JOIN THE JOURNEY JR.
Families Abiding in Jesus together
With shorter reading assignments and kid-specific focus areas, Join The Journey Jr. is designed to help parents disciple their kids and engage with Scripture in the best ways for their age.
This month's memory verse
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
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And all the people saw him walking and praising God, and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
Acts of the Apostles 3
Peter Heals a Crippled Beggar
1Peter and John went to the Temple one afternoon to take part in the three o’clock prayer service. 2As they approached the Temple, a man lame from birth was being carried in. Each day he was put beside the Temple gate, the one called the Beautiful Gate, so he could beg from the people going into the Temple. 3When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for some money.
4Peter and John looked at him intently, and Peter said, “Look at us!” 5The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting some money. 6But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene,* get up and* walk!”
7Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up. And as he did, the man’s feet and ankles were instantly healed and strengthened. 8He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk! Then, walking, leaping, and praising God, he went into the Temple with them.
9All the people saw him walking and heard him praising God. 10When they realized he was the lame beggar they had seen so often at the Beautiful Gate, they were absolutely astounded! 11They all rushed out in amazement to Solomon’s Colonnade, where the man was holding tightly to Peter and John.
Peter Preaches in the Temple
12Peter saw his opportunity and addressed the crowd. “People of Israel,” he said, “what is so surprising about this? And why stare at us as though we had made this man walk by our own power or godliness? 13For it is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the God of all our ancestors—who has brought glory to his servant Jesus by doing this. This is the same Jesus whom you handed over and rejected before Pilate, despite Pilate’s decision to release him. 14You rejected this holy, righteous one and instead demanded the release of a murderer. 15You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. And we are witnesses of this fact!
16“Through faith in the name of Jesus, this man was healed—and you know how crippled he was before. Faith in Jesus’ name has healed him before your very eyes.
17“Friends,* I realize that what you and your leaders did to Jesus was done in ignorance. 18But God was fulfilling what all the prophets had foretold about the Messiah—that he must suffer these things. 19Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. 20Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and he will again send you Jesus, your appointed Messiah. 21For he must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through his holy prophets. 22Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your own people. Listen carefully to everything he tells you.’*23Then Moses said, ‘Anyone who will not listen to that Prophet will be completely cut off from God’s people.’*
24“Starting with Samuel, every prophet spoke about what is happening today. 25You are the children of those prophets, and you are included in the covenant God promised to your ancestors. For God said to Abraham, ‘Through your descendants* all the families on earth will be blessed.’ 26When God raised up his servant, Jesus, he sent him first to you people of Israel, to bless you by turning each of you back from your sinful ways.”
In Acts 3:1-10 the beggar probably felt the same way. As John and Peter head towards the temple, a man who can’t use his legs is sitting at the main entrance asking everyone for money. When he asks Peter and John for money, and they stop and Peter says, “Look at me!” Peter and John wanted the beggar to know that he can look to God for he needs. This made the man think he was going to get money, when in fact the gift was going to be so much better! Peter, in the name of Jesus, healed the beggar’s lame feet and ankles, something the beggar didn’t even ask for, but needed so much more. In that moment, the beggar knew that Jesus was the one true, powerful God who had healed him.
Just as the lame beggar was miraculously healed, God can heal us too. We are all born with sin, which separate us from God. God doesn’t want us to stay in our sin, though, and delights in rescuing us. God desires to heal us from our sin that keeps us separated from him. Ask yourself these questions:
If you answered “yes”, you can be confident that God has forgiven you, through Jesus, and he wants you to know him more. If you said “no”, Jesus wants to have a relationship with you, forgive you for your sins, and help you grow to know God more.
The beggar walked around praising God for the miraculous transformation that had just occurred. God had completely changed his life! He went from not being able to walk or do anything on his own to suddenly walking and proclaiming God’s name. He gave all the glory to God! When we accept Jesus and receive forgiveness for our sins, he changes us. We are transformed by Jesus, and our words, actions, and thoughts become more like his.
How has God transformed your life? Share with your parents or siblings how God has transformed you by answering the questions below:
Take 10 minutes to praise God through prayer, worship, or by telling others what God has done for you. Thank God today for his never-ending love in your life.