Life-Changing Encounters 1

Acts 3:1-10

Message No. 0628 | Twitter @GodandUs | www.wisdom-speaks.ca

I did not shave my beards in my late teens. I’m sure you know why – remember the excitement of growing beards and proving that you are now a man? Yeah, I believe that we can all attest to that. I shaved occasionally in my early twenties but each time I did it, it was pain, especially after the first day as my chin and upper neck developed bumps (or what the medical people call pseudofolliculitis barbae) and if I shaved again, it bled and got more painful. I tried all manner of aftershave lotions and all manner of shaving methods including blades and shaving powders, but the problem persisted. With this, I resolved to not shave again but to trim my beards.

When I graduated and got a job, it became mandatory as clean shaving was one of the rules handed over to us. My nightmares of bumps and pain came back, and I was desperately looking for a solution, until I met one of my colleagues with whom I was onboarding (we called it orientation in those days) and he asked me if I had tried a particular acne lotion because he was sure it would solve my problem. I immediately rushed to buy and try it and amazingly, it worked like magic. The relief that felt and still feel is indescribable and the fact that I still remember this encounter after several decades is testimony to how it changed my life.

Many people could relate to how their lives changed through simple, unplanned encounters like the one I described above. However, some encounters are more life-changing than others. In Acts chapter 3, the Bible says that a man who was lame from his birth was being carried to the gate of the temple called Beautiful. Just as you wake up and go to your workplace or go to school or some other regular places, this guy was resuming work at the gate of the temple. His job: beg people for money because what else could he do? There were no wheelchairs in those days, no inclusive or equal opportunity rules from the government that would prevent discrimination against physically challenged people and there were no dedicated parking lots where they could park their camels close to the entrance of their workplaces, nor were there accessible paths for them to get to offices that did not have wide entrances. If you live in today’s world, just picture your mind to the stone age and the impossibilities of that age.

This man lived in that stone age experience and the only way to get him to work was to carry him. Then, as soon as he got to work, he wasted no time but started begging, until he saw two gentlemen, Peter and John, coming into the temple to pray, and begged them for money. Look on us! Peter yelled, and the man must have thought, yes of course I can see you and this is the reason I am begging you for money, but he was completely unsuspecting of what was about to happen:

Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God (Acts 3:6-8).

Unless you have had a life-changing encounter, you may not understand what just happened to this cripple. He started walking and jumping and walking and jumping – these were the things he had seen other do for decades and could not do and what an exciting moment for him to be able to do what he had zero dream of ever doing! People who knew him before and now saw him walking and jumping could not believe their eyes.

Let me tell you: almost every human being on this planet has something in their lives that they wish would change or go away, and there’s nothing they have not thought of or tried but a solution has not been found. If you do not have something, you probably know of people who do. Wouldn’t it be so amazing if a simple encounter of this nature could put an end to years of pain and suffering for you or for people you know? Yes, it would, and this is the encounter that Jesus is seeking from you. In Matthew 11:28, Jesus says:

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest

And in Revelation 3:20, He says:

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

There can be no greater life changer than giving one’s life to Christ. It doesn’t mean that all problems will be immediately solved, but it means the greatest problem there can ever be will be solved, that your name is removed from the book of death and eternal damnation into the book of life and eternal peace. Have you surrendered your life to Christ? If not, please do so today because every delay is dangerous and could mean the difference between eternal life and eternal pain.

Are you a child of God and are waiting for a life-changing encounter for a problem that has defiled all solutions? Jesus is the solution giver. He does not run short of answers, and He will set you up for an encounter that you will never forget, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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 PLEASE ACT NOW:
 If you are yet to give your life to Christ, you do not have a covenant with God and His promises do not apply to you. To come under these promises, please surrender your life to Christ today, by praying this prayer:
 Lord I know that I am a sinner and I am unable to save myself. I am sorry for my sins and I pray that you please forgive me. I am aware that Your Son Jesus died for my sins and I accept Him as my Lord and savior. I surrender my life unto you from this moment. Please take control of my entire being and help me to be obedient to your Word, going forward. Thank you, Lord, for hearing me. I have prayed in Jesus’ name. Amen.
 If you prayed the foregoing prayer, you have just been born again. Please find a Bible believing church in your area and ask to see the pastor. Let him or her know that you have just given your life to Christ and s/he will guide you on next steps in your journey as a child of God. The Lord bless you!