Acts 3 Today With Journalin'

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God Bless You Today, Lena B

Acts 3
Peter Heals a Crippled Beggar
1Peter and John went to the Temple one afternoon to take part in the three o'clock prayer service. 2As 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. 3When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for some money.
4Peter and John looked at him intently, and Peter said, "Look at us!" 5The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting a gift. 6But Peter said, "I don't have any money for you. But I'll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!"
7Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up. And as he did, the man's feet and anklebones were healed and strengthened. 8He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk! Then, walking, leaping, and praising God, he went into the Temple with them.
9All the people saw him walking and heard him praising God. 10When they realized he was the lame beggar they had seen so often at the Beautiful Gate, they were absolutely astounded! 11They all rushed out to Solomon's Colonnade, where he was holding tightly to Peter and John. Everyone stood there in awe of the wonderful thing that had happened.
Peter Preaches in the Temple
12Peter saw his opportunity and addressed the crowd. "People of Israel," he said, "what is so astounding about this? And why look at us as though we had made this man walk by our own power and godliness? 13For it is the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, the God of all our ancestors who has brought glory to his servant Jesus by doing this. This is the same Jesus whom you handed over and rejected before Pilate, despite Pilate's decision to release him. 14You rejected this holy, righteous one and instead demanded the release of a murderer. 15You killed the author of life, but God raised him to life. And we are witnesses of this fact!
16"The name of Jesus has healed this man—and you know how lame he was before. Faith in Jesus' name has caused this healing before your very eyes.
17"Friends, F13 I realize that what you did to Jesus was done in ignorance; and the same can be said of your leaders. 18But God was fulfilling what all the prophets had declared about the Messiah beforehand—that he must suffer all these things. 19Now turn from your sins and turn to God, so you can be cleansed of your sins. 20Then wonderful times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and he will send Jesus your Messiah to you again. 21For he must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through his prophets. 22Moses said, 'The Lord your God will raise up a Prophet like me from among your own people. Listen carefully to everything he tells you.' F14 23Then Moses said, 'Anyone who will not listen to that Prophet will be cut off from God's people and utterly destroyed.' F15
24"Starting with Samuel, every prophet spoke about what is happening today. 25You are the children of those prophets, and you are included in the covenant God promised to your ancestors. For God said to Abraham, 'Through your descendants all the families on earth will be blessed.' F16 26When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you people of Israel, to bless you by turning each of you back from your sinful ways."

FOOTNOTES:
F13: Greek Brothers.
F14: Deut 18:15.
F15: Deut 18:19; Lev 23:29.
F16: Gen 22:18.

Lena Journals to Acts 3

A 3 o’clock p.m. prayer service?
When’s the last time you participated in a regular prayer service? At an inconvenient time for your day? Not just prayer in your own house, or in your car, or in the shower, but prayer with others, about others?
When people willingly and regularly participate in meetings with other Christians, with the same set of Christian believers regularly, it is that person who will grow, have growth spurts, be blessed by the power of unity.
Yes, being with others is not always easy. The reason for this is usually when I join w/ you I cannot remain as I was when I joined w/ you, I must adjust to you and you to me. We both change and we make His image clearer in the earth!
There is purpose in gathering with a body of local believers, as we would daily gather at a dinner table at home w/ family. We are the family of God. When a family member is rarely there, and is unaccounted for, the family wonders about them. Wonders about the strength of the family unit.
It takes a me to make a we and a we to make an obvious Him. He isn’t shown as strongly or clearly through just me alone. When I gather and join with other parts of the body, He is shown as He is. I myself am only one specific part, only one piece. Without the joined connected body, I cannot function as His body very well.
Can anyone count on you to pray for them, to make a difference in their lives, by the power of Christ in you? Have you yet seen the power of God activated by your faith in God and His word? Have you yet used what has been so freely given you?
In a treatment program, there are 12 steps (yes you know of it too), one of the steps says, you must turn and give of what was given to you. This is a Godly and a Biblical principle. Give what was given you, or else, as stated in the 12 step program also, you’ll lose what you’ve been given!
We cannot afford to lose what we’ve been given, right?
I can’t. The way to get more and grow more, is to give more! With God and His kingdom, the more one gives the more they get in any area of life, if they give by faith.
Peter & John did not say, look to Jesus, they said look to us! Jesus gave them of Himself, of His very Holy Spirit. If the spirit who raised Christ from the dead dwells in us, in our mortal bodies, then we are made alive unto God! We are alive with the very same life of Christ. Christ is in us! He desires to set captives free, through Christians everywhere at the same moments over time zones, borders and anywhere a willing vessel will be of His use.
Peter & John were willing vessels, Are we?
We are!
People are waiting to stand in awe of what will happen through us.
We allow God or hold Him back. He’s waiting to do something marvelous through us, if we allow it. If we believe.
There is nothing impossible to Him who believes!
Faith is a gift from God, acting on it is a gift to God from us.
The name of Jesus is above every name!