The Power of Ordinary Faithfulness: When Christ Continues His Work

Watch the whole service and sermon from Acts 3:1–10: “The Power of the Risen Christ.” See how God uses ordinary faithfulness, the name of Jesus, and transformed lives as public testimony—and be challenged to offer the world not programs or entertainment, but Christ alone.

This passage speaks to your life because:

• It reminds you that God does His greatest work through ordinary faithfulness—simple habits of prayer, worship, and obedience like Peter and John going to the temple. You don’t have to be impressive or powerful; you just need to keep showing up before God, and He will put you where He intends to work through you.
• This passage speaks to your life because: It shows you that real power and real change are found only in the name of Jesus, not in money, methods, or human ability. Like the lame man, your deepest need is not more “silver and gold,” but the transforming, healing work of Christ in your heart, your sin, your brokenness, and your hopeless places.
• This passage speaks to your life because: It calls you to live as a visible testimony of Christ’s power—so changed that others recognize “who you used to be” and are moved to awe and questions. Your worship, your new priorities, and your new way of life are meant to point people away from you and toward the risen Christ who alone can make them new.

There's something profoundly beautiful about understanding that the story of Jesus didn't end with His ascension. The work He began during His earthly ministry continues today, not through spectacular displays of human achievement, but through the faithful obedience of ordinary believers who make themselves available to God's purposes.

The Book of Acts isn't merely a historical account of the early church's formation. It's the continuation of everything Jesus began to do and teach. While the Gospels record what Jesus began to accomplish, Acts reveals what He continues to accomplish through His people, empowered by the Holy Spirit.

This distinction matters tremendously. We aren't called to generate spiritual power on our own or to manufacture kingdom results through clever programs and methodologies. Instead, we're invited to participate in the ongoing work of the risen Christ, who remains active and powerful today.

Consider Peter and John making their way to the temple at three in the afternoon for the time of prayer. This wasn't an extraordinary day marked on their calendar for something special. They were simply maintaining their spiritual disciplines, showing up faithfully to pray as they had done countless times before.

The phrase describing their journey suggests a habitual devotion, a pattern of consistent obedience. They weren't seeking a miracle or looking for an opportunity to demonstrate spiritual power. They were just being faithful in the small, unglamorous practice of regular prayer.

This reveals something crucial: God's power is manifested through those who are faithful to Him. Obedience puts us exactly where God has already planned to work. When we cultivate steady spiritual habits rather than sporadic spirituality, we position ourselves to be used by God in ways we never anticipated.

At the temple gate called Beautiful—a massive structure requiring twenty men to open and close, overlaid with Corinthian bronze and gold—sat a man who had been lame from birth. For approximately forty years, he had been carried to this prime begging location, depending entirely on the charity of worshipers passing through.

Here's the tragedy: this man spent his life close to religious activity but remained unchanged. He was near holy things but never entered into true worship. He sat at the gate but couldn't walk through it.

How many people today sit at the beautiful gate of Christianity? They attend church, know the language, follow rituals, but have never entered into genuine relationship with Christ. They're begging for coins—comfort, good feelings, affirmation—when God wants to give them legs, strength, transformation, and eternal life.

When Peter and John encountered this beggar, they gave him their full attention. They weren't absorbed in their own agenda. They looked straight at him and said, "Look at us."
The man expected money. Instead, Peter offered something far more valuable: "I don't have silver or gold, but what I do have, I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk."

This declaration contains a powerful truth for the church today. We may lack material wealth, elegant buildings, or impressive resources, but if we have Christ and His Word, we possess the greatest gift we can offer the world. The church may be poor in silver and gold, but we are rich in Christ. We have all treasures in Him.

The power was never in Peter. It was in the name of Jesus. Everything done was under Christ's authority, aligned with His will, acting on His behalf, by His power alone.

The moment the man believed in the name of Jesus Christ, he was completely restored. His healing wasn't gradual or partial—it was instant and total. His feet and ankles became strong immediately. This was a creative miracle requiring new tissue, new bones, new muscle.

He went from being attached to the ground to walking, leaping, and praising God. The only appropriate response to experiencing Christ's transformative power is joy and worship. And notice where he directed that worship—not to Peter and John, but to God alone.

When Jesus works, He heals completely. He restores not just part of you, but all of you. Physical healing points to the deeper spiritual healing every human soul desperately needs.

All the people saw him walking and praising God. They recognized him as the man who used to sit and beg at the Beautiful Gate. There was no denying what had happened. When Christ changes a life, people notice. Everyone sees it.

"That's the same man? The one who couldn't walk? The cripple we saw every day?"

He used to be one thing, but now he was another. That's what people should say about every believer. The transformation should be undeniable, visible, public.

What do people see in you today? Do they witness the transformation Christ has worked in your life? Do they see that you're a new creation? Most importantly, do they see Christ in you?

The crowd was filled with awe and astonishment. They couldn't explain it. And we shouldn't try to explain away God's power. He works in mysterious ways, yes, but more importantly, He works in powerful ways.

The same Christ who healed that lame man is the same risen Christ who heals spiritually today. The same power manifested in that man's life can change, transform, and save anyone who believes. The same risen Christ at work then is at work now—the same power that can heal broken souls, grant salvation, and give eternal life with God.

The only question that remains is: Will you believe in Christ for it?

We have nothing to offer this world except Christ. Not programs, not methodology, not entertainment, not cultural relevance. Just Christ. That's it. That's all we have, and that's the only thing that matters.

If we commit to Him—living by His Word, building each other up, remaining faithful in our spiritual disciplines—He will use us to offer Christ to the world. The world needs Jesus, and we are His mouthpiece.

The power of the risen Christ continues to work through ordinary faithfulness. Will you be faithful? Will you show up consistently in prayer, worship, and obedience? Will you offer what you truly have—Jesus Christ—to a world desperately begging for coins when they need legs?

The story of Acts is still being written. You're part of it. The question is: What will your chapter reveal about the ongoing, powerful work of the risen Christ?

Through this message, God reminds us that the risen Christ is still powerfully at work through His church, using our ordinary faithfulness and the proclamation of Jesus’ name to transform broken lives for His glory—so how should we respond in trust, obedience, and bold witness to His saving power?

Choose at least one action step to commit to:

The same power that healed the lame beggar is available to us today. The same risen Christ who worked through Peter and John wants to work through you. The question is: Will you be faithful? Will you offer Christ instead of coins? Will your transformation be visible to those around you?