1. The Lame Man Walks (When Faith Meets Divine Power)
Introduction: A Life Defined by Limitation
For forty years, a man sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple in Jerusalem. Every morning, someone carried him to that same spot. Every evening, someone carried him away. His world measured only a few feet wide. He knew the temple steps better than anyone, yet he never walked through those gates to worship. Birth had denied him the gift of walking. Society had relegated him to begging. Day after day, worshippers passed by, some giving coins, most looking away. He had become part of the scenery, invisible in his suffering.
This man represents every person who feels stuck. You know the feeling. Something in your life refuses to change no matter how hard you try. The same problems greet you every morning. The same limitations follow you every night. But the account recorded in Acts chapter 3 shows us that one encounter with Jesus Christ changes everything.
The Encounter That Changed Everything
Peter and John approached the temple for three o'clock prayer. The lame man did what he always did. He asked for money. He expected coins. He received something far greater.
Peter looked straight at him. That look mattered. Most people glanced past beggars. Peter saw him as a person, not a problem. Then Peter spoke words that seemed foolish: "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk" (Acts 3:6).
Peter reached down and took his hand. He pulled him up. At that moment, strength flooded into feet that had never functioned. Ankles that had hung limp suddenly locked into place. The man who had never taken a single step now stood. He walked. He jumped. He entered the temple courts praising God with a voice full of wonder (Acts 3:7-8).
The crowd recognized him immediately. They had seen him begging for years. Now shock filled their faces. They gathered around Peter and John in Solomon's Colonnade, demanding an explanation. How did this happen?
The Source of True Power
Peter answered their unspoken question. He made clear that he and John possessed no special power of their own. "Why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?" (Acts 3:12). The power came from Jesus Christ, the one whom the people had rejected but whom God raised from the dead.
This moment reveals an essential truth. Human effort cannot produce divine results. The lame man had tried to walk for forty years. His muscles had wasted away from disuse. His bones had never developed strength. No amount of willpower would have lifted him. He needed power from outside himself.
Peter declared: "His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong" (Acts 3:16). Faith connects you to the power of Jesus. Your faith does not create the power. Your faith accesses the power that already exists in Christ. Think of faith as a hand that reaches out and takes hold of what God offers.
The resurrection of Jesus from the dead proved His authority over all things. Death could not hold Him. Sin could not defeat Him. When Peter invoked the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, he called on the authority of the risen Lord. That same authority works today. Jesus has not lost His power. He has not retired from helping people. He remains "the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8).
Your Circumstances and God's Power
You sit at your own Beautiful Gate. Perhaps poverty keeps you begging for help. Money runs out before the month ends. Bills pile up. Debt grows. You work hard but stay behind. You need power to break free from financial bondage.
Perhaps addiction has crippled you. Alcohol controls your choices. Drugs dominate your thoughts. Pornography enslaves your mind. You have tried to quit a hundred times. You have made promises you could not keep. You need power greater than your willpower.
Perhaps broken relationships have left you unable to move forward. Divorce has wounded you. Betrayal has made you bitter. Abuse has left you fearful. Guilt from your own failures keeps you trapped in regret. You need power to heal what you cannot fix yourself.
Perhaps sickness has stolen your strength. Pain fills your days. Doctors offer little hope. Your body betrays you. You need power over physical weakness.
Jesus spoke to people in similar conditions. To a paralyzed man, He said, "Rise, take up your bed and walk" (John 5:8). To a woman bent over for eighteen years, He said, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity" (Luke 13:12). To a man with a withered hand, He said, "Stretch out your hand" (Matthew 12:13). Each command seemed impossible. Each command required faith to obey. Each person received instant healing when they trusted His word.
The gospel message declares that Jesus saves you from sin and transforms your life completely. Romans 10:13 promises: "Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." When you call on Jesus with genuine faith, He forgives your sins. He gives you His Spirit. He begins changing you from the inside out. "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Taking the Step of Faith
The lame man faced a choice when Peter extended his hand. He could refuse, thinking the offer too good to be true. He could hesitate, afraid of disappointment. He could laugh at the impossibility. Instead, he reached up and took Peter's hand. He allowed Peter to lift him. He put weight on legs that had never worked. Faith required action.
You face the same choice today. Jesus extends His hand to you. He offers freedom from whatever holds you down. He promises strength to stand. He guarantees transformation. But you must reach out in faith. You must call on His name. You must trust Him even when your circumstances seem permanent.
Prayer opens the door to God's power. Prayer is not complicated. You speak to God honestly about your need. You acknowledge that you lack the power to save yourself. You ask Jesus to forgive your sins and take control of your life. You trust that He hears you and will answer. "The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up" (James 5:15).
When the lame man stood for the first time, he did not walk cautiously. He jumped. He leaped. Joy overwhelmed him. Forty years of sitting vanished in one moment of divine power. His praise filled the temple courts. People heard his story and glorified God.
Your transformation will produce the same response. When Jesus lifts you from addiction, you will want to shout His praise. When He breaks the chains of poverty through new opportunities, you will thank Him. When He heals your broken heart and restores your relationships, you will tell others. When He delivers you from guilt and shame, peace will flood your soul. Changed lives point others to the Savior.
Conclusion: Stand Up and Walk
The lame man did not need to understand everything about how healing worked. He simply needed to trust the word spoken to him. Peter told him to rise and walk. He believed and obeyed. Power flowed into his body. Strength filled his legs. His life changed forever.
Jesus speaks the same word to you today. Rise up from your limitations. Walk in the freedom He provides. Leap with joy at what He has done. Enter into the life God designed for you. Stop sitting at the gate begging for scraps when the King invites you to walk with Him.
The power belongs to Jesus. The faith belongs to you. Put the two together and watch what happens. Call on the name of Jesus Christ right now. Tell Him you need His power. Ask Him to forgive your sins. Trust Him to lift you up. He will do for you what you cannot do for yourself.
Forty years of waiting ended in one moment for the lame man. Your years of struggle can end today. The same Jesus who healed then still heals now. The same power that raised Him from death still works today. Reach out your hand. Take hold of His strength. Stand up and walk into the new life He offers.
"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and amen" (Ephesians 3:20-21).
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Blessings,
Pastor JM Raja Lawrence
Andaman & Nicobar Islands
email: lawrencejmr@gmail.com
Mobile: +91 9933250072
