Date of message: 05 July 2002

Shalom, Boker-Tov (good morning),

It has been said, "what you do not have, you cannot give away". "What does not belong to you, you cannot give." How true that is. And so some people give that as the excuse for not doing anything. They ask for nothing so that they will not be accused of hoarding and not giving. It is true that you cannot give away what does not belong to you. However, a lot of Christian miss the point that, because of our Lord Jesus' death on the cross, all the promises of the Father are now ours to claim.
Jesus chided His disciple on the night before His crucifixion that they have not asked anything from Him. Wow, what a neat rebuke! "Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full." (John 16: 24).

In Acts 3: 1 - 10, we read of the account of how the apostles Peter and John imparted healing to a man born lame.
1. Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.
2. And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple;
3. who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms.
4. And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, "Look at us."
5. So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them.
6. Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk."
7. And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.
8. So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them - walking, leaping, and praising God.
9. And all the people saw him walking and praising God.
10. 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 happened to him.

The ninth hour is the time when the evening sacrifice is to be offered up in the temple and most Jews would take advantage of that event of the day to pray for God's favor and Peter and John were no exception. It was their daily habit and so on that particular day, they went to the temple as usual at 03:00 PM. To get into the temple compounds, they had to pass through the Gate Beautiful that faces the east. (Beyond the Gate Beautiful lies the Golden Gate (or Eastern Jerusalem Gate) where one would be able to look over the Kidron Valley and see the Mount of Olives).

Because it is the only gate into the temple, it would be very crowded and for beggars, this would be the best spot to ply the trade. On that particular day, the friends of the lame man placed him at his usual position at the Gate Beautiful. To each person who went through that gate, he would ask for alms and he would be able to eke out a meager living doing just that for the whole day.

As Peter and John passed by the lame beggar, he called out for alms from the two apostles, "Alms for a lame man, my good sirs". The two apostles stopped, turned and looked at the man and said something that took the man by surprise. Instead of giving him some money, the apostles gave him something more useful - the ability to walk - so that he need not continue to beg but is able to seek employment and feed himself. It was a better and more lasting gift.

Peter and John were among the three in the inner circle of Jesus' disciples and had the privilege of seeing Jesus up close - His miracles, His teachings and His heart. Also shortly before this account, all the disciples were gathered in the Upper Room on Mt Zion and had received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Day (read Acts chapter 2). Armed with the richness of the Father's blessings in their lives, Peter and John began to exercise their faith on every one they met, including this lame man.

The healing was possible because the apostles were willing to be vessels through whom the healing power of the Father could be extended. And they were willing vessels because of the rich extent of their blessings received. Both Peter and John benefited tremendously from time spent at the feet of Jesus. Peter was a self-centered, foul-mouthed, egotistic fisherman who had a complete change-over in his character - he became the leader of the disciples and was so humble that, according to church history, he was hung on a cross like his Master (except that he requested to be crucified upside down). John was a hot-tempered and impatient fisherman who realized how much the Lord Jesus meant to him and allowed the Lord to change his life and in the end, the apostle John was called the Apostle of Love.

Our Lord Jesus is preparing us for the work that He has set aside for each of us. Unless we first received it will be very difficult for us to give out. Once we are grounded in the Source of life and blessing, love and blessings will go forth and the outflow will not be exhausted because of the Source, our Lord Jesus Christ who is the Alpha and the Omega (the beginning and the end) of our faith.

The Lord blesses you and keeps you,
The Lord makes His face shine upon you and be gracious to you and all your loved ones,
The Lord lifts up His countenance upon you and gives you His shalom peace.
Numbers 6: 24 - 26

Have a blessed week ahead, Shavrou-tov
Shalom,

Andrew L W Lee

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