May 10, 2010
Acts 3
Pastor JoAn Blackmon
Two men, on their way to church, walked by a handicapped man. He raised his voice, lowered his eyes and said something like, “Hey, got any cash you can give a crippled man today?”
He’d seen Peter and John before and perhaps they had seen him, for this was his everyday place - right outside the front entrance of the church. And this was his everyday job - begging for somebody to help him. And evidently somebody always did, because he was still surviving.
Peter and John had no money in their pockets - they had actually pooled everything they had with the other new Christians. Empty wallets aside, money was not the answer today.
“Look! Really look at us!” Peter coaxed the man to make eye contact. “We don’t have what you’re asking for, but we do have what you need.” And with that, Peter spoke faith into the man’s heart and declared his healing in the name of Jesus Christ. That wasn’t all. This newly Spirit-filled, formerly fearful disciple, took the man by the hand and helped him up…walked him into the Temple courts and then gave him some space…back and forth the healed one walked excitedly, up and down he jumped, inside and out he was praising God!! The writer described the scene with words like “wonder,” “amazement,” and “astonished” and tells us a bit further in the story that a whole bunch of people made a decision to follow Christ that day.
My question for you to ponder is this - what if Peter and John had money in their pocket that day?
Could it be that sometimes we don’t have what people are asking us for, so that we will share with them what they really need instead?
Pastor JoAn manages equipping and discipleship teams, oversees “Women of Grace” (women’s ministries) and serves on the weekend and midweek teaching teams.
