Missions Paul

Acts 3:9

When all the people saw him walking and praising God,

This man was used to drawing attention to himself. Every day he would call to the worshippers walking past him for money. He was well known. Whatever his name was and that wasn’t important to them, he was the beggar at the gate Beautiful.
These same people were surely now seeing his twin?!
How was it possible that this same man was now walking and praising God?
But he was and more importantly they saw him.
When people see something it is hard to disprove it.
“We stepped over him in the temple courts, then he joined us of his own accord!”
“He couldn’t stand now he is walking!”
May people testify more and more of what they see!!

Acts 3:8

He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God.

I’m not sure the temple had seen much jumping before!
He began to do what he couldn’t do before.
He jumped and he walked.
He was sitting but now he was heading to the temple courts.
He was asking but now he’s thanking.
The Lord turns around the fortunes of people.
He lifts them up and gives them a firm place to stand.
This man would never sit begging at the temple courts ever again.
The Lord brings those outside inside.
He creates noise.
Miracles are noisy!
You cannot silence the thankful. You cannot hold back those who have been touched by God.
Today the man wasn’t going to be quiet nor was he going to behave.
This was outrageous thanksgiving.
The miracle took place outside the temple service.
The thanksgiving took place within.
May our missions possess the miraculous and may our churches possess the praise. May God move outside so that the Church sees movement inside.

Acts 3:7

Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong.

Miraculous missions are done God’s way:
The right hand in Scripture was clear. It was the place of honour and high ranking of equal authority. Jesus is seated at the right hand, as Messiah in the Psalms and quoted by Jesus when he questions the Pharisees on his own identity (Matt 22:44). Paul would later write that Jesus is at the right hand interceding for us (Romans 8:34). God’s right hand is definitely Jesus, equal position in honour, power and authority. Peter took him by the right hand, Luke records this small detail. If it wasn’t significant why mention it, why not just say the hand. It is significant. Peter operated in the way of God, in Jesus.
It’s amazing to me how when I travel and meet other mission organisations how many don’t move in and through Jesus. One prominent missions agency has even banned any prayer meetings from taking place in its offices for fear of offending those who don’t hold to the Christian faith.

Miraculous missions happen when we help:
Peter and John didn’t ask the beggar what kind of help he wanted. They knew he wanted money. Sometimes it’s just obvious what kind of help is needed. But one thing we all need to do is to help in such a way that we remove the beggar mentality. Some missions work only creates more beggars. A heavy dependence on the giver and not finding a way to come alongside to help the beggar find respect and dignity, to rely on God and not man.
Before the miracle there is a Peter and John who cares enough to help. The instantaneous miracle happened as the beggar was in the arms of the apostles.
It’s time for you to hold in your arms the poor, the broken, the needy.

Acts 3:6

Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”

Some see missions only as financial donation.
If the man had received silver or gold it would only have perpetuated the problem.
Not all money going to the poor is wise money.

Some see missions through the name of someone powerful.
“Who are you going on the mission field with?” “I’m serving with X!” Sadly it can get competitive.
There are many names in missions.
There’s only one name that raises the cripple.

Some try and give what they don’t have and be what they are not.
Miracles happen when what we give is from the Father’s hand and who we are is hidden behind who Jesus is.
Missions in the name of Jesus contain miracles that are authorised by Him.
The command to do the impossible is part of the missions agenda. Those who can’t should be called into the realm of activity to do more than they or anyone expected.

Acts 3: 5

So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.

Right motives are often honed and developed.
People come to Jesus not because they want to surrender all but because they think He can heal them, deliver them, provide for them, help them.
If we wait for people to come with the right motives then our churches will be empty, our evangelistic opportunities rare and we will be increasingly frustrated.
The beggar had one thing in mind when he looked at Peter and John, it was money.
That’s all he thought he needed. He had long ago lost hope of what he really needed. All he had now was survival-mode.
However, he did have expectancy and that we need to applaud.
The beggar had a strong belief that he would get. It showed in his call, in his posture and in his reach. Those with no expectancy don’t call, they don’t sit up and they never reach.

So next time you want to knock someone’s motives for the gospel and for Jesus, praise them instead for their expectancy, even if what they are expecting is trivial to what Jesus is going to give them!
Right motives do eventually come.

Acts 3: 4

Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!”

The Church longs for the world to notice it but they fail to look at those in the world.
We look first.
Peter and John looked straight at him, meaning they weren’t distracted nor did they give a casual glance.
We need to slow our lives down so that we notice, that we have time to look, to study the story of people’s lives. We should never be distracted from the lost. They are everything!

How confident are we to say to someone that they would do well to take a look at our lives? At us! Not just me. But the plural of the church. How we do community. Beggar you are alone but we are together, look at us!

Acts 3: 3

When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money.

When you are a cripple you need healing.
But the temptation is to think what you need is something to sustain you in your crippled state because life is not going to change. I need money because I cannot work to get it myself.
Beggars are people who believe their ability to create and produce will be forever non-existent.

When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for prayer … he asked them for advice …. he asked for them to take him inside. No, he appeals to their charitable side. Every worshippers wants to please God. If they go to worship and the last thing they have done is thrown some coins at a beggar then surely God will be pleased. The beggar knows this. He is well positioned. There is so much money wasted in the name of missions because the donor wants to look good and please God.

Beggars and donors have a relationship only based on money.
What this beggar didn’t realise that the donors today were not prepared to enter into that kind of relationship. They were going to give him far more than he was begging for!

Acts 3:2

Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple court.

There are many cripples in the world.
They sit in the same place every day doing the same thing. They beg. They plead. They hold out their hands to the regular passers-by. Their world never changes. They have no dreams. This is it. It doesn’t get better than this.

This man with no name was put in the same place by his friends at the beginning of the day. At the end of the day he was picked up and taken home. But this was no ordinary place. Josephus the historian writes of it, ‘the gate was made of Corinthian bronze … It was the largest gate, it’s height was 75 feet, its doors were 50 feet and its decoration magnificent.’ Sometimes your environment and what you are facing each day makes you even more dwarfed than your crippled state. He was ugly and sat at Beautiful.

This event could have been approximately 2 years after Pentecost. This man was here every day all that time. Many worshippers would have either thrown him some coins or just walked past him into the Temple. Even perhaps the disciples like Peter and John. The feeling of rejection maybe scorn was a common pattern to his life. He got used to it. His crippled state crippled his mentality too.

Spare a thought today to those who have to resort to what this man was doing. If you see them don’t walk on by. Today could be a beautiful day if you stopped and noticed them.

Acts 3:1

One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer-at three in the afternoon.

Just one ordinary day of fellowship.
One day out of the many of going to the temple.
Just one day of good time-keeping.
One day of the focus being prayer.
One day. What a difference a day makes!
When you are with the right people, going to the right place at the right time then that one day can end up being quite an extraordinary day!
Today is such a day. Today you will be in fellowship with some other. Today you can focus your worship on Christ. You can agree to pray together.
Give Him your day today. See what can happen!

Acts 2:47
… praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

And the Lord …

He is here now, with you, working whilst you are working.
He is moving when you move and when you are not.
He is actively creating, evolving, making and changing your world as you try to make it better in some small way.
He is there when you don’t know where you are.
He is within the praises and above to receive them.
He is.
Recognise Him.
Who is centre of the equation and the answer of it.
Jesus. Our Lord.
Say it, And the Lord.
I did this and they did that And the Lord …
What did He do? What has He done? What is He doing?
Did you spot Him?
He is always there.