Acts 3 — A Lame Man Walks and Peter Preaches Christ

Pray to Begin

Ask - that the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth would not be a slogan on your lips but living authority - for mercy toward the needy and clarity in the gospel.

Give thanks - for a God who sees the man at the gate, for faith that comes through Jesus, and for sins that can be wiped away.

Yield - every craving for silver and gold as the deepest gift you can give, and every refusal to repent when the Author of life is set before you.

Today’s Passage: Acts 3

Peter and John go up to the temple at the hour of prayer. A man lame from birth begs at the Beautiful Gate. Instead of coins, he receives strength in Jesus’ name - walking, leaping, praising God. A crowd gathers in Solomon’s Colonnade. Peter refuses credit, proclaims the glorified Servant whom they rejected, and calls them to repent so that times of refreshing may come. Moses and the prophets all pointed to these days. We will walk the chapter block by block; the full BSB text is quoted inline below.

As you read, hold this: Healing in Jesus’ name opens a door for repentance and refreshing.

Acts 3:1-10 (BSB)

¹ One afternoon Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. ² And 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 entering the temple courts. ³ When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. ⁴ Peter looked directly at him, as did John. “Look at us!” said Peter. ⁵ So the man gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. ⁶ But Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!” ⁷ Taking him by the right hand, Peter helped him up, and at once the man’s feet and ankles were made strong. ⁸ He sprang to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and leaping and praising God. ⁹ When all the people saw him walking and praising God, ¹⁰ they recognized him as the man who used to sit begging at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

Ordinary obedience - going to pray - meets extraordinary need. The man expects coins; Peter offers Christ. Hand takes hand; strength floods feet and ankles; leaping fulfills Isaiah’s imagery. Praise goes to God; the crowd’s recognition makes the sign airtight.

Acts 3:11-16 (BSB)

¹¹ While the man clung to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and ran to them in the walkway called Solomon’s Colonnade. ¹² And when Peter saw this, he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why are you surprised by this? 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 and rejected Him before Pilate, even though he had decided to release Him. ¹⁴ You rejected 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, and we are witnesses of this fact. ¹⁶ By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know has been made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through Him that has given him this complete healing in your presence.”

Peter deflects glory. The God of the fathers has glorified His Servant. The crowd’s guilt is named without cruelty: they rejected the Holy and Righteous One, preferred a murderer, killed the Author of life. God raised Him; apostles witness. Healing is explained theologically - name and faith through Jesus - not magically.

Acts 3:17-21 (BSB)

¹⁷ And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. ¹⁸ But in this way God has fulfilled what He foretold through all the prophets, saying that His Christ would suffer. ¹⁹ Repent, then, and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped away, ²⁰ that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus, the Christ, who has been appointed for you. ²¹ Heaven must take Him in until the time comes for the restoration of all things, which God announced long ago through His holy prophets.

Ignorance is acknowledged; fulfillment is asserted; repentance is commanded. Sins wiped away; refreshing now; Jesus sent in the consummation; heaven holds Him until restoration. The gospel offers a clean slate and a future hope.

Acts 3:22-26 (BSB)

²² For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to Him in everything He tells you. ²³ Everyone who does not listen to Him will be completely cut off from among his people.’ ²⁴ Indeed, all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have proclaimed these days. ²⁵ And you are sons of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers when He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all the families of the 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.”

Moses, Samuel, and all the prophets converge on these days. Covenant privilege is real - and so is the danger of refusing the Prophet like Moses. The Servant’s first mission is to Israel: blessing defined as turning from wicked ways. Mercy is a turning, not a flattery.

Personal Application

1. What do you offer? When need stands at your gate, do you default only to material aid - good as far as it goes - or do you also hold out the name of Jesus?

2. Whose glory? Where are you tempted to let people stare at your “power or godliness” rather than the Servant God has glorified?

3. Repent for refreshing. Is there a wicked way from which the raised Servant is calling you to turn so that sins may be wiped away and times of refreshing may come?

Pray to Close

The central truth of Acts 3: in the name of the risen Jesus, the lame leap and the guilty are invited to repent for wiped-away sins and times of refreshing.

Praise - the Author of life whom God raised, the Servant sent to bless by turning us.

Confess - love of silver over Christ, and stubbornness that will not turn.

Ask - for faith that comes through Jesus, and courage to speak when wonder opens a door.

Yield - the credit for any good God does through you, and the right to cling to sins He offers to wipe away.