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HAVE YOU BEEN STEPPING OVER THE BEGGAR TO GET INTO THE TEMPLE?
Acts 3 Peter Heals a Crippled Beggar (New Living Translation)
Peter and John went to the Temple one afternoon to take part in the three o’clock prayer service. As they approached the Temple, a man lame from birth was being carried in. Each day he was put beside the Temple gate, the one called the Beautiful Gate, so he could beg from the people going into the Temple. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for some money.
Peter and John looked at him intently, and Peter said, “Look at us!” The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting some money. But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!”
Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up. And as he did, the man’s feet and ankles were instantly healed and strengthened. He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk! Then, walking, leaping, and praising God, he went into the Temple with them.
All the people saw him walking and heard him praising God. When they realized he was the lame beggar they had seen so often at the Beautiful Gate, they were absolutely astounded! They all rushed out in amazement to Solomon’s Colonnade, where the man was holding tightly to Peter and John.
Many of us have heard this story. It goes on to explain that Peter preached at the temple after the miracle, telling the people that God is able to do this and so much more. However, the subject that we would like to bring to light is this - Why is it that the beggar was brought outside of the Temple each day to beg of the people who were going in to pray, but yet no one ever helped the beggar? How many people stepped over the beggar each day to get in the Temple to pray to God?
A wise man once said, "It is impossible for the church to claim to be healthy and wealthy when the community is not!"
What if someone would have said to themselves, "Instead of going in to pray today, I will help this beggar to better his life. I will show him how to live a life like mine." Peter and John did not walk over the beggar to get into the temple. They took him by the hand AND HELPED HIM UP.
How many of you have gone to church on Sunday in your best clothes, and drove your nice, clean car through an impoverished neighborhood to get there? Did you stop to see who you could help in the neighborhood?
Life Skills Academics was established to give pastors an answer to this dilemna. We provide dynamic course curriculums that teach the community how to have a fully enriched life, from owning their own businesses, learning how to get out of debt, the importance of effective communication, and more. We empower churches to begin their own learning center, offering enrollment in these courses to their congregation and the surrounding communities.
