A Study of Acts: Fulfulling the Great Commision

Chapter Three: One Day in the Temple - Acts 3 - 4:4

Peter and John, and no doubt the rest of the apostles, went to the temple daily to pray. Though they were now under the new covenant, they still observed those traditions and customs that complemented their new faith. Certainly praying twice a day in the temple was one such tradition. This after all was the purpose for the temple. In Isaiah 56:7, speaking through the prophet God said, "my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations." Whether in Jerusalem or in some other place, the apostles sought out the "place of prayer" (Acts 16:13,16), and went there to pray and to be with others who placed their faith in God. This is a tradition we as twenty-first century Christians would do well to keep.

In the third chapter of Acts, Luke used one of these visits to the temple to provide an example of what he meant in chapter 2 verse 46 when he said, "Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts." Given this context one might think that this was to be just any ordinary day in the temple, but this day was not ordinary. The Spirit chose on this day to do something spectacular, something extraordinary. As Peter and John "were going up to the temple… a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg (verses 1-2)", and as we continue through verse 8 we read that the Spirit working through Peter made this man whole. So why did the Spirit choose this day to take notice of the crippled man? Surely this was not the first time Peter and John had seen this man at the gate. After all, he was there every day, and they were there every day. And was he the only cripple setting by the gate, or were there others there in just as much need?

Addressing the last question first, it is clear from Jesus’ own words, in the fourth chapter of Luke starting with verse 23, that it has never been the purpose of the miracles to rid the world of all ills. If it were so then Jesus would surely have cured all the sick and disabled people while he was on earth. Isn’t it likely that Jesus saw this very cripple setting at the gate called Beautiful? Why didn’t Jesus cure him? Jesus’ mission was not to rid the world of sickness, but to provide a remedy for sin. In Matthew the ninth chapter starting with verse 2, Jesus told another crippled man that his sins were forgiven. But when the teachers of the law questioned his authority to forgive sins, Jesus said "so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...." Then he said to the paralytic, "Get up, take your mat and go home." The purpose of miracles has always been the same, to demonstrate the authority of God.

Why this particular miracle? Peter gives the answer in verse 13. "The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus." To understand this we need to go back to verse 6 where Peter said to the crippled man, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." The purpose of this miracle was to glorify Jesus and to show his authority. And it gave Peter an opportunity to proclaim the good news. It gave Peter an opportunity to witness about Christ. How often do we turn God’s blessings into opportunities to witness?

If the book of Acts provides examples of early Christians fulfilling the Great Commission, then the witness they gave is the same witness we should give today. On this day Peter proclaimed that the one true God had glorified Jesus whom sinful man had betrayed. Man had rejected good in favor of evil and had murdered the author of life, but God raised Jesus from the grave making him victorious over death. Peter then told his listeners that salvation from sin is available to all who will repent, turn to God and listen to everything Jesus has said. "For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from among his people (verses 22 & 23).’"

Not long after this Peter’s message was interrupted. The temple guard came and arrested both Peter and John for "proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead (chapter 4, verse 2). But the actions of the temple officials did not mute the gospel, for "many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand (verse 4)."

At this point many today say that there was no mention of baptism in this account, only repentance and belief, and they then reason that baptism is not a necessary part of salvation. By the same token one could argue that in Acts 2:38 no mention was made of belief, only repentance and baptism, so belief must not be necessary. Of course both arguments are in error. In verse 22 of chapter 3 the writer says, "you must listen to everything he (Jesus) tells you." Is that all? Just listen? In James 1:22 we are told, "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." With this in mind if we listen again to the Great Commission we understand what Jesus meant when he said, "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." Belief and baptism are inseparable in this command from the Lord. Suddenly it becomes very clear that there is no conflict between Acts 2:38 and Acts 4:4. We realize that those who were baptized in Acts 2:41 were those who believed. Those who did not believe took no action after hearing the gospel. It then follows that the necessary inference in Acts 4:4 is that those who heard the message (listened to the word) and believed also obeyed the command of Jesus and were baptized. The difference between believers and non-believers is in what they do after hearing the gospel.

If we are to fulfill the imperative of the Great Commission in our time then we must seize every opportunity to witness about Christ. We must take every blessing from God and turn it into an occasion for glorifying Jesus. And if we are to fulfill the imperative of the Great Commission in our time, then we must be faithful to that proclamation. "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned (Mark 16:15-16 NIV)."

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A Study of Acts:

Fulfilling the Great Commission