Hello
Everyone,
A second
question we need to ask is —
Why did it happen?
[There
are at least 3 reasons why this miracle happened]:
The first reason is — FAITHFULNESS!
Note
carefully that —
Peter
and John were on their way to a time of prayer and praise!
It was
while they were being faithful to what they knew to do that God worked
miraculously through them!
Remember
this from last week:
"When we do what we know we'll
know what to do!"
Key — It
was the God-connectedness of the disciples that enabled them to be the
right men in the right place for the right purpose!
A second reason for the miracle can
be summarized by the word — FOCUS!
Verse 4
— "Peter
looked straight at him, as did John."
Peter
and John had undoubtedly passed this man before … but they'd always looked past
him … as so did many others!
[Let me
ask you a question] —
Why do
you think they focused on him this time?
Why was
it that they couldn't ignore the beggar's calls or brokenness?
Answer —
The
Christ who heard what others didn't hear and saw what others
didn't see the Jesus who was so incredibly interruptible was now
in them!
Christ's
focus became their focus and they couldn't take their eyes off an incapacitated
man who had God's focused attention!
How many believe that —
God had always
heard and always seen the hurt and heartache of the beggar … He
just needed to find some faithful followers who would convey the message
that — God knows your name and your needs … and He has the power
to make you complete!
Don’t
miss it —
Our Spirit-focused
attention on an overlooked life is more life-changing that we can
imagine!
That
fact is made crystal clear in the following story —
"I grew up knowing I was
different, and I hated it. I was born with a cleft palate, and when I started
school, my classmates made it clear to me how I looked to others; a little girl
with a mis-shapen lip, crooked nose, lopsided teeth, and garbled speech.
When schoolmates asked, 'What
happened to your lip?' I'd tell them I'd fallen and cut it on a piece of glass.
Somehow it seemed more acceptable to have suffered an accident than to have
been born different. I was convinced that no one outside my family could love
me.
There was, however, a teacher in the
second grade whom we all adored — Mrs. Leonard by name. She was short, round,
happy — a sparkling lady.
Annually we had a hearing test …
Mrs. Leonard gave the test to everyone in the class, and finally it was my
turn. I know from past years that as we stood against the door and covered one
ear, the teacher sitting at her desk would whisper something, and we would have
to repeat it back — things like 'The sky is blue' or 'Do you have new shoes?' I
waited there for those words that God must have put into her mouth, those seven
words that changed my life. Mrs. Leonard said, in her whisper, 'I wish you
were my little girl.'"
The focused
attention of a teacher … changed a little girl's life … because it was a
life-giving message that she was —wanted … chosen … special!
That's
the power of focused attention? It declares—
"you
do count … you are known … you are loved!"
There's a third key reason for the
miracle of Acts 3 — FULNESS!
Verse 6
—
"Silver
and gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ
of Nazareth, walk."
The Key
phrase is —"But what I have…"
This
phrase can also be translated —"But what I've been given … I give to
you!"
Key
question —
What had
Peter and John been given?
Answer —
The abilities (gifts) of the Holy Spirit to meet the needs of the man!
(Several "gifts" in operation … discernment; faith; healing,
miracles)
To Phrase
It Differently —
The Holy
Spirit filled Peter and John with the necessary tools to touch
and transform the crippled beggar!
Key —
That's what the gifts of the Spirit are — ministry tools for changing
lives!
Listen
carefully —
The
gifts of the Spirit are not — trophies ... toys ... talents
... or traits — they are TOOLS
... Tools for touching and transforming people by the POWER of Jesus Christ!
Let me repeat
and expand on that statement for a moment:
The
gifts of the Holy Spirit are not — trophies!
They are
not spiritual merit badges that say — "We've arrived at some level
of spiritual stardom!
When God
uses us it is humbling not exalting ... we know we didn't do it …
God did!
There’s
no room for show-boating our spirituality!
The
gifts of the Holy Spirit are not — toys!
They are
not given for our personal or private pleasure ... they are given
for service and edification ... those are not ends unto themselves!
The
gifts of the Holy Spirit are not — talents!
The
ability to make a man crippled from birth walk ... was not the result of Peter
or John's medical knowledge or surgical skills!
The
gifts of the Holy Spirit are not — traits!
Because
we are an “intellectual” doesn't mean we have the gift of knowledge or wisdom!
Let me
say it again — The gifts of the Holy Spirit are? TOOLS!
Tools
for everyday and everywhere ... essential tools for life-changing ministry!
That's
why we're to earnestly desire spiritual gifts because without them we're on our
own and we don't have what it takes to change a life!
Greater
Things Are Still To Come!
Pastor Phil
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