#5 | Take Time to Think
Read: Acts 3:1-10
Meditate on your own:
- What do you notice about the characters in this passage?
- How do you see Acts 2:42-47 playing out in this passage?
- What strikes you about the interaction between Peter and the lame man?
- What verse/phrase stands out to you?
- What truths about God’s character and/or mankind’s condition do you think you can draw from this?
- Where do you find other parts of the Bible saying the same thing?
- What are the implications of that truth? What would be opposite to that?
- Why is this good news, both for you and for others?
- What does this reveal about your heart? What do you need to repent of? What do you need to ask God for?
Consider
As Luke zooms back into the narrative after his broad summary of the church in Acts 2:42-47, it is important to remember that the apostles occupied a special role in the history of the church. They had been with Jesus during his whole earthly ministry and were eyewitnesses of his death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. Jesus appointed them to uniquely represent him and bear his authority in what they said and did. In Acts 3, two apostles, Peter and John, encounter a lame man while heading into the temple to pray. An outcast of society with no real hope of change, the man dutifully asks the apostles for money and, like Jesus, Peter and John see past the request to the man’s real need (cf. Luke 5:24). They take the man by the hand and demonstrate that Jesus was as much at work through them then as he was while he walked the earth — the man is healed! Walking and leaping for joy, the man praises God before the crowd around him who knew the man he was.
If you are a Christian, you are like the apostles. You carry on the ministry of Jesus to meet the real need of those around you, showing that he is as much at work now as he was when he walked the earth. While you don’t possess the unique authority and power of the apostles, you can pray to the One who sustains the universe and does whatever he pleases (Heb. 1:3; Psalm 115:3) and share the good news that brings eternal life to everyone who believes. What would it look like this week to learn the needs of those around you and meet them? What’s more, if you are a Christian, you are just like this lame man. You were outcasted from the family of God, lamed by your sin with no real hope of change. Then, hearing the words of the apostles, you believed and were brought to life through faith in Jesus.
Take a moment to praise Jesus for saving you! Then, think about sharing your testimony with a friend who doesn’t know it.
Pray:
Use the acronym IOUS, turning the prayers of the Psalmist into your own.
Incline my heart to you and not to prideful gain or any false motive!
Psalm 119:36
Open my eyes to behold wonderous things out of your Word.
Psalm 119:18
Unite my heart to fear your name.
Psalm 86:11
Satisfy me with your steadfast love.
Psalm 90:14
