Beautiful Gate…

Beautiful Gate…

Seeing a life transformed is a glory to God that shouldn’t be taken lightly. When a loved one, a friend or stranger moves from broken to healed it is cause for celebration. What type of celebration? What type of healing has taken place? Were they brought back from the dead, did their limbs stop working, was cancer removed or did they simply get up and walk?

For those that base life on TV our world appears to be swimming in a cesspool of brokenness. God, it would appear, has been put on a bus and shipped out of town. Nothing, repeat – nothing, could be further from the truth. The general rule with corporate media is the rule of 180 degrees. Whatever the media says, especially if it is repeated endlessly, if one looks 180 degrees from the words they use is usually where the truth will be found. If the media, which they do all the time, tells the people the church is dying, religion has no place, Christians are radical crazies, etc. etc. etc. ad nauseam, well, what would be found 180 degrees from these lies? What made the “authorities” issue the lockdown, literally, just before Easter / resurrection Sunday and just after Pentecost Sunday? Accident, planned or simply a coincidence? Right, a coincidence, that’s it.

When we look around and see lives transformed – literally, right in our face – what does it mean? When we pray and God draws near, doesn’t our life change at that moment? What about the drunkard, the drug addict or the person with a medical condition? When their life changes isn’t this God working through the prayers, working with the Holy Spirit to restore, rebuild and glorify His children to lift up His Kingdom? What is it that makes Him leave the 99 to save the one? Did He not fill our lives with this awesome gift?

Simon, who is Peter in his Christ identity, transforms lives, heals lives and walks with Jesus Christ with every step. Christ, in turn, continually uses Peter to transform lives for the glorification of God’s Kingdom on earth.

Acts 3 NKJV

1 Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.
2 And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful,
to ask alms from those who entered the temple;
3 who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms.
4 And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, “Look at us.”
5 So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them.
6 Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you:
In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”
7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.
8 So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God.
9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God.
10 Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple;
and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

When a drunkard drinks no more and the shackles hit the floor, there is no sound like a captive set free. Leaping, singing and filled with an unknown Peace would be a decent start, however, it would fall far short of the reality. What stops us short of walking with Christ and allowing His healing shadow to be cast upon others at the Beautiful Gate?