5. Priorities of the Spirit
Although we remember that the first great work of the Spiritempowered apostles was the spectacular preaching, in different languages, of the Gospel on the Day of Pentecost, we don't always remember what the second apparent priority was of the Spirit's work through the early Church.
It is interesting that after the careful documentation in Acts of the first work of the Holy Spirit and the summary description of what the new church looked like in Acts 2, we find in Acts 3 another detailed description of the next work of the Spirit-filled apostles. Clearly the Spirit of God had been present and active in the lives of the new Christians in the intervening period, but Luke's account clearly moves from the first accomplishment and priority of the Spirit to a second one.
One day Peter and John were going into the Temple at the time of prayer – a time when the maximum number of witnesses would be present – and a man who had been lame from birth was begging at the Temple entrance. Notice Luke's description of what happened next:
Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. …While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon's Colonnade (Acts 3:6-11).
The miracle was followed – exactly as with that of the Day of Pentecost – by a sermon from Peter explaining to the onlookers what had happened. But in this second incident the miracle of healing showed that the next great priority of the work of the Spirit in the early Church was exactly that which had been present in the ministry of Jesus, who had preached the Gospel and healed the sick (Matthew 4:23). When we remember that Acts is really not about the apostles, but about the continuation of all that Jesus taught and did (Acts 1:1) and what he had earlier commanded his disciples to do (Luke 9:2), we see the true continuity between the Gospels and Acts.
And there are a number of things that we today can learn from this incident if we utilize it as a model for our own service. Notice first that Peter's help to the lame man was preceded by invoking God's help. The apostle's words "In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk" were, of course, as much a prayer as a command. There are many needs in this world, and asking God's help as we choose where to direct our energy, as well as for his help in the individual situations, is a fundamental principle we should always remember.
But concerned prayer of itself, when we are in the presence of a need, is not enough – as the apostle James so strongly reminds us (James 2:14-26). We must often do what we can to help as a prerequisite for God's help. In this case, Peter took the man by the hand and helped him up – and it was then that the healing occurred (Acts 3:7). As has been said, "The power was Christ's, but the hand was Peter's."
There is also a final lesson in this story that is easy to miss. Luke tells us that the healed man jumped to his feet and began to walk, then walked and jumped in the temple courts, praising God (vs. 8). Then, he tells us "…While the man held on to Peter and John …" (vs. 11). It was certainly not that the healing ceased to be effective – as we see in the continuation of the narrative – but rather that the man was doubtless exhausted from these unprecedented exertions. The point is that Peter and John continued to help the man after his need was apparently met – they continued to look out for him and to help support him till he gained strength to function independently.
There is certainly a moral in this point. Physically we can think about the value of supporting aid work that does not simply feed the hungry for a day and then move on. The old principle of teaching a person to fish rather than just giving him a fish is one especially applicable to Christian aid work, and we can apply it in our own lives in helping others. And there is surely a spiritual parallel here also. All too often, even wellmeaning missionaries sometimes preach and move on – leaving those they helped without the spiritual guidance and support they need to continue in their new faith.
While there is nothing in Luke's narrative that exhorts us to follow the example of Peter's helping the lame man, we might remember that the incident is showcased in Acts as the second great work of the Spirit through the early Church. The principles we see in this example are sound ones for application in our lives, also. If we look first to God for guidance and intervention as we strive to help others, then do everything we can in our own power to assist them, following up with ongoing supportive help as necessary, we will be following the example of the Spirit that Christ himself promised would come to guide us (John 16:13).