Rejoicing in the Spirit but people marvel at the physical healing.

Acts 3:8-12

Click for a description of the mark of the beast.
Click for a description of the image of the beast.

“So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God.” Acts 3:8

The crippled man was healed outside the temple, by the gate, and he leaped up, walking into the temple praising God. When we come to Jesus Christ, we learn to walk with Him and we enter into the presence of God within the temple of our soul, praising Him. We come to understand that we are the temple of God, the temple of the Holy Spirit. Let us learn to walk with Him, then experience leaping in the presence of the Holy Spirit, filling us with praise to God.

“And all the people saw him walking and praising God. Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. Now as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon’s, greatly amazed.” Acts 3:9-11

The healed man had been crippled from birth, setting at the gate outside the temple, asking for hand-outs year after year. The people inside the synagogue had been giving money and other charity to the man for years but never presented Jesus Christ to him. They focused on the physical needs of the cripple but never thought to concern themselves with the man’s spiritual needs. In today’s atheistic culture, they will talk about people’s needs for health, food, shelter, safety, security, housing, social integration, dignity, respect, and self-identification. What they never talk about is the need of the soul to believe in God, to acknowledge the need for the forgiveness of unbelief through Jesus Christ, and to live in the presence of the Holy Spirit.

All the people ran towards Peter, John, and the healed man, not to come in praise to God through Jesus Christ, but in amazement of the physical healing. They never gave a thought about glorifying God in the name of Jesus Christ. In today’s culture, there is the beast with power over every cell of physiology and is able to do physical healings. That is the same beast that has the power to give people what to speak, do, think, and feel and all the world follows it, “And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” Revelations 13:3-4 That is the beast of the image and mark of the beast. Other translations of “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” include “We see!”, “We know!”, We can be!”, “You can’t be!” etc.

 “So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: “Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?” Acts 3:12

We are sinners saved by the grace and mercy of God through Jesus Christ. The righteousness in our own efforts is nothing but filthy rags compared to the righteousness we have in the eyes of God by believing in Jesus. When God sees Jesus in us, He considers us as righteous because His Son is righteous. As Peter said,“…why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?” It is not because of our Godliness that anyone is healed by the Spirit to come to Jesus Christ, we are merely a messenger of the testimony of Jesus [through the Holy Spirit]. Our born-again experience is the Gospel of Jesus Christ written on our heart. If we are going to marvel, wonder, or boast about anything, let it be in Jesus Christ, “But “he who glories, let him glory in the Lord.” For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends.” 2 Corinthians 10:17-18

Barnabas was with Paul when he healed a cripple man in Lystra, and everyone wanted to sacrifice to both of them as gods, but Paul said, “We also are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God…” Acts 14:14-15a Click here for the posts from Acts 14:8-20

A physical mind only sees physical healings and does not recognize the healings of the Holy Spirit.

---

“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:11