In Acts 3, Peter and John encounter a man who has been lame from birth, and through the power of Jesus’ name, he is healed and restored—not just physically, but with dignity and a place in the community. This moment is a powerful illustration of how followers of Christ are called to respond to a “lame world”—a world marked by brokenness, need, and spiritual paralysis. The early church did not separate spiritual transformation from tangible acts of compassion; rather, they understood that the gospel is inherently social, not requiring any extra adjective or movement to validate its impact on the world. The call is to meet needs where we see them, to restore dignity, and to point always to the source—Jesus Christ.
It’s important to recognize that the good we do is not by our own power or piety. The temptation to seek glory for ourselves, or to believe that God’s favor is earned by our years of service or good behavior, is a misunderstanding of grace. Glory belongs to God alone, and when we try to carry it ourselves, we are crushed by its weight. Our role is to reflect Christ’s character—kindness, love, and humility—so that people are drawn not to us, but to the One who works through us.
Peter’s message to the crowd is also a call to honesty about our past. True repentance requires that we acknowledge where we have gone wrong, not to dwell in shame, but to move forward in the freedom Christ offers. There is a danger in exchanging the truth for convenient or self-affirming narratives, in building our own kingdoms rather than submitting to the true King. Repentance is not just a one-time act for salvation, but an ongoing posture for believers who may have lost their passion or drifted from their first love. The way back is to remember, repent, and repeat the works we did at first, rekindling our relationship with Christ.
Ultimately, the promise is that repentance brings “times of refreshing” from the presence of the Lord. The world’s deepest need is not just for social reform or scientific advancement, but for the transformation of the human heart through Jesus. Our calling is to lift Him up, to restore dignity, to preach the gospel, and to live in such a way that the world is drawn to the hope and healing found in Christ alone.
Acts 3:11-20 (ESV) — While he clung to Peter and John, all the people, utterly astounded, ran together to them in the portico called Solomon’s. And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk? The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.
“And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled. Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus..."
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