Lesson #07

• WHY ARE PETER AND JOHN AT THE TEMPLE WHEN THEY NO LONGER BELIEVE IN JUDAISM?
• THE DISCIPLES HAD NO INTENTION OF STARTING A NEW RELIGION. THEY WERE NOT ONE DAY JEWS AND THE NEXT DAY THEY WERE CHRISTIANS. THERE WAS NO SUCH DESIGNATION AT THIS POINT IN TIME AS “CHRISTIAN”. THAT DESIGNATION COMES LATER.
• THE DISCIPLES DID NOT VIEW THEIR SALVATION THROUGH JESUS CHRIST AS A CONVERSION TO A NEW RELIGION AS PEOPLE VIEW IT TODAY.
• THEIR PERSPECTIVE WAS THAT THEY SIMPLY LEARNED HOW TO BE BETTER JEWS BY OBEYING AND FOLLOWING GOD’S NEW REVELATIONS.
• THEIR PERSPECTIVE WAS THAT THEY WERE JEWS, AND DEVOUT JEWS ALWAYS WENT TO THE TEMPLE FOR THE EVENING PRAYER SERVICE.
• LABELING PEOPLE ACCORDING TO RELIGION IS HANDY, BUT IT HAS ITS UNFORTUNATE SIDE EFFECTS.
• THIS IS AN IMPORTANT POINT WHEN YOU WITNESS, ESPECIALLY TO CULTURALLY RELIGIOUS PEOPLE SUCH AS THE JEWS, TO EASTERN ORTHODOX PEOPLE, TO HINDUS, OR TO ASIAN BUDDHISTS.
• WHEN PEOPLE GROW UP IN AN ATMOSPHERE WHERE THE CULTURE IS TIED TO A PARTICULAR RELIGION, THEY CONSIDER “CONVERSION” TO ANY OTHER RELIGION AS TRAITOROUS TO THEIR HERITAGE AND CULTURE.
• JEWS TODAY ONLY SEE THE HISTORICAL BREAK BETWEEN JUDAISM AND CHRISTIANITY. THEY SEE RELIGION AS TWO DEPARTMENTAL BOXES, ONE ENTITLED JUDAISM AND THE OTHER ENTITLED CHRISTIANITY. (“THEM” AND “US”). THEREFORE, TO “CONVERT” FROM ONE BOX TO ANOTHER MEANS YOU HAVE TRAITOROUSLY FORSAKEN YOUR ROOTS, YOUR TRADITION, OR YOUR HERITAGE.
• ALL CULTURAL RELIGIONS HAVE THIS SAME PROBLEM AS BETWEEN JUDAISM AND CHRISTIANITY.
• HOW NOT TO WITNESS TO THESE PEOPLE: INVITE THEM TO CHURCH!
• IF YOU INVITE THESE PEOPLE TO A CHRISTIAN CHURCH SERVICE HOPING THEY HEAR THE GOSPEL AND GET SAVED, THEY IMMEDIATELY FEEL THREATENED BY THE IDEA THAT YOU WANT THEM TO “CONVERT” TO ANOTHER RELIGION AND FORSAKE THEIR HERITAGE.
• YOU MIGHT NOTICE THAT PETER USES THE WORDS “BE CONVERTED” IN ACT 3:19.
• THAT WORD MEANS TO TURN AROUND FROM AND TURN TO. IN OTHER WORDS, IT REFERS TO TURNING FROM SIN AND TURNING TO FAITH. IT DOES NOT MEAN CONVERT FROM ONE RELIGION TO ANOTHER AS WE USE THE WORD TODAY.
• THE BEST APPROACH:
• THE IDEA IS TO GET THEM TO SEE THEIR NEED TO HAVE A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH THEIR CREATOR HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THEIR CULTURAL RELIGION.
• THE IDEA IS TO GET THEM AWAY FROM THE IDEA THAT THEY NEED TO “CONVERT”.
• THE IDEA IS TO GET THEM TO SEE CHRIST AS A PERSONAL SAVIOR AND NOT AS A RELIGION.
• WITH JEWS, THE IDEA IS TO GET THEM TO SEE THAT ACCEPTING CHRIST IS NOT FORSAKING THEIR HERITAGE BUT INSTEAD IT IS FULFILLING WHAT GOD ORIGINALLY INTENDED ALL ALONG.

• WE SEE THE IMPORTANT CONTRAST IN THE ACCOUNT WITH THE NAME OF THIS GATE.
• THE MAN WAS POOR, DESTITUTE, AND IN GREAT NEED. THERE WAS NOTHING BEAUTIFUL ABOUT HIS LIFE. HOWEVER, EVERY DAY HE SITS IN A PHYSICALLY BEAUTIFUL PLACE AT THE DOOR OF A RELIGION THAT HAS NO POWER TO BRING BEAUTY TO HIS LIFE TO HELP HIM.
• THE BEAUTIFUL PROMISES OF GOD ARE FOR THOSE INSIDE THE GATES OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD THROUGH SALVATION IN CHRIST.

• DR. LUKE TELLS US THAT IT WAS EXACTLY AFTER PETER REACHES DOWN TO HELP THE MAN TO HIS FEET. AS THE MAN BEGAN TO STAND UP, HIS LEGS AND FEET WERE HEALED. (7) THE MAN WAS HEALED WITH FAITH THAT WAS KINDLED IN HIS OWN HEART.

• THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE LEAPING MAN TELLS US THE PURPOSE FOR THIS HEALING. IT WAS TO CALL ATTENTION TO THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
• READ ISA 35:1-8
• THIS PASSAGE IN ISA 35 IS A PROPHECY ABOUT THE MILLENNIAL REIGN OF CHRIST ON EARTH FOR 1000 YEARS WHICH WILL BEGIN AT THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST.
• NOTICE IN VERSE 6 OF ISA 35 ABOUT THE LAME MAN WHO SHALL LEAP.
• WHEN CHRIST CAME THE FIRST TIME, HE OFFERED THE KINGDOM OF GOD TO THE JEWS BUT THEY REFUSED AND REJECTED THE MESSIAH WHO COULD BRING THAT KINGDOM INTO REALITY.
• THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS HEALING IS THAT DESPITE THEIR REJECTION OF CHRIST AND THE RESULTING CRUCIFIXION, GOD IS OFFERING THE KINGDOM AGAIN TO THE JEWS RIGHT THERE IN THE TEMPLE. WHAT MERCY!
• HOW DO WE KNOW THIS IS ACTUALLY WHAT GOD IS DOING?
• NOTICE ALL THE EXCITEMENT OVER THIS ONE MAN’S HEALING. (10-11)
• YES, IT IS EXCITING TO SEE A MIRACLE, BUT VERSE 11 TELLS US THAT EVERYONE RAN TO WHERE PETER AND JOHN WERE STANDING, AND THEY WERE WONDERING.
• WHAT WERE THEY WONDERING ABOUT? COULD THIS BE THE BEGINNING OF THE MILLENNIAL KINGDOM PROMISED BY GOD? LATER IN THIS CHAPTER, IN VERSE 19, WE WILL SEE PETER CONFIRM THIS.

(13)

• THIS WAS THE GOD OF THEIR OWN CULTURAL TRADITION.

• JESUS IS GOD’S SON (13)
• JESUS IS THE ONE THE JEWS REJECTED AND DELIVERED TO PILATE FOR CRUCIFIXION. (13)
• JESUS IS HOLY AND JUST. (14)
• JESUS IS THE PRINCE (LITERALLY AUTHOR) OF LIFE, RAISED FROM THE DEAD (15)
• NOTICE THAT PETER’S SERMON CONTAINS THE FACT OF THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST AND THE PROOF OF EYE-WITNESS ACCOUNTS. (15)
• FAITH IN JESUS’ NAME AND FAITH IN JESUS BROUGHT HEALING TO THE LAME MAN.
• THERE WAS NOTHING MAGIC ABOUT JESUS’ NAME AS MANY THOUGHT AT THAT TIME. PETER CLEARLY INDICATES THAT IS FAITH IN THE PERSON OF JESUS THAT HEALED THE MAN.

• THIS ESCAPE CLAUSE OFFERS THE PEOPLE A CHANCE TO CORRECT THEIR PAST IGNORANT BEHAVIOR.

• TO ENLIGHTEN THE JEWISH AUDIENCE OUT OF THEIR IGNORANCE, PETER REFERS TO THE PROPHECIES CONCERNING THE MESSIAH BY PASSAGES AND PHRASES THAT EVERY JEW WOULD RECOGNIZE.
• HERE ARE SOME KINGDOM PROPHECIES THE JEWS WOULD RECOGNIZE:
• READ ZEC 12:10 THE ONE THEY CRUCIFIED (13)
• READ ISA 12:1-6 THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL (14)
• ISA 52, ISA 53, PSA 22 THE SUFFERING MESSIAH (18)
• EVERY CHRISTIAN SHOULD BE FAMILIAR WITH THESE THREE CHAPTERS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT.
• READ ISA 44:22-23 SINS OF ISRAEL BLOTTED OUT (19)
• WHEN THE JEWS REPENT, THE REFRESHING OF THE MILLENNIAL KINGDOM OF CHRIST WILL COME ON EARTH. (ZEC 12:10 ACT 3:19)
• PETER TELLS THEM ALL THIS OCCURS AT THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST (20)
• MEANWHILE, PETER KNOWS THEY WILL NOT REPENT AND JESUS WILL BE IN HEAVEN UNTIL “THE TIMES OF RESTITUTION”. (21) WHAT ARE “THE TIMES OF RESTITUTION”?
• THE GREEK WORD FOR RESTITUTION LITERALLY MEANS = RESTORATION.
• THIS REFERS TO THE MILLENNIAL KINGDOM OF CHRIST ON EARTH FOR 1000 YEARS WHEN ALL THINGS WILL BE RESTORED, SUCH AS THE JEWS WILL BE RESTORED TO THE PROMISED LAND, THE THRONE OF DAVID WILL BE RESTORED TO THE NATION OF ISRAEL AND CHRIST WILL SIT ON IT.

• MOSES GAVE A PROPHECY THAT SAID A GREAT PROPHET WAS COMING WHO WOULD BE GREATER THAN MOSES. THE JEWS THOUGHT MOSES WAS THE GREATEST.
• PETER IS TELLING THEM THAT JESUS CHRIST IS THE FULFILLMENT OF MOSES’ PROPHECY, AND THAT IF YOU DON’T LISTEN TO WHAT JESUS SAID, YOU WILL BE JUDGED BY YOUR REFUSAL. (23)

• JESUS CHRIST IS THE SEED OF ABRAHAM THOUGH WHICH ALL THE EARTH IS BLESSED AND OFFERS THE FORGIVENESS OF SIN.

• PETER’S SERMON IS INTERRUPTED AS WE WILL SEE IN OUR NEXT LESSON.