Acts 3: [6] But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!”

Today’s Message—What Do We Have?

For a very long time, people associated with holiness and pentecostal doctrine were not very wealthy people.  They were considered to be in those outcasts who were from “the other side of the tracks.”  James and Paul both wrote about how not many rich and powerful people were disciples of Jesus.  Jesus himself said not many rich people would make it into the kingdom of God, although it was possible, because nothing is impossible with God.

Peter and John were fishermen.  They were not members of the upper socioeconomic class of their day.  They had been following Jesus for about three years, relying on the generosity of his supporters to be able to eat.  They didn’t have much money.

On the day the Holy Spirit prompted them to minister healing to the lame beggar, they were broke financially.  Peter admitted they didn’t have any money, but then he told the beggar they would give him what they did have.  They met the deeper need of the beggar through the authority of the name of Jesus.  They gave him a miracle that met his deeper need, instead of money.  That’s what they had to give because they had Jesus.

When we run across modern-day beggars and look for their deeper needs, we shoild remember that their lives will not be changed permanently until they have the supernatural experience I mentioned to you last Sunday.  Today’s beggars need to have a miraculous transformation take place in their lives, and that transformation will only come when followers of Jesus exercise the authority given to them through the name of Jesus.

Peter and John were not supernatural beings, but Jesus is.  Peter and John did not possess within their normal life any miraculous power, but Jesus does.  Peter and John were not capable of exercising absolute authority over both the physical and spiritual realms of creation, but Jesus can.

Peter and John were normal people, just like you are.  They were not able to help the beggar in their own power.  They were ordinary people who were exercising the extraordinary power found in Jesus.  And just like Peter and John, you can exercise that same power and authority when you have the same thing they had.

What did they have?  I’ll say it again:  They had Jesus.  What do we have?

You might be thinking, “Wait a minute.  I believe in Jesus, but I’ve never told a lame man to walk or a sick person to be healed.  I’ve never told a modern-day beggar to trust God for his deep needs to be met.”  If that’s what you are thinking, I have a question for you.  Why not?  Why do we not give them what we have?

Our daughter put a little sign up years ago on our back door.  It basically says we keep our faith best by giving it away.  Why do people not share the Jesus they have with those who need Him?  According to the Barna research group, 95% of all those who claim to be Christians have never shared their faith with anyone.  

We Christians say we believe we should love God and love our neighbors so we can follow the great commandment Jesus told people to follow.  We Christians say we should be sharing Jesus and  making disciples of His teachings so we can fulfill the great commission He gave us.  Why aren’t people doing those two things?

Are we so busy taking care of our families that we forget to look at the beggars?  Are our days so full of activity that we can’t hear the voice of the Holy Spirit when He wants us to minister to someone we have seen daily for years?  Have we forgotten that Jesus said we can use His name and His authority to meet the deep needs of others?

This area where we live is full of modern-day beggars who need a supernatural experience in their lives.  They need the Christians they encounter to use the authority and power Jesus has placed in their hearts.  They need us to do what we have been commissioned and commanded to do.

Does the power of Jesus reside in our hearts?

If the power does reside in our hearts, then it’s time we demonstrate who Jesus is by looking at the beggars, seeing their deeper needs and then meeting those needs.  If the power does reside in our hearts, then it’s time to revive our own spirits so we can take that power outside these walls.  

We say it’s time for our country to have a revival.  The truth is that most people will not come to this building or any other church building to experiencee a revival anymore.  It’s time to take a revival to our neighbors and co-workers and friends from school and, yes, to even total strangers.  It’s time for us who have the power of Christ dwelling in us to go out there in our daily world and prove who Jesus is again.  It’s time for us to give them what we have!

Who wants to see that happen?  Ask God to help you prove who Jesus is to some beggars out there!  Ask God to help you give away what you have in your hearts!