You Have All You Need
“Peter and John went to the Temple one afternoon to take part in the three o’clock prayer service. As they approached the Temple, a man lame from birth was being carried in. Each day he was put beside the Temple gate, the one called the Beautiful Gate, so he could beg from the people going into the Temple. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for some money. Peter and John looked at him intently, and Peter said, “Look at us!” The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting some money. But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!” Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up. And as he did, the man’s feet and ankles were instantly healed and strengthened. He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk! Then, walking, leaping, and praising God, he went into the Temple with them. All the people saw him walking and heard him praising God.”
Acts of the Apostles 3:1-9 NLT
Read Time: 10 Mins & 57 secs
I want to build this message on a bold claim the apostle Peter makes in the first few verses of his second letter. In 2 Peter 1:3, Peter argues that God, by His divine power, has given us everything we need for living a godly life through Christ Jesus. Stop. Did you catch that? Peter argues that everything we need, not just some extra help or a little assistance, but everything we need, is found in Christ and Christ alone. That's it. I don't know what you are struggling with right now. I don't know what responsibility feels too big for you or what problem has been overwhelming your mind, but you have everything you need to succeed in Christ Jesus.
All power belongs to God, and Peter argues that it is by God's power and not ours, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead, that we have everything we need. We have a fully funded account. The answer to all your problems isn’t found in gaining anything else, working harder, or doing better. Why? Because all you need has already been given by a power greater than you. Notice it says you have everything you need and not that you can get everything you need. It's already been purchased and bestowed. You just have to acknowledge and accept it. Every good and perfect gift comes from the Lord, and the best of gifts has already been given. We've been blessed with every heavenly blessing. It's already available. The answer is found in acceptance of the God who already won for you. You are not stuck with the reality of living in a sinful world with sinful proclivities around sinful people as a slave to sin. Instead, Peter goes on to argue that because of Christ, we have the promise of sharing in His divine nature and escaping the corruption of this world. This is truly the essence of the gospel.
It's not that you were good enough. It's not that you brought anything of worth to the table. It's not that you earned safety with God in any way. On the contrary, because of your union with Christ, you have all you need to succeed. You didn't study, but you passed. You didn't work, but you earned. You didn't fight, but you won. Why? Because you are united with Christ Jesus. That's the good news! God gives you everything you need to live the life He designed you to live. The text says that He hasn't just given you the godliness to get into heaven, He's given you the ability to live an abundant life on earth. He’s given everything for life and godliness. He has provided everything for your path. If He called you to it, He’s given everything you need to get through it. You're equipped. God wants better for you, and He wants to use you to do more than you can imagine, so He is providing everything you need to walk into a life of provision, peace, and prosperity. Nothing essential for you to have the life God desires for you to have is missing. Through your union with Christ, you have the power.
I believe Peter was able to write so boldly about the powerful provision of God because he had experienced it. He knew how broken he was. He knew where he fell short. But he also experienced God opening doors and making ways in spite of His lack. He knew that God didn't just provide everything he needed to be with God in heaven; Peter was given everything he needed to succeed for God on earth. We see evidence in our text when Peter is used by God to heal a lame man.
Seeking God Leads to Shining for Him
The story starts with Peter and John going to the temple for the three o'clock prayer service. This brings up our first point. Sometimes God sets you up to be used most powerfully not when you're seeking opportunity but when you're seeking Him. Notice that Peter and John didn't get up that day thinking, I hope God uses me to heal a lame man today. They didn't go to the temple to target the man or seek him out. Instead, they went to take part in the prayer themselves, and that's when God sets them up to be His hands and feet. As they seek God, God sets them up to shine for Him. If you want to be used by God in a mighty way for others, you first need to pursue Him for yourself.
Create the Opportunity
Going after God personally sets you up to be used by Him publicly. However, in our next verse, we see something else that pertains to being set up to see a move of God. The Bible says that this man, who had been lame since birth, was brought to the temple each day. That means that for potential decades, friends and family of a man who couldn't help himself in their own power brought him each day to the place he was most likely to receive his blessing.
This is a word to friends, parents, and anyone else who holds relationships and influence with those who need a move from God. Even if you cannot give those you love what they need, bring them to a place that can. Worship should never be forced. A relationship can never be forced. But while you cannot force a horse to drink, you can bring them to the water. Create as many opportunities as possible for the people you need to meet Jesus to meet Him.
Parents, grandparents, and guardians, while you cannot force children to accept Jesus, you can give them more opportunities to accept Him for themselves. Parents, we need to prioritise building a home that gives our children ample opportunities to see Jesus. Do you create a climate of worship in your house and bring God to your children so they have a higher chance of accepting Him? Are you making the conscious decision to make choosing Jesus as easy as possible?
Imagine a raffle. Every one-dollar ticket you buy grows your chances of winning. And if you win, your children will not just experience abundance in this early life but eternal life in heaven. How much would you invest to add to the likelihood of your children succeeding? What if bringing your children to church was the raffle ticket that led to them accepting Jesus? The cost and support of our Christian schools are worth it if it means children are more likely to receive their healing. They need to be brought to the temple. Grandparents, your children may not come to the temple, but you can offer them free babysitting on the weekends so that you can give opportunities to your grandchildren. Bring them to the temple. Maybe you don't have children. You still can assist. Support our churches and schools with your time and resources. Volunteer. Give. Speak well of our institutions. Give of your knowledge and resources so that you can help them become the best institutions in our cities. Bring people to the temple, even if it means taking time and energy to carry them for years until they receive what they need.
Wants vs Needs
Now this lame man, whose friends and family have been bringing him to the temple, sees Peter and John and asks them for money. He wanted money and expected money. I can imagine him praying and pleading for money. But what I love is that the Bible is telling the truth when it says God can do exceedingly and abundantly above what we can ask or think.
Peter and John respond to the man's request by saying that they don't have what he is expecting, but they will give what they do have. So they turn to the power God deposited in them, and plead in the name that is above every name. They tell him to get up and walk. Isnt that a better gift than what the man asked for? The man wanted money, but God knew he needed a miracle. My question for us is which one is better? Do you want what you think you need or what God knows you need? Could it be that at times, when we think God is ignoring our prayers or saying no to our petition, it is because He has something planned that is better than what we were asking for? Could it be that He knew a miracle was better than money? What if we reframed our disappointment when God doesn't follow our plan as anticipation for the better plan He chose instead?
The old quote says that if you give a man a fish, he will eat for a day, but if you teach him to fish hell eat for a lifetime. In biblical times, there weren't many opportunities for those with physical ailments to make a living. Being lame meant you couldn't work, and not being able to work meant you couldn't eat. So many lame people would beg so that they could afford the meal they couldn't work for. This is why asking for money each day made sense, but if the man could work, he would no longer have to rely on the kindness of others to survive. A miracle was better than money because it was like teaching a man to fish so that he would eat for a lifetime instead of simply helping him for one day. Many of us are asking God to step in and help us on a surface level when God wants to do more than we can imagine.
But What You Do Have…
The lame man expected money, but God gave him something better. The man asked for money, but God gave him something that would transform his life and not just impact his day. Could it be that God wants to use you in a similar way as He used Peter and John?
I know you don't feel smart enough or spiritual enough. You don't feel like you have the right resources or opportunity. You don't think you have the position or platform to make an impact in the lives of real people like Peter and John. But I want you to remember that God gave you everything through Christ Jesus to accomplish the life He called you to. You are in just the right place with the right experiences and passions to make the impact God has called you to. You may think that you don't have what is necessary, but, like with this story, what is in you may not be what is expected. It may not be what is asked for. It may not even be what is explicitly desired. Having Jesus means you have the answer to every ailment. Having Jesus means you carry the antidote to every fear. Jesus is what the world is craving, and if you have Him, you have enough.
If you believe God is as good as He says He is, you must believe that your gift is exactly what is needed to impact the situations you're called to. God didn't just give Himself; the Bible says that we each have exactly what we need to function as His hands and feet on earth. You have the gift the world needs.
Your Superpower.
So what gift do you have? The Bible says that we all have different spiritual gifts for the purpose of edifying God’s people. Did I say some people or a few people? No. I said all of us have gifts for the purpose of serving each other and doing the will of God. We each have a role.
There was a movie when I was younger called Sky High, and in it, there was a high school, named Sky High, for superheroes, where everyone in the school had superpowers, except for one kid named Will. Each class was training them to use their powers to help save their city. Some people learned how to use their super speed, while others learned to use their super strength. They learned to work together for the same purpose regardless of the powers they had. I want you to know that our churches are supposed to be like Sky High, except there are no powerless people like Will. Everyone has powers and should be continuously trained and given opportunities to go out and impact the world.
Some have the gifts of administration, where they have a unique ability to steer, govern, guide, or direct people towards a goal or destination. Others have the gift of apostleship, where they have a unique ability to plant new ministries that are built on the foundation Jesus set. Some have the gift of discernment where they can recognise and distinguish the influence between God and satan. Some are evangelists who have the gift to clearly and effectively communicate the gospel so that lost souls may be saved.
There's exhortation, the gift of encouragement, and even a gift of extraordinary faith. There are gifts of giving and generosity, healing, knowledge, and leadership. There are gifts of mercy and even gifts of miracles. Some have the gift of pastoring and have a unique ability to walk alongside people as a shepherd. Others have the gift of prophecy and have a unique ability to receive a word of comfort or correction from God and deliver it to people on His behalf. We see gifts of service, teaching, tongues, interpretation, and wisdom.
I want you to recognise that these gifts are not positions as much as they are people. While you should serve in positions you're gifted for in church and the corporate world, you don't need the title before you can fulfil your function. You don't need a position at church to exercise these gifts. There are many small group leaders, coaches, mentors, and friends who use their gift of pastoral ministry without ever preaching from a pulpit. There are politicians and advocates who stand boldly for what's right who will never be called a prophet. There are students in school who have a unique ability to reach the lost who will never run a traditional evangelistic campaign.
We each have a role. We each have a set of gifts. And there are lame people around our churches, families, communities, and world who will only stand in freedom when we give what we have. So I want you to ask the spirit to reveal to you what God placed in you for you to pour. What gifts do you have that people need in order to be set free? How can shining your light take those around you out of darkness?
You have everything you need to live the life God has called you to, and you've been called to partner with Him in His plan of redemption and restoration. We may all do different things on the team, but we have the same coach, and we all have the same goal. We may not all heal, but we can all help. We may not all have gifts of administration, but we can all assist. How can you get on board?
The Bible says that we all make up God’s body, and when one of us isnt functioning in our role, the entire body suffers. What gifts do you need to ask God to help you grow in? Paul told Timothy to fan into flame the gifts he had been given. What do you need to start exercising?
Along with questions to consider, below is a link to a spiritual gifts assessment to help you see what gifts you may have and how they can be used for the greater body of Christ.
Questions to Consider:
What is the significance of God giving you everything you need for life and godliness through Christ Jesus?
How can you give others opportunities to get what they need in Jesus?
Do you trust God to give you something better when He doesn't give you what you want?
What is your superpower (spiritual gift) and how can it be used to help build the body of Christ?
We have been able to reach close to 2,000 people each week with this ministry and have had dozens choose Jesus through baptism thanks to your giving. If you want to partner with what I am doing through this ministry, please donate through the donation link on this website or CashApp, $ThoughtsByPace. Your donations truly mean the world.
