SEDUCTIVE FAITH – Its Lack Curbs God’s Use of Me! In Acts 3:1-10 Peter and John were about to enter the temple; they were passing by a lame man begging alms from passersby. This is one of the most memorable Sunday School lessons of all time; it's on the same plain as David and Goliath! I don’t remember where or when I was taught the lesson, but I remember it clearly. But Peter said, “Silver and gold have I none; but what I have, that give I thee. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, [fill in the blank]!” Acts 3:6 ASV The lesson always seemed to be about either healing the disabled or materialism. These, I believe, miss the practical application of the passage. Let me explain. Context is important in any study of Scripture; the context of this passage is very simple: Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved. Acts 2:46, 47 Clearly Luke's segue into chapter three is out of church unity and church witness (or perhaps testimony), both a function of faith (or trust) in God. In Acts 3:1-10 we have a demonstration of God’s love and healing power manifested through the Apostle Peter’s great faith in God’s love and healing power! A miracle is in view here, and miracles were used by God to demonstrate His attributes, encourage the saints, and grow the Kingdom. I’m reminded of the story of the fully loaded barge which sank in the East River near New York City's Riker’s Island. Nothing the salvagers tried would raise the valuable cargo; it was frozen in the mud of the river's bottom. A young engineer said he could raise it, but no one listened to him. Having tried and failed in every effort, the site superintendent let him have a try. The young man had workers chain another barge over the sunken vessel, and for hours he had them cinch up the chains. Then he sat back and waited for the tide to come in! The man had absolute faith in the power of the tide; he had seen it work before and he knew it would not fail him now. The tide is like the Lord Jesus Christ only it is finite and He is infinite. He chains Himself to our sunken lives, chinches up tight, waits for us to turn, then lifts us out of sins suction-like grip. All many need someone to come by and notice them. Read more here >>> Are there any practical biblical principles we can mine from this text? Yes, a multitude, but one particular thread caught my attention. First, we should not miss the call of those in need! This is a simple one, not needing much explanation. "Peter, along with John, fixed his gaze on him and said, 'Look at us!'" (Verse 4); like the Apostles, we should focus on sinners and say, “Look at me!” In other words we should be capable of attracting their attention, not for a fleeting moment but by an appeal that causes them to take notice of us and remember us. Second, we should not offer what the world expects or wants from us! Jesus said of Himself "not as the world gives do I give to you" (John 14:27).Here we have a man who had been...... lame from his mother's womb ... being carried along, whom they used to set down every day at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, in order to beg alms of those who were entering the temple. (Verse 2) This man had expectations and his expectations were related to his inabilities and the world he saw around him. When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he began asking to receive alms ... and he began to give them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. (Verses 3, 5) The lame beggar was seeking money to support himself; the world he saw was rooted in evil... Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Galatians 5:19-21 Third, we should not offer what we don't have! Peter said, "Silver and gold have I none; but what I have, that give I thee" (verse 6a ASV). Even if Peter and John had money to give they still should have done as they did. They gave what they had, "In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene--walk!" (Verse 6b)What was it that Peter had that the lame man needed, great faith - seductive faith. Peter believed absolutely in the love of God for this man and the power of God to heal him.And so I say if we don't have great faith we should not pretend to have the love and power of God to share with those who need us to have great faith; and we should not pretend to want to lead people to Jesus if we don't have seductive faith for seductive faith comes from great faith. Fourth, we should not offer in our own strength! Peter did not say, "I tell you, walk!" He said, "In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk" (Verse 6b).This is where the rubber meets the road, as J. Vernon McGee used to say. If we don't the faith of our fathers we should not be in denial and claim that it's the lost's fault they are not being saved. If we had great faith we would be doing the things our first century fathers did; if we have great faith we would have seductive faith and be "having favor with all the people."Most people, just because they are older, have not lost that childlike sense of inherently knowing when someone is jerking our chain. Without seductive faith, we will be suspect in our motives ... and in all too many cases we deserve their suspicion.Too much of the work done today is said to be in the name of Jesus but is actually mere entertainment and out of the ego of an entertainer. And I'm not speaking just of those like Benny Hinn and his ilk; I'm also speaking of much of what we see in the popular American pulpit.This is a time of great apostasy. Notice I did not capitalize the nomenclature, for I do not believe we are in The Great Apostasy yet. What we see today is primarily resident in the industrialized world not in the non-industrialized world. The man needed healing, not only of the body but of the soul. This is one reason I know we are alive in a time of apostasy; true healing comes from the True Healer by way of His faithful, through their great faith ... if they have it. How many of us can touch someone and heal those in need of healing? How many have ever actually healed someone? Is God no longer The Healer? No! A thousand times no!How many of us can say we freed a friend or neighbor from the bondage of pornography or drugs "in the name of Jesus the Nazerene"? How many have turned a couple away from the doors of divorce "in the name of Jesus the Nazarene"? Not many, I fear. It must be the lack of genuine, repenting faith which inhibits His healing power. Remember what He said of Nazareth and Chorazin? Christ denounced those cities where "most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent. Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the Day of Judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day.Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the Day of Judgment, than for you. Matthew 11:20-24 We shouldn’t walk our streets on the way to God’s house of prayer and worship and not see the stricken along the way. Pay attention to those around you, look for the needs of your neighbors. Those who see us pass by should not expect to receive what they believe they need but rather what we know they need … and “silver and gold have we none” but what we have ... faith, hope, and love ... give we unto thee! Notice these are intangibles … they must be demonstrated, like the young engineer … because they cannot be given! And we certainly have a lot more to offer … the Truth, the Life, and the Way (John 14:6). We can also offer "the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). I have heard and reheard the excuse no one wants to listen to what we have to offer, until my stomach churns. How can that be?If Christ is not in them, they have not Christ … how much more do you need to know their need is as great as the lame man’s? If we don’t answer as Peter and John ... giving our friends and neighbors what they need rather than what they want (which is for us to leave them alone) ... are we not inhibiting the salvation work of the Holy Spirit?I know it’s difficult and frightening, but we must tell them without being offensive!Are you telling me you believe an engineer can raise a sunken ship and make it float again but that Jesus cannot raise a lame man and make Him walk again? Are you telling me you believe Jesus forgave your sins and will deliver you safely to glory but that Jesus cannot forgive your neighbor’s sin and deliver him? A counselor at church camp told of his experience with a nine-year-old who cried when they turned out the cabin lights each night. "Was he afraid of the dark?" his mentor asked. "No," he said. "He just didn't want to be attacked by the 'killer rabbits.'"His older sister had told him there were "killer rabbits" that came out at night and attack the campers. The little boy couldn't get past the fear his sister had caused by her lie. Your friends and neighbors are lying when they say they don't need what you have to offer ... the problem is your seductive faith, or lack of it. Jesus was constantly reassuring the disciples with the words, "Fear not." Their fears betrayed their lack of faith. When one traces these words and their usage throughout the Bible, it seems that one of man's constant needs is to be reassured of the presence and comfort of God almighty. Christians can draw on this presence to find comfort and destroy their fears. The repeating of the myth they don’t want what we have to offer is doing damage to other Christians, feeding their fears of ‘killer friends” and “killer neighbors.”We must be a sweet smelling fragrance, seductive and lingering! Not cheap perfume. In front of a great French Cathedral stands a statue of Jesus Christ, and on either side the twelve apostles; below each is written their greatest virtue, in contrast to their greatest vices.In Peter's case, his outstanding quality was his courage, but below it you see a figure of Peter fleeing from a leopard, which represented cowardice. Beneath that you see the same figure sitting on a leopard and riding forth in his victory.The sculptor wished to teach us that by contact with the Lord Jesus Christ that very thing which is a man's weakness can be transformed into his strength; that very thing from which he flees becomes a great chariot on which he rides forward to conquer. Earlier we looked at the world’s offerings out of Paul’s words to the Galatians, let’s go there and see what the Body of Christ is supposed to offer out of a seductive faith... But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-25 We need saving faith to to receive God's grace, we need sanctifying faith to make it through this life, we need great (or repenting) faith to be used by God, and we need seductive faith to compel the the lost to come in.

In Acts 3:1-10 Peter and John were about to enter the temple; they were passing by a lame man begging alms from passersby. This is one of the most memorable Sunday School lessons of all time; it's on the same plain as David and Goliath! I don’t remember where or when I was taught the lesson, but I remember it clearly.

But Peter said, “Silver and gold have I none; but what I have, that give I thee. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, [fill in the blank]!”

Acts 3:6 ASV

The lesson always seemed to be about either healing the disabled or materialism. These, I believe, miss the practical application of the passage. Let me explain.

Context is important in any study of Scripture; the context of this passage is very simple:

Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Acts 2:46, 47

Clearly Luke's segue into chapter three is out of church unity and church witness (or perhaps testimony), both a function of faith (or trust) in God. In Acts 3:1-10 we have a demonstration of God’s love and healing power manifested through the Apostle Peter’s great faith in God’s love and healing power! A miracle is in view here, and miracles were used by God to demonstrate His attributes, encourage the saints, and grow the Kingdom.

I’m reminded of the story of the fully loaded barge which sank in the East River near New York City's Riker’s Island. Nothing the salvagers tried would raise the valuable cargo; it was frozen in the mud of the river's bottom.

A young engineer said he could raise it, but no one listened to him. Having tried and failed in every effort, the site superintendent let him have a try. The young man had workers chain another barge over the sunken vessel, and for hours he had them cinch up the chains. Then he sat back and waited for the tide to come in!

The man had absolute faith in the power of the tide; he had seen it work before and he knew it would not fail him now. The tide is like the Lord Jesus Christ only it is finite and He is infinite. He chains Himself to our sunken lives, chinches up tight, waits for us to turn, then lifts us out of sins suction-like grip. All many need someone to come by and notice them. Read more here >>>

Are there any practical biblical principles we can mine from this text? Yes, a multitude, but one particular thread caught my attention.

First, we should not miss the call of those in need! This is a simple one, not needing much explanation.

"Peter, along with John, fixed his gaze on him and said, 'Look at us!'" (Verse 4); like the Apostles, we should focus on sinners and say, “Look at me!” In other words we should be capable of attracting their attention, not for a fleeting moment but by an appeal that causes them to take notice of us and remember us.

Second, we should not offer what the world expects or wants from us! Jesus said of Himself "not as the world gives do I give to you" (John 14:27).

Here we have a man who had been...

... lame from his mother's womb ... being carried along, whom they used to set down every day at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, in order to beg alms of those who were entering the temple. (Verse 2)

This man had expectations and his expectations were related to his inabilities and the world he saw around him.

When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he began asking to receive alms ... and he began to give them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. (Verses 3, 5)

The lame beggar was seeking money to support himself; the world he saw was rooted in evil...

Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Galatians 5:19-21

Third, we should not offer what we don't have! Peter said, "Silver and gold have I none; but what I have, that give I thee" (verse 6a ASV). Even if Peter and John had money to give they still should have done as they did. They gave what they had, "In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene--walk!" (Verse 6b)

What was it that Peter had that the lame man needed, great faith - seductive faith. Peter believed absolutely in the love of God for this man and the power of God to heal him.

And so I say if we don't have great faith we should not pretend to have the love and power of God to share with those who need us to have great faith; and we should not pretend to want to lead people to Jesus if we don't have seductive faith for seductive faith comes from great faith.

Fourth, we should not offer in our own strength! Peter did not say, "I tell you, walk!" He said, "In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk" (Verse 6b).

This is where the rubber meets the road, as J. Vernon McGee used to say. If we don't the faith of our fathers we should not be in denial and claim that it's the lost's fault they are not being saved. If we had great faith we would be doing the things our first century fathers did; if we have great faith we would have seductive faith and be "having favor with all the people."

Most people, just because they are older, have not lost that childlike sense of inherently knowing when someone is jerking our chain. Without seductive faith, we will be suspect in our motives ... and in all too many cases we deserve their suspicion.

Too much of the work done today is said to be in the name of Jesus but is actually mere entertainment and out of the ego of an entertainer. And I'm not speaking just of those like Benny Hinn and his ilk; I'm also speaking of much of what we see in the popular American pulpit.

This is a time of great apostasy. Notice I did not capitalize the nomenclature, for I do not believe we are in The Great Apostasy yet. What we see today is primarily resident in the industrialized world not in the non-industrialized world.

The man needed healing, not only of the body but of the soul. This is one reason I know we are alive in a time of apostasy; true healing comes from the True Healer by way of His faithful, through their great faith ... if they have it.

How many of us can touch someone and heal those in need of healing? How many have ever actually healed someone? Is God no longer The Healer? No! A thousand times no!

How many of us can say we freed a friend or neighbor from the bondage of pornography or drugs "in the name of Jesus the Nazerene"? How many have turned a couple away from the doors of divorce "in the name of Jesus the Nazarene"? Not many, I fear.

It must be the lack of genuine, repenting faith which inhibits His healing power. Remember what He said of Nazareth and Chorazin? Christ denounced those cities where "most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent.

Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the Day of Judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day.

Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the Day of Judgment, than for you.

Matthew 11:20-24

We shouldn’t walk our streets on the way to God’s house of prayer and worship and not see the stricken along the way. Pay attention to those around you, look for the needs of your neighbors.

Those who see us pass by should not expect to receive what they believe they need but rather what we know they need … and “silver and gold have we none” but what we have ... faith, hope, and love ... give we unto thee! Notice these are intangibles … they must be demonstrated, like the young engineer … because they cannot be given!

And we certainly have a lot more to offer … the Truth, the Life, and the Way (John 14:6). We can also offer "the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1).

I have heard and reheard the excuse no one wants to listen to what we have to offer, until my stomach churns. How can that be?

If Christ is not in them, they have not Christ … how much more do you need to know their need is as great as the lame man’s?

If we don’t answer as Peter and John ... giving our friends and neighbors what they need rather than what they want (which is for us to leave them alone) ... are we not inhibiting the salvation work of the Holy Spirit?I know it’s difficult and frightening, but we must tell them without being offensive!

Are you telling me you believe an engineer can raise a sunken ship and make it float again but that Jesus cannot raise a lame man and make Him walk again? Are you telling me you believe Jesus forgave your sins and will deliver you safely to glory but that Jesus cannot forgive your neighbor’s sin and deliver him?

A counselor at church camp told of his experience with a nine-year-old who cried when they turned out the cabin lights each night. "Was he afraid of the dark?" his mentor asked. "No," he said. "He just didn't want to be attacked by the 'killer rabbits.'"

His older sister had told him there were "killer rabbits" that came out at night and attack the campers. The little boy couldn't get past the fear his sister had caused by her lie. Your friends and neighbors are lying when they say they don't need what you have to offer ... the problem is your seductive faith, or lack of it.

Jesus was constantly reassuring the disciples with the words, "Fear not." Their fears betrayed their lack of faith. When one traces these words and their usage throughout the Bible, it seems that one of man's constant needs is to be reassured of the presence and comfort of God almighty. Christians can draw on this presence to find comfort and destroy their fears.

The repeating of the myth they don’t want what we have to offer is doing damage to other Christians, feeding their fears of ‘killer friends” and “killer neighbors.”We must be a sweet smelling fragrance, seductive and lingering! Not cheap perfume.

In front of a great French Cathedral stands a statue of Jesus Christ, and on either side the twelve apostles; below each is written their greatest virtue, in contrast to their greatest vices.

In Peter's case, his outstanding quality was his courage, but below it you see a figure of Peter fleeing from a leopard, which represented cowardice. Beneath that you see the same figure sitting on a leopard and riding forth in his victory.

The sculptor wished to teach us that by contact with the Lord Jesus Christ that very thing which is a man's weakness can be transformed into his strength; that very thing from which he flees becomes a great chariot on which he rides forward to conquer.

Earlier we looked at the world’s offerings out of Paul’s words to the Galatians, let’s go there and see what the Body of Christ is supposed to offer out of a seductive faith...

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22-25

We need saving faith to to receive God's grace, we need sanctifying faith to make it through this life, we need great (or repenting) faith to be used by God, and we need seductive faith to compel the the lost to come in.