The Way - Day 027 (Acts 3)

Pastor Tom's Journal on Today's Reading:
Acts 3:1-26
Three thousand people have just repented of their sin and placed their belief in Jesus Christ as the only way for salvation and forgiveness of sin (2:40-41). This all transpired because the Holy Spirit had empowered the apostles (2:1-4) to speak the truth about Jesus Christ being the Messiah and as a result the church was established (2:41-47). Luke now begins documenting some of the occurrences in the lives of the apostles and those who came in contact with them.

Peter and John go to the temple to pray, which Jews did three times a day, and there at the gate is a lame man begging for money. Peter speaks to him saying, "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" (3:6). Peter takes the lame man's hand and lifts him up as he received strength in "his feet and ankle bones." The healed man enters the temple "walking, leaping, and praising God" (3:8). The people in the temple see this man recognizing him as the one who was earlier sitting at the gate of the temple begging for money (3:9-10). The onlookers "are filled with amazement at what happened to him."

It is interesting what happens next. The people rush to Peter and John to see by what power and authority they have healed this lame man (3:11). Peters seizes this opportunity to do what Jesus had commanded them to do (Acts 1:8) - be witnesses of Jesus death, burial, and resurrection for the sins of men. Instead of taking credit for the miracle or using the incident as a chance to promote themselves, Peter proclaimed that it was God alone who performed this healing through them (3:12-13). The apostles went on to confront them with the God behind this supernatural work. Peter declares that the same God who performed this miracle through them is the same one who sent Jesus "whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go. But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Prince of life [Jesus], whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses" (3:13-15). Peter is in essence accusing them of the murder of Jesus Christ. Doesn't sound very politically correct, does it?

Before you begin to think that Peter has no compassion on his audience, listen to what he says next, "Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance...but those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled" (3:18). Jesus' suffering and resulting death was part of God's plan to forgive sin. However, Peter then boldly speaks to them, "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord..." (3:19). Even though they did not really know that Jesus was the One sent from God, they were still responsible to seek His forgiveness through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for sin. Peter was calling them to turn from sin to God, in faith that He would "blot out" their sin. Thousands of years earlier God had promised Abraham that through his descendants, all the earth would be blessed (Genesis 22:18). Ultimately, Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of that promise offering forgiveness and eternal life to all who would believe (3:25-26).

The message of the church is identical to the one which Peter proclaimed 2,000 years ago. Repent of sin and trust Jesus Christ as the One who forgave sin through His death on the cross. May the church not lose sight of calling sinners to repentance.

Dear God, give the church boldness in calling people to repentance.