Peter and John went into the Temple to pray and on their way in they encountered this lame man who was crippled since birth. They healed him by the power of God. He was so excited to be able to walk, he jumped around praising God. Sounds like something we would do if God healed us.
A crowd gathered around Peter and John. They seized the opportunity and started telling the Jews, all about this Jesus they had crucified just days earlier. Before they even finished speaking, Peter and John were whisked away and put in jail overnight because the temple authorities were alarmed by what they saw. That progression of events would repeat itself many times in the early church. Powerful healing led to a powerful message, only to be followed by powerful persecution.
It says many of the Jews who heard Peter and John speak that day believed in Jesus. Not all who listened believed, but many did. The Jews who believed that day went from trying to earn God’s forgiveness by following a set of rules and regulations to receiving God’s forgiveness through simple faith. We would say the light finally came on in their hearts.
To believe is to trust. For those Jews who believed that truth it meant a huge burden got lifted off their shoulders. They placed their faith in Jesus and believed in Him instead of themselves. Salvation is not about what someone can do for God but understanding what God has already done for them.
“But many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand.” Acts 4:4 NIV
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