In most of life’s ventures, when whatever we are seeking to do does not go swimmingly well, it is our first tendency to speculate that perhaps what we are doing is wrong … or we are using the wrong methods. A lack of success surely equals a lack of blessing. The presence of opponents, skeptics, naysayers, and even aggressively angry adversaries indicates that there is something wrong with the message or messenger, right? That seems to make sense.

But when it comes to the proclamation of the Gospel message of Christ, opposition is par for the course. Jesus said it would be like this – the people of the systems of this world persecuted him and they will persecute his followers as well.

Continuing on today with the story of the healing of the lame man (a fellow over age 40), Peter and John run into some serious opposition. Actually, the opposition ran into them, as the word used here describes a very sudden and unexpected action. The guys rushing upon them were the varied religious leaders of the day along with the virtual temple police force. The size and clamoring of the crowd had obviously attracted their attention. You can almost read between the lines and hear them saying, “Oh no, it’s this crazy Jesus/resurrection stuff going on again.

So Peter and John are thrown into prison in order to be dealt with the next day. But Luke makes it clear that this imprisonment did not squash the effects of the preaching, as the number of followers (counting the men only) had grown now to about 5,000.

The next day they appear before the semi-circle-seated Sanhedrin – a group of the top 71 religious leaders in Jerusalem, along with other experts gathered all around them. They demand to know the power behind this miracle – not that they wanted to rejoice in it, but rather that they may negate it in every way possible so as to hang onto their positions of authority. Ultimately, they cannot with political success really do much about it, since everyone has seen the obvious miracle that transpired. All they could effectively hope to do is threaten these men to no longer speak in this name of Jesus the Resurrection. This threat (and others not delineated) served as warnings and the legal basis for any subsequent actions.

Do you expect opposition to your Christian life, values, and witness? Or are you rather astounded that God allows it to happen to you? Frankly, we should expect it; we should not be surprised by opposition when serving God. On this matter of serving, a friend of mine gave me a book that he wrote about being faithful in the face of opposition. A passage that has oft run through my mind is where he said:  “This matter of calling is important to all believers. I, like Jeremiah, was a ‘reluctant prophet.’  God fingered me to serve him when I was planning to do other things. In return, I had no alternative but to consent to do his bidding. How peculiar this God who calls hesitant preachers and then complicates their work beyond belief! One would expect the vineyard owner to give his workers the easiest of paths since they are only trying to obey him.”

No, God puts us in difficult places that are beyond us and above us, in order that in our weakness his strength may be all the more clear. And it is through that opposition that God does his work of kingdom addition. We should expect it, and we should move ahead faithfully.

Peter and John before the Sanhedrin (Acts 4:1-22)

4 The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. ² They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. ³ They seized Peter and John and, because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. ⁴ But many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand.

⁵ The next day the rulers, the elders and the teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. ⁶ Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and others of the high priest’s family. ⁷ They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: “By what power or what name did you do this?”

⁸ Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! ⁹ If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, ¹⁰ then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. ¹¹ Jesus is “‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’               

¹² Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

¹³ When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. ¹⁴ But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say.¹⁵ So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. ¹⁶ “What are we going to do with these men?” they asked. “Everyone living in Jerusalem knows they have performed a notable sign, and we cannot deny it. ¹⁷ But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn them to speak no longer to anyone in this name.”

¹⁸ Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. ¹⁹ But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! ²⁰ As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

²¹ After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened. ²² For the man who was miraculously healed was over forty years old.

For the second time in Acts we see Peter taking the lead in an incredibly bold fashion. Here is the same guy who denied knowing Christ just two months earlier! He is in a most public of places, preaching a message that is nothing short of an “in your face” sermon telling people that they had certainly better repent.

The miracle in the temple of the lame man walking and hanging onto Peter and John created quite a spectacle, as people came rushing to see what had happened. It was in a location of the temple known as Solomon’s Colonnade, or the Portico of Solomon – a series of columns on the east side that afforded a public place of gathering for even a sizeable group.

Peter realizes that the people are looking at him as if he had some magical power, and he immediately deflects that errant conclusion by pointing rather to the name of Jesus as the source of the healing. He identifies Christ as the “servant” – connecting Jesus to the suffering servant Scripture of Isaiah 53.

And Peter then takes off on a very harsh indictment of these Jewish listeners … “YOU handed him over, YOU disowned him, YOU killed the author of life!”  You will recall that Pilate was ready to release Jesus, having found no fault in him; but it was the cry of the crowd for a murderer instead to be released. The nation was guilty – complicit in hanging their own Messiah on a Roman cross. They blew it!

BUT, Peter softens the tone, telling them that he understands they did this in ignorance as those who did not know the Scriptures. The prophets over the years were clear, as they had predicted the coming of a Messiah who would suffer. And through this, the greater plan of God would be accomplished of a savior for the world. God’s heart for the world is evident in the final verses of this chapter where the covenant with Abraham is mentioned – a promise from God that not only had ramifications first for the nation of Israel, but more largely spoke of the universal blessings to accrue to all people.

The problem of their rejection was a big one! But the opportunity to repent from this error and trust in Jesus was bigger yet! It was not too late. If they would turn around (the meaning of repentance), they would experience a new time of refreshment of God’s blessing and acceptance.

When we think of preaching a message of repentance, we think too often of some whacky street preacher with a sandwich board, a loud voice, multi-colored hair, and the crazed look of a guy who just touched an electrical wire in a rainstorm! We might picture an activist sort of preacher confronting people at a gay rights rally or some other function – where the primary message being preached sounds more like judgmental condemnation rather than love, life, and forgiveness. And that is unfortunate, because the message of repentance is the best news out there. It is saying that, even though you’ve messed up in the most gargantuan ways, you can turn away from that and turn to God without fear that He is going to whack you big-time. Instead, He is going to be the father who welcomes you home. Repentance is a good thing … REPENT!

Peter Speaks to the Onlookers – Acts 3:11-26

¹¹ While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon’s Colonnade. ¹² When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? ¹³ The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. ¹⁴ You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. ¹⁵ You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. ¹⁶ By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see.

¹⁷ “Now, fellow Israelites, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. ¹⁸ But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer.¹⁹ Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, ²⁰ and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. ²¹ Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. ²² For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. ²³ Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from their people.’

²⁴ “Indeed, beginning with Samuel, all the prophets who have spoken have foretold these days.²⁵ And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’ ²⁶ When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”

Something that was quite shocking on our recent trip to Europe was to see the horribly destitute condition of so many people who situated themselves as beggars upon the streets. Often they would position themselves upon their knees with faces down upon the pavement and arms and hands extended with a small cup containing a few coins. Totally pitiful!

But another feature was how these poor people would place themselves (or be placed by someone else) at strategic locations where thousands of people would daily pass by them. They were in the plaza of the Cathedral d’Notre Dame, outside the Vatican, on the streets leading to Versailles, and upon the famous walking bridges in Florence and Prague. At some junctures it was necessary to loop around them on the sidewalks.

Today we read about a fellow regularly positioned in such a strategic location – a man who was lame from birth. Fortunate to have some people who cared enough about him to help by carrying him, he was placed at the very busiest of gates into the Temple on a daily basis. Devote Jews would come to pray at the 9^th hour – about 3:00 in the afternoon. Surely it was difficult to take one’s conscience along to prayer and worship, having to almost trip over this poor creature along the way.

There was simply no way that one could be a regular to the temple without knowing about this guy and what he looked like. He was a “fixture” in Jerusalem.

As an expression of their commitment to prayer, Peter and John were coming into the temple and about to pass over this fellow. Somehow, Peter was moved to look at this man and speak to him toward giving him more than he was seeking – not just money, but an actual healing of his condition to demonstrate the power of God.

Was God interested in seeing this many healed? Well, yes… but the bigger reason was that it presented an opportunity for yet another display of signs and wonders – those unique demonstrations of God’s power that authenticated the messengers and the message being preached. The text reports that the masses of the people were amazed by this.

There was NO DENYING that a miracle had occurred! This situation sets up all the material in chapters three and four that we will read this week – as it leads to a sermon, to opposition and persecution, to God’s deliverance, and to a renewed prayer for boldness. And that last theme will be our topic as we next gather this coming Sunday.

This must have been an amazing new experience for Peter and John – fishing pals from back in Galilee who were called away from their boats by Andrew to follow this Messiah character around Israel. But Christ had promised them they would have greater experiences than catching fish (I know that imagining something better than fishing is a challenge for some folks!). And such was truly being fulfilled, as they are now catching others for the Kingdom.

We can be bold for Christ in our day and age. I don’t think it will often be through signs and wonders. But we do have the possession of the Holy Spirit within us, and we have God’s complete written Word that comes to us with a promise that it does not return empty. We simply need the boldness to use the tools we already have.

Peter Heals a Lame Beggar

3 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. ² Now a man who was lame 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 courts. ³ When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. ⁴ Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” ⁵ So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.

⁶ Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” ⁷ Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. 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. ⁹ When all the people saw him walking and praising God, ¹⁰ they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.