Acts 3:11-16 - Faith in Jesus heals

The healed cripple stayed close to Peter and John as the people came together to watch with amazement what had just happened. Who won't? Everyone who ever passed by the Gate Beautiful of the temple would have known him. For he had sat there begging daily.

But now he was walking and leaping and praising God. When the noise had died down and everyone was in awe and wonderment, Peter seized the opportunity to link the miracle to the Lord.

On the day of Pentecost the people were attracted by 120 Spirit-filled men praising God. Now they were attracted by a miracle. The atmosphere were however, similar. There was an air of expectancy.

So addressing them, Peter  asked why should they be amazed? He asked them why they looked at them as if they had the power to heal that former cripple?

Quickly, Peter directed their attention to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Pointing to the healed cripple, he told them that it was this God's intention to glorify His Servant Jesus in the healing of this man.

Having turned their attention to Jesus, Peter told the audience that they had a hand in His crucifixion. First they wanted nothing to do with Him by handing Him over to Pilate. When Pilate gave them a chance to release Him, they turned down that opportunity and rejected Him. They instead asked for the release of a murderer.

They chose rather to kill the author of life. But God raised Him from the dead, and so as witnesses of that fact, Peter and the apostles were standing there to testify about the resurrected Christ.

Peter wanted them to see that the power behind that healing was faith in the risen Lord. It was by faith in Him that had brought about the obvious healing of this man.

This is a simple yet powerful truth. It is faith in Jesus, the Risen Lord that power is released. The Church can do nothing of her own except through Jesus, when the power of this Risen Christ is activated by one's faith in Him.

Let's never forget that even this faith is a gift. It cannot be generated by the human will. It is God Who would grant us this kind of faith when we request for it.

Let's make it our businness to make Jesus known! Let's declare the power of that name in all of its fullness! Let's also live to affirm our faith in HIm in all faithfulness! To HIm be the glory!