Acts 3:11-26 Preaching in Solomon’s Portico
“Now as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon’s, greatly amazed. So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: “Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go. But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. 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.”
“Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers. But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. For Moses truly said to the fathers, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’ Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days. You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.”
Peter is at it again. Having preached on the Day of Pentecost, Peter has become emboldened to take any opportunity presenting itself to tell people about Jesus. Once more, Peter confronts the Jews about murdering Jesus but then moves on to assert that “And His (Jesus) 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.”
Peter continues to inform his listeners that he knows they have done this in ignorance. But now, Peter continues, “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” Peter continues, “To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.” Having appealed to his audience, Peter encourages them to trust in Jesus to be delivered from their sins.
Once more, Peter has been impowered by the Holy Spirit. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Peter has become eloquent, quoting Scripture and bringing out convincing arguments that sway even religious experts.
Why should we be interested in Peter’s sermon? Most of us aren’t particularly eloquent when called upon to defend our faith. Many of us would just as soon run in the opposite direction or at least hide when called upon. But Peter’s example can give all of us hope. While we must prepare by studying Scripture, we can rest in the knowledge that if God calls us to speak on His behalf, He will also give us the ability and the inspiration to speak the words He wants.
Neither my husband nor I are trained preachers; however, we have preached on multiple occasions. We can personally testify to the power of the Holy Spirit to give us the right words, the right stories, and the right expressions. One additional challenge we face is that much of the time, we must carefully select our words because we may be translated into one or two tribal languages. We can tell that the Holy Spirit is moving when our translators become inspired and go far beyond our initial statements, causing the audience to become excited and to begin murmuring, “Hallelujah!”
If you are given an opportunity to share your faith, don’t hesitate. Simply ask God to give you the words and open your mouth, trusting that God will help you. You will never be disappointed.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to trust that You will always give us the words if you give us the opportunity to speak on Your behalf. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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