PT-2 "The Sign" (Acts 3:1-8a)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 8/29/2017 8:21 AM

My Worship Time                                                                                         Focus:  PT-2 The Sign

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Acts 3:7-8a

            Message of the verses:  We continue to look at this main section “The Sign” in today’s SD by looking at the last two aspects of this miracle.

IT WAS INSTANTANEOUS

“7 And seizing him by the right hand, he raised him up; and immediately his feet and his ankles were strengthened.”

            This miracle that was done to this beggar happened right away, there was no stages to it as there were at times when Jesus did miracles when He was on the earth, although most of His recorded miracles were also instantaneous too.  One has to think about what happened to make this man be able to walk for the first time in his life as whatever was wrong with his body was instantaneous made well by the Lord.

            John MacArthur writes “The genuine gift of healing, in contrast to the alleged healings of today, resulted in immediate cures.”

IT WAS COMPLETE

“8 With a leap he stood upright and began to walk; and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping”

            Peter did not have to manhandle the beggar to get him to his feet as he just took him by the hand and as the beggar felt the strength come into his feet and ankles he was able to jump and you could really say he was jumping for joy and entered the temple with Peter and John.

            MacArthur concludes this section:  “The four characteristics of this miracle provide a checklist to screen all alleged miraculous healings.  A healing that fits the true biblical pattern will stem from God’s sovereign choice, it will be done to glorify Jesus Christ, it will be instantaneous, and it will be complete.  Needless to say, the so-called instances of healing claimed by modern ‘healers’ do not meet those criteria.”

            I have mentioned in earlier SD’s that God still heals people but there are no “healers” like in the early days of the book of Acts.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “30 pieces of silver” (Matthew 27:3).

Today’s Bible question:  “Who said “"Sir, come down before my child dies."”

Answer in our next SD.    8/29/2017 8:42 AM