Living in the Image of God M06S04
We discuss Peter and John interactions with a lame man at the Temple gate, to understand recognizing a need and an opportunity to make positive impact by addressing the need; assessing your capabilities to provide goods or service to address the need; and preparing the beneficiary to understand what you can offer them and how the offer will address their need. Your capabilities are “what the Lord has given us” that you control: to serve the benefits of self, others, and community by addressing needs that God will show you. Peter and John recognized that the lame man presented them an opportunity to make positive impact using their capability to heal the sick. The man had asked for money but they offered him healing instead, to make lasting positive impact on the healing recipient and others that may witness the events or learn about them later.
This bible study discusses Peter and John interactions with a lame man at the Temple gate. The man was lame from birth and was carried and placed at the temple gate daily to beg from people going into the temple courts. Peter and John recognized the need and cared about the lame man. They assessed the need and their capabilities and recognized an opportunity to make lasting positive impact on the man and others that may witness the events or learn about them later. They recognized they could make such impact by healing the man, thus making him a visible beneficiary of their healing capability.
Their healing capability, after all, was a gift of God, given to each of them for the benefit of others: that is, a special case of “what the Lord has given us” that you control. In general, your capabilities—physical, mental, and spiritual—are “what the Lord has given us” that you control: to determine how to respond to needs that God will show you—to choose when and how to address the needs—needs of self, others, or community. In choosing to heal the lame man instead of giving him money, Peter and John illustrate that a person presented with a need can choose how to address the need, based on understanding what is needed and assessing his or her capabilities to provide for the need.
Lame Man Calls for Assistance
Peter and John were going to the temple for prayer: “One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon” [Acts 3:1]. A lame man was at the Temple gate to beg for assistance: “Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts” [Acts 3:2]. He asked Peter and John for money: “When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money” [Acts 3:3].
They offered him healing instead. First, Peter called for the man’s attention to make sure the man was looking at both of them and understood that whatever any of them said to him was said on behalf of them both: “Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, ‘Look at us!’” [Acts 3:4]. Then he presented the healing offer [Acts 3:6]: “Then Peter said, ‘Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.’” The man accepted the offer and was healed instantly: “Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong” [Acts 3:7].
Assessing the Need
By his presence at the gate, the lame man presented a call for assistance to all that passed through the gate. He presented the call visually but added an audio component when Peter and John arrived. He expected money from them and asked them for money. To assess the need, it is important to be aware of the available information and understand the information within the available time. The information could be visual only, audible only, or visual and audible.
God uses a person’s call for assistance as human channel to communicate a Call to Compassion: that is, to alert a person (the recipient of a Call to Compassion) regarding a need. The call recipient is to recognize the need, care about the needy, and use the available information within the available time to understand the need.
Assessing Your Capabilities
Peter and John assessed their capabilities to assist the lame man. They determined they could not give him money but could heal him through Jesus. Healing would be more effective toward alleviating the need.
Your capabilities—physical, mental, and spiritual—are “what the Lord has given us” that you control: to determine how to respond to needs that God will show you—to choose when and how to address the needs—needs of self, others, or community. In choosing to heal the lame man instead of giving him money, Peter and John illustrate that a person presented with a need can choose how to address the need, based on understanding what is needed and assessing his or her capabilities.
Preparing the Needy To Accept Your Offer
How the needy would utilize your offer could be an issue if your offer differs from the needy’s expectation. It is important for the needy to understand your offer and how the offer would address his or her needs. Such understanding is important for the needy’s appreciation.
When God calls a person to provide goods or service to benefit another in need, he also calls the beneficiary to receive the goods and service with appreciation—to appreciate the goods or service, appreciate the human provider, and appreciate God for empowering the human provider. As we discuss in a previous study under Individual Responsibility Regarding Appreciation, appreciation unlocks the long-term benefits of human service. Therefore, preparing the beneficiary to understand the offer is important in laying the foundation for the long-term benefits of the interactions.
To prepare the lame man, Peter explained they were offering healing instead of money. The man accepted the offer and was healed instantly. He showed great appreciation [Acts 3:8]: “He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God.”
Summary of What We Learned
We discuss Peter and John interactions with a lame man at the Temple gate, to understand recognizing a need and an opportunity to make positive impact by addressing the need; assessing your capabilities to provide goods or service to address the need; and preparing the beneficiary to understand what you can offer them and how the offer will address their need.
Your capabilities are “what the Lord has given us” that you control: to serve the benefits of self, others, and community by addressing needs that God will show you. Peter and John recognized that the lame man presented them an opportunity to make positive impact using their capability to heal the sick. The man had asked for money but they offered him healing instead, to make lasting positive impact on the healing recipient and others that may witness the events or learn about them later.