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These are my notes from a sermon at my church Lakewood Baptist Church in Pewaukee, Wisconsin.

If you would like to listen to the full sermon you can do so here.

In the bustling temple courts of Jerusalem, a scene unfolded that still speaks powerfully to Christians today about the church’s identity, mission, and our role within it. Acts 3 records Peter and John encountering a man lame from birth, carried daily to the Beautiful Gate to beg. This wasn’t just another beggar; he represented irreversible hardship in a society without modern medicine. Everyone knew him, his story, and his unchanging condition. Yet, in one divine moment, everything changed—and that change points us to how the church operates as Christ’s body on earth.

Acts 3 (NASB)

​¹ Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the ninth hour, the hour of prayer. ² And a man who had been lame from his mother’s womb was being carried along, whom they used to set down every day at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, in order to beg alms of those who were entering the temple. ³ When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he began asking to receive alms. ⁴ But Peter, along with John, fixed his gaze on him and said, “Look at us!” ⁵ And he began to give them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. ⁶ But Peter said, “I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene—walk!” ⁷ And seizing him by the right hand, he raised him up; and immediately his feet and his ankles were strengthened. ⁸ With a leap he stood upright and began to walk; and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. ⁹ And all the people saw him walking and praising God; ¹⁰ and they were taking note of him as being the one who used to sit at the Beautiful Gate of the temple to beg alms, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

¹¹ While he was clinging to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them at the so-called portico of Solomon, full of amazement. ¹² But when Peter saw this, he replied to the people, “Men of Israel, why are you amazed at this, or why do you gaze at us, as if by our own power or piety we had made him walk? ¹³ The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus, the one whom you delivered and disowned in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release Him. ¹⁴ But you disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, ¹⁵ but put to death the Prince of life, the one whom God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are witnesses. ¹⁶ And on the basis of faith in His name, it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all.
¹⁷ “And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your rulers did also. ¹⁸ But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. ¹⁹ Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; ²⁰ and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, ²¹ whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time. ²² Moses said, ‘THE LORD GOD WILL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET LIKE ME FROM YOUR BRETHREN; TO HIM YOU SHALL GIVE HEED to everything He says to you. ²³ And it will be that every soul that does not heed that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’ ²⁴ And likewise, all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and his successors onward, also announced these days. ²⁵ It is you who are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘AND IN YOUR SEED ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH SHALL BE BLESSED.’ ²⁶ For you first, God raised up His Servant and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.”

Peter and John, heading to the ninth-hour prayer (3:1), locked eyes with the man. He expected coins. Peter declared, “I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene—walk!” (3:6). Seizing his hand, Peter raised him up; instantly, feet and ankles strengthened. The man leaped, walked, entered the temple praising God, and the crowd erupted in wonder (3:7-10).

This wasn’t random kindness. The miracle was a signpost to Jesus as Messiah. Isaiah 35 prophesied the Messianic age: “the lame man [shall] leap like a deer” (Isaiah 35:6). A lifelong, visible disability reversed publicly—without therapy or delay—signaled fulfillment. The apostles didn’t claim personal power or piety (3:12); they redirected attention: “The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob…has glorified His servant Jesus” (3:13).

For Christians, this challenges consumer mindsets. The early church didn’t exist to meet felt needs superficially (coins for a meal) but to deliver transformative power through Christ. The man sought temporary relief; Peter offered permanent restoration in Jesus’ name. Churches today aren’t vending machines for preferences—better music, programs, or comfort. We’re conduits of Christ’s life-changing authority. When we gather, pray, serve, and proclaim, we participate in miracles of soul-healing, pointing people to Jesus, not ourselves.

The crowd’s amazement drew them to Solomon’s portico, where Peter delivered a mighty sermon (3:11-26). He proclaimed Jesus in five profound ways, rooted in Scripture, showing the church’s preaching must center on Christ’s identity and work.

First, Jesus is the Servant (3:13, 26). Echoing Isaiah 42:1; 52:13; 53, Peter declared God glorified His Servant—despised, rejected, pierced for transgressions, silent like a lamb to slaughter. Glory came through suffering; the cross transformed shame into victory. Today, churches honor this by preaching substitutionary atonement, not self-help.

Second, Jesus is the Holy and Righteous One (3:14). A divine title (“Holy One of Israel”) and Messianic descriptor (Zechariah 9:9; Isaiah 53:11), He alone is flawless. His perfect righteousness credits to believers via the great exchange (2 Corinthians 5:21). Churches proclaim this to call sinners to imputed righteousness, not moralism.

Third, Jesus is the Author (Prince) of life (3:15). As Creator (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16), He holds power over life and death. They killed Him, but God raised Him. Churches testify to His deity and resurrection, offering eternal life.

Fourth, Jesus is the Prophet like Moses (3:22-23, quoting Deuteronomy 18:15, 18-19). Moses performed signs, spoke face-to-face with God; Jesus surpasses him as ultimate revealer. Rejecting Him brings destruction. Churches urge obedience to Christ’s words as authoritative.

Fifth, Jesus is the Seed of Abraham (3:25, quoting Genesis 22:18). The promise—“in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed”—points to one descendant blessing nations by turning people from wickedness (3:26). Churches embody this mission: gospel to all, starting locally.

Peter confronted boldly: “You disowned the Holy and Righteous One…put to death the Prince of life” (3:14-15). Yet grace abounded: “Repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away” (3:19)—blotted out like ink from papyrus. Times of refreshing follow, culminating in Christ’s return and restoration (3:20-21).

Application for Christians: Your relationship to the church isn’t passive consumption. The early believers devoted themselves to teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, and prayer (Acts 2:42). Here, Peter and John model active participation—praying at temple, noticing the needy, boldly proclaiming Christ despite risk.

Churches thrive when members reject consumerism (“What does church do for me?”) and embrace devotion (“How do I serve Christ’s body?”). See the lame man in your community—physical, emotional, spiritual needs—and respond with compassion flowing from Christ’s power. Open wallets, homes, hearts (Galatians 6:10). Preach Christ unapologetically, confronting sin while offering forgiveness. The church isn’t a club; it’s God’s instrument adding saved souls daily (Acts 2:47).

This miracle and sermon remind us: The same Jesus who healed the lame heals souls today. Through His church, He still reverses the irreversible—sin’s grip, brokenness, hopelessness. As members, we’re not spectators but participants in this ongoing story. Devote yourself fully. Proclaim Him faithfully. Watch God add to His number.

In a world craving quick fixes, the church offers eternal transformation in Jesus—the Servant, Holy One, Author of life, Prophet, Seed—who blots out sins and blesses all who repent.