Send us your questions or feedback here Acts 3 v 1-10 In this podcast we spend time in Acts 3, where Peter and John encounter the man who was unable to walk and who sat at the temple gate every day asking passers-by for money. He had been overlooked for years. In this passage, Peter stopped, paid attention to the man, and became expectant. He looked at the man not simply as a problem to avoid, but as someone God may want to meet. Even so, have you ever considered that if the man had been at the gate all his life had seen Peter passing before? Had even seen Jesus passing before? What does this mean? Why didn’t Jesus or Peter see him before? Or maybe they did, but there was a time for this man, who was deeply loved by God. And here we find his moment in Acts 3 – a moment to glorify God’s kingdom, to confront the leaders of Jerusalem because everyone knew this man was crippled and spent his life at the gates of the temple, whilst encouraging the infant Church and its leaders? Acts is really the continuation of Jesus' ministry through His Spirit-filled church. Jesus had ascended, but His Kingdom continued to break into ordinary life through ordinary people who made themselves available to Him. And that has not changed. As we move through everyday life — conversations, workplaces, streets, homes, church gatherings — we can begin asking: "Lord, how do You want to bless this person? What might Your Kingdom coming look like here?" Sometimes that may be very simple: encouragement, generosity, listening, prayer, practical help, noticing someone others overlook. Sometimes it may be something more dramatic. Acts encourages us to remain open to all of it. Not pressured to manufacture outcomes, but expectant that Jesus is still at work by His Spirit. The invitation is not to become impressive Christians, but attentive and available people — willing to pause, discern, and respond as God leads, trusting that His Kingdom still comes "on earth as it is in heaven." The podcast reflects honestly on healing and suffering. We believe Jesus still heals because Scripture presents the Kingdom continuing to break into the world through the risen Christ. Yet Acts and the wider New Testament are also honest about unanswered prayers, grief, delay, and mystery. We live in the tension between resurrection begun and restoration still coming. That means we pray boldly, but humbly. We trust deeply, but without pretending we have every answer. Delay is not the same as abandonment, and suffering does not have the final word because Jesus Himself entered suffering, carries us in it, and promises ultimate restoration. Peter's invitation in Acts 3 was not simply about miracles, but about repentance and "times of refreshing" from the presence of the Lord. The greater miracle is restored relationship with God — weary hearts renewed, burdens lifted, and lives turned back toward Jesus. The church is blessed to be a blessing. The Kingdom breaks in not only through dramatic moments, but through ordinary people who become attentive to others, available to the Spirit, and willing to carry the presence of Jesus into weary places. You can see past sermons on the Leominster Baptist Church website at Leominster Baptist Church - YouTube and can contact us directly with your feedback or queries through the Contact Us link at the top of the episode description text. Leominster Baptist Church can be found on Etnam Street in Leominster, Herefordshire. To find out more about us, visit our website leobc.co.uk. If you would like to speak to someone about anything that you have heard on our podcasts please give us a call and ask for a chat.
