No Silver, No Gold

In front of the gate called Beautiful lay a beggar who would not use his legs. As he lay there receiving coins from those who passed by, Peter knelt beside him to give him a gift. The gift Peter was giving to him was not one of silver or gold but of healing. He picked the man up by his hand and proclaimed healing in the name of Jesus. Both the man and the crowd were in high spirits after that. And Peter, being filled with The Holy Spirit, preached to the crowd again…and many more came to be saved. But as five thousand men and women proclaimed allegiance to Jesus, the priests, and Sadducees were once again riled to anger.

In our last episode, we heard how the disciples and others were given the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. As they gathered in the temple with Jews from all over the world, a rushing wind came and tongues of fire descended on them. They began to speak God’s truth in other languages so that all who were there could understand. Peter then spoke to the crowd and delivered a message that cut to the people’s hearts. Over three thousand came to faith in Christ that day and the Church was birthed. Today we’ll hear as Peter and John begin to boldly carry out their mission, preaching and healing with wisdom and power that clearly did not come from themselves but was a reflection of Jesus’ own ministry. They will soon face opposition for their message that threatens the power of the religious elite, just as Jesus did.