Acts 3:8 

In Acts 3, after the lame man was healed, what you had indeed was a joyful celebration. As a result of the miracle, this man not only stood but Luke declares that he began “. . . walking and leaping and praising God” (v8). All by himself he had a celebration! It didn’t matter to him who saw him and who heard him. What mattered to him was that he was now able to do what he couldn’t do for more than forty years. No longer was he the lame man, completely dependent on others for his livelihood and sustenance, but one standing on his own two feet, eager to take his rightful place in the temple and in society. Healed by the mighty power of the risen Messiah! No wonder, he wanted all the people who knew of his misery to now see and hear him, walking and leaping and praising God. What a contrast is highlighted between his before and after miracle encounter.

I surmise this formerly crippled man couldn’t be stopped. For the rest of his life, he probably felt like walking, leaping, and praising God. He had spent the first forty years of his life carried by others, lame, begging, bored – seeing everybody else walking, moving, casually passing by, his life swiftly ebbing away but now it was his turn! By the command and power of Jesus immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength (v7).

Just as spontaneously as he is healed, this man breaks out into unconstrained praises and celebration. Praises flow out of his mouth voluntarily and unpremeditated. From a nondescript beggar, his life is now phenomenally transformed into joyful worshipper, refusing to sit any longer in praiseless silence. The fact is, the Lord has done too much for us, for us not to break the silence. We enter His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise (Psalm 100:4). May we too have a similar effect on our generation as this healed brother of Acts 3. The Word declares “And all the people saw him walking and praising God: And they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him (Acts 3:9,10). He enthusiastically fills the temple precincts with jubilant praise.

I am reminded that worship to our God as illustrated in the Old and Testament is quite festive. It really involves many times walking and leaping and praising God. It is characterized by much gladness and holy glee. It takes delight in what God is about and what God is doing in our lives and in all our circumstances. It is truly expressed by graced gladness. It is seen and heard. In the temple, there should always be sounds of great joy in response to miraculous deliverances of the Almighty through our risen Lord Jesus.

May this church recapture the spirit of joyful celebration. We celebrate and must remain celebratory – A Praising-God-church (Acts 2:47)! It is a fact, true gratefulness and genuine worship cannot be contained. Not only must the Church of God be incarnational, messianic, apostolic and communal, but also highly celebratory! Our worship must never be dry and boring, but festive and joyful, causing others to be filled with wonder and amazement (v10), causing them to know that something has positively happened to us. For all the things He has so graciously done for us, we make a joyful noise. We come before His presence with singing. We serve Him, with gladness. We celebratively say “Yes” to Him. We shout His praises!

Presiding Bishop – Northeast Region

October 21st, 2023