Title: The Power and Prayer of the Gospel
Gospel Power and Prayer
2005-07-10
“At the ninth hour, during the prayer hour, Peter and John were going up to the temple, and people were carrying a man who was born lame, who was placed daily at the gate of the temple called the Beautiful Gate to beg from those who entered the temple. and begging, Peter looked at him with John and said, "Look at us." And he looked to see what they might get from them. And Peter said to him, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I have I give you, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. to walk” (Acts 3:1-6)
I. Background of the text
After the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, the early church that experienced the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost became a community with amazing grace and power. The Jews had a habit of praying three times a day at three o'clock (9 am), six o'clock (noon), and nine o'clock (3 pm), and the saints of the early church also followed this habit of prayer. Although the community was filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, the early church devotedly prayed three times a day because they knew that prayer was the secret to preserving the great power of the gospel.
A lame man begged Peter and John as they were going up to the temple to pray. However, instead of the wealth he had sought, Peter and John fundamentally healed him by preaching the gospel they had.
II. The Church with the Gospel - From the words of Apostle Peter in verse 6, we learn that the Jerusalem Church was the Church that had the Gospel.
A. Belief in the Gospel: “There is no silver or gold”
Peter's statement that silver has no gold is not true. Throughout the Bible, we can see that the saints of the early church sold their possessions and brought them to the church in Jerusalem. Perhaps the Jerusalem church had the means to help the poor. Peter said this because he was convinced that what he urgently needed now was the gospel, not silver and gold. Peter wanted the cripple to expect what he ought to expect of the church. Peter and John knew that only the gospel could heal all human suffering and misery.
B. Having the Gospel: “From What I Have”
The gospel that Peter and John had was not mere knowledge. It was presently living and working in their minds. The church is a community called to heal the world with the gospel. In order for the church to fulfill this mission, each and every member of the church must possess a living and working gospel, and this burning gospel must be preached.
The gospel, simply put, is that Jesus Christ died on the cross for us and rose again, which is good news for us because this event of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is for us. By “for us” here we mean firstly on our behalf, secondly on our behalf, and thirdly on our benefit.
Then, do all churches have the Gospel? Sadly not. Even if they are gathering in the name of the church, if it is a community of those who are not currently experiencing and living the gospel, it is rather an obstacle to the spread of the gospel. The church must be able to preach the gospel to the spiritually crippled who live in poverty because they do not know God. The world doesn't enjoy the gospel, so sometimes they are persecuted for preaching the gospel, but in any case, the church must not stop preaching the gospel.
III. Gospel in Power
B. The Gospel Revealed by Power: The reason why the Jerusalem church was able to possess the amazing gospel that can fundamentally change people is because the power of the Holy Spirit was with them. Then, what is the secret of the power of the Holy Spirit being able to be with them?
1. The heart of community - “With the women, Mary, the mother of Jesus, and the brothers of Jesus, they all devoted themselves to prayer” (Acts 1:14), “Every day, they tried to gather together in the temple together. They broke bread at home and ate their food with joy and sincerity” (Acts 2:46). The first secret was that the community had one heart. When individuals are not pure in heart, no matter how much they try to become one, they cannot become one. The pure heart of each individual member who wants to love only God and imitate Jesus Christ brings the church's united heart.
2. Community prayer (Acts 2:42) - The Jerusalem church was a powerful prayer community. If you want power to appear in preachers and church leaders without praying, you are not relying on God, but on him. It was because of the prayer of the church in Jerusalem that Peter and John were able to create a work of power in the crippled man who was sitting at the beautiful gate of the temple. God always uses prayer to create amazing works. 2005-07-10