathered together behind locked doors right after Jesus' crucifixion. They had been those people before Jesus' Resurrection, Ascension and the Coming of the Holy Spirit.
Now that the Holy Spirit had come they were no longer people of locked doors but people whom locked doors opened. Which is exactly what happened that very night they were arrested. Whereas before it was Peter, John and the rest who sought locked doors of protection and safety now through the Holy Spirit they craved for open doors so that they continue to tell people about Jesus.
This morning, we must follow their example. We must be people who look outwards rather than inwards.
III. Finally, we are to be people of Power and not Powerless
+People of Hope - that we can be.
+People looking outward - that we can be.
But this last lesson - People of Power. This is one we cannot do in our own strength.
We can try but we will fail. We can try to pump up the emotions, we can try to get the right program(s) and we can try to say all the right words but in the end we will only be frustrated, disappointed and afterwards living in a spirit of despair.
To be a people of Power we need to be a People of Prayer. To be a people of Power we need to be a People of Waiting for the Presence of God. To be a people of Power we need to be a People of Commitment, Consecration and Surrender. To be a people of Power we need the continual Infilling Presence of God's Holy Spirit.
To be a people of power we need to be a people of Obedience.
- Israel had to march 13 times around Jericho before the walls began to shake. That takes commitment, consecration and surrender. That takes obedience.
- Namaan had to dip seven times before he received the power of his healing.
- Esther went in the power that resulted from three days of prayer and fasting.
-The Early Church spent ten days in prayer before the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
- Paul had to turn around and go the opposite direction before he saw great missionary success among the Gentiles. He had to allow the Holy Spirit to be the Leader.
- Philip had to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit to catch up the Ethiopian's chariot to share the message of Jesus.
What am I saying? We have to pray, wait, commit, surrender, be obedient and be a vessel ready for the LORD to mold, to fill and pour out.
King Saul didn't wait, disobeyed and it cost him his kingdom. Namaan wanted to do it his own way and almost lost out on his healing. Peter tried to get ahead of Jesus only to get rebuked and later to fall flat on his face. Paul tried to hide behind a veil of zeal and Phariseeism and did more harm that he did good.
If you ever wonder where the other 10 disciples where in this story I think I can safely say that they were back together in some room praying for Peter and John. I think everyone knew where they were going and perhaps even what was going to happen. And so the 10 and perhaps others got together and prayed.
That is what it takes to be a people of spiritual power. It takes spending time with God. You could even call it if you want to some "DAD TIME". That is what Jesus called it and that is what He told us to do in His Lord's Prayer. He told us we are to call upon "Our Father" - Abba - Dad or Daddy. Jesus wants us to spend some "DAD" time with Our Heavenly Father.
It is out of their "Dad" time that when Peter and John saw this man that they focused in on him. Perhaps the reason they wanted him to look so intently at them is they wanted to confirm what the LORD was getting ready to do in and through them. This man wasn't the only beggar to be at the Temple that day. They wanted to do the right thing that would bring honor and glory to the LORD.
They didn't want to draw attention to themselves. They were not interested in making God's power some side show like Simon the Magician was later on in Acts. They were locked in on doing God's Mission. They wanted to bring God glory and honor. And for that day it meant taking the right hand of that man and lifting him up on his feet in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. For that day it meant proclaiming the name of Jesus to bring forgiveness, grace and healing.
What it will mean for us only the LORD knows.
-It may mean be for us to be vessels of healing.
-It may mean for us to be vessels of encouragement.
- It may mean for us to be vessels of intercessory prayer for others.
-It may mean for us to be vessels sharing grief, sorrow and pain.
- It may mean for us to be vessels that shares resources.
- It may mean for us to be vessels that walk alongside people as they recover from addiction.
- It may mean for us to be vessels that walk besides a single parent who is dealing with abuse, lack of funds or mere exhaustion.
- It may mean for us to be vessels that walk besides those who are depressed and overwhelmed with life.
Whatever it means, we will be able to do it in the power of the most wonderful name of all - the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
Beggars, miracles and the name of Jesus. They can cause us a great deal of confusion and concern. But they can also lead us to being a People:
+Who are able to bring hope to the lives of all of those around us
+Who focus their attention not just inwardly but outwardly as well. Not abandoning the needs of those inside the church but enlarging the mission to include those outside the church as well.
+Who are full of God's Power and are Ready to be Vessels filled with God's Holy Spirit. Vessels that God can use to pour out evangelism, compassionate ministries, prayer, miracles, anointings, transformations and more.
This morning is that our heart beat? To be a People of Hope? To be a People focused on how we can help others? To be a people of Holy Spirit Power? To be God's Vessels in our world? To be God's change agents in our homes, our work places, at school and in our communities and beyond?
This morning our altars are open - our prayer teams are ready to pray for you and with you. We are here to meet one another's needs. We are here to be Jesus to one another. We are here to share Jesus.
Let us come together and pray for the LORD to help us reach out to those who need us. To reach out to bring about transformations in our communities. To be Jesus to all those around us.
Let us pray.
Closing Song/Open Altar/Prayer Time
