Acts 3:1-8 Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple; who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms. And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, “Look at us.” So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God.
Pastor Obie continued in our church’s Sunday sermon series through the book of Acts stating that after the giving of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the Apostles were on mission to spread the Gospel and save the lost sinner. He highlighted ways for us to live as the Christian Church on mission in this day and age. (1) Make margin for ministry. We are familiar with the margin area in a book or on a paper. In testing we hear of having a margin of error, plus or minus. And in a race the margin of victory is the distance between winning and losing; success and failure. In ministry, it is the time and space in one’s schedule to minister to others with compassion and purpose. The greatest Commandment is to love God and the second is to love others. People matter more than the things of this world, so make the space to make lasting moments in the lives of the other passengers on this journey.
(2) Follow the real God to put you in the right place at the right time. The Lord brought you and I into existence in this time in history for a reason. We need to be regularly praying, attending and ministering for good, growth and glory. Walk in the Spirit to keep out of “wrong” places and be doing the “right” things within God’s better Plan. Do not listen to or follow those who teach that a God without wrath brought people without sin into a Kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a Cross.
(3) See people, not by their circumstances but as souls that God loves and Jesus died for. Christ paid a debt He didn’t owe because we owed a debt we couldn’t pay. Romans 3:22-24 tells us, “even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” People are lost and broken in this fallen world, so all need “the Savor of the world”, minister to that vital need that they believe, receive and cleave unto salvation. Jesus saves!
(4) Pay attention to godly things and expect God to work, with confident hope and expectation by faith. Colossians 3:2 tells us, “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” Attention in God’s Word, Will and Way turns into action. (5) Lift others and each other up. The only time we should look down on others is in order to be lifting and pulling them up, declaring Jesus in the process. Have the will and the way to minister to other and meet their godly needs. A “hand out” met is temporary, but a “hand up” meets an essential and permanent need.
(6) Let your praises be your platform to preach the Gospel. In Mark 16:15-16a Jesus commissioned us to, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved.” Share the “Good News” of redemption, forgiveness of sin, salvation transformation of the soul, adoption into the family of God and citizenship in the Kingdom of Heaven unto eternal life; Sin separated us from God and justly deserved His wrath because we were disqualified. But, the Son of God came to pay the penalty for our sins and requalify the repentant Believer. People needs to hear that they are reconciled through the blood of Christ, so that they can let go and grip God with a contrite heart. Their spiritual heart is sanctified and converted in reconciliation with God. Their spirit is regenerated giving connected to God and spiritual discernment of His Word and Will. The Holy Spirit is given and leads them on paths of righteousness with the fruit of love, joy, and peace in their steps,
This is the Christian Church on Mission; they have been commissioned.
In Christ, Brian
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