“The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade. No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number.” Acts 5:14-16
This was more than a confrontation of ideas and ideals. This was a great truth encounter, a wrestling for the minds of the people. A battle for the hearts and lives of men and women.
The battle was no longer confined to the corridors of the temple; it moved to where it mattered most--the place were the people lived.
Suddenly the streets were filled with the sick, the oppressed, the hurt and the possessed, not only from Jerusalem, but also from the towns in the area.
The pain, the brokenness, the despair and those things hidden because of shame, were suddenly exposed for all to see.
Things were not well with the people.
The weight of a life resigned to secret dreariness was suddenly wrenched aside by the unexpected and triumphant entry of healing and joy in their midst.
This was a revelation of God, something no one had seen or expected; this was glorious!
Knowing that healing was available, the streets became an emergency room. All those who had been hopeless, now waited for a shadow to pass over them, a word, or a touch and life.
The air was energized with a new expectation; they were not just hoping for relief, but fully anticipated wholeness, total restoration.
The center of attention was no longer the temple, but what was happening on the way to the temple.
God had moved into the street to meet the needs of His people, and was doing it through uneducated servants who believed Him and the one He sent, Jesus.
God has not changed. He still moves, and waits for us to believe enough to create an atmosphere in the streets, the side streets and the alleyways that will bring those who are desperate out of the shadows and into His sudden touch.
This was more than a confrontation of ideas and ideals. This was a great truth encounter, a wrestling for the minds of the people. A battle for the hearts and lives of men and women.
The battle was no longer confined to the corridors of the temple; it moved to where it mattered most--the place were the people lived.
Suddenly the streets were filled with the sick, the oppressed, the hurt and the possessed, not only from Jerusalem, but also from the towns in the area.
The pain, the brokenness, the despair and those things hidden because of shame, were suddenly exposed for all to see.
Things were not well with the people.
The weight of a life resigned to secret dreariness was suddenly wrenched aside by the unexpected and triumphant entry of healing and joy in their midst.
This was a revelation of God, something no one had seen or expected; this was glorious!
Knowing that healing was available, the streets became an emergency room. All those who had been hopeless, now waited for a shadow to pass over them, a word, or a touch and life.
The air was energized with a new expectation; they were not just hoping for relief, but fully anticipated wholeness, total restoration.
The center of attention was no longer the temple, but what was happening on the way to the temple.
God had moved into the street to meet the needs of His people, and was doing it through uneducated servants who believed Him and the one He sent, Jesus.
God has not changed. He still moves, and waits for us to believe enough to create an atmosphere in the streets, the side streets and the alleyways that will bring those who are desperate out of the shadows and into His sudden touch.
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