Acts 14:8

There sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked. The same heard Paul speak, who steadfastly beholding him and perceiving that he had faith to be healed, said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked... And when these sayings scarce restrained they the people, that they had not done sacrifice unto them. (Acts 14:8–18)

When a man with no hope but God hears the gospel, heaven is free to move.

Paul and Barnabas at Lystra

As Barnabas and Paul continued their first missionary journey, they had come into the region of Iconium. There the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and turned their minds against the apostles, even plotting to take them outside the city and stone them. When Paul and Barnabas became aware of this, they used the wisdom God had given them and moved on to the cities of Lystra and Derbe in the region of Lyconia. This whole area is called Galatia—the same Galatia to which Paul later writes his letter.

Their typical method was to enter the synagogues on the Sabbath, where Paul, the primary speaker, would declare the works of God through His Son, Jesus Christ, and the salvation we have in Him. The result was either revival or revolt. Jesus Himself had a similar reception in Nazareth in Luke 4, when He read from Isaiah 61, declared it fulfilled, and the people tried to throw Him over a cliff. As we follow Paul through Acts, we will see this pattern again and again.

A Certain Man

I always find the progression in these passages interesting. Luke simply tells us of "a certain man" at Lystra—no name, no age, nothing. To most people he was unimportant; they probably never noticed him as they passed by. But as the story develops, another layer is quickly added. He was "impotent in his feet"—disabled, unable to function or work. And one more layer: he was a cripple from his mother's womb, having never walked.

If our study ended there, all we would know is that a crippled man lived in the region of Lystra. There are many such people in our own community of Escondido whom we overlook. In our society we try medical routes, the best surgeons, and if we cannot fix the infirmity we provide the best wheelchair and easily accessible public spaces. They didn't have any of that in Paul's day. And precisely because we take care of these things so well, we have a tendency—consciously or subconsciously—to miss, neglect, or simply not see people in need.

It is often not until we go south of the border, or on a short-term mission trip to China, India, or Africa, that we are confronted with such infirmities in a different light. When we were in Mozambique just a couple of weeks ago, we saw children and adults crippled from birth, never able to walk or care for themselves. In such places people typically resort to begging, because their disability is the only thing that might bring them charity. That is exactly the world of Jesus' and Paul's day—the lame man at the gate Beautiful in Acts 3 sat there begging for alms until Peter said, "Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk."

The Primary Mission Is the Gospel

Before we consider how Paul ministered to this man's physical need, remember why Paul was in Lystra in the first place. Verse 7 tells us: "there they preached the gospel." Healing is important, and I do not diminish it—I believe God can and still does heal miraculously. Some churches say the spiritual gifts are not active today; I disagree, and so does Calvary Chapel. I have seen people healed. But we must recognize that Jesus did not primarily commission us to heal.

In Matthew 10 Jesus sends His disciples among the Jews of Judea, telling them, "As ye go, preach... And heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils." Healing was part of that commission, but it is not the final word. For the final word we go to Matthew 28:19–20, the Great Commission: "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them... teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you." Notice nothing is said there about healing. The primary mission Jesus gives His church is to teach all nations, preach the gospel, and disciple the saved. God is more concerned with man's eternal home than his temporal one.

Signs Follow Those Who Go

Consider also Jesus' last words in Mark 16. Many modern scholars say verses 9–20 do not belong because they are not in the "best" Greek manuscripts. But if you remove them, Mark ends with the women fleeing the empty tomb, afraid and saying nothing. Do you really think Mark, inspired by the Holy Spirit, ends his gospel there? I don't. The historical and manuscript evidence supports these verses, and I trust they were inspired and written by Mark.

In Mark 16:15–18 Jesus says, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature... And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils... they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." Raul Rees told of driving with Mike McIntosh in Europe when Mike suddenly stopped the car, ran to a flock of sheep, and preached to them—"Mark 16 says preach to every creature." Years ago my mother went into her backyard and preached to two barren avocado trees, warning them she would cut them down and throw them into the fire. I'm not kidding—the next season they bore fruit.

Miracles are often given by God to authenticate the message; the works are associated with the words. So if you want to see God move miraculously, be one of those who is on the go, preaching the gospel. People sit in churches for twenty years wondering why they never see a miracle. Get out of your chair and go, and you will see God move in a powerful way. The naysayers—liberal modern scholars who say the gifts ended with the apostles—sit in offices all day. Every one of us who has stepped out and gone has seen God work.

No Hope Apart from God

The lame man heard Paul speak—perhaps in a synagogue, perhaps positioned to receive charity on the Sabbath. As Paul preached, he steadfastly beheld him, perceived that he had faith to be healed, and said with a loud voice, "Stand upright on thy feet." And the man leaped and walked.

I find the circumstances interesting: this certain man had no hope apart from the power of God. He had probably seen physicians, perhaps soothsayers and healers, perhaps brought sacrifices to the many gods of that Greek region—and nothing helped. Now here he was with absolutely no hope but God.

I believe one of the biggest reasons we don't see the miraculous in the West is that we have dozens, even hundreds, of other options. If someone is sick, faces financial hardship, or hits difficulty at work, we have so many other things to trust in that we don't need God. Why turn to Him when you have all these other things?

Full of Things, Empty of God

Listen to Isaiah 2. God says, "O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD. Therefore thou hast forsaken thy people the house of Jacob, because they be replenished from the east, and are soothsayers like the Philistines... Their land also is full of silver and gold... full of horses... full of idols." The English Standard Version puts verse 6: "they are full of things from the east, and of fortune tellers like the Philistines." Israel had magicians, wealth, horses and chariots, and false gods. They had everything—they didn't need God.

Fast forward 2,700 years. Terrorists attack and we say, "We've got nuclear bombs." The stock market crashes and we say, "We've got government assistance." We lose our health and we say, "We'll have government healthcare." We don't need God. If my transmission dies tomorrow and I have $10,000 in the bank, I'm frustrated, but I'm probably not crying out to God. Yet in places where there is no other option but God, people cast themselves completely upon Him—and He never lets them down. The West has clearly come to a place where we just don't need God to move. And yet the church desperately needs Him to move, which is why we cry out that He would.

Whose Faith Heals?

Something about this lame man grabbed Paul's attention. Those who have taught God's word understand how, even while preaching, something can fix your focus. The original language says Paul fixed his gaze upon him, and then gave this incredible command: "Stand up." That is boldness; that is faith. The text says Paul perceived the man "had faith to be healed." Was it the anticipation in the man? Or did God give Paul a word of knowledge? Whatever it was, Paul saw it.

So whose faith healed him—Paul's bold command, or the man's faith to obey and stand? This is an often-asked, understandable question. If I pray for someone and they aren't healed, did I lack faith? Did they? Clearly I should be bold and have faith that God can heal, and the other person should believe too—but it is not faith that heals. It is God who heals. We ask Him to move, and He is the one who works.

In Mark 6, Jesus was restrained from ministering among the people of Nazareth because of their unbelief, which raises the question of whether God's working is activated by our faith. Many Christians battle with this. Sadly, in some churches, when a person isn't healed, ministers tell them they lacked faith or have hidden sin. When Pastor Chuck Woolley faced open-heart surgery, a group came to pray, "Lord, reveal the hidden sin in Chuck." He stopped them and said, in effect: tomorrow they're going to break my ribs open and reach into my chest—don't you think I've already confessed every sin I've ever committed or thought?

Confess, but Don't Add Burdens

I have met tear-filled Christians who were told their lack of healing was due to some hidden sin, and they were desperately trying to figure out what it was. I don't see that in Scripture. Yes, Isaiah 59 says our sin separates us from God, and it is good to ask, as David did, "Search me, O God... see if there be any wicked way in me." But if He reveals nothing and you have confessed your sins, trust that you are walking with Him. Healing is not dependent on my faith or your good works—God is the one who heals.

In Matthew 17, after the Mount of Transfiguration, a father brought his demon-possessed son, whom the disciples could not deliver. Jesus said, "If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth." The father cried, "Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief." His faith was small, but Jesus said that faith like a mustard seed could move a mountain. A mustard seed is tiny, yet it accomplishes great things. You just need a little faith and a big God.

God Doesn't Get the Credit

Maybe we don't see the miraculous because we don't have enough faith—or, as I've said, because we have too many other things to trust in. When the unexpected bill comes, we turn to the Mastercard instead of the Master God. But it is also conceivable that God is moving miraculously right before our eyes and simply isn't getting the credit. When God moves in a hospital, the medical chart reads "spontaneous resolution." When a doctor witnesses a miracle, he searches for any other explanation.

In O Brother, Where Art Thou?, three escaped convicts about to be hanged are suddenly saved when the whole valley floods. His two friends cry, "The Lord did it!" and he snaps, "You dummies—don't you know the state of Louisiana was flooding this here valley?" God moved, but there had to be some other explanation. I once read a Newsweek article explaining the Exodus miracles "scientifically"—it was the Reed Sea, only ankle-deep. The bigger miracle would be Pharaoh's whole army drowning in knee-deep water. My advice: don't watch Bible documentaries on the History Channel, where the burning bush becomes a gas fissure struck by lightning and Moses overcome by fumes. They call us foolish, but they come up with this craziness. We constantly fail to attribute God's miracles to God.

God's Hand in the Small Things

In December 2003 I rented a car, and when asked the usual question about extra insurance, I had an unusual thought: "Yeah, I think I'll buy that." Every other time I'd said no. Three days later I hydroplaned across the freeway at 45 miles per hour and totaled a brand-new truck. I handed in the keys, paid my $130, and that was the end of it. I see God's hand in that little thought.

Just this past Friday my wife called to say our air conditioning broke. When we bought our house, our real estate agent Inky—who attends here—wisely suggested a one-year home warranty for $355. You don't want another expense after signing away thousands, but I believe that was wisdom from the Lord, and now the warranty will cover it. The rabbis say, "Coincidence isn't kosher"—there is no such thing as coincidence. When we recognize God moving in the small things and trust Him there, we will be more faithful to trust Him in the larger things. God desires to show Himself faithful on behalf of those whose hearts are loyal to Him.

A Word of Knowledge and the Prayer of Faith

Did Paul just blurt out "Stand up" on a whim? I believe God gave him a word of knowledge: this man has faith to be healed. Consider James 5:13–18: "Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church... and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up... The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." James then illustrates this with Elijah, "a man subject to like passions as we are," who prayed it would not rain, and it didn't for three and a half years, and then prayed again, and the heavens gave rain.

But study 1 Kings 18. Elijah didn't decide on his own to pray for drought—God told him it would not rain, so he prayed in faith because he had the word of the Lord. At the end, God told him rain was coming, so he could pray in faith again. Even then it didn't come instantly; his servant looked seven times before seeing a cloud the size of a man's hand. The effective prayer of a righteous man avails much, but Elijah had the word of the Lord and could pray in faith.

There have been times the Lord spoke to my heart, "I'm not going to heal this person"—a dreadful and hard thing. And there have been times He said, "I'm going to heal this person," and I prayed in faith, having the word of God, and saw Him move miraculously. I believe Paul was given that kind of word of knowledge here, prayed in faith, and commanded the man to stand—and he did.

When God Says No

There is danger here. Some in the church believe we should command God rather than petition Him. That is dangerous, and I don't see it in Scripture. When such commanded healings don't come, people walk away questioning their faith or hunting for hidden sin—when perhaps God simply said no. Sometimes we ask Him to heal a headache and He says, "Take an aspirin." When I hurt my back moving into our house, many prayed, and then someone suggested a chiropractor—a word of knowledge, I believe, and it helped. There are times God says no, and we don't like no.

I have a ten-month-old son who doesn't like no. The other night he crawled toward some sandals at the foot of the stairs, and when my wife and I said, "Ethan, no," he looked back, reached again, and started crying. None of us like no. But God says no, and He gives us grace to handle it. Often a day, a year, or three years later, we look back and say, "Lord, thank you for saying no," because His ways are higher than ours.

Just because we don't immediately see something happen doesn't mean He isn't working. I've met people who say, "I tried that Jesus thing; it didn't work for me," as if Jesus were a button to push. "I prayed my uncle wouldn't die and he died, so I don't believe in God." God isn't your genie in a bottle—He is our Father in heaven, and He desires that we trust Him and turn to Him in every situation. If you will, you will see Him work—maybe not always immediately, but you will see Him. And then you'll be one of those people who trusts God enough to preach to avocado trees.

Closing Prayer

Father, I do thank You that You are our Father in heaven, our God, the King of kings and Lord of lords. I pray, Lord, that You would help our unbelief, because every one of us here today has those areas of unbelief—perhaps even the greatest sin we struggle with, having a hard time trusting You. But Lord, You are trustworthy. You are faithful. Even when our faith is small, You are strong. And I thank You that Your working is not dependent upon my believing—yet in some way Your working is unleashed when I trust in You. So would You help me this week and today to trust in You? We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.