Chapter 3 is in many ways like Chapter 2. There’s a pattern we see emerging:
- Something happens that draws a crowd.
- There is powerful preaching of the gospel.
- There is a powerful response by the crowd.
Unless you read ahead just a bit, you might miss the “moral of the story” because the story of the healing the lame man doesn’t really come to an end until mid-way through Chapter 4. The most important result is found in 4:4 where we’re told that the number of households that believed grew to about 5,000, an increase of 2000.
I come away from this with a couple of truths.
First, we’re beginning to see the pattern that will continue that shows how Matthew 5:16 was being put into action by the church (“Let y’all’s light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”). In other words, the purpose of doing good works isn’t so much to relieve suffering, but to create a leverageable opportunity to share the gospel.
Second, effective preaching must have a point … a call to action … so that those who hear the message know exactly what’s expected of them.
And third: Numbers count. Throughout the Gospels and through the book of Acts we’re going to see that the church keeps track … they count. So far we know there were 11 apostles and they felt the need to have 12. There were 120 participants in the first church. Peter’s first sermon resulted in 3000 new Christians. And his second sermon resulted in another 2000. And those numbers are important because every one of those numbers points to a person desperately in need of reconciliation with God through Jesus.
What good thing can you do today in the presence, and for the benefit, of those who are unbelievers and how will you leverage it for the sake of the kingdom?
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