The Acts of the Apostles
Chapter
3
1. One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, at three o'clock in the afternoon. 2. And a man lame from birth was being carried in People would lay him daily at the gate of the temple called the Beautiful Gate so that he could ask for alms from those entering the temple.
(Acts of the Apostles chapter 3 verse 1 to 2)
Oh Jesus on reflecting on my own sinful state as a human I am also that lame person born from birth. My disability may not be physical however it is certainly spiritual. Although at the time of my baptism I was cleansed from the stain of original sin I, am still deficient and prone to sin. Oh Jesus while thanking You for my strong points and positive qualities I pray for your healing in those areas in which I am still weak.
This lame man found the favour of the people who would bring him to the temple where he would ask for alms. Although he was in such a poor state his spirit was high because he was still motivated to earn a living. Although we may feel physically or emotionally weak we are to place our trust in You my God who empowers our spirit and gives us the motivation to go on with our lives.
3. When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked them for alms. 4. Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, "Look at us." 5. And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. 6. But Peter said, "I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk"
(Acts of the Apostles chapter 3 verses 3 to 6)
At times in our relationship with God at times we get more than we bargained for. This man expected to get money but instead he received healing that was worth alot more than a day of alms gathering. When we pray to You oh God we may not always place our full trust in You. We may pray for trivial things as in the case of the Lame man, however when it comes to big issues such as career, business, financial problems, marital problems, healing of a person or even a pet and many others we may feel uncertain if You are competent in such every day life issues, however You are the expert. All sources have their origin in You and all is under Your control, therefore we are to feel confident that we are talking to our father who is more than competent in the field of life. Trust Him! Give God all that is on your mind! He can deal with it! Amen.
7. And he took him by the right hand and raised him up; and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong
(Acts of the Apostles chapter 3 verse 7)
Oh Jesus if we truly place our trust in You we can witness dramatic changes in our lives. Our life can change radically. We will start thinking like You, behaving like You, and even feeling like You. We will be transformed into the new us based on You. I pray oh Jesus that You begin this transformation in me and all humanity. How I really wish to be like You. How I wish to be freed from the lures of my corrupt nature and permit Your Holy Spirit who dwells in me to literally take control of my sinful self.
8. Jumping up he stood and began to walk, and he entered the temple with them, walking leaping and praising God.
(Acts of the Apostles chapter 3 verse 8)
Oh Jesus when You intervene in our lives You do so in full force. When You healed this lame man from birth You gave him extraordinary strength. He not only stood up but in fact he "Jumped up" and began to walk. Moreover this man was so grateful for the healing that You gave him that he started walking jumping and praising You oh Jesus. May we all be filled with Your healing grace.
For those of us who think that the healing of the lame man was something of long ago please click on the following link to witness the healing of another man who was lame for ten years and who also received his healing because he believed in Jesus Christ. Please click on the following link:-
The healing of a lame man
9. All the people saw him walking and praising God, 10. and they recognized him as the one who used to sit and ask for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
(Acts of the Apostles chapter 3 verses 9 to 10)
Although the people witnessed both the past and the present of the lame man who was now healed they still referred to him by his past and not by his new present state which was more positive. Oh Jesus give us the grace to focus on the positive and not on the negative. May the inner change of the soul be of influence to others more than the external physical changes or healing.
11. While he clung to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the portico called Solomon's Portico, utterly astonished. 12. When Peter saw it, he addressed the people, "You Israelites,"why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk? 13. The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him. 14. But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you, 15. and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.
(Acts of the Apostles chapter 3 verses 11 to 15)
The people were amazed by the miracle more than by the real author of the miracle, however they were in for a greater surprise when they witnessed what Peter had to say. He accused them of being the same people who had witnessed and condemned the same Jesus by whom the lame man was healed. On reflecting oh Jesus I wonder if as a Roman Catholic Church and even other churches who believe in You if they ever feel guilty for having by our sins chosen Barabbas symbolising evil over You the good and righteous. Oh Jesus every time we wilfully choose evil over good we are symbolically condemning You to die for our sins again and again. Oh thank You for dying for my sins I am sorry that You had to undergo such a cruel passion. On thinking that You chose to die for my sins I really do feel guilty my Jesus.
16. And by faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know; and the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you,
(Acts of the Apostles chapter 3 verse 16)
On reflecting on this verse oh Jesus You do not expect extraordinary things and achievements from us but only that we believe in You and in Your Holy Name with all our heart, mind and spirit.
17. "And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18. In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer.
(Acts of the Apostles chapter 3 verses 17 to 18)
The ignorance referred to by Peter is not a lack of knowledge as in history, religion or science but the lack of awareness of what they were doing, who they were crucifying. It was as if God had placed the rulers and scribes under a spell so that God's plan for our salvation could actually take place. Although You broke the spell there are still those who proclaim to be convinced atheists. However there is no other person in the world who was foretold before actually being born as in Your case, therefore it is practically impossible for one not to believe in You oh Jesus.
19. Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, 20. so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the LORD, and that he may send the Messiah appointed for you, that is, Jesus, 21. who must remain in heaven until the time of universal restoration that God announced long ago through his holy prophets.
(Acts of the Apostles chapter 3 verses 19 to 21)
When praying on verses 19 to 21 we find a very important verse that proves a very important fact. This is the fact that on repenting from our sins as in confession, our sins will be wiped out. This means that You oh God will not use our sins against us as happens during our earthly interactions. This is called ambushing, where one person hits back at the other by reminding them of the sins that they had afflicted them with and in doing so are attempting to justify themselves for the negative actions that those who persecute us happen to be doing. Oh God You are such a loving father, who paid the price for our redemption by means of your painful death on the cross.
22. Moses said, "The Lord your God will raise up for you from your own people a prophet like me. You must listen to whatever he tells you.
(Acts of the Apostles chapter 3 verse 22)
With reference to You oh Jesus even before You entered our social world (because You are the author of life and creation) as God and the Son of God there was already the recommendation that we place our obedience in You and not on the principles and ways of the world. In order to identify with us as humans You decided to be born as a human. Therefore nobody can say that God is far away from humans because He does not know what it is like to be a human. Thank You oh Jesus for fitting into our own shoes as a human. Your are a reliable reference point for You have endured the hardest of life circumstances and even the beautiful ones.
23. And it will be that everyone who does not listen to that prophet will be utterly rooted out of the people.
(Acts of the Apostles chapter 3 verse 23)
As much as You oh Jesus were spoken of before you had become a human, the consequences of unbelief were also proclaimed. Therefore since these primitive times and throughout the course of History everybody had been made aware of the negative consequences of sins which create barriers both within ourselves and even in our relationships with others.
24. And all the prophets, as many as have spoken from Samuel and those after him, also predicted these days.
(Acts of the Apostles chapter 3 verse 24)
If we refer to pagan authorities oh Jesus there is much proof to confirm that You were to be born and that all You proclaimed was to take place and is still to take place up to the end of time. I invite you to click on the following link-
Proof of God prophecy
25. You are the descendants of the prophets and of the covenant that God gave to your ancestors, saying to Abraham, 'And in your descendants all the families of the earth shall be blessed.'
(Acts of the Apostles chapter 3 verse 25)
This declaration is also eligible for us even though many years have passed since the original covenant had been made with Abraham and ratified through You oh Jesus.
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."
(Acts of the Apostles chapter 3 verse 26)
When God raised up Jesus from the dead He appeared to those of His inner circles. This was followed by other appearances to other Jews as Peter is declaring in his testimony to the Jews. As the chosen people of God they were given the priority even though they were the people who rejected Him and condemned Him to death. The bottom line is that God forgives and does not hold grudges against us. Therefore we are also to follow in Your footsteps oh Jesus and not harbour negative thoughts and feelings against those who have trespassed against us.
I would like to end this chapter with the following prayer:
Oh Jesus I would like to thank You and praise Your Holy Name for all the positive traits and qualities that You have bestowed on me. I can never stop thanking You. However I would like to offer You those areas in my life where I still consider myself as being lame. I thank You for making me more aware of my inherited traits that I have inherited from my biological father and I pray for Your support so that You will shape the new me according to Your ways and not according to the inherited code that is in my DNA. I strongly believe that You can reverse all natural traits and make me a better person.
This lame man found the favour of the people who would bring him to the temple where he would ask for alms. Although he was in such a poor state his spirit was high because he was still motivated to earn a living. Although we may feel physically or emotionally weak we are to place our trust in You my God who empowers our spirit and gives us the motivation to go on with our lives.
3. When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked them for alms. 4. Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, "Look at us." 5. And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. 6. But Peter said, "I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk"
(Acts of the Apostles chapter 3 verses 3 to 6)
At times in our relationship with God at times we get more than we bargained for. This man expected to get money but instead he received healing that was worth alot more than a day of alms gathering. When we pray to You oh God we may not always place our full trust in You. We may pray for trivial things as in the case of the Lame man, however when it comes to big issues such as career, business, financial problems, marital problems, healing of a person or even a pet and many others we may feel uncertain if You are competent in such every day life issues, however You are the expert. All sources have their origin in You and all is under Your control, therefore we are to feel confident that we are talking to our father who is more than competent in the field of life. Trust Him! Give God all that is on your mind! He can deal with it! Amen.
7. And he took him by the right hand and raised him up; and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong
(Acts of the Apostles chapter 3 verse 7)
Oh Jesus if we truly place our trust in You we can witness dramatic changes in our lives. Our life can change radically. We will start thinking like You, behaving like You, and even feeling like You. We will be transformed into the new us based on You. I pray oh Jesus that You begin this transformation in me and all humanity. How I really wish to be like You. How I wish to be freed from the lures of my corrupt nature and permit Your Holy Spirit who dwells in me to literally take control of my sinful self.
8. Jumping up he stood and began to walk, and he entered the temple with them, walking leaping and praising God.
(Acts of the Apostles chapter 3 verse 8)
Oh Jesus when You intervene in our lives You do so in full force. When You healed this lame man from birth You gave him extraordinary strength. He not only stood up but in fact he "Jumped up" and began to walk. Moreover this man was so grateful for the healing that You gave him that he started walking jumping and praising You oh Jesus. May we all be filled with Your healing grace.
For those of us who think that the healing of the lame man was something of long ago please click on the following link to witness the healing of another man who was lame for ten years and who also received his healing because he believed in Jesus Christ. Please click on the following link:-
The healing of a lame man
9. All the people saw him walking and praising God, 10. and they recognized him as the one who used to sit and ask for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
(Acts of the Apostles chapter 3 verses 9 to 10)
Although the people witnessed both the past and the present of the lame man who was now healed they still referred to him by his past and not by his new present state which was more positive. Oh Jesus give us the grace to focus on the positive and not on the negative. May the inner change of the soul be of influence to others more than the external physical changes or healing.
11. While he clung to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the portico called Solomon's Portico, utterly astonished. 12. When Peter saw it, he addressed the people, "You Israelites,"why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk? 13. The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him. 14. But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you, 15. and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.
(Acts of the Apostles chapter 3 verses 11 to 15)
The people were amazed by the miracle more than by the real author of the miracle, however they were in for a greater surprise when they witnessed what Peter had to say. He accused them of being the same people who had witnessed and condemned the same Jesus by whom the lame man was healed. On reflecting oh Jesus I wonder if as a Roman Catholic Church and even other churches who believe in You if they ever feel guilty for having by our sins chosen Barabbas symbolising evil over You the good and righteous. Oh Jesus every time we wilfully choose evil over good we are symbolically condemning You to die for our sins again and again. Oh thank You for dying for my sins I am sorry that You had to undergo such a cruel passion. On thinking that You chose to die for my sins I really do feel guilty my Jesus.
16. And by faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know; and the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you,
(Acts of the Apostles chapter 3 verse 16)
On reflecting on this verse oh Jesus You do not expect extraordinary things and achievements from us but only that we believe in You and in Your Holy Name with all our heart, mind and spirit.
17. "And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18. In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer.
(Acts of the Apostles chapter 3 verses 17 to 18)
The ignorance referred to by Peter is not a lack of knowledge as in history, religion or science but the lack of awareness of what they were doing, who they were crucifying. It was as if God had placed the rulers and scribes under a spell so that God's plan for our salvation could actually take place. Although You broke the spell there are still those who proclaim to be convinced atheists. However there is no other person in the world who was foretold before actually being born as in Your case, therefore it is practically impossible for one not to believe in You oh Jesus.
19. Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, 20. so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the LORD, and that he may send the Messiah appointed for you, that is, Jesus, 21. who must remain in heaven until the time of universal restoration that God announced long ago through his holy prophets.
(Acts of the Apostles chapter 3 verses 19 to 21)
When praying on verses 19 to 21 we find a very important verse that proves a very important fact. This is the fact that on repenting from our sins as in confession, our sins will be wiped out. This means that You oh God will not use our sins against us as happens during our earthly interactions. This is called ambushing, where one person hits back at the other by reminding them of the sins that they had afflicted them with and in doing so are attempting to justify themselves for the negative actions that those who persecute us happen to be doing. Oh God You are such a loving father, who paid the price for our redemption by means of your painful death on the cross.
22. Moses said, "The Lord your God will raise up for you from your own people a prophet like me. You must listen to whatever he tells you.
(Acts of the Apostles chapter 3 verse 22)
With reference to You oh Jesus even before You entered our social world (because You are the author of life and creation) as God and the Son of God there was already the recommendation that we place our obedience in You and not on the principles and ways of the world. In order to identify with us as humans You decided to be born as a human. Therefore nobody can say that God is far away from humans because He does not know what it is like to be a human. Thank You oh Jesus for fitting into our own shoes as a human. Your are a reliable reference point for You have endured the hardest of life circumstances and even the beautiful ones.
23. And it will be that everyone who does not listen to that prophet will be utterly rooted out of the people.
(Acts of the Apostles chapter 3 verse 23)
As much as You oh Jesus were spoken of before you had become a human, the consequences of unbelief were also proclaimed. Therefore since these primitive times and throughout the course of History everybody had been made aware of the negative consequences of sins which create barriers both within ourselves and even in our relationships with others.
24. And all the prophets, as many as have spoken from Samuel and those after him, also predicted these days.
(Acts of the Apostles chapter 3 verse 24)
If we refer to pagan authorities oh Jesus there is much proof to confirm that You were to be born and that all You proclaimed was to take place and is still to take place up to the end of time. I invite you to click on the following link-
Proof of God prophecy
25. You are the descendants of the prophets and of the covenant that God gave to your ancestors, saying to Abraham, 'And in your descendants all the families of the earth shall be blessed.'
(Acts of the Apostles chapter 3 verse 25)
This declaration is also eligible for us even though many years have passed since the original covenant had been made with Abraham and ratified through You oh Jesus.
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."
(Acts of the Apostles chapter 3 verse 26)
When God raised up Jesus from the dead He appeared to those of His inner circles. This was followed by other appearances to other Jews as Peter is declaring in his testimony to the Jews. As the chosen people of God they were given the priority even though they were the people who rejected Him and condemned Him to death. The bottom line is that God forgives and does not hold grudges against us. Therefore we are also to follow in Your footsteps oh Jesus and not harbour negative thoughts and feelings against those who have trespassed against us.
I would like to end this chapter with the following prayer:
Oh Jesus I would like to thank You and praise Your Holy Name for all the positive traits and qualities that You have bestowed on me. I can never stop thanking You. However I would like to offer You those areas in my life where I still consider myself as being lame. I thank You for making me more aware of my inherited traits that I have inherited from my biological father and I pray for Your support so that You will shape the new me according to Your ways and not according to the inherited code that is in my DNA. I strongly believe that You can reverse all natural traits and make me a better person.
Thank You Jesus.
