I imagine the answer would go something like this, “We simply experienced a strong impression that both of us recognized as God’s Spirit. Since we both had this thought at the same time we were confident this was God and we obeyed this inner impression.”

I can’t think of any other way it could have happened given Luke’s account which seems to be unusually detailed. Things like…this happened the ‘ninth hour’ (3:00 PM)…the man was ‘laid daily at the gate of the temple’ indicating that Peter and John and everyone who faithfully went to prayer observed this man more that once. Also, this shows the whole affair was not a setup by two con artist. Why had Peter and John not acted to ‘heal’ this man on a prior occasion?

I believe the answer can be found in 1 Corinthians 12:11 where Paul is discussing the nature of the body of Christ—the church. He says that the Spirit’s gifts or workings are distributed “to each one individually as He wills.” So the notion that Peter and John went around performing miracles at will seems not to be accurate.

Luke also notes that they both Peter and John fixed their eyes on the man. This is a very detailed observation for Luke to report. Since he was a historian and obviously was reporting to Theophilus what he had heard when this miracle was related by Peter or John, he includes this detail. I suspect that while they were essentially staring at the man the Spirit was showing them what to do so they acted in faith and God did the rest. This seems to be a good example of the gifts of healings working to glorify Jesus in His people.

Do we have nothing to do with God acting in this way? Well, not exactly…I suppose one must discern and obey the impressions of the Holy Spirit. Also, in the same discussion on Spirit-granted gifts, Paul says desire spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 14:1). So it seems that ‘desiring’ Spiritual gifts is another part that belongs to the believer.

Now, let’s back up one more step and ask what does it mean to ‘think’? It means to decide on the meaning of a thought and then look for some type of evidence that would confirm or deny that the thought corresponds to reality. We usually go through this process so quickly we are hardly conscious it.

As I considered this it seemed to me that most things I believe, I believe because someone or some entity (feelings, an institution, senses, etc.) that I trust indicated it was true. In school I was told that all matter was made up of atoms. I simply believed that the teach and the author of the science book were telling the truth. We all believed it but not one of us (including my teacher) had ever done a scientific experiment that would confirm this to be true nor had we actually seen a single atom. Yet we believed it based on people we thought to be reliable witness.

This is why Jesus gently rebukes Thomas for not believing the other disciples report that claimed to have seen Him. Thomas chose to up his criteria for believing higher than necessary. Why would all Thomas’ friends who were grieving Jesus’ death suddenly lie or experience a mass hallucination about something like that?

So to answer the question, Peter and John believed on the name of Jesus because of their (and many others’) past experience with Jesus. The next quest is this. How did they ‘know’ that if they commanded this particular man to walk and pulled him up that he would be able to walk? We will leave that question for another blog.

Occasionally my parents would send me to purchase medication, I would say, “Charge it,” and the clerk would fill out a “ticket” with my father’s name at the top and I would sign it. This meant I was authorized by my father to buy the medicine. The pharmacist believed that my father would pay for the item when he received the bill. He did not speak to my father or even see him but “believed” that Dad was honest and that I was acting in his name. Therefore, I was allowed to take the product out of the store without paying based of ‘faith in my father’s name.’

Now, if someone neglected to pay their bill they were said to have a ‘bad name.’ This meant that there was a flaw in their character or a problem with their economic power and the person could not be trusted to pay.

Now this notion of a person’s name being associated with his character and ability seems to have been present in the first century. This is why Peter explains the cause of the remarkable miracle recorded in Acts 3 by saying, “And on the basis of faith in His name, it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all.”

To have faith in Jesus’ name is to trust that Jesus will do what He says He will do and that when He says something He posses the power to do it. So one has to conclude that Peter and John ‘somehow’ knew God’s will for this man’s health at that percise moment and acted boldly to grab the man’s hand and lift him up trusting that Jesus’ would heal him. Over and over we are taught in the Bible that faith in the person of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit will result in God’s will being done through us. Next time, how is faith like this gained.

I suppose one could list a large number of events going all the way back to the creation of the universe to finish the sentence propose in the last blog: This miracle would not have happened if … However, the best place to begin (so this blog doesn’t turn into a book) is Peter’s answer found in Acts 3:16. “And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.”

At first glance this may seem like a simple explanation. However, asking a few questions will help us come to a greater understanding of the underlying dynamics of this miraculous recovery which seems to have something to do with faith. The first question is obvious to me. Whose faith? Well, it certainly seems to have had little to do with the man’s faith or belief. He certainly had not sought out Peter and John for healing. He was only asking for and expecting to receive money not a miracle.

So Peter must have been talking about the faith that he and John had in the name of Jesus. Since it was Peter and John’s faith that led to the command given and action taken the next obvious question is what does Peter mean when he attributes the miracle to faith in the name of Jesus? Or even more specific what did Peter, Jesus, and the early believers mean when they spoke of having faith?

In this context Peter simply meant the things he believed to be true concerning Jesus. Some (especially skeptics today) would like to define religious faith as believing something is true with absolutely no evidence. This fuels the idea that people with faith are irrational.  However, C. S. Lewis, a noted Christian thinker, I believe captures the concept of faith in the Biblical sense when he writes, “Faith, in the sense in which I am here using the word, is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, in spite of your changing moods.” I maintain that it is not possible in the healthy human psyche to really believe or exercise faith apart from some (at least thought-to-be-by-the-believer) evidence that something is true. Whatever one actually believes he or she at least ‘thinks’ that there is good reasons to accept it as reality in some sense. To think something is true is the definition of having “faith” in an idea…to believe is to posses faith in the normal since of the word.

So let us eliminate the idea that faith is believing with absolutely no reason at all. Now whither or not a  reason is good enough as a basis for a belief depends on what one believes about how we can tell if something is true or not.  That question will have to be left for another time.

Next time we will answer this: What does faith in the name of Jesus mean?

Today you have joined me while I’m traveling through the book of Acts. I have arrived in the third chapter and am wondering about the place of miracles in the fledgling church and in the church today.

From chapter two we learn that the first organized church in Jerusalem had settled into a devotional life style that Luke, the author of Acts, describes like this:

⁴¹ Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. ⁴² And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. ⁴³ Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.

I like the translation that says…then awe came upon everyone…this seems to better describe how they must have felt as they witnessed the glory of God unfolding around them.

In chapter 3 Luke takes time to give the details of a certain notable miracle since it resulted in a remarkable in-gathering of people to the faith (5,000…2,000 more than the Pentecost outpouring…Acts 4:4) and the first official government opposition to the gospel. Read it and next time we will focus on this question. What dynamics were in play that set the stage for this notable public display of God’s glory? In other words complete this sentence: This miracle would not have happened if …

The Right Approach

       The first thing Jesus teaches His disciples is HOW to approach God in prayer. Our understanding of how God desires us to think of Him as we make request is crucial. There are many titles Jesus could have suggested for God all drawing our attention to a particular aspect of the Almighty’s person. He could have taught us to address God as pantokratōr, Almighty ruler. This is popular in the Book of Revelation. He could have recommended we petition Him as kurios, Lord or supreme in authority. And of course, there is just plain Theos the Deity or God. But Jesus teaches us to address God as “Our Father in heaven…” ‘Father’ was most likely chosen to place God’s love for us in mind as we make our request.

       I often hear believers say they struggle with the idea of God as father because they had a cruel or unloving father. This may be so but we still have a notion of what a good father is like or else how could we know our earthly fathers were bad fathers? I know one thing for sure, a good father, at least, wants to give his children every advantage possible for their success in life. Jesus is asking us to believe that about God, our Creator. He holds nothing but ultimate good in His heart for His creation and especially those who have chosen to love and trust Him.

+  the approach +

       As I was growing up, it seemed my parents made a big deal out of how we should approach someone, especially when making request. If I wanted the mashed potatoes during a meal and demanded, “Hey, pass the potatoes!” I was immediately corrected and admonished to ask politely before the potatoes would be passed. My parents, of course, were glad for me to have another helping of mashed potatoes but they felt it important that I learn to politely approach others with my request. Therefore, with the wrong approach my request would be denied.

       Jesus, therefore, teaches His disciples how to approach God as the first order of business. James doesn’t mince words when he writes to the early believing community, “…you do not have because you do not ask. ³You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures” (James 4:2b-3). When we need to have God actively intervene in our lives, asking amiss (i.e. wrongly) will not yield results. What determines if one is asking amiss? James says it is one’s ‘reasons’ for asking that makes the difference in the results.  

       Jesus deals with a slightly different problem with our approach to God. It is found in the phrase, “Hollowed be Thy Name.”  One’s name carries with it his or her reputation…the essence of one’s character. If someone possess and consistently lives out certain virtues that are recognized as good, then we say that person has a good name. This is the sense in which Jesus is using ‘name.’

       With that in mind, we will tackle the word ‘hollowed’. This is not a commonly used word today. What does it mean to say one’s name is hollowed? The set of Greek words behind it is translated most often as sanctified or holy. God is holy. This is drilled into us by scripture. Holy is the way we describe God’s ultimate perfection in all areas of His being. He is prefect love, prefect mercy, perfect in power, perfect in knowledge, perfect in wisdom and perfect in justice, just to name a few. Jesus would have us declare God’s holiness or perfection as we approach Him. We should make sure that we believe God is holy in the deepest level of our being. In Luke 11:2 the word translated hollowed is hagiazō.  It is a verb in the third person, aorist, passive, imperative, singular form. One translator rendered the sentence like this: “I deem Him (God) to be Holy (blameless).” I can’t come to God believing He is lacking in anything and expect to have hope He will answer my prayer. I can’t come to God thinking he is the reason for my moral mess. God is Holy. He has no moral flaws in His being. He is blameless in all things even though human beings seem want to blame Him for most anything evil.

       An example of someone who saw and perceived God in the beauty of His holiness is Isaiah. In a time when he was grieving over the death of King Uziaah, God gave him a vision of heaven. He finds beings call seraphim (fiery spirits) constantly calling attention to God’s holiness. Seeing God makes Isaiah aware of his utter uncleanness (un-holiness) and he cries out in despair. Just the sight of God in His holiness awakened a longing for holiness in the prophet which God quickly remedies (Isaiah 6).

       Seeing how completely holy God is will awake humility in us. James (James 4:6) and Peter (1 Peter 5:5) both observe that God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. To approach God we must be clothed in humility or He will resist us. Seeing God’s holiness will awake faith in us. James declares, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God…and it will be given to him. ⁶But let him ask in faith,…For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; (James 1:5-8). Hebrews 11:6 is even more direct. “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Finally we must approach God in faith. This is necessary as we position ourselves to make request before our heavenly Father.

Why Pray Anyway?

     Before beginning our survey, I would like to show why people need to request things from God in the first place. In Matthew 6:8, Jesus introduces practically the same list we found in Luke 11 with this statement. “For the Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.” In the larger context of the passage Jesus is teaching His followers to reject the example of the hypocrites who engage in public prayer for show. Jesus is teaching that there is a list of things that we, on earth, have need of so, always ask the Father for these things.

     This verse has caused many to reason thusly: “If God the Father knows the things I have need of before I ask and He really loves me, why should I have to ask? Why doesn’t He just give those things to me.” We can find the answer to that very good question beginning in Genesis 1:26-31. It is here we find God defining His purpose for placing mankind on the earth. God says, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” When it comes to the life forms placed on this planet God put human beings in charge.

     God’s intent was not to plop Adam and Eve down in the garden and say whatever you would like to do, do it. In verse 28 God is specific about how mankind is to exercise his God given dominion. “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” In Genesis, chapter two verses 15 through 17 God is even more specific. “Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; ¹⁷but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’”

     It’s obvious by this that even though man was given control of earthly matters, he is to carry out his duties under the authority of God. It also becomes clear that God intends to implement a just punishment if mankind rules apart from God’s over-all supervision. This, of course, is the nature of real dominion. One with dominion must be able to set boundaries for action and possess the authority to punish anyone who acts outside of those boundaries.

     This explains why Jesus came as a man. In doing so He was able to exercise dominion as a human being, however, since He was Immanuel, God with us, He was completely submitted to God the Father’s will. This is something no human being had ever done.

     When Jesus’ perfect obedience was proven by His submission to death on the cross, He arose from the dead demonstrating His dominion over life and death then declared in Matthew 28:18, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” Because He was an eternal member of the God head, He possessed ultimate authority. However, remember God gave mankind subordinate dominion on earth. Jesus by virtue of His physical birth is now both God and man. And by virtue of His perfect obedience as a man, authority in earth safely lies in the hands of the Son of God. Jesus then commissions the people of God, His body the church, to exercise authority in the earth under His Lordship.

     Evidence for this is found in verses like these: Matthew 16:18-19… And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”… Matthew 18:18-20… “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” These scriptures and many others clearly establish how the people of God are to exercise Jesus’ authority in the earth. God’s army acts, not through military might, but through pray. God’s kingdom, His rule on earth, is to be advanced by His people asking Him to act in the affairs of mankind. This most always takes the form of people making petition unto God to act.

     I heard one pastor sum up the state of kingdom affairs like this, “Without God we can’t; without us He want.” That’s why we must pray. That’s why prayer must be our main business.

Paul teaches that confidence in God to completely fulfill His promise is the thing that puts one in favor with God. In Hebrews chapter 11 he cites many instances in Jewish history where God’s people have believed a promise in the face of contrary evidence. Even thought it seemed impossible and usually took longer than thy thought, God faithfully kept His promise to them. This is offered as evidence that God will complete His grand plan for all humanity who trust in Him.  And He will continue to be faithful until the promise is completely fulfilled. This confidence in God is the idea of faith.

One of the most profound statements on the subject of faith is found in chapter 11 of Hebrews and verse 6: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”  Those who come to God… One cannot come to God apart from faith in Him. A reality of relationship is that we tend to withdraw from relating to those whom we don’t trust. Trusting in someone at least means we believe he or she will not harm us. Our coming to God, i.e. coming into a complete and perfect relationship with our Creator, is the thing that pleases Him. This is the reason God created humanity. Sin spoils and breaks that perfect (complete) relationship with God. God has promised to restore those who trust Him to their originally intended state of being so the believer can perfectly relate to God… and others.

To even desire to “come to God” one must at least believe that He exist (there is Someone to come to) and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him (by keeping His promises). Without believing these two things, one will not seek God with the diligence necessary to know Him. (It takes diligence because there is an enemy constantly throwing up obstacles to our relationship with God.)

To summarize; Faith (i.e. trust) is the key to a flourishing relationship with God. Paul knows this so he urges the Hebrews to examine the evidence of the past and realize that relating perfectly to Jewish law is not the way to an intimate relationship with God. Sinful mankind could never accomplish this anyway. The key is trusting that God always has your best interest in mind no matter what it may seem like and maintaining that trust even in the midst of what may appear to be contrary circumstances.