You can’t be a little bit pregnant.  Acts 3.12b – 26

You do not want to miss this; but first, let’s set the scene: 

The lights come up on the set of Acts chapter 3, highlighting two passionate, emotion-packed scenes, starring ‘you know who’ . . . of course, Peter!  The first was when the crippled beggar asked for money outside of the temple, and Peter responded with, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”¹  And so he did.  But not just walk . . . the guy was skipping and jumping around praising God!  I mean after all, wouldn’t you? But do not miss this – Peter healed the man IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST. 

Aware of the folks crowding around this busy area on the temple grounds, Peter clears his throat once again to dispel the questions that hang in the air.² He immediately deflects any attention from him and John, and onto Jesus.  Notice how Peter establishes the framework that Jesus Christ is the one they had been awaiting – the one of whom the prophets spoke (and they were well acquainted with their writings) – the Messiah. 

But Peter goes further; he cites their part in disowning Jesus.  As I studied Acts three this week, I thought ‘now why did Peter feel it necessary to once again put it to the people that this is the same Jesus they had handed over to the Romans, (thereby implicating both Jew and Gentile), saying “You disowned the holy and righteous one … you killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead.”³  Wow.  And then he punctuates that sentence with, ‘we are witnesses of this’.  Eye witnesses to the resurrected Lord, and since it was well known that many had seen and touched the resurrected Jesus Christ, no one shouted Peter down.  You see, eye witness testimony is so very powerful.

Note - Peter was not addressing the same crowd from Acts chapter two – those Jewish pilgrims who had come to observe the Feast of Pentecost in Jerusalem, and heard the gospel in their own native tongues. 

Peter goes on to call them to repentance so their sins could be wiped out, Acts 3.19, and calls them to turn to God.  But wait, the people he is addressing were on their way to the Temple to pray, so they believed in God, right?  Of course.  These were the faithful, right?  Yes, but they had not acknowledged Jesus Christ as their Messiah - Son of God, Lord and Savior, and Peter had to tell them.

The healing of the lame beggar drew attention to the power in the name and person of Jesus—the same Jesus of whom Peter was telling the people.  And as Peter said, there is healing in no other name than Jesus Christ, so too there is salvation in none other than Jesus Christ. 

Allow me to segue a moment - when is the last time some bit of media crashed into your existence, and rather than depressing or disturbing you, it actually made your day?  Well, it just happened to me. I found an interview that really moved me:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ejaw0F8-sY

Some of what the actor who played Jesus Christ said, “I don’t want to do the passion of mediocrity.” 

“Freedom exists, not to do what you like, but having the right to do what you ought.”

 “You weren’t made to fit in, you were made to stand out.”

Cavaziel described the extras who were in the film, The Passion of the Christ, as exemplary of mankind:  there are the believers, the unbelievers and the fence-riders.  “Fence-riding is a choice that one is making, and not a good one.”    

It is akin to being lukewarm really.  The fence-rider, like the lukewarm Christian is not committed and not surrendered to Jesus.  A woman cannot be a little bit pregnant; she either is, or she is not.  Is it possible that one cannot be a little bit Christian either?  I believe so.  You either are, or you are not. 

My actions do not always match up to my commitment to Christ, that is for sure: but my heart is fully surrendered.  While my actions might some time be called lukewarm, my mind is made up—my heart is all in.  You?   Because you can’t be a little big pregnant.

1 – Acts 3.6

2 – Acts 3.10-11

3 – Acts 3.13-15