Missie Branch spoke during the National Women’s Evangelism Conference in April 2024. This article summarizes one of her messages.
Setting the Scene
Do you know the Acts 3 story of the lame beggar by the Beautiful Gate? People have different ideas about where this gate is actually located. The temple where this gate was located is still standing today, and you can even go to see its ruins. Many people believe that the Beautiful Gate is on the southern side of the temple. What makes that valuable at all is that when the lame beggar was brought to the temple, he wouldn’t have necessarily been carried inside the temple, but to this main giant entrance on the southern side. It was the biggest entrance to the temple, with a 210-foot-wide monumental stairway that people used to come in and out of.
If I were begging, I would have probably gone where the people were, too, right? This was also the same entrance where many of the Jews from far places would be coming through on their pilgrimage. So, not only would the beggar catch the people as they came and went, but he wouldn’t be catching the same ones every day. He could up his chances of survival since people wouldn’t have seen him begging there the day before.
Seeking and Searching
The gates are believed to have been covered in gold, and the ceilings inside the passageway would have been carved out, which is why the gate would be called beautiful. It was beautiful, and the inside was beautiful. Right outside the gate would have been Solomon’s Colonnade. It was a beautiful place to walk in.
Remember that this biblical account was set in ancient times, so there were no social services or government aid opportunities for people who had disabilities. People in need literally relied on the resources of their friends and family, as well as the kindness of strangers, for survival. If I were a beggar, I would say to myself, Let me go where I could find the kindest strangers. I would think, Well, let’s check out those God-fearing Jews.
The Same Old Routine
Peter and John went to the temple for prayer, which was still part of their normal routine. Even though they had become Christians, they still followed their Jewish routines. So, walking into the temple at that time on that day would have been an ordinary part of their routine. And on this particular day, the lame man was also just going about his normal routine. His friends had picked him up, brought him to the temple, and placed him there on the ground by the gate. These friends would later pick him up and take him back home.
However, on this day, his routine would be interrupted. I don’t know if this lame man had ever noticed those disciples going into that temple before. I also don’t know if the disciples had ever seen this lame beggar before. But I do believe that his speaking to them and their notice of him was not coincidental or accidental. It was all divine.
Strategies for Sharing the Gospel
When you think of this story, do you identify yourself as the disciples? Or would you say you identify more with the lame beggar? When I read this story, most times, I feel like the lame beggar. I’m usually struggling with one weakness or another. I may feel like I have gotten over one thing, but then I’m stumbling all over something else. Sometimes, I feel like I’m in need of tangible help. Sometimes, I genuinely feel weak and overwhelmed. I want to call out, “Can somebody carry me?” I want to be seen. But here is the good news.
Those of us who identify with the disciples in this story actually have the better perspective. Once we are in Christ, no matter the season, we have experienced one of the biggest miracles in our lives. We have gone from broken to whole, from death to life, from orphan to adopted as beneficiaries now of this lavish grace. So, why does it seem like sharing our faith always falls to the bottom of our list of spiritual disciplines? Well, I believe the Lord has given us multiple strategies through His Word to encourage us in evangelism based on the good news and gospel grace He has lavished upon us.
Here are three strategies for this Acts 3 passage that we can walk away with.
- See your opportunities for evangelism.
In Acts 3:3-8, Peter and John are heading into the temple. The beggar asks for money, and Peter said, “Before we handle this, I want you to look at me.” Then, the lame beggar was healed in the name of Jesus. Everyone saw what happened and was astonished. However, Peter and John literally didn’t have any money at the time. I love that they did not use this as a reason to dismiss the beggar. Instead, they remembered a truth about themselves that is also true about believers today.
Whether or not we have silver or gold to give, we can offer others the incomparable, priceless, and immeasurable treasure of Jesus Christ. They had it then, and we have it now. They knew this to be true, and they recognized that they had an opportunity to share Jesus with this man, and the rest is literally history.
What I also love about Peter’s response is that he did not ignore the fact that the beggar had multiple needs. Peter clearly looked beyond the man’s physical needs and saw his spiritual needs. He recognized an opportunity to introduce Jesus into the conversation, and he offered the man so much more than money.
As you get in the habit of recognizing your evangelistic opportunities, you will begin to look beyond the physical needs and see the spiritual needs of those around you. Now seeing beyond a physical need doesn’t mean ignoring the physical need. Looking at someone who is freezing cold in the winter and saying, “I know you might need a coat, but instead do you want Jesus?” doesn’t seem to make sense. However, looking beyond the physical needs and seeing the spiritual needs requires having love for the image bearer in front of you and wanting them to get help that is comprehensive, both for this life and the next.
For the lame man, the result was that he jumped up with Peter and John, and he entered the temple walking, leaping, and praising God. He wasn’t just healed; he was saved.
- Step out in bold faith.
Do you remember where these disciples were? They were in a Jewish temple and in a very Jewish community that wanted to see Jesus crucified. Yet we see Peter and John not asking the formerly lame man to quiet down and go back outside. They didn’t tell him to tamp down the worship. They proceeded in faith, but this faith was not in themselves. Their faith was in the power of the name of Jesus Christ. It was what emboldened them to even consider that this man could be healed and given salvation. Think about that.
What would you have done if the beggar had asked you for change? Their response was to say, “I’m going to give you something else.” Do you know why they thought that could happen? It was because they had been with Jesus. In the following chapter, the priests and Levites looked around at each other and asked, “Who are these men?” Then, they realized that these uneducated, unlearned men had been with Jesus. Verses 9-11 show us that Peter and John stepped out with boldness, even in the face of opposition.
But understand this: boldness is not always loud. Esther, Ruth, Anna, Tabitha, Hannah, Rahab, and Mary were bold in their faith. Remember that a quiet storm is still a storm nonetheless. Verses 11 and 12 show us that Peter and John trusted in God’s power to work through them—not for them or by them, but through them. Their faith produced boldness. Yet it was laced with humility because they recognized and admitted that God’s power was at work. They did not proceed by their own power.
In this Jewish culture, when you invoked someone’s name, it was as though you were calling on his presence. So, when they said, “In the name of Jesus,” they were calling on the name of the Man who had been crucified and raised and had ascended. We only need to step out in faith with boldness—even in the face of opposition—trusting in God’s power to work through us.
- Share the gospel with confidence.
When we read verses 13-20, we see something really interesting about Luke’s writing. He used words that do not appear much or even at all in the other Gospels. Luke referred to Jesus as “the Savior.” The other gospels don’t necessarily do that. He claimed that Jesus was the One who brings salvation to the world, though the other gospels don’t use that same word. It’s clear in this narrative that salvation was not just being used as an acronym for forgiveness. It also included healing, deliverance, restoration, and rescue.
This is exactly what salvation looked like for the disciples who walked with Jesus throughout His earthly ministry. They had seen salvation in the flesh. Peter’s message was that Jesus the Messiah, whom they had rejected, is the source of healing and salvation. Peter made it clear that the salvation the people had witnessed in this formerly lame beggar was the same salvation made available to each of them.
The confidence that Peter spoke with came from the faith he had in Jesus. Do you get that?
Is your confidence found in the same Jesus?
Learn ways you can share the gospel with confidence by exploring resources at nambevangelism.com/women
Published July 18, 2024