What do you have to give?
We cannot give away something that we do not first possess. When Peter and John encountered the lame man Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” Acts 3:6 NKJV.
A. Giving what we don’t have!
Unfortunately, many well meaning believers attempt to give away what they have not yet fully received [or learned]. Am I giving away:
- My love—or God’s love?
- My power—or God’s power?
- My words—or God’s Word?
- My vision—or God’s vision?
- My opinion—or God’s truth?
B. Giving what we do have!
1. Freely you have received—freely give! Matt 10:1-15
- It seems clear that Peter knew what he did not have and he also knew that even if he had it (silver and gold) it would not have helped the lame man.
- Notice that Peter and John do not pray for the lame man. Prayer can be an essential part of healing in some cases—but Jesus sent out the twelve disciples and told them:
“...preach the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Heal the sick,
cleanse the lepers,
raise the dead,
cast out demons.
Freely you have received,
freely give.” Matt 10:7-8
Heal the sick,
cleanse the lepers,
raise the dead,
cast out demons.
Freely you have received,
freely give.” Matt 10:7-8
- Jesus gave the apostles ‘power’ to preach, heal, cleanse, raise and cast out! It was not their power—it was God’s power but unless the apostles used the delegated power that was given to them all their good efforts would not accomplish the will of God.
- Likewise, all of our good efforts apart from the ‘power’ of God may have short term and short-lived results, but will not accomplish the will of God.
2. Pray about it or go about it?
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- Paul told the Philippians, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” Phil 4:6
- Do you think God wants us to stop with prayer?
- I don’t think so—I think He wants us to pray and do what He has called us to do: Preach, heal, cleanse, raise and cast out—and all the other things that the Apostle James calls ‘works of faith.’ (See the book of James)
Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you cite “Pastor Mike Bayer VillageAlive.com” as the source and do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred.