Pull Up
Acts 3:1-10
“3 Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.[a] 2 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. 3 Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. 4 And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” 5 And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. 6 But Peter said, “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!” 7 And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. 8 And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. 9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.” Acts 3:1-10 (ESV)
When Scripture Walks Into the Room
This week Scripture did not stay on the page.
I sat in Sunday school next to a man who rarely shares. I won’t put his name in the street, but suffice it to say he had injured his foot and had gone through months of grueling treatment. Procedures. Expenses. Pain that would not let up. His job requires him to be on his feet constantly. Every step hurt. Every shift was misery.
He finally reached the end of his rope. Rock bottom.
He told us that one night he watched a sermon by Billy Graham. Reverend Graham said when you pray, do not pray timidly. Pray expecting. Pray as though it has already been granted by the Lord in faith.
So he did.
He said he prayed like that — and then he heard and felt a powerful pop in his foot.
And he was healed.
He teared up as he told it. I sat there stunned and teared up with him. I told him I knew he didn’t want attention, but Matthew 5:16 says to let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. I told him he needed to share that often and with everyone.
Then I opened Acts 3 this week.
And I came to the lame beggar at the gate called Beautiful.
In a commentary I read, Luke’s description of the healing — the strengthening of the feet and ankles — carries language that implies a sudden connection. Almost like a pop.
I sat back in awe.
Divine healing.
What a week this is going to be.
But as astonishing as the miracle is, it is not my favorite part of the passage.
God’s Timing and God’s Glory
Acts tells us that this man had been lame from birth. He had been placed at the temple gate daily.
Surely Jesus Himself had walked past that gate during His earthly ministry. Surely He had seen that man.
And yet the healing waited.
Why?
Because God heals when He will be most glorified.
This man would not be healed privately on a roadside. He would be healed publicly, through two fishermen from Galilee, in a moment that would shut down the temple and overflow Solomon’s Portico with astonished worshipers.
God waited until the story would multiply His glory.
That realization humbles me.
God will use us — you and me — if we are obedient to His Word and sensitive to His Spirit.
Peter and John did not walk by and say, “We’re praying for you, bro,” and keep moving.
They stopped.
They engaged.
They met him where he was.
And then Peter did something that defines discipleship.
The Hand of Authority
“He took him by the right hand and raised him up…”
The right hand in Scripture represents authority and strength. God’s right hand delivers. Christ sits at the right hand of the Father.
Peter exercises delegated authority in the Name of Jesus — but he uses it to lift.
This is what strikes me most.
Peter does not perform from a distance. He does not shout a command and step back. He stoops. He grips. He raises.
Authority in the kingdom is not for control. It is for restoration.
The command came first: “Rise up and walk.” The strengthening followed immediately. God rebuilt what had never supported weight before. Feet. Ankles. Foundation.
But Peter participated in the visible rising.
He helped his brother up.
Discipleship Is a Grip
Somehow, I can hear my mom saying, “You can’t be all high and mighty. You have to stop and help people.”
This is that in action.
Discipleship is not advice tossed from a distance. It is not commentary shouted across a gap. It is not “I’ll pray for you” as you keep walking.
It is stopping.
It is engaging.
It is reaching down and grabbing a hand.
The world is full of men sitting at the gate — in pain, in shame, in addiction, in quiet despair. They are asking for silver. Temporary relief. Something to ease today’s burden.
The gospel offers something greater.
But that greater thing often comes through a grip.
Peter knew what he carried. “What I do have I give to you.” He carried the authority of Christ. And because he carried it, he could release it.
You cannot give what you do not carry.
Discipleship begins with walking closely with Jesus — so that when the moment comes, you are not empty-handed.
But discipleship does not end with speaking truth. It continues with lifting.
The Men Who Lifted Me
There was a time in my life when I felt unworthy of the Kingdom of God. A time I sat at the gate begging. I did not know I was welcome. I did not know there was a place for me.
Until a man named Steve Guizar grabbed my hand and helped me up. [He would not be the only one, just the first.]
He did not stand at a distance. He did not keep me at arm’s length. He reached. He guided. He steadied my steps. He showed me the way.
I would take a bullet for that man.
I owe him a debt I can never fully repay.
But I know how to honor it.
By doing for another man what he did for me.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Until the Good Lord calls me home.
The Call at the Gate
This ain’t only about a healed ankle.
It is about authority used rightly.
It is about obedience meeting opportunity.
It is about stopping long enough to see the man at the gate.
God honored Peter’s obedience. God honored the grip. God honored the lifting.
And He will use us if we are sensitive to His Spirit and obedient to His Word.
The miracle is stunning.
But the hand that lifts — that is discipleship.
And somewhere nearby, another man is sitting at a gate.
Stop.
Reach.
Help him up.
Speak loud brother. It’s gotten too easy to say I’ll pray for you, even when you actually do. We need men and women who act, who lift, who pray and follow up the next day and in days to come. Thank you for your words, they are needed.