Just Another Day from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo.

There was a man in the book of Acts who was born crippled. He had never walked a day in his life. He never knew what it felt like to take a step. He didn’t know the grit of gravel under a sandal or the strain of climbing a hill. For over forty years, his life had been measured in begging cups and pity. Every single day, someone would carry him on a litter, hoist him up, and set him down at the gate of the temple to beg. 

(Acts 3:1-3 NKJV)  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.

They called it the Beautiful Gate. It was a massive thing—seventy-five feet high with large double doors. Josephus tells us it was made of fine Corinthian brass, and polished until it shone. It was so magnificent that it put doors covered in silver and gold to shame.

Now imagine that scene. You have this extravagant, shining entrance to God’s house, and right there at the foot of it sits a broken man. A beggar covered in the dust of the street, living on the edge of survival. That is a sharp contrast. Extreme wealth on one side, helplessness on the other.

This was just another day at the beautiful gate. He sat there in the shade of the wall, begging from the crowds as he did every day. Giving alms was considered a badge of honor in Judaism - a righteous act. So he just had to sit there, hold out his hand, and wait for people to drop a coin in his cup.

Three o’clock in the afternoon—the ninth hour, was a busy time, with crowds heading into the temple to pray. It is also the exact hour Jesus died on the cross and said, “It is finished.” Peter and John were walking along with that crowd that day. They hadn’t yet broken away from the temple traditions, so they showed up at the appointed hour.

The beggar spotted them and probably thought they looked like a good opportunity - healthy young men who probably had steady work. He didn’t even look up anymore; he just started his routine. The same drill he’d used millions of times over the past forty years: “Have mercy, please… just a little something” and shaking his cup.

Peter and John stopped. They looked at him intently. Most of us are trained to avoid eye contact with beggars or salesmen, but they stared right at him. The man probably got excited and expected that he was about to get a large gift.

Peter said, “Look at us.”

The man looked up and probably stretched out his hand or held up his cup, waiting for the clink of a coin. Then Peter said something that probably made his heart sink: “Silver and gold I do not have.”

You can see the man’s face. He probably frowned. Maybe he thought they were mocking him. But Peter continued and said, “but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”

Peter called Jesus a Nazarene. Back then, the religious leaders used that term as an insult to look down on Jesus. But Peter took that insult and waved it like a banner, "Jesus Christ of Nazareth."

(Acts 3:4-6 NKJV)  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. 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.”

The man didn’t move a muscle. Why would he? He had been crippled for four decades. His brain told him walking was impossible. So he just sat there, but Peter was never one to leave things alone. He did a typical “Peter thing.” He reached down, grabbed the man by his right hand, and began to hoist him up to feet. “Hey, old buddy,” he basically said, “you’re healed! Stand up here with me.”

And instantly—not gradually—everything clicked.

(Acts 3:7-10 NKJV)  And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising 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.

Luke, who wrote both Luke and Acts was a doctor, and he wrote this with technical precision. He didn’t just say the man “got better.” He mentioned the feet and the ankle bones. Those words appear nowhere else in the Bible. It describes joints popping back into place and bone receiving strength in a flash.

That is faith in action. When Peter walked on the water with Jesus, it was just water until he put his foot out to step on it. Only then did it become solid. The man’s feet were healed the moment he attempted to stand on them.

The man went from begging on the pavement to praising God in the air. He started hopping around the temple terrace, shouting at the top of his lungs. “Hallelujah! I can walk!” He wasn’t worried about being too loud or embarrassing. The man who had been carried everywhere for forty years was suddenly running circles around the people who used to carry him.

The crowd was stunned. They knew him. This man had been a fixture at that gate probably longer than Peter and John had been alive. You don’t forget someone who sat in the same spot every day for decades. They watched him cling to Peter and John—and “cling” is a strong word here. It’s the same word used in the New Testament for a police arrest. He held on tight. Half from gratitude, half because he didn't trust his own legs yet.

The crowd followed them into Solomon’s Porch, filled with wonder and amazement. Peter didn’t let the moment go to waste. He didn’t take the credit or talk about his own power, but used the miracle to draw a crowd so he could preach about Jesus.

That is the pattern. The Holy Spirit performs the work, but He always points us to Jesus. Signs and wonders aren’t the Gospel—they are just there to support it.

Something is backward. When the church had no silver and gold, they had the power to say, “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” Then after we build million dollar sanctuaries, it vanished. Which tells me, there is far too much focus on silver and gold, and far too little on the power of the Holy Spirit. 

So that day began as just another day at the temple gate called beautiful, but it all changed in an instant. Forty years of waiting and in thirty seconds his life completely changed. That is the power of the Almighty God. 

What has always been, doesn't have to be anymore. The past is gone and this is a new day. What was meant for evil against you, God can make it work for your good. Never give up. Never surrender. 

You can pray this with me if you like:

Prayer

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You so much for all that You have done for me. This is a new day, LORD, and I want to start fresh. I want what You have for me more than silver and gold. Please show me the true riches, and fulfill Your will in my life. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!