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And so as Pastor Conrad did, I just want to give a shout out to all of the amazing dads with us here today and really just take a moment to celebrate all of the things that we love the most about our dads, certainly including their dad strength, their dad bods, and their dad jokes. So would you join me in thanking the dads one more time? Their commitment. Like I cannot think of somebody more resolved and more committed than my dad.
And the dads of this church and the dads in my life and the father figures, they show up each and every day. And you know what they want? They want us to grow in life and they want us to win at life. And as I stepped in to be the dad over the last several years with our little ones, You know, it's just, it's occurred to me just how much dads really do want their children to win at life. And frankly, it's occurred to me just how much dads love to win.
Anybody with me? Like, have you noticed how much dads love to win? There's just something inside of us that loves a good competition. There's something inside of us that loves a good game. And there's just something about being a dad that deep down you just love to win, right? Whether it's at home, whether it's on the field, whether it's at the office, or even around the grill, right? Any grill master dads in the house prepping the barbecue today, right?
There are just things that we love to win at as dads. Now, that's actually the story behind the sport that we have come to know as pickleball. Anybody know the story behind pickleball? So what happened was, one summer, I think it was in 1965, it was on Bainbridge Island, just off of Puget Sound in Washington. Any Washington natives in the house today? All right, no Washington natives in the house today.
But a bunch of dads, three dads, were hanging out on Bainbridge Island with their kids. And they, as competitive as they are, decided how can we invent a sport, the things that we have in our garage. So you know what they did? They dusted off some ping pong paddles. They found an old wiffle ball in the garage and they found an old asphalt court for them to play with their restless kids and begin to play a sport that we now know and love as pickleball, right?
And now dads all around the world They play like they're competing at Wimbledon, you know what I mean? And every time they score a point, they're celebrating like they just won the U.S. Open, right? And they've come to love this game called pickleball. There's this competitive spirit inside of each and every dad, and we love to win. And you know what? I actually think that there's something to it. There's actually something behind it.
I think there's something to this spirit of wanting to win that actually comes from our Heavenly Father today. And as you turn in your Bibles with me, I want to invite you to Acts chapter 3. As we continue our series in the book of Acts, I actually think that we're going to see there's something about our Heavenly Father that truly wants us to win. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not winning in the way that the world wins.
Not winning in a way that makes it about us. Not winning in a way that's keeping score and making ourselves feel better. I'm not talking about that kind of winning. I'm saying that our Heavenly Father, He delights in us winning as members of His team. And He just wants to invite us this morning to consider what it means that we are on Team Jesus. And if you read the end of the book, you know what the end of the book has to say?
Team Jesus what? Team Jesus wins. And so I just want to remind you today that if you're a Christian, if you claim the name Christ, you're on the winning team. And if you're a follower of Jesus, you're a part of a winning story that God has started and that God is going to complete. And there's something about our Heavenly Father that actually wants us to engage in that sport that he's called us to and actually wants us to win as members of his team.
Now, but here's the problem. Sometimes winning is so... focused on self and promotion and achievement and accomplishment, I think we've got to redefine what it means to win today. And so here's what we're going to do. We're going to encounter two men that illustrate what it looks like to truly win. And these two men in Acts chapter 3, if you look at verse 1, we'll be there in a moment. These two men, their names are Peter and John.
Remember Peter and John? These are two of the disciples. And they don't really seem at face value like winners, do they? But we're going to see how these two men committed to Team Jesus and committed to the mission that God has given them. They begin winning. Now let me tell you this. They don't win a competition. They don't win a game. They don't win an argument. Because that's certainly not what it's about.
What they do is they win an opportunity to tell a hurting man about the healing that is possible through Jesus. They win an opportunity to demonstrate grace and compassion. They win an opportunity to tell people about their purpose through the power of the gospel. So today we're going to redefine what winning looks like. This morning we're going to be talking about what winning looks like as followers of Jesus.
What it means to be on Team Jesus and what it means to truly win together. So here's the outline. Here's where I want to take you. Here's where God's Word is going to take us together today. Acts chapter 3, we'll be in verses 1 through 10. We're going to be thinking about what winning looks like, and we're going to realize that winning is all about God. Like, making Him known and putting Him in the spotlight, right?
It's not about us, it's about Him. And so today we're just going to think about how winning and what winning looks like is just about God and making Him known. And it's also about people and just loving them and caring for them. And so here's our outline. Winning looks like this. This is what winning looks like. Winning, number one, is seeing people. Like seeing people through the lens of our Father's heart and seeing people in the way that he sees them with love and with compassion.
Winning is not about us. Winning is about God and about others and seeing people in their needs. And being willing to meet them in their needs. Then we're going to see that winning, it's ultimately about sharing Jesus. Like if we're going to win in this life, if we're going to accomplish what God has called us to accomplish, our ultimate goal in this life is to make Jesus known. And just to be sharing him with the people around us, with the people in our circle.
And lastly, we're going to see that winning is about stirring wonder in them. Like stirring up wonder in people's hearts, stirring up some curiosity, like who is this God and who is this Jesus and what has he done in our lives as our lives begin to be transformed by the power of the gospel. So today, I've got a message for everybody. I hope it connects with, I hope it resonates with dads today as you think about winning and wanting your children to win and your heavenly father wanting you to win.
But I hope it connects with everybody as we think about what it means to be on a winning team And what winning truly looks like. Loving people, meeting their needs, sharing Jesus, and stirring wonder in our community as we live out the gospel together. Is everybody with me so far this morning? Let's dive into Acts chapter 3. We're going to read verses 1 through 10. I'd love to pray as we kick it off together today.
After we read God's word, it says this in Acts chapter 3, verses 1 through 10. Now Peter and John... We're going up to the temple at the hour of prayer. That's the ninth hour. And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the beautiful gate, to ask alms of those entering the temple. Now, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms.
Now, Peter, in verse 4, directed his gaze at him, And asked him, John, and said, look at us. And he fixed his attention on them and expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, look, I have no silver and gold. But what I do have, I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk. Okay, so he took him by the right hand and raised him up and immediately, guys, his feet and his ankles, they were made strong.
And then leaping up, he stood and he began to walk and he entered the temple with them. And what's he doing? He's walking and leaping and praising God. Calling all the people. They saw him walking. They saw him praising God. And recognized him as the one who sat at the beautiful gate of the temple asking for alms. And guess what? Verse 10 says this. And they were filled with what? Wonder and amazement at what had happened to them.
I'll just pray and ask that that would happen to us today. Father, we just ask before you this Father's Day that you would fill us with joy. Wonder and amazement of who you are, our Heavenly Father, and what you've done bringing healing and wholeness to our lives today. God, we thank you that we have a written record of your word to understand the story of the church and what it looks like to be on mission, what winning looks like and how we can truly redefine winning on Team Jesus.
God, seeing people and sharing Jesus and stirring up wonder, I pray that you would stir wonder in our own hearts right now. God, as we think about our own stories, our own transformation, the ways in which Jesus has touched and transformed our lives, and how we will never be the same again. God, would you just show up in this place? Would you speak to every heart, every person? that is here with us today.
Lord, show us what you have for us. We pray all these things in Jesus' name and all God's people said, Amen. Amen. Well, again, I just want to say good morning and welcome to our church and welcome to this series in the book of Acts. I want to take a moment just to kind of set things up, recap a little bit, see where we've been, see where we're going. I want to think about... The book of Acts, and as we step into this study this morning, it's called the book of Acts because it's about the acts of the Spirit, the acts of the church, the acts of the apostles, the acts of the disciples.
So if you've read through the book of Acts, it's pretty fast-paced, it's pretty quick because it's filled with action, it's all about what the early church was doing. in spreading Jesus to the world around them. So the book of Acts is actually, it's a bit of a hinge, it's a bit of a bridge from what Jesus did and taught in the gospel of Luke to what we begin to do and teach now as the church in the book of Acts.
In fact, it was actually Luke who wrote not just the gospel of Luke, but the book of Acts as one unified story that's delivered to us in a two-volume set. We've got one story, Luke-Acts, that's all about Jesus. And I like to think about it this way. The Gospel of Luke is actually the story of Jesus, right? If you've read the Gospel of Luke, I just invite you to think about how Luke's narrative is the story of Jesus, and then the Book of Acts is the story of the Church.
And as we begin studying this this summer, we're actually studying our own stories. We're studying who we are and who God calls us to be. You see, we're called to carry on the mission that Jesus started from his ascension into heaven all the way to his return to this earth. That period of time is called the church. And that's who we are and that's what we're called to do and that's what the book of Acts is all about.
Now, it was in Acts chapter 1 a few weeks ago that we acknowledged that Acts chapter 1 was the last moment in time that Jesus set foot on this earth. Think about that. Jesus has been in heaven since Acts chapter 1. We saw this event where Jesus is literally lifted up into the sky, carried away. The disciples are just peering up, wondering where did he go and when is he coming back again? And so now the church is getting busy with the work that God has called them to.
And that's what we think about the book of Acts. Even though Jesus is gone, God's presence is Has never been more. Powerful. And God's power. Has never been more accessible. Than it is right now. Even though Jesus is in heaven. Because Jesus sent us. The Holy Spirit. And that's what we thought about together. In Acts chapter 1 verse 8. Let me just remind you what it says. It's so important. We can't miss this.
Acts chapter 1 verse 8. It says Jesus said. You will receive what? Power. Power. I need you all to say that word with me. You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, to the ends of the earth. Okay, so though Jesus is in heaven, his presence lives on in us and his power is at work in us. Through the Holy Spirit. And that's exactly what happened when we looked at Acts chapter 2, verse 4.
You can look there now. It's just the chapter before ours. Acts chapter 2, verse 4. It says this. They all were filled with the Holy Spirit. And that was actually the fulfillment of a prophecy in the book of Joel, which Peter goes on to quote. In Acts chapter 2 verse 17, if you look there, the prophecy goes like this. God says, I will pour out my spirit on what? All flesh. All people. All believers.
All followers of Jesus. And so Acts chapter 1 and 2 is how Jesus promises the spirit and the church receives the spirit. And so here was my question for you last week. What does a team of spirit... Christians commit to doing together. Alright, we're studying the book of Acts this summer. We're thinking about our story, the church. We're thinking about how we have been filled with God's spirit and so I asked last week, what does a team of spirit-filled Christians do together?
And last week we called it Church is a what? Team Sport. Okay, so then we saw the early church doing a few things together. They practiced together, they shared together, and they won together. And so I want to double click on that last one together today. I want to think about what it means for the church to win together as we pick up the story now in Acts chapter 3. Okay, so here's who we find. We find two disciples who were numbered among the twelve apostles.
And the two disciples that we find in Acts chapter 3 are who? Peter and John. Now remember, Peter, James, and John were kind of like the inner circle, right? They were kind of closest with Jesus at some key moments. And so we've got Peter and John. It's making me think, like, what happened to James? Right? Where is he at? I don't know. We'll find out as the story unfolds. But here we've got Peter and John.
And we've got a reminder from Acts 2.42. The church devoted themselves continually to certain things. And in Acts 2:42, we saw that the church devoted themselves to four things: the Apostles' teaching, the fellowship, the breaking of bread, and the last one was what? The prayers. And I thought it was interesting how the word "prayers" is in the plural. And that's what we actually see Peter and John doing here, is they're going up to the temple to what?
To pray. And this is one of the prayers that they prayed together. Now, I was reflecting on prayer this week. I was just thinking about, like, what is prayer and how do we engage with prayer? And when does prayer happen? And I was thinking about how prayer can be formal or prayer can be informal. Prayer can be scheduled, but prayer can also be spontaneous. Because why? We've got unhindered, unfettered access to God everywhere we are and everywhere we go.
And so Peter and John... They actually had a scheduled time for prayer. It says the ninth hour, which translated or calculated into our timing and our convention of keeping time, that would be about 3 o'clock in the afternoon. Okay, so they're going up to the temple to pray in the afternoon, and we find them being super intentional to continue the conversation That God has started in his word. I actually think that that's the best definition of prayer I've ever heard.
Prayer is continuing the conversation that God has started in his word. And so that's what Peter and John are doing. They're going up to the temple to pray. They're continuing the conversation that God has started. And they're doing exactly what God has called them to do, which is pray for the people in their circle. Right? If you remember, Acts 1.8 said, you will be my witnesses where? In Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and all the ways of where?
The ends of the earth. And we've been reflecting on how where are the disciples right now as Jesus said those words to them? They're in Jerusalem. That's their immediate circle, right? Jesus is not saying get on a boat and go far away and tell the ends of the earth about me. He's saying first and foremost start right where you are. Like just draw a circle around you. And just begin praying for those people.
And just begin reaching out to those people and showing them you love them and you care about them. Like, what would that look like for you and I just to draw a circle around our house and begin praying for people in our immediate circle of influence? That's, I believe, what Peter and John are doing. They're going up to the temple, the center of that circle called Jerusalem, and they're beginning to pray for it.
Because you know what happens when you pray for people in your circle? Not only does God begin opening up opportunities for you to reach out to them, but God begins opening up your heart to love them and see them. Okay, so these last few weeks I've just been thinking about what's my circle. Have you been thinking about what's your circle? Remember how I've been drawing a circle every Sunday in the book of Acts?
I hope you've drawn your circle somewhere on your phone or whatever. Or on Google or, you know, there's a thing called paper and there's a thing called a pencil, you know. You can just get that out and draw. And I hope you've drawn your circle somewhere. And here's what I did. I drew my circle around my house because that's where God is calling me to show up right now. I pray for my wife, I pray for my kids, I pray for my children.
I show up at bedtime, show up at mealtime, just begin praying with my family. But then there's my street and the people that I live next to, right? And so I circled that one. Amen. I guess I'm not going to share my address out loud in this service, but if you want it, just let me know. I put that circle around my address, you know, and then I drew a circle over here. I'll tell you our address right here at Living House is 1033 Business Center Circle.
I don't want to share that one. And I drew a circle here because this is my people. Like, I love you, and I'm praying for you, and I want to care for you, and I want opportunities in your life to minister to you and care for you. And so I drew two circles, right? My house and this house, and then I drew a line in between them. And you know how long that line is? All of three miles, guys. All of three miles.
But as I think about it, I live by and I work by, in that three mile stretch, close to 30,000 people. Right here in the subdivision of Thousand Oaks called Newbury Park, 30,000 plus residents that I live by and work by every single day. So I'm just starting to think about, who are they? And I'll never know their names, or all of their names, and I'll never know all of their stories, but I see them and I drive by them and I live near them.
And so I just think about how can I pray for them? There's something unique about where we live. It's actually our house, our front door. It's made of glass. So what we actually do is we can see through our front door to our front porch, but also the portion of sidewalk out front. And I've got a chair in our living room that looks out the front door in the morning time while I'm drinking my coffee and reading my Bible.
And I just started noticing how many people are walking by our street. It's in the dozens. I mean, if you think about people walking from sunup until sundown, today happens to be the longest day of the year. So to be exact, that's 14 hours and 26 minutes from sunup to sundown. That's 14 hours of people just walking by our street. And as I began counting, it's just dozens. And on a really busy day when the weather's good, like there's near 100 people just walking up and down our street.
So you know what I started doing? I'm just going to start praying for these people walking out in front of my house. I don't know who they are. I don't know their names and their stories, but maybe God will introduce me to them. And maybe I'll get to learn their name, and maybe I'll get to learn their story. I'm not going to be that creeper going out front every morning and just waving them down. But I'm going to pray for them.
And if I'm coming and going and playing with the kids out front, which is happening a lot right now, I'm going to shake their hands. I just got to meet Sheldon and Kristen and Stephen and Nicole, just these young families walking their kids. Just begin praying for them. Now I want to invite them over. I want to have them over for dinner. I just want to begin praying for people in my circle. What's your circle?
What if we dropped a pin map on Google and put everybody's address and just drew a circle throughout the King of Alu? How much coverage would we have of this corner of of the Conejo Valley as witnesses for Jesus just beginning to pray for people in our circle. I think that'd be powerful. So draw your circle, guys, and just begin praying for a few names in that circle and looking for opportunities in that circle and see what happens in that circle.
Let me show you what happens in Peter and John's circle. They began praying for Jerusalem. They went up to the temple to pray. And it opened up opportunities and it opened up their hearts to see the people in their circle and love them and minister to them and just reach out to them and extend a hand to them. And that's what we see happening in this passage. We've got this idea of being intentional to pray for our circle but also to see the people in our circle.
Right? We meet a man in verse 2. Okay, we don't know his name. We never got to know his name. But what did we get to know? His story. And God gave Peter and John the opportunity to learn this man's story and to impact this man's story. And we know in verse 2, he's disabled, right? And so we learn that he had actually been disabled from his birth until his 40s. Actually, just glance down at chapter 4, verse 22.
This story actually spans two chapters. We're just going to look at it today, but it goes on through chapter 3 and chapter 4, just the aftermath of this man's healing and how God used it to bring people to Jesus. And in verse 22 of chapter 4, it says, The man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than what? 40 years old. So if you just think about this guy's life for 40 years, He's disabled, which prevented him from working for a living, which led him to poverty, which caused him to beg for a living.
And so he's outside of the beautiful gates at the temple, and what he's doing is he's asking people for alms, which is charitable giving. He's forced to rely on the generosity of others for his survival. And so he's beginning to ask people on their way to worship. that they would give to him charitably and help meet his daily needs. And that's something we've all experienced before. We've all encountered individuals that have a real tangible need.
And we've been given the opportunity to meet that need. And what I want you to notice is what happens in verse 4. Like, verse 4 is like the best verse of this passage. The man sees Peter and John and asks them for alms. Again, that's charitable giving. And then here's what happens. Here's what happens. Verse 4 says, It says that Peter, what? Directed his gaze at him in verse 4. Okay, just think about this.
They're praying for their circle, and then all of a sudden they discover someone in their circle that needs help. And Peter and John, they don't pass them by. They don't ignore him. Verse 4, Peter and John, it says that they, what? Directed his gaze at him. And I just want you to think about something that you've directed your gaze at before, right? So I've directed my gaze at books, at screens, at pictures, at paintings.
We're about to direct our gaze up at the sky on 4th of July and enjoy fireworks on that holiday. We've looked up and directed our gaze at the stars, at the moon, at planets. I don't think I've directed my gaze at something as much as I have when I was... I'm about to propose to my wife and picking out a diamond ring. Gentlemen, do you know what I'm talking about? Gazing at the price tag of that diamond ring.
Right, so I started where every young man starts, I'm just googling like diamonds, right? That's not a very helpful exercise, googling how much diamonds cost. Things are popping up online, I have no idea where to start. So I took a referral and I went to the jewelry district in Los Angeles. Good man by the name of Harus. And Harus gave me an education in diamonds, right? And you got to think about their cut.
You got to think about their clarity. You got to think about their color. And most importantly, you probably got to think about their carrots and their costs, right? And so I began just looking under a magnifying glass. I was looking at them intently, I was looking at them closely to make sure they don't have any imperfections. I was looking at the differences between different cuts and colors and things of that nature.
And then you know what happened is I decided to pick one out and purchase one. And I did it a little prematurely, to be honest. And I had to hold on to that diamond ring. For I think eight months before I finally proposed, right? And so here is this diamond ring just burning a hole in my pocket. And you know what I did? It was a little weird. Pulled that thing out every night before bed and just looked at that thing, right?
That's what our life savings are a little lost. And so I'm just looking at that diamond ring, just waiting for the day when I'm going to be able to no longer gaze at that diamond ring, but what? Gaze at the beauty of my life on our wedding day. And you know what? I am still gazing at the beauty of my wife this day because I'm keeping the romance alive and she's amazing. And I'm just going to direct my gaze at her each and every day.
And like you think about things that you direct your gaze at and you look intently at it and closely at it because it's endearing to you and it's meaningful to you. You're looking at something that's valuable and precious. And guys, that's what Peter and John did to this disabled man. They saw past the stigmas. They saw past the labels. And they saw just how beautiful and dignified this man is. Because you know what?
Every human being is made in the image of God. And we have inherent dignity, value, purpose, and worth. And every single human being, though broken, is beautiful in God's eyes. And so Peter and John, what do they do? They gaze at him. They stare at him. They look intently and closely at him. And though he's broken, they know he's beautiful and that God loves him. And so they take a moment not just to pray for their circle, but to see people in their circle.
And so I just want to ask you, do you see people in your circle? I hope you've drawn it. I hope you're praying for it. And now you have eyes to see and hearts to see the people in your circle. Now let's move on. Let's see what happens. Winning is seeing people. Winning is sharing Jesus. And that's where we pick up in chapter 3, verse 5 through 8. And we see now them offering to this man what they have.
Verse 5 says that the disabled man looks back at them and is expecting to receive something from them. Okay, and then in verse 6, what does Peter say? It's a really great line. He says, I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. Okay, what did Peter and James now, or wait, James is MIA, right? So what did Peter and John have to give to this man? Jesus, right? They have Jesus. That's what they can give.
They might not have silver. They might not have gold. They didn't bring their money bag. They're keeping all things in common. Talked about that last week. So they don't have the ability to give him what he's asking for. But they give him what he truly needs. Which is Jesus. And then it says that they say in the name of Jesus Christ rise up and walk. Now I'll be the first to acknowledge that it seems like God worked in a qualitatively
and quantitatively greater way on the pages of Scripture than he does in our lives today. Right? Do you feel that way? It seems as if when we read the Bible, God is working in a qualitatively and quantitatively greater way than he is now. I'll be the first to acknowledge and admit that. But what I want to remind you of this summer as we study Acts is that when we study this book, we've got to remember that it's both descriptive—
Of how God worked in the past. But it's also prescriptive in that it tells us how God intends to work in the present. And while I cannot guarantee you that God will use you to deliver miracles, I can guarantee you that God will use you to deliver a message. And that message is a message of healing and hope. That is made available to every human being through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
And the message that we have to offer every single human being, regardless of silver or gold or power or miracle, what we do have is the message of the gospel which everybody truly needs. What we have is the message that God created all of us for a relationship with him. But we sinned against him and we fell short of his glorious standard and we're all broken at our core. And we see this disabled person physically broken and spiritually broken.
And now Peter and John, they bring him this healing message of hope that he's loved. And then there's wholeness available to him, not just physical healing, but spiritual wholeness through a relationship with Jesus. And that's exactly what they give him. It says that he is healed. And then what I want you to notice is Acts 3.16. We've got to look ahead. We've got to keep this in context. Look at Acts 3.16.
They're wondering how is it possible that the disciples raised this disabled man. Jesus performed miracles, and we read about that in the four Gospels. But now the apostles, the disciples are healing people. Like, what is going on? And in Acts 3.16, they say, they give credit where credit is due, and they say, and his name. Okay, whose name, everybody? Jesus. Okay, his name. By faith in his name has made this man strong whom you see and know.
And the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health and the presence of Of you all. And guys, my point here is that the greatest thing that we can do for people, the greatest thing that we can give to people is not silver or gold, is not miracle or power. The greatest thing that we can give to people is the name that is above every other name, which we know scripture says is the name of Jesus.
And that's exactly what these people give to this man today. the name of Jesus. And so I just want you to be thinking about the people in your circle and what would it look like just to share the name of Jesus with them. They're looking for healing. They're looking for wholeness. Guys, we live in brokenness. We live in darkness. And we have the light and we have the answer. We have the hope and the healing that this world is looking for and His name is Jesus.
And so what it looked like to give the people in your circle the name of Jesus. Now, go to Acts 4.13. It is really close. Again, the story goes on. And in Acts 4.13, I just want to encourage you that you can do this, guys. Like, you don't have to go to seminary to tell people about Jesus. Like, you don't have to be a pastor to tell people your story. Like, I just want to empower you. Like, this is you.
This is the church. This is what we're called to do. And in Acts 4.13, it says this. Now, when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, they perceived that they were uneducated common men. What a thing to be called, right? Uneducated common men. And they were astonished. Like, how are they boldly proclaiming and powerfully healing? And then look at this line. Look at what it says. They recognized that they had done what?
With Jesus. Guys, that's all it takes. You don't need a degree. You don't need a title. You don't have to be educated. You don't have to be eloquent. All it takes is for people to be able to recognize that you've been with Jesus. So let me just ask you, have you been with Jesus? Have you spent time in his presence? Have you sought him in his word? Have you entered into his presence through prayer? And if that's the case, that's all that you need.
Is that you need to spend time with Jesus and then share him with others. And you know what? He'll do the rest. Do you realize that, right? Actually convincing people that Christianity is true and opening their hearts to believe in Jesus, that's not our job. Only God can do that. Only the Spirit can do that. But we're just called to just let them know that we've been with Jesus and he's changed our lives and that we love him and we want them to know who he is.
And that's what goes on in verses 7 and 8. Okay, they took him by the right hand. They raised him up. He got to his feet and his ankles were made strong. Now, listen to this. The disciples, they do physically assist him and help him get up. But then it says that his feet and his ankles were what? Made strong. Who's making his feet and ankles strong, guys? That's the power of God. That's the power of Jesus at work in this man's life.
It was Jesus who made his ankles and feet strong, and so he stands and walks and leaps and praises God. Guys, this disabled man is disabled no longer. This broken man has been made whole. And what does the text say? What does it say that he goes on to do? He's now walking, he's now leaping, and he's now what? Praising God. I mean, guys, this guy's doing like jumping jacks, like in the middle of the street, right?
Like he is stoked because his feet are working and his ankles are working. He's jumping like a kid in a candy shop. Or like a fan after a walk-off play, right? Or like a contestant on The Price is Right. Remember The Price is Right? Come on down! Right? You want a brand new car! Right? Just that joyful moment of like excited leaping. That's this guy's moment. But he got so much more than candy or a car.
He got healing and wholeness. And that's what Jesus brings to our life. Healing and wholeness. I cannot guarantee that God will physically heal this side of heaven. But he will bring that spiritual wholeness. And there's coming a day when God will heal us in fullness. And we will leap in the same way that this man leapt for all of eternity. So let's give people what they really need. And let's remember that Jesus is the greatest thing we can give.
And the greatest thing that we can receive. And if you're here today... Maybe you just need to hear that God loves you. Maybe you just need to hear that there is healing and there is wholeness. And we'll never find it in this world. But we will find it in Jesus. And he wants to heal you. And he wants to make you whole. And he wants to cause you to leap for joy. And he wants to give you the hope of eternity.
That's you. Just remember Romans 10 verse 9 says that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. That is a promise that I will make you today. If you believe in your heart and you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, you will be saved and you will leap for joy now and forevermore. So we can see that winning, it's not about us.
It's about seeing people. It's about sharing Jesus. And then lastly, let's just wrap this up and acknowledge in verses 9 and 10 how winning, it's stirring wonder. Like we're going to see people in our circle. We're going to share Jesus with those people. And as their lives are transformed and as our lives are transformed, it's going to begin above us. Like, there's even this wonder and amazement about what is God doing at that church?
And what is God doing in that person's life? And what is God doing? Because they're not the same that they used to be. They're the same, but they're different. And that's what we see in verses 9 and 10. A life touched by Jesus tells a story that others can see. Let me say that again. A life touched by Jesus. Tells a story that others can see. Look at verse 9. It says that they saw the man. They saw him.
And then verse 10 it says they recognized him as the one who had sat at the beautiful cave. And the only thing is, it's the same man but it's a different man. He's no longer sitting, he's walking. He's no longer pleading, he's praising. Right now this guy's had a life transforming encounter with Jesus, and he'll never be the same again. And so a life touched by Jesus, it tells a story that others can see.
And he's different. And I just want to remind you, that is what Jesus meant in Acts 1-8 when he said, You will be my witnesses. Let your life be a testimony of the transformation that God has worked in you. Because of your encounter with Jesus. And just live that on display for all to see. Just go be your authentic Christian self. Just go tell people that you love Jesus and you love them. Begin praying for that circle.
And see what opportunities God gives you to tell your story. Now, we'll wrap up here, verse 10. It says that the response of the people that were watching. I love this account. You've got to go read Acts 3 and 4 this week. We're going to pick it up in chapter 4 next week. I'm going to skip a couple of sections. You've got to go get it. It's good. Just read Acts 3 and 4. And essentially, this man's healing caused quite a commotion in the city with the people and the leaders.
And they begin questioning, like, what happened? We cannot deny that Jesus is now at work through this church. And this message of Jesus is transforming people's lives. But the most important part of winning, the most important part of our story, is not how it points people to us. It's how it points people to Him. The author and perfecter of our faith and our story. And so just look how life touched by Jesus.
It tells a story that stirs others. And that's how this story ends. In verse 12 of chapter 3, Peter says, guys, why do you wonder at this? Like, why do you stare at us? You realize it's not about us. We're not winning here. God is at work. And God is winning in our lives. And he's showing up and transforming people through Jesus. So Peter says, don't stare at us. Don't look intently at us. Look at Jesus, who's doing this work in these people's lives.
And then in chapter 4, verse 10, I told you the story just keeps unfolding. Jump ahead to chapter 410. Peter says this, Let it be known to all of you that by the name of Jesus, this man is standing before you well. By the name of who? By the name of Jesus, this man is standing before you well. Guys, what does it look like to win? Winning is seeing people and meeting their needs. Winning is sharing Jesus in God's love for those in our circle.
And winning is ultimately stirring wonder in the hearts and minds of everyone that we encounter to believe in the name that is above every other name, the name of Jesus. Because the purpose of our lives and the purpose of this church is to know Jesus and make Him known. Let's pray together.