And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God. Acts 3:7-9
“As Peter and John moved along with the flow of the crowd, they providentially encountered a beggar being borne on a litter to his usual post. He had been a congenital cripple for all of his life. Having never taken a step, he had to be carried everywhere he went. . .
Though they had not even come to the gate, the beggar caught sight of Peter and John, who probably looked like good prospects. So he began his mechanical beggar’s wail, which he undoubtedly repeated millions of times. . . Peter responded, “Look at us.”
As the beggar turned expectantly Peter said, “I have no silver and gold.” Perhaps the beggar began to frown. Perhaps he thought he was being mocked. But then came those immortal words: “. . . but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!”
The poor man knew he could not walk, so he did not budge. But Peter, doing a typically Peter thing, grabbed him by the right hand and began to hoist him up. . . Sometimes we miss the drama and the significance of miracles like this one because we do not allow our imaginations to catch the fact that it happened instantly. . . The man was healed in a flash. . .
What does the Spirit-filled church impart? It imparts what is has! There is a spiritual axiom here: you can only give away what is truly yours. . . The miracle was both literal and parabolic, because the Spirit-filled church dispenses more than care for the body—it brings healing to the soul. In place of spiritual lameness, there can be leaping.”
R. Kent Hughes in Acts: The Church Afire (Preaching the Word)(Wheaton: Crossway, 2014) 53-56.
When people see you coming along, do they see a good prospect? Think about it. Consider how people perceive you. When they see you coming, do they say to themselves: that guy or gal looks kind and loving, generous and compassionate. Surely he or she will help me by giving me a hand up!
We cannot impart anything that we do not first receive from God. But when connected to that source, we can, like Peter and John, be generous and lift people up, so that the lame leap with joy. Make us good prospects by filling us with your Spirit and compassion, Jesus, to minister richly to those in need today.