Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour (3:00 p.m.),
and a man who had been unable to walk from birth was being carried along, whom they used to set down every day at that gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, so that he could beg alms from those entering the temple.
So when he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he began asking [them] for coins.
But Peter, along with John, stared at him intently and said, “Look at us!”
And the man began to pay attention to them, eagerly expecting to receive something from them.
But Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have; but what I do have I give to you: In the name (authority, power) of Jesus Christ the Nazarene—[begin now to] walk and go on walking!”
Then he seized the man’s right hand with a firm grip and raised him up. And at once his feet and ankles became strong and steady,
and with a leap he stood up and began to walk; and he went into the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.
All the people saw him walking and praising God;
and they recognized him as the very man who usually sat begging for coins at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they were filled with wonder and amazement and were mystified at what had happened to him.
Now while he was still holding on to Peter and John, all the people, utterly amazed, ran together and crowded around them at the covered porch called Solomon’s portico.
And Peter, seeing this, said to the people, “You men of Israel, why are you amazed at this? Why are you staring at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?
The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His Servant and Son Jesus [doing Him this honor], the One whom you handed over and disowned and rejected before Pilate, when he had decided to release Him.
But you disowned and denied the Holy and Righteous One and asked for [the pardon of] a murderer to be granted to you.
But you killed the Prince (Author, Originator, Source) of life, whom God raised [bodily] from the dead. To this [fact] we are witnesses [for we have seen the risen Christ].
And on the basis of faith in His name, it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect health and complete wholeness in your presence.
“Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance [not fully aware of what you were doing], just as your rulers did also.
And so God has fulfilled what He foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ (Messiah, Anointed) would suffer.
So repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, regret past sins] and return [to God—seek His purpose for your life], so that your sins may be wiped away [blotted out, completely erased], so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord [restoring you like a cool wind on a hot day];
and that He may send [to you] Jesus, the Christ, who has been appointed for you,
whom heaven must keep until the time for the [complete] restoration of all things about which God promised through the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.
Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your countrymen; you shall listen to Him and obey everything He tells you.
And it will be that every person that does not listen to and heed that Prophet will be utterly destroyed from among the people.’
Indeed, all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also announced these days.
You are the sons (descendants) of the prophets and [heirs] of the covenant which God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed (descendant) all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’
It was for you first of all that God raised up His Servant and Son [Jesus], and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.”
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US!!
Content source: Amplified version of the Holy Bible by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631
Image source: Our media Team
This is one of my favorite chapters, here is shown the power of God, and true freedom. Pedro and Juan came from the ninth hour of prayer, which makes me suppose that they came full of the power of God, when the lame man they are left looking is with the intention of receiving something from them, something material. Pedro and Juan have the revelation of the spirit and tell him: I have no gold or silver but what I have I give you, in a few words they were saying I do not have what the system gives you, slavery, but I have something even greater and it is the freedom of Christ, that which does not make you dependent on any political or social system, so in the name of Jesus, get up and walk, at that precise moment the lame of the temple the beautiful was free, was saved.
There is power in Christ's name and christianity is all about poweR.
Verses 4 and 5 ministered to me.
And the man began to pay attention to them, eagerly expecting to receive something from them.
Peter and John charged the man to look at them and the man looked at them in expectancy. That goes a long way to say that the first step to deliverance is to look up. No matter how much a deliverer wants to deliver a person, the person in question must look up, and not just stop there, but in expectancy. This can be seen as faith. The bible says "looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith".
Now, someone might argue that the man didnt look unto Jesus but unto Peter and John. I want to point out that at that time, Peter and John were the vessels God wanted to use to grant deliverance and healing to the man. Is it not written "...believe in the prophet and you shall be established". It was not only the faith of Peter and John that enabled the miracle, but also the faith of the man.
Peter witnessed the power of God first hand through faith. He commanded the man who had been crippled all his life to stand up and walk. I could imagine how it first like to heal with the name of Jesus.
There is sufficient power in Jesus' name to perform amazing signs and wonders. It is now left for us believers to come to this understanding and have faith when we call on His name.
Peter and John knew this secret and that was why they were able to meet the need of the lame man.
vs 2 explains something quite strange
At the gate called Beautiful, it is expected that beautiful things should happen to people, but at that same place a man had being begging for God knows how long.
If you think it is negligible, why did the miracle performed by Peter on him happen at the same place called "beautiful"?
Many of us are in a place where good things should happen, but yet nothing to show for it..
In the name of Jesus, may God send you help that will change your story, AMEN
Amen. I receive it!
The power in the name of Jesus is ever effective and ever potent, no other name like Jesus and no power can stand against it. For it is written at the mention of the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow and every tongue congress that Jesus Christ is Lord. some men seek miracles that comes from that name but deny the power thereof
That right my brother. there is wonder working power in the name of Jesus
In this first miracle that Acts records and which was made by the disciples: Peter and John, we are given the key to the exercise by all believers of the authority of the faith. By ordering healing in the man lame from birth, Peter uses the full name and title of our Lord: "Jesus Christ (Messiah) of Nazareth." (Jesus "or" yeshúa ") was a common name among Jews and continues to be so in many cultures, but the declaration of its full name and title, a practice worthy of notice in Acts, seems to be a good and objective lesson for us. Let us do so when we claim authority over diseases or demons In our confession of faith or power, let us confess his deity and his lordship as Christ, let us use his precious name, as Jesus the savior, let us cry to Him as Lord Jesus or Jesus Christ, without the intention of establishing a legal or ritual principle at this point, it is wise to remember that just as we pray in the name of Jesus, we also exercise all authority in Him, through the privilege of power He has given us in His name....