Monday, December 11, 2017
OPPORTUNITIES!
The third chapter of Acts continues to follow the ministry of Peter and John through Jerusalem. In this chapter we find them on the steps of the Temple at the hour of prayer. They heal a man who had been lame from the time he was in his mother's womb. This healing leads to another opportunity for Peter to preach a bold Law and Gospel sermon. Last week we briefly discussed the contents of Peter's sermon. With all that happens in chapter three, our mission focus for our devotion today is "opportunities."
Consider just the first few verses of chapter three: "Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 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; who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms. And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, "Look at us." So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them" (Acts 3:1-5 NKJV).
Often times I think we, as ambassadors for Christ, feel pressure to create opportunities to tell others about Jesus. The fact of the matter is that there are opportunities all around us. Consider Peter and John in this account. They were not on their way to the Temple to evangelize and yet the Lord provided an opportunity to do just that. The opportunity came from someone who looking for something other than the Gospel. What he received was far greater than the alms he was seeking. He received healing, and even greater than that, he received the Gospel!
This opportunity then led to another opportunity as the man who had been healed clung to them and a crowd gathered. The opportunity to share the Gospel with one person led to an opportunity to share God’s saving word with a large group! And Peter, we're told, seized the opportunity to preach another bold Law and Gospel sermon to the crowd.
"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. So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people..." (Acts 3:11-12a NKJV).
Again, it doesn't seem that Peter and John were out creating opportunities to share God's word, but the Lord opened a door they didn't necessarily expect. How great is that-- knowing that God will provide opportunities for us to proclaim the Good News even when we don't expect it!
The opportunities are all around us. Let's pray that the Lord will give us eyes of faith to see these opportunities along with wisdom and courage seize every one of them for His glory and for the sake of souls that are lost and dying.
