Gatesitter Scene 3

(click here for scene 2)

As far as blessing goes, the lame man had never experienced the impartation of blessing so important to every man received at a Bar-Mitzvah. His father was not really proud of him like other fathers – after all, he was deformed. So he was not seated on a chair and lifted up and honored before all to see by his father as a special and important son. His heart was as crippled as his legs, even from birth. For when his parents saw his crippled legs at birth their anguish and feelings of repulsion began the life-long damage to his soul. Peter and John had only very recently experienced their own full “release” into manhood, not through an earthly Bar-Mitzvah ceremony but through the baptism of the Holy Ghost at Pentecost. This powerful experience that had transformed them along with 118 others had really been the very first Bar-Barakah, which means “son of the blessing”. They were now overflowing with blessing, the very identity and presence of Jesus, the Son of God, living full force inside of them. Everything else was of little importance to them now. Money was valueless except as a tool to bless their rapidly growing “family”. Their primary currency now was praise for God. Their primary mode of relationship was transparent unity and openness with every person in their new family. Their primary emotion was joy – intense gladness to share life together with every believer in Jesus. They had become high-volume receivers of God's blessing and were wide open to dispensing His blessings as they were received. They let Jesus be in charge of who to add to their family, for only Jesus could know what hearts were ready and safe to bring into His body. Peter and John were simply living in joy, celebrating the goodness of God, and staying constantly tuned to their born-again spirit to know who God wanted them to invite into the family next. When they laid eyes on the lame man they saw far more than a crippled man that could use healing so he could walk like everyone else. The Spirit notified them that this man was starved in his spirit and was ripe to invite. Peter and John were together in fellowship and joy. This man was alone most of the time except for the friends who carried him around. But these friends had never carried him to Jesus like the friends of the paralytic had done. This man was ripe for a new identity as well as a new body. This man would become Exhibit A in the case for Jesus' reputation.

(click here for scene 4)

Gatesitter Scene 2

(click here for Scene 1)

One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, at three o'clock in the afternoon. And a man lame from birth was being carried in. People would lay him daily at the gate of the temple called the Beautiful Gate so that he could ask for alms from those entering the temple. When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked them for alms. Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, "Look at us." (Acts 3:1-4 NRSV) This man was doing what he usually did; looking for potential donors with enough sympathy to respond to his obvious needs and give him money. This is what he did day in and day out. He may have been returning after the heat of the day just in time for the “rush” when people would be entering the temple for the traditional time of afternoon prayers. Before he had even gotten settled into his usual place he spotted Peter and John with faces different from most people he was used to seeing. Not wanting to miss an opportunity to tag anyone with this much potential he hit them up for a hand-out. The response that he received was not exactly what he was expecting, but got his attention more than his typical interaction with passer-bys. Instead of dropping a few coins into his cup to quiet their conscience and hurrying along to avoid further contact, Peter and John stopped in their tracks and insisted on a full face, deliberate interaction. They refused to settle for a hurried, impersonal excuse to avoid one whom most people preferred to ignore. They “looked intently” at him and requested his undivided attention before offering him something much better than what he was looking for. In effect they were saying, “Look at us! Allow your mind to focus on the present with all of its pain and disappointment. But also focus outside yourself for hope and contrast. Give us the gift of your undivided attention and you will prepare yourself to receive the gift of the very presence and power of Jesus. “We have this gift within us. It is the most valuable possession on earth and we are eager to give it to you. This gift is the blessing of your identity that Jesus wants to give you. It is much more than healing your legs as valuable as that may be; it is making you full, rich in confidence and joy, satisfied in your soul. And His presence will cause you to realize the fulfillment of all the deepest longings God has planted inside of you.” And seizing him by the right hand, he raised him up; and immediately his feet and his ankles were strengthened. With a leap he stood upright and began to walk; and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God; (Acts 3:7-9 NAS95) Peter and John physically engaged with him with gusto and with joy. It says the seized him by his right hand. Maybe he had timidly, fearfully held out his hand to them hoping to receive some pittance of money. But in a sudden gesture of hope and with anticipation on their faces, together they seized his hand and pulled hard on him raising him not only onto his feet but out of darkness and despair into delirious joy and freedom. His body was immediately healed to match the healing of his soul and he was now empowered to become a witness along with them of God's amazing grace, goodness and power. What is recorded next is very interesting and significant. First of all he entered the temple with Peter and John, something he had never before been able or allowed to do even though he was a Jew. Because of his lameness he was barred from entering the temple courts and participating in the worship of his people's God. But now, with wild abandon and undignified expressions of wild joy he entered the temple “walking and leaping and praising God,” something you would likely not find anyone else doing in this solemn place. In fact, it was so out of place that it is interesting to note that the people could only observe him “walking and praising God”, not leaping. This was so far beyond acceptable behavior they could not even bring themselves to admit that it was really happening right in front of them. “...and they were taking note of him as being the one who used to sit at the Beautiful Gate of the temple to beg alms, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.” (Acts 3:10) People were trying to label him with his old identity. They were filled with wonder and amazement not only at his physical healing but that it was even possible for someone to receive such a radical new identity after so many years of his previous depressed, hopeless identity. No wonder he was clinging to Peter and John. He was under tremendous pressure to discount his new identity received from the blessing he had just experienced. He felt a great need to stay very close to those who understood their own new identities until he was stabilized enough in his own experience. He was an infant in need of nurture and protection from those who had just assisted in his new birth.

(click here for scene 3)

Faith and Words

We are always exercising faith. Faith is our contribution to the reality created in our lives. But faith is mixed with words to create results. The real issue is, what words do we choose to mix faith with. If we vocalize negative thoughts, hopeless feelings, and suggestions of the enemy about God, we inject our faith into those concepts and they become our reality. If we do this long enough we will find ourselves in permanent belief in the lies about God and will experience what we think to be God's wrath when in fact He only is pouring His love and passion on us. This is the condition of all those in hell. They will experience the outcome of their faith placed in the words of the head dispenser of death. On the other hand we must inject our faith into the words of God if we want to experience His life and power. It is not enough to immerse ourselves in religious culture and jargon and activities. We have to choose to repent of our faith in the Devil's word and choose to mingle faith with God's word both about ourselves and about Himself. We are always placing faith in someone and their word. The condition of our spiritual life is the sure-fire indicator of what we are placing faith in.

Inductive sand

Sometimes inductive Bible study is like digging a hole deep into sand. The deeper you dig the more sand of God's Word pours into the cavity. But then I notice that as connections and links are connected from all over the Word to this passage, that it is also mixed with the dry cement from my own soul. Then when the water of Life is stirred into the mix by the Holy Spirit it can harden into solid foundation that is reliable for me to build on.

Ministry Frustrations

In trying to minister and encourage my children and other people, I have felt for a long time that my own personal failure to grow and heal in key personal relationships are a major block in effectiveness for others. I have pondered why this is for years. On the surface it seems almost arbitrary, like God is blocking or withholding breakthroughs for others through my ministry to them as leverage to force me to face my own issues first. But then it seems I am always stymied for one reason or another from resolving these problems or even being able to identify them very well.

I feel very much crippled in a work that God seems to be asking us to enter. There now seems to be emerging in my mind a more plausible explanation of this handicap. Maybe my heart can't really believe God can heal and release others from roots that I have not personally been freed from. Maybe I would be jealous and angry if God healed someone else in front of me with a powerful experience of grace that I want for myself. Maybe it involves principles of maturity. After all, one cannot efficiently minister to or mentor another person who is moving into a greater maturity level than the level of the one trying to help them. That one simply doesn't have the knowledge from personal experience and the natural intuition that is learned from entering that realm himself.

We cannot offer grace that we have not received into our own heart. We can only talk about it and point to others who have experienced it. This becomes a major handicap in ministry to others when I am nearly at the same level of maturity or need as my children or others who desire help.

I feel more and more like the cripple at the gate yearning for complete freedom inside and out to not only have the physical ability but the emotional and spiritual abandon to celebrate life and God's goodness. When that freedom arrives in me, many will be amazed and run together to discover for themselves what great power can so transform my identity from a begging, depressed cripple to a leaping, enthusiastic cheerleader for God's goodness and greatness.

Lord Jesus, come!