Proclaiming His Message

Road trips have been a part of my life, and the life of my family since the very beginning. Carol is from Minnesota, I am originally from West Virginia, and most of our married life has been spent in the upper Midwest – Minnesota, both Dakotas, and now Wisconsin. That has meant lots of trips by car to grandparent’s homes over the years. On those trips, we occasionally come upon areas where we would see those orange construction signs...and big orange barrels...and there would be signs like: "speeding fines doubled in work zones," or "men working," or "left lane ends in 1 mile, merge right." I even saw one last year that was written in print like a child might write, "please drive carefully, my daddy is working today."

As we continue our study of Acts, we come to Acts Chapter 3. In Acts 1 we saw The Holy Spirit Promised. In Acts 2, we saw The Holy Spirit is Poured Out. Today, as we study Acts 3, we will see The Holy Spirit at Work!

As Dr. Luke, who wrote this history of the early church, wrapped up the situation at the conclusion of Acts chapter 2, he wrote, "Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles." In Chapter 3, Luke chooses one of these miracles to explain in more detail. He also shows why those wonders and signs were done – to allow those early believers to proclaim the message of Jesus Christ.

Please follow along as we read Acts 3:1-26.

There are several items I want us to notice about this example of the Holy Spirit at Work. The Holy Spirit took an ordinary day, and ordinary people, and did an extraordinary work.

First – The Holy Spirit works on ordinary days.

Luke writes, "One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer--at three in the afternoon." He doesn’t write, "One day, Peter and John went out so they could do some miracles." He doesn’t say, "When Peter and John woke up that morning, they knew that this day would be different from any other." No, from all evidence, we see that this is just an ordinary day.

There are times, of course, when God works in extra-ordinary ways on extra-ordinary days...like a prayer meeting with the Holy Spirit coming with the sound like wind and the flames like fire…but God also works in every day, ordinary ways. Like on the way to church, or work.

Peter and John were on their way to church. Just going down the road. They were simply walking on the way to the church, not at church or in the church. The fact is, the most important work of God is not going to take place inside these walls – it’s going to happen out on the roadways of life, while we are engaged in our ordinary, normal routines. John Henry Newman wrote these poetic words:

I sought to hear the voice of God
and climbed the topmost steeple:
but God declared: "Go down again---
I dwell among the people"

If we expect the Holy Spirit to only work on extraordinary days – “holy” days, like Christmas or Easter; or in extraordinary places, like church, conferences, or “revivals;” we are severely limiting our openness to His work. The Holy Spirit works every day, in ordinary circumstances

Just as it was an ordinary day for Peter and John, it was just “one day” for the lame man, too. We read in verse 2 that the man “was being carried to the temple gate.” It was his normal routine. When he got up that morning, as his friends helped him get dressed and out the door on his way to the temple, I guarantee you he did not think to himself, “Today is the last time this will happen.” It was just “another day in paradise” for the lame man. He was on his way to another day of humility, desperation and difficult existence.

The lame man stationed himself at the Beautiful Gate because Jews were required by their law and custom to support the poor and the disabled. It was at this place – at the Beautiful Gate - that offering boxes were strategically placed for worshipers to place their tithes and offerings. Through this gate, Jewish men and women of every station in life would enter into the inner realm of the temple. The ordinary Jewish person entering through that gate would have his mind naturally set on God, on pleasing God and obeying Him, so it was very strategic for the lame man to position himself at that place! He had the feeling that people who were worshiping God would be more helpful and more generous to someone in need like a poor, lame, beggar.

From the text, we can easily see that the crowds had grown accustomed to seeing him there. He had grown accustomed to being there. It was just “one day” out of all others – ordinary. But the Holy Spirit loves to work in the ordinary days of our lives.

The second thing I want to note this morning is that the Holy Spirit works in ordinary people.

On this ordinary day, Peter and John come by. Peter and John were both Jews; like the other worshippers that day. They were, in many ways, ordinary Jewish men, coming to do what hundreds of other Jewish men and women were doing that day. They had the same background, the same knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, they attended Temple like the others, they gave of their tithes, they were going to the temple to pray at the appointed time, just like all the others.

Imagine the thousands of ordinary faces this lame man had watched go by him over the last 40-plus years! In the next chapter, verse 22, we see that the man was over 40 years old. For his entire life, he had depended on the generosity of ordinary people to make it from day to day, meal to meal. Over those 40 years, the man had to have seen thousands upon thousands of faces! The Gate where he was positioned was 65 feet wide – with beggars all around on the 15 steps leading up to it.

I’m sure he had seen compassionate faces – on people who gave regularly out of love and mercy. He had seen cold faces, on people who gave out of frigid duty. He had seen bitter faces, on people who were giving to this man, but only because they wanted ammunition to fire at God when He was unfair to them. They wanted positive marks on their scorecard, like Dr. Dix talked about last week! You know, as I read this again this past week, the thought entered my mind – I wonder how many times he had seen Jesus’ face from his place next to the Beautiful Gate? Is it possible that Jesus had walked right past this man before?

In his biography of Jesus, in the 21^st chapter, Luke records an event from Jesus’ life that took place at this same place – Jesus was watching people go through the gate, and placing their offerings in the box, when a widow came and deposited two small copper coins. Jesus pointed her out as having given more than anyone else, because she gave out of her need. That occurred at this same place! Surely the man, who had been at the gate for 40 years, would have been there! Had he seen Jesus face? Had he asked for help? Had his eyes met Jesus’ eyes? When they did, as Jesus passed by, had the man been downcast? I can almost imagine Jesus thinking, “Not today friend, but one day soon…”

But it was not that day – not that extraordinary day, when the Son of God walked into the Gate, but on an ordinary day, when two ordinary Galilean fishermen walked in, that the Holy Spirit was going to do His extraordinary work!

Because you see, Peter and John were not really ordinary. They were unlike the others streaming into the Temple that afternoon – why? Because they had been filled with the Holy Spirit. And as we said a couple of weeks ago, the greatest change in those ordinary men who followed Jesus wasn’t that they spoke with different tongues, though that was cool – no, the greatest change was that they saw with different eyes.

They saw people differently...they understand their hurts...they understand their needs...

Peter and John were ordinary people...just like all the others that were gathering to worship that day...They were just ordinary every day people...but they had been filled with the Spirit! And that is just the kind of people that God uses!!!

God uses ordinary people...people like you...people like me...IF WE HAVE BEEN FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT! The greatest need in the church today is not people whose pockets are filled with silver and gold, but people who are filled with the Holy Spirit!

In the middle of the 13^th Century, Thomas Aquinas was visiting Pope Innocent IV in Rome.
The Pope showed him the vast treasure in the church’s vault...Pointing to all that great wealth, the Pope said, "No longer can the church say, ’silver and gold have I none.’" Thomas Aquinas replied, "It’s true, nor can the Church say to the lame man, ’rise up and walk!’"

In other words, the church can be rich, financially; but it can be powerless because the people are not filled with the Spirit. On the other hand, a church can be dirt poor; but it can have great power; because the people are filled with the Spirit!

Which brings us to the third thing I want us to notice this morning. The Holy Spirit works on ordinary days, through ordinary people to do extraordinary things.

These ordinary men, on this ordinary day, did an extraordinary thing through the working of the Holy Spirit in them and through them. The proclaimed the message of Jesus Christ. The proclaimed it through word and deed. They proclaimed the life-giving message of Jesus through the healing of one body, and the healing of thousands of souls.

Peter, we read in verse 4, “looked straight at him…” He didn’t avert his eyes from the poor man – he didn’t hope that the light would turn green and he could speed away before they made eye contact. Peter looked straight at the man – he saw the man with Christ’s eyes. Then he said, "hey, we don’t have any money to give you, but what we’ve got we will give to you.” Folks, THAT is a definition of evangelism! Just give what you have received. You don’t have to take lots of classes, or have a degree, or memorize some speech – all you have to do is take what you have been given, and share it with someone who doesn’t have it yet! That’s it!

Peter and John were just ordinary guys...but they were filled with the Spirit! They didn’t have any money to give, but what they had; they were willing to give away!

They were willing to serve...
They were willing to love...
They were willing to be used by God to touch people’s lives!

What about you? Are you just an ordinary man or woman? What do you have? Do you have silver and gold to give? Maybe not...but what do you have? Do you have God-given talent?
Do you have the ability to pray? Can you take the time to reach out and touch the life of someone who needs Jesus? God uses ordinary men and women who are filled by the Holy Spirit to proclaim the message of hope and healing to a lost and broken world.

Peter took him by the hand and helped him to his feet. What an image of what the Church should be! We should be in the business of reaching out our hand to those who are lost and those who are hurting. Those who need Jesus, and give them more than just a hand out - we can give them a hand UP! A church that stands afar off, oblivious to human pain and human need...is not much of a church!

But that wasn’t all! The Holy Spirit wasn’t done with His work with that one man. That act of love, that reaching out to the man in need led to an opportunity for those ordinary men, on that ordinary day to do an extraordinary thing – they proclaimed the message of Jesus to a group of thousands. People who had gathered in the temple to worship – they were ordinary, religious people, too. People, who, Peter says, had “disowned the Holy and Righteous One, and killed the author of life.” Over in chapter 4, verse 4, we read, “But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about 5,000.”

When the Holy Spirit is at work, one simple act of love and obedience can lead to unbelievable results. Thousands of people came to know Jesus because of a single act of compassion by two ordinary guys on their way to church on an ordinary afternoon.

Can you see yourself in this story? Maybe you see yourself this morning in the lame man. Life has beaten you up and left you in despair and hopelessness. You feel too week to stand under the pressure any longer. It’s just one day of misery, depression, and desperation after another – without hope. You know what? I don’t have the money you need, or the psychological help you need, or the social justice you desire – but what I’ve got I offer to you – You need Jesus! Only He can give strength to your broken body, and life to your broken soul. Trust in Him!

Or maybe you see yourself in the crowd that gathered. You’ve rejected the Holy and Righteous One and killed the author of life – but your curious about what you’ve heard about and seen in others who have found life and healing in Jesus. Like that crowd, you may have made those decisions in ignorance – you were disillusioned by religion and religious leaders – no matter – the answer is the same – Chapter 3, verse 19 – “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord…” Oh, man! Find that refreshing forgiveness and freedom that can come from receiving the forgiveness and life that Jesus bought for you on the cross!

Or maybe you are that ordinary disciple, walking along the road. Maybe you’ve received the forgiveness that Jesus gives, and you have experienced the refreshing presence of God in your life. If so, can you get your head around the idea that God wants to do extraordinary things through you? He wants to reach the lame, and the lost, through you? Proclaiming the Message of Christ is not about extraordinary circumstances or extraordinary people, it’s about ordinary people, in ordinary circumstances, sharing what they have from Jesus with the broken and hurting people around us. [i]

[i] Sources:

Brincefield, Larry. Keep Right, God Working. (Belleview Church of the Nazarene, Belleview FL)