Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. Acts 3:6
So called faith healers will get defensive and sometimes angry when scoffers ask them why they don’t go to hospitals and heal all the sick there. They insist that for healing to take place, there must be an act of faith on the part of the recipient. That’s nonsense, of course. Many of the miracles Jesus performed had nothing to do with faith, and in fact in many of them He chided the recipients for their lack of faith. The lame man at the gate Beautiful in our text was told nothing about faith. He was told simply to look at Peter and John, and he did so, expecting only an alms, certainly not the life altering healing of his useless legs. No, this healing had nothing to do with faith and everything to do with testimony.
Peter and John had no Bible to open and show the beggar the Gospel message. But they had the use of the sign gifts that the Holy Spirit provided to the early Christians. Those gifts were for a testimony, dramatic proof that the Gospel the Christians were preaching and sharing was from God, and that Jesus Christ of Nazareth was alive. The healing of the lame man was all that he needed to believe that the One Who could enable him to walk and leap could also be trusted for his soul’s salvation. But we don’t need miracles like that today.
The healing of the lame man at the gate Beautiful was part of God’s program at that time. In addition to the healing and the salvation of the beggar, many others in the temple that day were saved. And the miracle began an incredible series of events that transformed the lives and actions of the Jerusalem Christians.
This event is recorded in the Word of God. So is everything else that you and I need for all that we are and do as Christians. And as Peter could say, that is better than silver and gold. -Jim MacIntosh
Here is the link to the video of this message: https://youtu.be/IRvHd1SGZhc