Miracles

You are listening to a message from Thrive Community Church, a church located in Southwest Florida. For more info, visit us at thrive-fl.org. We are starting this series. It's called Neighborhoods to Nations. This is our second week we're in it. There are many other competing religions and theologies and philosophies. Lots of things going on. And especially if you look, the cards were stacked against the church. There was nothing going for them in the sense of they had the worst public relations issues you could imagine. No one in power liked them. Not among the religious leaders within Judea, nor the Roman magistrates. They all castigated them. There was no one of influence among their whole ranks. They had no marketing strategy. They had no buildings. They had no real strategy of any type that we can see, except for how the Holy Spirit worked through them. There were a bunch of, well, country bumpkins that started the church. That might be a nice way of saying it. Fishermen, tax collectors, social outcasts, a few prominent people, a few people middle class. But nothing that you would look at and go like, yeah, this is going to work. This is not one of the startups that I'd ever invest in. Right? I wouldn't do it. No. It's like, that's a waste of time and money. But it explodes on the scene. And we're looking at what that means. We find out in the book of Acts what God was doing, what God had prepared to do, and what God continues to do. You know, the book of Acts does not end. It just kind of continues. Acts chapter 28, and then it's like, there's no good conclusion, because the book has still not ended. We are in the midst of the book of Acts today. And we're going to find out from this reading here in Acts chapter 3 today, yes, it's the first miracle at the hands of the apostles, but what we find out is it's really Jesus continuing his ministry of healing and forgiving and restoring and reconciling and proclaiming that he is Lord of all through the apostles and through you and me. So we're looking at that, and we're reading, I know, it's the entire chapter, Acts chapter 3, that we're going to read today. So bear with me, but it kind of all fits together. Now, Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour, three in the afternoon. Or is that six, third hour? Yeah, it's the ninth, three in the afternoon. And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the beautiful gate, to ask alms of those entering the temple. Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, look at us. And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk. 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 and recognized him as the one who had sat at the beautiful gate of the temple asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. 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, 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 you 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 and by faith in his name has this man strong whom you see now and see and know. And the faith that is through Jesus has given the man his 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. The times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord and that you may. He may send the Christ appointed for you. Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago. Moses said, The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you. And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people. And all the ...