Acts 3:8 NLT. [8] He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk! Then, walking, leaping, and praising God, he went into the Temple with them.

Peter and John had given this man a supernatural experience through the authority in the name of Jesus.  They had spoken into existence a miraculous transformation in his life.  He had been a cripple all his life.  Now he was walking and leaping on legs that had never done those actions.

Something else happened to him.  He was not just overcome with joy because of his physical change.  He began to praise God and went with Peter and John into the temple.  Remember that they were on the way to the afternoon prayer meeting.  He left his beggar’s mat behind and joined them as they continued their mission of going to pray.

Here’s a side thought for us to consider.  That man was outside the temple at the entrance gate.  He wasn’t inside the temple.  He was not part of what was going on inside the temple.  Peter and John would never have seen him inside in order to minister to him.  They ministered to him outside on the street.  That’s where the miracle occurred.  And outside, on the streets, in the stores, at work, at school, in the restaurants, in the back yards and anywhere else we go is where we should be ministering to people.

Now, back to the changed man.  He changed from being an outside beggar to being an inside worshipper.  He moved from seeking money to praising God.  He had been focused on the physical.  Now he was focusing on the spiritual realm where his healing originated.  He demonstrated a different heart.

This man had experienced a miraculous transformation through the authority in the name of Jesus.  That transformation was not just physical.  It had a spiritual element, too.  He had been given Jesus, and a supernatural experience with Jesus will create a different heart in a person.

I believe he realized that Jesus had to be the Son of God.  Remember that the city of Jerusalem had been rocked possibly two months before his healing by the rejection of Jesus by the religious leaders of the nation.  Their spiritual leaders had convinced the Roman in charge there, Pilate, to have Jesus crucified in order to get rid of him.  

Then the impossible had happened.  Jesus came back to life.  He was seen by his followers and talked with them for forty days.  Then he had ascended into the clouds and told them to go back to Jerusalem to wait to be empowered from on high by the Holy Spirit.  About ten days later during the Festival of Pentecost, the disciples had been filled with that power, and they boldly proclaimed that Jesus is Messiah, the Anointed One of God.  

The news about these events would have spread by word of mouth all over the city.  I can imagine that as he sat by that gate day after day that the man had heard about Jesus from the people entering the temple.  He may have gleaned enough from their passing conversations to have been exposed to who were followers of Jesus and who weren’t.  He could have heard about the miracles, the healings, the teachings and the character of this new prophet named Jesus.  He may have even seen Jesus coming and going from the temple during those days just before his betrayal and triumphant resurrection.

And that day when Peter spoke the name of Jesus, I believe that man’s heart was changed, along with his body.  I believe he realized who Jesus is and began praising God because of his supernatural experience with Messiah.  When he went into the temple with Peter and John, I believe he had a different heart, a changed heart, a heart that had accepted the miracle worker Jesus as Messiah.

Now, how do we apply this message to us today in 2020?  When we minister to others by demonstrating God’s love through our good deeds that we do for them, we will expose them to the transformational power of Jesus.  That power has the ability to change their hearts and lives toward faith in God.  The help and encouragement we share with others can be used by the Holy Spirit to draw them to Jesus.

Any time we pray for others, a door can be opened for Jesus to make himself real to the recipients of those prayers.  Every time we speak health or freedom or peace or wisdom into a life through the authority in the name of Jesus, a miracle can occur.  We can be used by Jesus to be the catalyst for those miracles.  And when the miraculous transformation begins to occur, the hearts of the people will begin to change.

Our theme for this year is Reach, Restore, Rejoice, Repeat.  These messages I have shared with you lately are directly connected to that theme.  When Jesus resides in our hearts, we will reach out to the beggars to share Him with them, like Peter and John did.  When we do that, we give the Holy Spirit a chance to restore a life to one of faith in God, like what happened to the lame man.  We then can rejoice with those who have been restored, just like Peter and John rejoiced with the healed man.  Then we go out to find another hurting person to help through the power invested in Jesus.

This theme is more relevant today than it has ever been.  This theme is why we’re working to establish the Children’s and Youth Center.  This theme is why we need to pray that we can hear the voice of the Holy Spirit as He directs us into action for the sakes of the people we meet.  This theme is the process we need to follow so people can have a supernatural experience with Jesus that will create a different heart in them.

Who wants to help a modern-day beggar have a new and different heart?  Who wants to reach someone and help them be restored?  Who wants to rejoice with them as they give praises to God for their restoration?  Who is ready to give Jesus to a beggar this coming week?