One of my favorite passages of scripture is found in Acts 3. This is a story of Peter and John going to the temple to pray and encountering a man who has been lame since birth on their way there. It says that Peter and John don’t just simply see the man, but they “directed their gaze” at him. The man asks for money but instead of giving it to him, Peter and John say, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” The man instantly stands to his feet and begins jumping and praising God. The people in the community recognized him as the man who was once a lame beggar and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
I love this story for a lot of reasons, but what I love most about it is the framework it gives us as Christians for how to engage and impact hurting people around us in an intentional way. There is so much we can learn from this short story about what God is calling us as a church to do when it comes to loving our neighbors.
1. We learn to be aware. Peter and John could have easily looked the other way when they saw this man. They could have walked around him, avoided eye contact, and ignored him completely. But they didn’t. They chose to direct their gaze at him, making sure that he was seen wholly and completely. They saw his need, they saw his pain, but most of all they saw him as a person in need of a Savior.
2. We learn to act with wisdom. Peter and John knew that if they simply gave this man a handout, he would be in the exact same place tomorrow doing the exact same thing. A few coins may have offered some relief in the moment, but would it have helped him in the long run? By receiving physical healing, this man would now be able to walk, run, build community, work, give, and thrive.
3. We learn to serve with purpose. Peter and John made it very clear where this healing came from. This was not simply a good deed or a random act of kindness. This was a display of the power and mercy of a risen King. This man not only received physical healing, but he had an encounter with Jesus followers that would forever alter him AND his community – on earth and for eternity. Everyone around him saw what happened to him and were amazed. They got a front-row seat to the healing, transformational, merciful power of Jesus, and they wanted to be a part of it.
Who is God calling you to direct your gaze at?
Are there people in your path whose pain you have been avoiding?
How is God calling you to love them well?
Are there ways you can intentionally and effectively serve them and be generous to them that would forever alter their life?
How is God calling you to share the hope of the resurrection in those situations?
How can you go beyond kind gestures to meaningful gospel interactions?
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