Good Morning,
This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. It is going to be very warm and even hot here in New York. The mercury should be reaching 90 degrees F. The Franklin Graham Festival will begin this evening at 7 p.m. There is an explosive anticipation in the air. The Lord is going before us trailblazing the area and drawing many people to Himself: boys and girls, young men and young women, old men and old women to the kingdom. The Lord is always going before us paving the way. He wants us simply to show up so that we may behold His glory and experience His grace.
Please pray for the entire team, including all the leaders and workers, that the Lord would anoint the preaching, the listening, and the counseling. The Lord is going to heal the land and restore His people. He will bring many sons and daughters to the Kingdom. Jesus came to set the captives free. He came to give sight to the blind. He came to give life to those who were dead in sin. He came to rescue the perishing.
During the early days of the Church, the Lord rescued a young man. He lived a life of debauchery and sin. His mother was praying for him faithfully and fervently. The Lord heard the prayer of a mother and rescued her son, who became one of the greatest theologians of the early church. He is known as St Augustine. Augustine's life as a young man was characterized by loose living and a search for answers to life's basic questions. He followed various philosophers, only to become disillusioned with their teachings. For nine years he was associated with the Manichean sect, but he gradually became aware that Manicheism was unable to provide satisfactory answers to his probing questions.
At this time Augustine was teaching rhetoric in Milan. He went to hear the preaching of Saint Ambrose, the Bishop of Milan. At first he went only to hear Ambrose's eloquent style of speaking, but the Bishop's preaching led Augustine to a new understanding of the Bible and the Christian Faith.
Some time in the year 386, Augustine, his mother Monica, his son Adeodatus, and several friends, were spending time in Cassiciacum, a small village near Milan. While outdoors, Augustine heard the voice of a child singing a song, the words of which were, "Pick it up and read it. Pick it up and read it." He thought at first that the song was related to some kind of children's game, but could not remember ever having heard such a song before. Then, realizing that this song might be a command from God to open and read the Scriptures, he located a Bible, picked it up, opened it and read the first passage he saw. It was from the Letter of Paul to the Romans. Augustine read:
Not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual excess and lust, not in quarreling and jealousy. Rather, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh. --Romans 13: 13-14
Reading this scripture, Augustine felt as if his heart were flooded with light. He turned totally away from his life of sin. He was Baptized by Ambrose during the Easter Vigil April 24, 387. His friend Alypius and his son Adeodatus were Baptized at the same time. Later, reflecting on this experience, Augustine wrote his famous prayer: You have made us for yourself, Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you. He went on to become a powerful influence on the spirituality and theology of the Christian Church.
Jesus must love people for He made so many of them. He desires and dreams that all of them will come to the saving knowledge of His redeeming love. He delights in His own. He knows them by name. He throws a massive party when one turns from sin to the Savior, when one makes an U turn to the Lord of life and resurrection, when One says no to Satan says yes to the Savior in full surrender and abandonment. Indeed, what a wonderful change is being wrought in a believer's heart when Jesus comes to be in resident there.
We are blessed with four beautiful daughters who are blessed with keen minds and warm hearts. By the grace of the Lord all of them love Jesus as Lord and Savior and serve Him as their King and Master. They have a deep passion for Him and are focused on glorifying Him. Our third daughter, Laureen, went forward to give her life to Jesus during the Billy Graham crusade that was held in Syracuse. She was a little girl. The Lord Jesus honored her childlike faith and has kept her in the grip His grace. She now lives in Washington. She drove home yesterday to attend the Franklin Graham festival. We are so blessed. Thank you Jesus.
We also have a couple in our church who accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior during the Billy Graham Crusade which was held in Madison Square Garden. They also are parents of four daughters. One of their daughters accepted the Lord during that Crusade. They all have been serving the Lord faithfully and joyfully since that time. The couple are Mr. and Mrs. Al Binder. They have been married 57 years. They are the salt of the earth.
It is a wonderful testimony to the work of grace of the Lord that those who come to trust Jesus during mass evangelism such as the Franklin Graham Festival remain to faithful to Jesus and to His church. We are praying for a great and mighty Move of the spirit during these days of the Festival and the preaching of the Word, that many would come to Jesus and enter His Kingdom.
All Hail the Power Of Jesus' Name,
Brown
The bus leaves our church parking lot on Friday and Saturday at 4:30 PM and Sunday at 1:30 PM. Come, share, & rejoice!
Reminder: Food Collection at Festival
Friends,
Thank you for the prayers for what God is going to do during the NY/Penn Franklin Graham Festival. As a reminder the Love-In-Action Committee of the Festival will be collecting food for the local food pantries during the Festival. There will be trucks in front of the Binghamton University Event Center and downtown at the Binghamton Arena. Please have everyone from your church bring at least one can good if possible so that we can bless the food pantries and many families.
Every month more than 7,500 people need food assistance in Broome County alone. So far through Festival events we have collected more than 11,800 items weighing almost 5 tons and that has been distributed to 37 food pantries from Montrose, PA to Oneonta, to Owego and throughout the Binghamton area. We have the opportunity to do even more through the Festival if you bring non-perishable food items and encourage others to do the same. Thank you so much for your participation and prayers. Also, please remember to continue to pray for those on your Operation Andrew list.
Sincerely,
Love-In-Action Committee
NY/Penn Franklin Graham Festival
Office 607-584-9370
Friday, June 8, 2007
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Brown's Daily Word
Here we are, on the verge of participating in the Franklin Graham Festival to be held here in the Event Center of Binghamton University. They are forecasting that it will be 90 F tomorrow. We are trusting and anticipating that the Holy Spirit will come upon the event with fire and wind and will ignite that place and draw thousands to Jesus. We are excited and thrilled.
Billy Graham once said, “The evangelistic harvest is always urgent. The destiny of men and of nations is always being decided. Every generation is strategic. We are not responsible for the past generation, and we cannot bear the full responsibility for the next one; but we do have our generation. God will hold us responsible as to how well we fulfill our responsibilities to this age.” Jesus said it this way, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (Matthew 9:37) We have the wrong perspective when we are thinking that the harvest is not plentiful, when we are thinking that no one is interested in spiritual things.There are always people who are searching for God, and our God is always drawing people to Him. There are more and more people inhabiting this earth. Paul declared in Romans 1:16, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of every one who believes.” Hebrews 4:12 reminds us, “…the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Isaiah 55:11 says, “so is my word that goes out from my mouth: it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which it sent it.” Having found Christ, all of us have found the greatest person. In Christ we have found the solution to all our problems and the supply of all of our needs. In him we have found something to live for and die for. The early Christians were ignited by the fire and passion for Jesus to share His good news with others. They had found Jesus and there was no way they were going to keep it to themselves.Not even when punished and promised further punishment would they be silenced. They said things like, “We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:20) What a wonderful example they have left us. “They never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.” (Acts 5:42) Jeremiah said, “his word is in my heart like a fire…I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.” (Jer. 20:9). Having the right kind of passion begins with appreciating what God has done for us, and then wanting to tell others what God can do for them. Ultimately, what we want to do is to point them to Jesus. Jesus is the Savior and the source of salvation. Acts 4:12 says, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” The story of Jesus is truly a compelling story. It is a story of love and sacrifice. It is the story of a man with a mission and unequalled character and courage.I am convinced that if we simply tell people the story of Jesus, he will capture their hearts. So, what is the good news that we must be faithful in sharing? It is the news of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. (1 Corinthians 15:1-5) Implied in this gospel is that fact that God loves every single one of us and that he values us enough for his son to make the extreme sacrifice of himself for us. The good news is that God is not going to count people’s sins against them if they are in Christ, for being in Christ means that we are new creations. The old has gone and the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17-18). Jesus said that we are the salt of the earth, and part of what he meant by that is that we, being salty, can make others thirsty. We make them thirsty by telling our story illustrating what God can do in a person’s life. Our God is so faithful, and he calls us to be faithful. One aspect of our faithfulness is being faithful in sharing the good news about Jesus. There is a crisis of confidence in our country. Faith gives us the courage to face the present with confidence and the future with expectancy. I often draw inspiration from little William Carey, who became known as the Father of modern missions. His motto was "Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God." For forty-seven years he pioneered the modern missionary movement in India, translating the New Testament into 44 languages and providing a model for indigenous leadership training around the world. Several years ago (1985) a celebration took place at a municipal pool in New Orleans. The party around the pool was held to celebrate the first summer in memory without a drowning at the New Orleans City pool. In honor of the occasion, 200 people gathered, including 100 certified lifeguards. As the party was breaking up and the four lifeguards on duty began to clear the pool, they found a fully dressed body in the deep end. They tried to revive Jerome Moody, 31, but it was too late. He had drowned, surrounded by lifeguards celebrating their successful season. What a tragedy! It is even more tragic when people surrounded by Christians still die and go to hell not knowing Jesus. The early Church was committed to reaching the lost for Christ. We need to raise the bar in our commitment toward reaching others as well.
Please continue to pray for Sunita, who is still in Africa. She is flying back home from Africa on Saturday.
Laureen is driving home today. She is going to join me in attending the luncheon welcoming Franklin Graham tomorrow.
Jessica and Tom are coming up on Friday evening. Jess, Tom, and Laureen are coming up to attend some Festival activities and to attend their cousin's wedding.
I will be interviewed by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association live on radio this noon.
Praise the Lord for all His blessings! It is wonderful to be alive, to know the Savior, and to be part of His eternal Kingdom.
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Brown
Billy Graham once said, “The evangelistic harvest is always urgent. The destiny of men and of nations is always being decided. Every generation is strategic. We are not responsible for the past generation, and we cannot bear the full responsibility for the next one; but we do have our generation. God will hold us responsible as to how well we fulfill our responsibilities to this age.” Jesus said it this way, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (Matthew 9:37) We have the wrong perspective when we are thinking that the harvest is not plentiful, when we are thinking that no one is interested in spiritual things.There are always people who are searching for God, and our God is always drawing people to Him. There are more and more people inhabiting this earth. Paul declared in Romans 1:16, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of every one who believes.” Hebrews 4:12 reminds us, “…the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Isaiah 55:11 says, “so is my word that goes out from my mouth: it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which it sent it.” Having found Christ, all of us have found the greatest person. In Christ we have found the solution to all our problems and the supply of all of our needs. In him we have found something to live for and die for. The early Christians were ignited by the fire and passion for Jesus to share His good news with others. They had found Jesus and there was no way they were going to keep it to themselves.Not even when punished and promised further punishment would they be silenced. They said things like, “We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:20) What a wonderful example they have left us. “They never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.” (Acts 5:42) Jeremiah said, “his word is in my heart like a fire…I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.” (Jer. 20:9). Having the right kind of passion begins with appreciating what God has done for us, and then wanting to tell others what God can do for them. Ultimately, what we want to do is to point them to Jesus. Jesus is the Savior and the source of salvation. Acts 4:12 says, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” The story of Jesus is truly a compelling story. It is a story of love and sacrifice. It is the story of a man with a mission and unequalled character and courage.I am convinced that if we simply tell people the story of Jesus, he will capture their hearts. So, what is the good news that we must be faithful in sharing? It is the news of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. (1 Corinthians 15:1-5) Implied in this gospel is that fact that God loves every single one of us and that he values us enough for his son to make the extreme sacrifice of himself for us. The good news is that God is not going to count people’s sins against them if they are in Christ, for being in Christ means that we are new creations. The old has gone and the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17-18). Jesus said that we are the salt of the earth, and part of what he meant by that is that we, being salty, can make others thirsty. We make them thirsty by telling our story illustrating what God can do in a person’s life. Our God is so faithful, and he calls us to be faithful. One aspect of our faithfulness is being faithful in sharing the good news about Jesus. There is a crisis of confidence in our country. Faith gives us the courage to face the present with confidence and the future with expectancy. I often draw inspiration from little William Carey, who became known as the Father of modern missions. His motto was "Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God." For forty-seven years he pioneered the modern missionary movement in India, translating the New Testament into 44 languages and providing a model for indigenous leadership training around the world. Several years ago (1985) a celebration took place at a municipal pool in New Orleans. The party around the pool was held to celebrate the first summer in memory without a drowning at the New Orleans City pool. In honor of the occasion, 200 people gathered, including 100 certified lifeguards. As the party was breaking up and the four lifeguards on duty began to clear the pool, they found a fully dressed body in the deep end. They tried to revive Jerome Moody, 31, but it was too late. He had drowned, surrounded by lifeguards celebrating their successful season. What a tragedy! It is even more tragic when people surrounded by Christians still die and go to hell not knowing Jesus. The early Church was committed to reaching the lost for Christ. We need to raise the bar in our commitment toward reaching others as well.
Please continue to pray for Sunita, who is still in Africa. She is flying back home from Africa on Saturday.
Laureen is driving home today. She is going to join me in attending the luncheon welcoming Franklin Graham tomorrow.
Jessica and Tom are coming up on Friday evening. Jess, Tom, and Laureen are coming up to attend some Festival activities and to attend their cousin's wedding.
I will be interviewed by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association live on radio this noon.
Praise the Lord for all His blessings! It is wonderful to be alive, to know the Savior, and to be part of His eternal Kingdom.
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Brown
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Brown's Daily Word 6-6-07
Here we are on the eve of the Franklin Graham Festival to be held here in the Event Center at Binghamton University. Some of the prominent Christian bands, like Point of Grace and the Third Day, will be in concert prior to the proclamation of the Gospel by Franklin Graham. Jesus will be proclaimed as the Savior of the world. Jesus is indeed the light of the world. He is King of nations and Lord of all. He is Eternal and yet very contemporary. He is divine and celestial but yet very earthy -- the Word became flesh and dwelt amongst us. He is the Risen Lord and yet He is Man of suffering acquainted with grief. Franklin Graham will be proclaiming the same Gospel that was proclaimed by Peter over two thousand years ago. As we walk through the Book of Acts we see in Acts 3 and 4 that Peter and John were instruments of the risen Savior to heal a man who had been lame his entire life. This man gets up and runs into the temple praising God. As you might expect, a great crowd gathers and Peter begins to preach. In this sermon Peter the preacher points out that Jesus Christ is the Author of life [3:15]; He was raised from the dead [3:15]: He fulfilled a 1500 year-old prophecy [3:22]: He is coming again [3:21]: and all the families of the earth are blessed through Him [3:25]. Jesus Christ has global impact! His Gospel Has Global focus. For the Lord is global in His love and in His grace, For God so loved the world:This was his message. When we come to Acts 4, we find that the Jewish officials arrested them for preaching Jesus. After spending the night in jail, these believers were called to stand before the religious leaders of Judaism. In defense of their actions, these men—now filled and anointed with the Holy Spirit—proclaim the absolute supremacy of Jesus Christ. They were being asked to give up Jesus, but they refused. Look at verse 12, : “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved.” Today you and I need to feel the impact of this audacious and explosive and astounding claim—“There is salvation in no one else.” We need to wrestle with this claim because you and I are being asked in many subtle ways to give up Jesus for a greater religious cause. The supremacy of Jesus is declared exclusively. Our world hates this word. Carl Sandburg said that the word “exclusive” is the worst word in the English language. Yet, I want you to know that Jesus Christ Himself made many exclusive claims. Just look at John’s gospel. Jesus claimed to be the eternal God [Jn. 1:1; Jn. 8:58]. He claimed the exalted position of judging the world [Jn. 5:22]; and He claimed to be the only Savior of the entire human race [Jn. 14:6; Jn. 10:9]. Do you see why Peter made his exclusive claim in our text today? Jesus Christ is not a local god vying for the affection of other nations. He is the one true God who has been declared to be the exclusive Savior of the entire world! There is only one person—one name in the whole universe that has the power to save and bring a person to heaven to live with God forever. That name is Jesus! The supremacy of Jesus is declared inclusively also. Christians are bashed because they preach that Jesus is the only one who can save. Here is the other side of the world’s half-truth. Jesus Christ is the exclusive Savior who inclusively invites the entire world to be saved. Take His word in John 3:16—“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Anyone can be saved if they come to Jesus. Do you see now how the supremacy of Jesus is declared both exclusively and inclusively? The question is this—will you allow the culture to cause you to give up Jesus? Our culture can be slick at times. Subtly, it moves against the church of Jesus Christ with deadly effectiveness and stealth. Take the following examples for instance. Jason is a 38-year-old single economics professor in California. In response to a question asking why he didn’t attend church, he replied, “I know you don’t like to hear this but I really don’t see how Jesus can be the only way to heaven. I definitely believe in God, but there are just too many people in the world who don’t believe in Jesus for me to think that God doesn’t love them too.” This is pure relativism. Based on this philosophy, one concludes that it makes no difference what you believe. There are no absolute truths. What is true for me may not be true for you and vice versa. Relativism distorts the supremacy of Jesus, but there are other distortions also. "One sees the totality of God’s full revelation through all religions." This too distorts the supremacy of Jesus and brings Him down to the level of Mohammed, Buddha, Confucius, and others. Was Peter right when he made his bold claim? Let me tell you, the supremacy of Jesus is defended by reason. One of the rules of logic states that a truth is true all the time. Truth never contradicts itself. Two plus two is four whether you live in America or Thailand. We have already seen how Jesus claimed to be God in the flesh. He claimed to have the ability to forgive sins, to heal the sick, to raise the dead, and He did all these things. Now, either Jesus Christ was telling the truth or He was a liar. You can’t have it both ways. Therefore, you are not left with the option of lowering Jesus down to the level of other religious leaders. Either you believe Him or you don’t. You can’t patronize God! Notice, the supremacy of Jesus is defended by revelation. The God of the Bible does not buy into the culture’s distortions of truth. He never has. Look at the following verses: Exodus 20:3; 1 Kings 18:21; Isaiah 44:6; 1 Timothy 2:5; and 1 Jn. 5:12. Clearly the Bible teaches that there is only one God and one Savior that can reconcile sinful man to the Holy God. Make no mistake about it. The pressure to give up the supremacy of Jesus is increasing. The early believers were forced to deal with this challenge. For them it was either religion or Jesus…Caesar or the Lord Jesus. The point is this—you must deal with this pressure. You can’t avoid it, because it is only going to get worse. Jesus is the truth. He said it and He backed it up with His life, death, and resurrection. You have only two choices here. Either you receive Him as your personal Lord and Savior or you reject Him outright. There is no middle ground. He invites you to believe Him and trust Him. In the face of antagonism, do you have the courage to stand for Jesus unashamedly? Listen to Paul’s word to the believers in Philippi, “Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ; so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; in no way alarmed by your opponents—which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God.” [Phil. 1:27-28] Jude said that we must contend earnestly for the faith. This takes courage. Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might! Ask God for courage today. Our calling is to get this truth of Jesus to our neighbors and the nations. Jesus Christ is the only name under heaven by which we or anyone else can be saved. Will you tell others about Jesus? Jesus is the one and only Savior and Lord of this world. This is the truth. Let us Honor Him with our lives and our lips. Let us Praise Him with our whole heart. He is worthy! He is worthy! He is worthy! “God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” [Phil. 2:9-11] Give Him glory! Give Him glory! Give Him glory! He is Jesus Christ, the one and only!
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Brown's daily word
It seems that our world is full of tragedy. We hear countless stories every week of tragedies that have taken place all over the planet. So many, in fact, that the disaster has to be pretty extraordinary to hold our attention for more than a few minutes. It isn't that we no longer care about the hurts of people, but simply that we hear about so many things that we tend to become sort of numb.However, our attention is sometimes held captive by the story of someone whose tragedy has turned to triumph. We like to hear about the bad boy turned good, the poor man who became prosperous, or the nobody who became somebody. The account that we are considering today is just such a story. Acts chapter 3 tells us of a man who had experienced a terrible tragedy in his life, one that would perhaps depress and defeat most people. Fortunately, this man was graciously granted deliverance. Peter the preacher, after his explosive first sermon at Pentecost that demanded decision for Jesus, went with John to the temple with John to pray at 3 p.m. On the way to the temple Jesus used two of servants to perform the first miracle in the name of Jesus, the Risen One. This astounding miracle created a poisonous and explosive controversy with the religious leaders. That led Peter to preach his second sermon. As we look at nature and the content of Peters's second sermon and compare and contrast it with his first sermon they are the same. We know from experience every preacher has only one sermon, though he preaches it differently at different seasons.
When Cambridge University student Thomas Bilney bought a Greek New Testament, his interest was purely academic. However, when Bilney opened God’s Word, he encountered the Gospel and his entire life was transformed. Bilney felt led by God to join himself to a group that shared his beliefs. This occurred during the Protestant Reformation, so Bilney joined the Cambridge Protestants. He began preaching and teaching, but was arrested in 1527 and threatened to keep silence. Bilney would not be silent. He could not keep quiet the gospel that burned in his heart. He was arrested, and later released with another warning. In 1531, he was arrested one last time. Condemned as a heretic, Bilney died at the stake for the gospel of Christ. Like Thomas Bilney, the apostle Peter simply could not keep quiet about Jesus. The opportunity arose to address the crowd that gathered there in the temple courts and Peter seized it. You see, Peter was ready when the opportunity arose. Peter had a divine appointment that day at the beautiful gate with a lame man who was healed. Then God provided Peter the opportunity to preach to more than 5,000 people gathered there in the outer court of the temple. Like Peter, we need to be ready to share Christ with others as the opportunity arises. Paul instructs his protege, Timothy, to this in Timothy chapter 4, verse two, which reads – 4 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
Maybe you will have the opportunity to teach a crowd; maybe you won’t. Maybe you will get the chance to share Christ with one of your friends, or co-workers, and in God’s economy, you sharing Christ with one is just as important as sharing Christ with a huge crowd. God’s work is measured in hearts, not in numbers.So, when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: "Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though 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, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go. 14 But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. 16 And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. 17 Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18 But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. 19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20 and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, 21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. 22 For Moses truly said to the fathers, ’The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. 23 And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’ 24 Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days. 25 You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ’And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ 26 To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities." Peter spoke the truth in love to the crowd gathered there. He didn’t let them off easily; he hammered his points home, and he didn’t really care if his message was “politically correct”, or whether it offended anyone. God’s Word is not something that we should compromise on. God’s Word is that standard by which we should live our lives. My professor at Princeton, Dr. Bernard W. Anderson used say, "To understand the Bible you need to stand under the Bible". We preach and stand under the authority of the Holy Spirit and Holy Scriptures and above all under the authority of Jesus the Lord of the church. So when Peter faced crowd and crisis, trusting Jesus Christ as the Christ of every crisis, he responded to the people, "Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? The apostle Peter started off with a question. He saw that the crowd had gathered there because of the miracle that had just taken place. One thing that I notice right off is that Peter took the very first opportunity to direct them to Jesus - not to himself, or to the man that was healed, but to the healer. Jesus was a very famous (or infamous) figure in Israel around that time, depending on whom you asked. Many people had thought that Jesus was the Messiah, and that He would kick the Romans out, and set up an earthly kingdom. Once He had been crucified, however, this hope quickly faded. These people had been looking for a king, and a military leader. In fact and indeed, He was a king, but He came this time as a suffering Servant. Peter told them that they had traded their Savior for a murderer. By doing this, Peter saed, they sealed Jesus’ fate. The Prince of Life was killed because they had asked for a murderer to be released to them rather than Jesus. But, this didn’t stop Jesus. It was not a big deal to the God of the Universe. No, Jesus was raised from the dead. Peter and John had been witnesses to this fact. Not only Peter and John, but over 500 other people were witnesses. Peter and John had also seen the Lord ascend into heaven, to be taken up to the right hand of the Father. Jesus had healed people while He was on the earth doing His earthly ministry. The people gathered there knew about the miraculous healings that Jesus had performed. People brought sick from miles around, and word of that quickly spread around. It was little wonder then, that if Jesus could heal people on earth, then He could still heal people now that He had ascended into heaven. Hebrews 13:8 tells us that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Some in the church today believe that miraculous healings ceased with the death of the apostle John. Hebrews 13:8 tells me different from that. Jesus can heal people on earth, He can heal people after He ascended, and He can still heal people today. I am the living proof of His healing power even today. 16 And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. 17 Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18 But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. Jesus had risen from the dead.
That was a fact the Peter and John had been witnesses to. The crowd had to be feeling pretty guilty at this point. They had condemned the Savior. Peter presented them with the explanation of the man’s miraculous healing; it all stemmed from faith in Christ. Miraculous healings are a gift from God – totally. If He chooses to heal, then we need to get out of the way, just like Peter was doing here. If He chooses not to heal, that’s His prerogative, and it has nothing to do with our own faith. I have seen accounts of this that devastated people that weren’t healed. They think that somehow their faith wasn’t strong enough. This is sad, and it misrepresents God.These people were eyewitnesses to the perfect healing worked by the divine will of Jesus Christ. This resulted in a total healing of the man, by the total will and grace of God. Even though they had killed Jesus in ignorance, it was not a surprise to God; it was all part of His plan. It was God’s plan all along. God’s plan was foretold by His prophets down through the years. We see Isaiah, Jeremiah, David, Zechariah, and Daniel, among others, foretelling the life, ministry, death, resurrection, and reign of Christ. I would imagine that the folks in the crowd were wondering, “What should we do?”, just like the crowd we saw back in Acts chapter 2. Peter’s general pattern for the gospel message is the same though, from his earlier evangelistic message and this one. Peter first tells them the bad news – that the killed the Messiah, Jesus. Then he would proceed to give them the good news, and that was that forgiveness was available to them by God’s grace. 19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20 and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, 21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. Verse 26" God having raised up His servant, sent Him to you first, to bless you, in turning every one of you, from your wickedness".
The Risen Lord is at large in the world to bless every one who turns to Him with a broken heart and a contrite spirit. He will be present during the Franklin Graham Festival, which will start This Friday at 7 p.m., at the EVENT Center of the Binghamton University. He will be there to bless people by thousands. He will forgive, he will restore, and He will refresh. He will find the lost and encourage the found.
Thanks be to Jesus. He is the same, yesterday, today, and for ever.
In Him,
Brown
When Cambridge University student Thomas Bilney bought a Greek New Testament, his interest was purely academic. However, when Bilney opened God’s Word, he encountered the Gospel and his entire life was transformed. Bilney felt led by God to join himself to a group that shared his beliefs. This occurred during the Protestant Reformation, so Bilney joined the Cambridge Protestants. He began preaching and teaching, but was arrested in 1527 and threatened to keep silence. Bilney would not be silent. He could not keep quiet the gospel that burned in his heart. He was arrested, and later released with another warning. In 1531, he was arrested one last time. Condemned as a heretic, Bilney died at the stake for the gospel of Christ. Like Thomas Bilney, the apostle Peter simply could not keep quiet about Jesus. The opportunity arose to address the crowd that gathered there in the temple courts and Peter seized it. You see, Peter was ready when the opportunity arose. Peter had a divine appointment that day at the beautiful gate with a lame man who was healed. Then God provided Peter the opportunity to preach to more than 5,000 people gathered there in the outer court of the temple. Like Peter, we need to be ready to share Christ with others as the opportunity arises. Paul instructs his protege, Timothy, to this in Timothy chapter 4, verse two, which reads – 4 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
Maybe you will have the opportunity to teach a crowd; maybe you won’t. Maybe you will get the chance to share Christ with one of your friends, or co-workers, and in God’s economy, you sharing Christ with one is just as important as sharing Christ with a huge crowd. God’s work is measured in hearts, not in numbers.So, when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: "Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though 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, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go. 14 But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. 16 And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. 17 Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18 But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. 19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20 and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, 21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. 22 For Moses truly said to the fathers, ’The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. 23 And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’ 24 Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days. 25 You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ’And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ 26 To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities." Peter spoke the truth in love to the crowd gathered there. He didn’t let them off easily; he hammered his points home, and he didn’t really care if his message was “politically correct”, or whether it offended anyone. God’s Word is not something that we should compromise on. God’s Word is that standard by which we should live our lives. My professor at Princeton, Dr. Bernard W. Anderson used say, "To understand the Bible you need to stand under the Bible". We preach and stand under the authority of the Holy Spirit and Holy Scriptures and above all under the authority of Jesus the Lord of the church. So when Peter faced crowd and crisis, trusting Jesus Christ as the Christ of every crisis, he responded to the people, "Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? The apostle Peter started off with a question. He saw that the crowd had gathered there because of the miracle that had just taken place. One thing that I notice right off is that Peter took the very first opportunity to direct them to Jesus - not to himself, or to the man that was healed, but to the healer. Jesus was a very famous (or infamous) figure in Israel around that time, depending on whom you asked. Many people had thought that Jesus was the Messiah, and that He would kick the Romans out, and set up an earthly kingdom. Once He had been crucified, however, this hope quickly faded. These people had been looking for a king, and a military leader. In fact and indeed, He was a king, but He came this time as a suffering Servant. Peter told them that they had traded their Savior for a murderer. By doing this, Peter saed, they sealed Jesus’ fate. The Prince of Life was killed because they had asked for a murderer to be released to them rather than Jesus. But, this didn’t stop Jesus. It was not a big deal to the God of the Universe. No, Jesus was raised from the dead. Peter and John had been witnesses to this fact. Not only Peter and John, but over 500 other people were witnesses. Peter and John had also seen the Lord ascend into heaven, to be taken up to the right hand of the Father. Jesus had healed people while He was on the earth doing His earthly ministry. The people gathered there knew about the miraculous healings that Jesus had performed. People brought sick from miles around, and word of that quickly spread around. It was little wonder then, that if Jesus could heal people on earth, then He could still heal people now that He had ascended into heaven. Hebrews 13:8 tells us that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Some in the church today believe that miraculous healings ceased with the death of the apostle John. Hebrews 13:8 tells me different from that. Jesus can heal people on earth, He can heal people after He ascended, and He can still heal people today. I am the living proof of His healing power even today. 16 And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. 17 Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18 But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. Jesus had risen from the dead.
That was a fact the Peter and John had been witnesses to. The crowd had to be feeling pretty guilty at this point. They had condemned the Savior. Peter presented them with the explanation of the man’s miraculous healing; it all stemmed from faith in Christ. Miraculous healings are a gift from God – totally. If He chooses to heal, then we need to get out of the way, just like Peter was doing here. If He chooses not to heal, that’s His prerogative, and it has nothing to do with our own faith. I have seen accounts of this that devastated people that weren’t healed. They think that somehow their faith wasn’t strong enough. This is sad, and it misrepresents God.These people were eyewitnesses to the perfect healing worked by the divine will of Jesus Christ. This resulted in a total healing of the man, by the total will and grace of God. Even though they had killed Jesus in ignorance, it was not a surprise to God; it was all part of His plan. It was God’s plan all along. God’s plan was foretold by His prophets down through the years. We see Isaiah, Jeremiah, David, Zechariah, and Daniel, among others, foretelling the life, ministry, death, resurrection, and reign of Christ. I would imagine that the folks in the crowd were wondering, “What should we do?”, just like the crowd we saw back in Acts chapter 2. Peter’s general pattern for the gospel message is the same though, from his earlier evangelistic message and this one. Peter first tells them the bad news – that the killed the Messiah, Jesus. Then he would proceed to give them the good news, and that was that forgiveness was available to them by God’s grace. 19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20 and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, 21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. Verse 26" God having raised up His servant, sent Him to you first, to bless you, in turning every one of you, from your wickedness".
The Risen Lord is at large in the world to bless every one who turns to Him with a broken heart and a contrite spirit. He will be present during the Franklin Graham Festival, which will start This Friday at 7 p.m., at the EVENT Center of the Binghamton University. He will be there to bless people by thousands. He will forgive, he will restore, and He will refresh. He will find the lost and encourage the found.
Thanks be to Jesus. He is the same, yesterday, today, and for ever.
In Him,
Brown
Monday, June 4, 2007
Brown's Daily Word 6-4-07
The Lord gave the Holy Spirit to the believer and to the Church at large, not for private enjoyment, but to be used to bring others to Jesus. The power of the Holy Spirit is given to minister to the least, the last, and lost of the world. The Holy Spirit came upon the believers on Pentecost so they can could come out of their closets of hiding and be propelled into the main street, onto the market place, and become the instruments of His grace and His healing. We are praying and anticipating that the Lord of the Pentecost will give us a fresh move of the spirit so that we can be His instruments of love and compassion to the world around us during the upcoming Franklin Graham festival in our region . The Festival is going start the Friday at 7 p.m. at the Event Center of Binghamton University , the epicenter of the university.
Chuck Swindoll tells about a man who went to see a psychiatrist because he was extremely depressed. The psychiatrist just could not get him to snap out of it. So he said to the man, “Tonight I want you to go to the circus in town because they have a clown named the Great Rinaldi, he is the funniest clown I have ever seen. Whenever I go to see the Great Rinaldi it always lifts my spirits.” The man responded. “You don’t understand doctor, I am the Great Rinaldi.” This world is full of Great Rinaldis, who are empty. They are desperate and can find no relief, not even in the comedy of a clown. They may put on masks of happiness, to appear fine to everyone, but when they return to their homes at night they cry themselves to sleep because their life is pointless and they long to find something in life to make them happy and give them a sense of meaning. They look at their lives and wonder what it is all about. Life must have more to offer me than this, they say. God has given us the responsibility as Christians and as churches to reach these hurting people. The church, above all else, is a place for people who have problems. The church was designed for the single mother who works two jobs to support her kids. Church is for the drug addict who can’t stop his habit. Church is for the man who can’t stay away from pornography on the internet. Church is for the young person who struggles with self esteem. The church is for the alcoholic who is ready to admit he needs help. Ezekiel 34:16 instructs, “Search for the lost, bring back those that stray away, put bandages on those that are hurt, and make the weak strong." But the problem with so many of our churches is that we often pass by the hurting souls in our world and ignore them and in doing so we miss an amazing opportunity to lead them to Christ. It is often hurting souls that make the best converts to Christ. They are broken and they have nowhere to turn and Jesus is the visible answer to their predicament. We need to be perceptive enough as Christians to notice the hurt in people and give them what they need and that is Jesus. In Acts chapter 3 we read of a hurting soul that was brought into the church. Acts 3 is an account of a crippled beggar who Peter and John, two disciples met one day outside the temple in Jerusalem. This beggar was hurting deeply. He had sat near the temple everyday and no one noticed him sitting there? To me this crippled beggar represents exactly the kind of person the church is trying to reach. Those who have been crippled by life’s circumstances. From this story I think we can learn some valuable lessons about how to minister to those people around our churches who are hurting like this crippled beggar. Acts 3:1. Verse 1, “One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer at three in the afternoon.” Let’s stop here and keep in mind that this is at the beginning of the church and so believers in Christ were still attached to the temple. In fact, Acts 2:46 says that the believers were meeting in the temple area on a daily basis. So it is not uncommon to see Peter and John going to the temple to pray , “Now a man crippled 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.” The temple gate called beautiful was one of the favored entrances into the temple and thousands passed through it on a daily basis. That is why we see this crippled man being put there. He knew exactly where the most people would enter the temple at one time. And the more people who entered, the more money he could mooch off them. Verse 3, “When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter, said, ‘Look at us!’ So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.” The Bible says the beggar expected to get something from Peter and John. Most likely, his immediate desire was money. People often think money is the answer to their problem. But Verse 6 records Peter’s words. “silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” And verse 7 says, “Taking him by the right hand, Peter helped him up and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk.” Peter had no money for this man, but he had something much better. He had healing. This says Peter healed this man in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. What that means was that he was doing the miracle “by the authority and power of Jesus Christ.” Peter wanted to let this man know that it was not him, who was doing this. It was Jesus. Peter would take no credit for it. Jesus was working this miracle. It was Jesus alone who had the power to change lives. Verse 8, “Then he (the crippled man) went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping and praising God. When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple and they were filled with wonderment and amazement at what had happened to him.” This man no longer was confined to stand outside the temple, he now entered the holy place and gave due praise to the Lord. Those around him took note that he was the same man, who just seconds before was confined to begging. There was no mistake, a miracle had taken place. Jesus had made the lame to walk. We notice that PETER AND JOHN GOT OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY AND MET LOST PEOPLE. Peter and John went as a team out to where the people were.Peter and John were not hiding themselves away from the world. They weren’t content to sit around the church and discuss the Bible with the other ten apostles they got out into the culture of Jerusalem. We could learn a very valuable lesson from Peter and John. They weren’t satisfied to just associate with Christians and those like them. They got outside the church walls and were intentional about mingling with the crowds in Jerusalem. That’s why they went at three in afternoon because that was the hour of prayer and they knew people would be flocking to the temple. Peter and John had probably met this crippled man before, they knew who he was. They had probably talked with him before. They had built a relationship with him. They probably walked by him everyday, deliberately just to greet him. PETER AND JOHN WERE PERCEPTIVE AND RESPONDED TO HIS HURT. Peter and John were not too busy or too much in a hurry to notice this hurting man. The Bible says that Peter looked at him attentively. Thousands of religious people walked by this man everyday oblivious to his condition but Peter and John two Christians noticed. They were perceptive. Jim Cymbala in his book Fresh Power writes, “Peter responded exactly the opposite to how most people respond to beggars. Most of us try not to make eye contact with them. But by the spirit Peter perceived that God was about to do something for this individual. Peter did not feel drawn to everybody at the gate but only to this particular man.” Too often we are not like Peter and John. We are too distracted by the routine of life, to notice a hurting soul. There are people we come in contact with on a daily basis who are hurting and crying out but we never notice. I mean, here were Peter and John, two hotshots of the church whom thousands of people were flocking to hear preach each day and yet they noticed one single little beggar. Do you notice the needs of people? Have you looked around, have you seen the pain and suffering of people? In the parable of the Good Samaritan Jesus tells of a man who had been beaten and robbed and left alone to die on the roadside. A priest happened to be going down the same road and when he saw the man, the Bible says he passed by on the other side. And so too a Levite, a religious man, when he came to the place and saw him, he too passed by on the other side. We are too often like the priest and the Levite, we pass by a hurting soul. We are too busy or too numb to notice a need. Peter and John did not pass by on the other side. They stopped and noticed this man’s condition. PETER AND JOHN WERE WILLING TO TOUCH THE UNWANTED. Verse 7 says that Peter took this man by the right hand and helped him up. Peter was the only one among thousands of people that day who was willing to touch the untouchable. Would you be willing to reach down and touch a filthy homeless crippled beggar on the street? That is, this man was an irritant to society, harassing people as they entered to worship! No one wanted anything to do with him, except these two disciples of Jesus Christ. The world had kicked him to the curb. But Peter and John wanted to bring him into the church. As churches we need to be willing to help people like this man who the world has kicked and dragged through the mud. . . The single mother who has been abandoned by her husband, The widower whose wife committed suicide, The drug addict, whose pusher still calls him everyday trying to hook him again, The homosexual who has HIV, The teenager whose parents kicked her out after she told them she was pregnant, The guy who is covered with tattoos and is pierced in all kinds of places. Sadly, most churches are not willing to deal with the untouchable. Instead, we want perfect people who come dressed in a suit and tie and come carrying a leather bound Bible. They don’t dance, don’t play cards, don’t drink. We have an idealized person who belongs in church and it is certainly not someone with AIDS or with tatoos. Sadly many of our churches are certainly not wanting to touch the stripper or the prostitute or the teenager with blue hair. But Peter and John show us who as Christians we need to be trying to reach. . . Those who are crippled by circumstances,Those who are hurting, Those who are untouchable and who the world passes by. If we as Christian churches say we really want to reach lost souls then we had better be willing to touch some “beggars.” PETER AND JOHN GAVE THE MAN WHAT HE TRULY NEEDED. What he truly needed was Jesus! He didn’t need money though that was what he was begging for. He needed divine intervention. He needed Jesus. That is precisely what Peter gave him. Silver and gold I have none, but I have Jesus, he told him. And that is what he gave him. We must keep in mind that what people really need from us as churches is Jesus. It does very little good to bring people to our churches if they aren’t a place where non-believers can encounter Christ. Len Sweet tells about one Gen –X church planter in Chicago who began a new church that attempted to reach younger people. One of his younger members admitted to him, “Pastor, I hope you know that if it weren’t for Jesus, I wouldn’t be a Christian.” There is a dying, hurting world out there and we must look around and we must give them Jesus. Warren Wiersbe, a commentator sums up this story for us. He writes, “It is easy to see in this man an illustration of what salvation is like. He was born lame and all of us are born unable to walk so as to please God. The man was also poor, and we as sinners are bankrupt before God, unable to pay the tremendous debt we owe Him. He was “outside the temple” and all sinners are separated from God. The man was healed wholly by the power of Christ, and the healing was immediate.” Lord, help us to reach out the hurting and the dying. Help us love people enough to notice their pain. Help us to love you enough to want to bring people to you
Chuck Swindoll tells about a man who went to see a psychiatrist because he was extremely depressed. The psychiatrist just could not get him to snap out of it. So he said to the man, “Tonight I want you to go to the circus in town because they have a clown named the Great Rinaldi, he is the funniest clown I have ever seen. Whenever I go to see the Great Rinaldi it always lifts my spirits.” The man responded. “You don’t understand doctor, I am the Great Rinaldi.” This world is full of Great Rinaldis, who are empty. They are desperate and can find no relief, not even in the comedy of a clown. They may put on masks of happiness, to appear fine to everyone, but when they return to their homes at night they cry themselves to sleep because their life is pointless and they long to find something in life to make them happy and give them a sense of meaning. They look at their lives and wonder what it is all about. Life must have more to offer me than this, they say. God has given us the responsibility as Christians and as churches to reach these hurting people. The church, above all else, is a place for people who have problems. The church was designed for the single mother who works two jobs to support her kids. Church is for the drug addict who can’t stop his habit. Church is for the man who can’t stay away from pornography on the internet. Church is for the young person who struggles with self esteem. The church is for the alcoholic who is ready to admit he needs help. Ezekiel 34:16 instructs, “Search for the lost, bring back those that stray away, put bandages on those that are hurt, and make the weak strong." But the problem with so many of our churches is that we often pass by the hurting souls in our world and ignore them and in doing so we miss an amazing opportunity to lead them to Christ. It is often hurting souls that make the best converts to Christ. They are broken and they have nowhere to turn and Jesus is the visible answer to their predicament. We need to be perceptive enough as Christians to notice the hurt in people and give them what they need and that is Jesus. In Acts chapter 3 we read of a hurting soul that was brought into the church. Acts 3 is an account of a crippled beggar who Peter and John, two disciples met one day outside the temple in Jerusalem. This beggar was hurting deeply. He had sat near the temple everyday and no one noticed him sitting there? To me this crippled beggar represents exactly the kind of person the church is trying to reach. Those who have been crippled by life’s circumstances. From this story I think we can learn some valuable lessons about how to minister to those people around our churches who are hurting like this crippled beggar. Acts 3:1. Verse 1, “One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer at three in the afternoon.” Let’s stop here and keep in mind that this is at the beginning of the church and so believers in Christ were still attached to the temple. In fact, Acts 2:46 says that the believers were meeting in the temple area on a daily basis. So it is not uncommon to see Peter and John going to the temple to pray , “Now a man crippled 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.” The temple gate called beautiful was one of the favored entrances into the temple and thousands passed through it on a daily basis. That is why we see this crippled man being put there. He knew exactly where the most people would enter the temple at one time. And the more people who entered, the more money he could mooch off them. Verse 3, “When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter, said, ‘Look at us!’ So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.” The Bible says the beggar expected to get something from Peter and John. Most likely, his immediate desire was money. People often think money is the answer to their problem. But Verse 6 records Peter’s words. “silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” And verse 7 says, “Taking him by the right hand, Peter helped him up and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk.” Peter had no money for this man, but he had something much better. He had healing. This says Peter healed this man in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. What that means was that he was doing the miracle “by the authority and power of Jesus Christ.” Peter wanted to let this man know that it was not him, who was doing this. It was Jesus. Peter would take no credit for it. Jesus was working this miracle. It was Jesus alone who had the power to change lives. Verse 8, “Then he (the crippled man) went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping and praising God. When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple and they were filled with wonderment and amazement at what had happened to him.” This man no longer was confined to stand outside the temple, he now entered the holy place and gave due praise to the Lord. Those around him took note that he was the same man, who just seconds before was confined to begging. There was no mistake, a miracle had taken place. Jesus had made the lame to walk. We notice that PETER AND JOHN GOT OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY AND MET LOST PEOPLE. Peter and John went as a team out to where the people were.Peter and John were not hiding themselves away from the world. They weren’t content to sit around the church and discuss the Bible with the other ten apostles they got out into the culture of Jerusalem. We could learn a very valuable lesson from Peter and John. They weren’t satisfied to just associate with Christians and those like them. They got outside the church walls and were intentional about mingling with the crowds in Jerusalem. That’s why they went at three in afternoon because that was the hour of prayer and they knew people would be flocking to the temple. Peter and John had probably met this crippled man before, they knew who he was. They had probably talked with him before. They had built a relationship with him. They probably walked by him everyday, deliberately just to greet him. PETER AND JOHN WERE PERCEPTIVE AND RESPONDED TO HIS HURT. Peter and John were not too busy or too much in a hurry to notice this hurting man. The Bible says that Peter looked at him attentively. Thousands of religious people walked by this man everyday oblivious to his condition but Peter and John two Christians noticed. They were perceptive. Jim Cymbala in his book Fresh Power writes, “Peter responded exactly the opposite to how most people respond to beggars. Most of us try not to make eye contact with them. But by the spirit Peter perceived that God was about to do something for this individual. Peter did not feel drawn to everybody at the gate but only to this particular man.” Too often we are not like Peter and John. We are too distracted by the routine of life, to notice a hurting soul. There are people we come in contact with on a daily basis who are hurting and crying out but we never notice. I mean, here were Peter and John, two hotshots of the church whom thousands of people were flocking to hear preach each day and yet they noticed one single little beggar. Do you notice the needs of people? Have you looked around, have you seen the pain and suffering of people? In the parable of the Good Samaritan Jesus tells of a man who had been beaten and robbed and left alone to die on the roadside. A priest happened to be going down the same road and when he saw the man, the Bible says he passed by on the other side. And so too a Levite, a religious man, when he came to the place and saw him, he too passed by on the other side. We are too often like the priest and the Levite, we pass by a hurting soul. We are too busy or too numb to notice a need. Peter and John did not pass by on the other side. They stopped and noticed this man’s condition. PETER AND JOHN WERE WILLING TO TOUCH THE UNWANTED. Verse 7 says that Peter took this man by the right hand and helped him up. Peter was the only one among thousands of people that day who was willing to touch the untouchable. Would you be willing to reach down and touch a filthy homeless crippled beggar on the street? That is, this man was an irritant to society, harassing people as they entered to worship! No one wanted anything to do with him, except these two disciples of Jesus Christ. The world had kicked him to the curb. But Peter and John wanted to bring him into the church. As churches we need to be willing to help people like this man who the world has kicked and dragged through the mud. . . The single mother who has been abandoned by her husband, The widower whose wife committed suicide, The drug addict, whose pusher still calls him everyday trying to hook him again, The homosexual who has HIV, The teenager whose parents kicked her out after she told them she was pregnant, The guy who is covered with tattoos and is pierced in all kinds of places. Sadly, most churches are not willing to deal with the untouchable. Instead, we want perfect people who come dressed in a suit and tie and come carrying a leather bound Bible. They don’t dance, don’t play cards, don’t drink. We have an idealized person who belongs in church and it is certainly not someone with AIDS or with tatoos. Sadly many of our churches are certainly not wanting to touch the stripper or the prostitute or the teenager with blue hair. But Peter and John show us who as Christians we need to be trying to reach. . . Those who are crippled by circumstances,Those who are hurting, Those who are untouchable and who the world passes by. If we as Christian churches say we really want to reach lost souls then we had better be willing to touch some “beggars.” PETER AND JOHN GAVE THE MAN WHAT HE TRULY NEEDED. What he truly needed was Jesus! He didn’t need money though that was what he was begging for. He needed divine intervention. He needed Jesus. That is precisely what Peter gave him. Silver and gold I have none, but I have Jesus, he told him. And that is what he gave him. We must keep in mind that what people really need from us as churches is Jesus. It does very little good to bring people to our churches if they aren’t a place where non-believers can encounter Christ. Len Sweet tells about one Gen –X church planter in Chicago who began a new church that attempted to reach younger people. One of his younger members admitted to him, “Pastor, I hope you know that if it weren’t for Jesus, I wouldn’t be a Christian.” There is a dying, hurting world out there and we must look around and we must give them Jesus. Warren Wiersbe, a commentator sums up this story for us. He writes, “It is easy to see in this man an illustration of what salvation is like. He was born lame and all of us are born unable to walk so as to please God. The man was also poor, and we as sinners are bankrupt before God, unable to pay the tremendous debt we owe Him. He was “outside the temple” and all sinners are separated from God. The man was healed wholly by the power of Christ, and the healing was immediate.” Lord, help us to reach out the hurting and the dying. Help us love people enough to notice their pain. Help us to love you enough to want to bring people to you
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