Ordinary to Extraordinary Encounters: Unveiling God's Mission Beyond Sunday (Acts 3:1-12)

Throughout April, we are looking at a series called Stories. This series explores the stories that we are connected to and influenced by, as a church community. This explores the places we as a church are invested locally, regionally, and globally.  On April 14, Pastor Jeff McLain looked at Acts 3:1-12 and the way that trusting in God can lead ordinary encounters into extraordinary ones. This message reminds us of our mission beyond Sunday mornings.

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Who we are together.
River Corner Church is a growing church community of everyday people who gather to worship God, follow Jesus, and journey through life together.

What we practice together.
Our small church community is uniquely caring, simple, laid-back, and intergenerational. As a church, we want to be a welcoming, safe, and healing community for those who are seeking, hurting, or need a place to belong. Our practices are contemplative (reflective) charismatic (Spirit-driven), conversational, and informative. The times we share together are intentional and intimate, and a mix between modern and traditional. We want to be a place in which love and honor are lived out, where humility is central, and where hospitality is woven into the threads of our community. There is room at the table.

When we gather together.
River Corner Church gathers weekly on Sunday mornings at 10:00 AM to worship and experience God, study the scriptures, journey through life together, and partner with the Holy Spirit. We meet in a simple worship meeting house at 524 River Corner Road in Conestoga, Pennsylvania. You are welcome as you are, just be yourself. There are other times that we hold small groups, events, and more.

Our Pastoral Leader.
As the pastor of River Corner Church, Jeff McLain leads our church community and helps others to think differently about Jesus, life, and everything in-between. Jeff also serves as the Director of Pastoral Ministries at Water Street Mission, where he works with those facing homelessness and poverty. Jeff, Katie, and their three wander-filled daughters look to lead quiet lives. Committed to lifelong learning, Jeff is currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry at Kairos University and completing a Master of Business Administration with a focus on Executive Leadership at City Vision University. These academic pursuits complement the two masters he completed earlier at Fuller Seminary. Jeff has a passion for baseball, boardwalks, beaches, bays, and books, but above all, his greatest joy lies in spending time with his family and guiding our church community on our journey of faith together.

Learn more about us at rivercornerchurch.com.

Transcript

Ordinary to Extraordinary Encounters: Unveiling God's Mission Beyond Sunday

Throughout April, we are looking at a series called Stories. This series explores the stories that we are connected to and influenced by, as a church community. This explores the places we as a church are invested locally, regionally, and globally. Not only are those three areas important distinctions, but I also think they are in order of priority for a local church community. We focus locally, to influence regionally, and to send the “called” globally. Far too often the local church has wrongly prioritized global missions and in doing so lost touch with local and regional missional efforts. In Acts 1:8, the early followers of Jesus are told by Jesus, that when they receive the power of the Holy Spirit, they will then be able to testify to Jesus and ultimately the Kingdom of God, throughout Jerusalem, their backyard, through the Judean and Samarian region, but also globally to the ends of the earth.[1] That is also my hope for River Corner Church as we continue as a growing church community.

Last week, at the start of this series, we heard from Menuka and her work among Nepalese refugees and immigrants. This morning, though they were not able to be with us during this series, I have a short video clip from our missionaries Kevin and Anita Warfel. Two weeks ago, we updated you on their ministry in your mailboxes. Kevin and Anita have been involved in the Rapid Word Collection (RWC) project—a technique for collecting 10,000+ words in less than a month to revolutionize the way Bible translation is done. Kevin is the Dictionary Development Coordinator, and Anita is the Project Funding Coordinator in the Dictionary & Lexicography Services Unit at Wycliffe Bible Translators. Kevin and Anna are a good example of those who grew up in a local church community and felt “called” globally. We have been walking with them and supporting them as we can ever since.

Play Video

If you are interested in more about their ministry, the paper at the mailbox will have ways to get in touch with their website and ministry.

Leadership Coach John Maxwell once said, "When we trust God, He can make the ordinary, extraordinary." That reality, that God makes ordinary acts extraordinary miracles, is what we will see in the scriptures today, but it is also the reality that is found in this story. Most of us know that the early church grew at an exponential rate. Though we know God has done some otherworldly, miraculous, acts of power and signs over the years that have led to the spread of Christianity, the truth is most scholars struggle to accept that. For this reason, many historians believe that the rise of Christianity was due to the simple fact that Christians were renowned for generously loving each other and their neighbors. Historians Henry Chadwick and Rodney Stark have certainly made this argument scholarly and notable. Both of them, as well as many others, point out that in the ancient world, showing mercy to someone was widely seen as a character defect that ran counter to justice. Justice demanded people get what they deserved and was seen as appropriate, whereas mercy extended grace, love, and kindness to people who had done nothing to deserve it. Yet these early Christians valued mercy over judgment. As a result, local church communities and local Christian communities became places where historians have noted individuals tended to live longer and healthier lives. Those suffering sickness, poverty, mishaps, and more found that when they suffered sickness, poverty, or mishaps they had brothers and sisters in Christ who provided for their needs. Christians extended love way beyond the boundaries of family and congregation to their non-believing neighbors. It was also noticed by their neighbors. Often in plagues and pandemic diseases, where others didn’t have people willing to care for them, local church communities would rally around their neighbors and love them well. In this way, these local church communities continued to live out the practices of the earliest church that we find in Acts 2 which consisted of “all the believers were together,” and that “sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.”[2]

In 251 A.D. a great plague struck the Greco-Roman world. The fears and memories of a plague a century earlier in which more than a third of the population died once again filled the minds of all. Fear was everywhere. Those who could afford it fled to the countryside, even some of the Roman officials. Those who could not remain in the cities. When they went to their pagan temples, looking for help, they found them empty, because the local pagan priests had fled. The streets were filled with those who had become infected, and their families were left with no option but to push them out the door, sick and dying, piling them in the streets and roadsides. In this sick and dying world, local churches and Christian communities however took an entirely different approach. They saw it as their responsibility to love the sick and dying, so they took the abandoned into their homes and nursed them. This action meant that many people recovered who otherwise would have died. Sure, some of the recoveries might have very well been supernatural healings. However, looking back historians have come to suggest that even elementary nursing could have reduced the mortality rate by as much as two-thirds. This act of mercy also had a cost, it cost several Christian caretakers their lives as they too became infected.

Historian Henry Chadwick comments, “The practical application of charity was probably the most potent single cause of Christian success.” This sense of charity defined the early church. It was well recorded at this time that those of the pagan faith often remarked, “See how these Christians love one another.” The Christian commitment to acts of mercy, charity, to generous love was so evident that when the fourth-century Roman Emperor Julian sought to restore paganism to the Empire because he thought it would make them a blessed nation again, he instructed the pagan priesthood to follow the example of the Christians. In fact, after naming all the merciful acts of the Christians, Julian writes, “I believe that we ought really and truly to practice every one of these virtues.” His fear was they were losing ground as a religion as a result of the countercultural way the Christians lived was more attractive. Everywhere they looked, people were living more abundant and healthy lives because of care and compassion. As Leadership Coach John Maxwell once said, "When we trust God, He can make the ordinary, extraordinary." That is what these early followers of Jesus did well.

Trusting God with the ordinary is also what Peter and John do in Acts 3:1-12. We talked about this passage a little last week at the end of our time with Menuka. If you have your bible with you, I invite you to follow along as I read from Acts 3:1-12. You may know this story well but allow the scriptures to capture your heart and mind in new ways this morning. I will be reading Acts 3:1-12 from the New International Version.

One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.

Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon’s Colonnade. When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?

I love stopping this story at verse 12. Sure, Peter has more to say after this, but I love ending with the jarring question from Peter. Peter asks, “Why does this surprise you?”[3] Looking at his fellow countrymen and Jewish friends, Peter expects that they should not be surprised that in the middle of their ordinary lives, God would show up in extraordinary ways. After all, Peter and John had followed Jesus and came to believe this was a normal part of life. It is interesting to me that even though they had become part of a new expression of faith, as Jesus followers, they saw a new purpose for their old practices and traditions and still adhered to many of them. They expected their neighbors, who knew their story and affiliation with Jesus, also would have come to expect extraordinary things in the middle of ordinary moments. 

         If you read the rest of the story, and I encourage you to do that this week, Peter and John take advantage of this sign and wonder to point to a miraculous God. They testify and witness to who Jesus was, and what he did, and they extend an invitation to those around them to also confess with their mouths that Jesus is Lord and believe in their hearts that Jesus was raised from the dead so that they could be saved. This, of course, makes a scene, and the religious teachers of their day have John and Peter arrested.  However, because of this one small act, praying for someone in need, Peter and John found the opportunity to share the good news of Jesus, and as a result “many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand.”[4] When we trust God, He can make the ordinary, extraordinary. What is interesting, is this local investment, a local missional act, does get them arrested, but as a result, they are given the opportunity to influence the whole region as they are eventually taken before the “rulers and elders of the people.”[5] Again, John and Peter invite people to know Jesus. In that moment, though they were full of the Holy Spirit, the regional leaders realized “they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished, and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”[6] The healing was undeniable, so Peter and John were released and told to stop preaching, but they returned to “their own people” and continued to preach locally. They focused locally, and from their release to Acts 5, the region comes to the local, as “Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, all of them were healed.”[7] As more people encountered Jesus as their Messiah as the Son of God, more people went out into the regions and globally, as “the word of God spread.”[8] We focus locally, to influence regionally, and to send the “called” globally.

         This story, and the witness of the early church in Rome, which I shared at the opening, have a lot in common. Both certainly show that when we trust God, He can make the ordinary, extraordinary. Both show that true revolutionary ministry isn’t about anything we do in our own power. As Peter says, “Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?”[9] It isn’t about anything bigger and better. Both show that it isn’t about special people, but rather ordinary people willing to show mercy, charity, and hospitality to their neighbors, to those they bumped into in the places they live, worship, play, and work. Merely caring for someone, and merely praying for someone, normal ordinary acts, suddenly become anything but ordinary, and become the single acts that God uses to exponentially witness to others about his goodness and good news.

         In this story in Acts, Peter, and John are in the middle of an ordinary event, practicing the hours of prayer. During this time, Jews went to prayer two to three times a day. The most common was a morning and evening prayer, but some documents found in the Dead Sea Scrolls suggest for a while there was an afternoon call to prayer as well.[10]  This prayer in this story of Acts was an afternoon, but referred to as evening prayer, at 3:00 p.m.[11] Peter and John walk by the Nicanor Temple Gate in Jerusalem, called the Beautiful Gate in this story, which was known for its expensive bronze design made possible by an Alexandrian donor.[12] They say this gate sat on the east side, near the Court of the Women, facing the gate of the sanctuary, and was fifteen steps up and made to reflect in the light of the rising sun, perhaps giving it the nickname the beautiful gate. [13] What a place for such a beautiful miracle to happen.

         On these steps often beggars would collect and ask for money, trying to tug at the heartstrings of those who were on their way to prayer and worship. In East Petersburg, where we live, there was a notable individual who had a hardware store, inn, and restaurant that was not a Christian. An older gentleman in our neighborhood used to tell me Zug would sit on his sidewalk on Sunday mornings and raise a beer to the local people on their way to church. He did this to infuriate them at a time when legalism was enforced. He knew this was a time to really make them upset. In the same way, beggars at the time of Acts 3, knew that those coming to prayer were supposed to be working out their holiness and also were called to be hospitable to their fellow countrymen, and what better time to get money. This sort of begging was normal at this time. Charity was highly regarded, and those who could not make a living, or suffered deep health issues, were often found begging in this fashion so they didn’t go hungry. [14] Interestingly, scholars have noted that Judaism was more charitable than other nations and cultures at this time. Much like how the church in the Roman era was very different and countercultural. 

         This man was crippled from birth. He had never worked. Perhaps his parents had now passed, and he had no one to care for him. Like blindness, some infirmities just were so bad in this culture that people knew there was little to no chance of healing.[15] Such infirmities were also considered hard to be hospitable for, and so this man lived only on the help and donations of others.

         Peter and John have given up their jobs to follow Jesus, and though they may have returned at some level after Jesus returned to heaven, most of their time was spent in ministry. They did not have money. They had given up their livelihoods and their futures to preach the gospel of the Kingdom, to call people to repent and believe. This man needed money, but money was the one thing they didn’t have to give. So often we justify not responding to the needs of someone because we don’t have exactly what they need. Too often we don’t take the time because we are busy with something else. These guys were on their way to prayer, they were in the middle of an important and busy activity. They weren’t thinking of ministry, they were thinking of getting somewhere. They didn’t have money, and could have just done what we all do, “sorry, I don’t have cash on me.” However, John and Peter knew that what the man thought he needed, money, wasn’t the greatest need in this man’s life. Additionally, they knew they didn’t have anything they could do on their own power, but they did have trust in an extraordinary God, and they learned that could trust small things and huge things to God. Verses like Psalm 46:10 would have been deeply invested in their hearts, and reminded them that in tough situations, all they had to do was "Be still, and know that I am God." They knew that all they had to do was trust God to be God. Ultimately, I am sure Peter remembered what Jesus told his followers, "With God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26). They had come to realize time and time again that with God all things were possible, and that these great acts were things that the Holy Spirit was promised to do through them by Jesus. All they had to do was allow themselves to be interruptible. 

Even before Jesus, people believed in the possibility of miracles. They would still pray for healing. Sometimes healings happened. However, they were not as promised or pronounced as we see in the life and ministry of Jesus. At this time, miracle workers usually prayed asking for healing rather than commanding healing.[16]  Even more, in some cultures they would invite other spirits to come and heal an individual. This is why Jesus is accused by the religious teachers, of driving Satan out by the power of Satan. Prayer is still an important part of healing, in James 5:14, we are told that those who are sick and in need of prayer should go to the church leaders. In the First or Old Testament, healing was about declaring the word of the Lord, like when a prophet would speak it or speak God’s will.[17] In this story, we see the disciples perhaps enter a prayer posture, where they seemingly pray in the name of Jesus, rather than another spirit, and they also declare the goodness of God in this situation. By praying in the name of, or saying “in the name of Christ,” the disciples are acting as ambassadors or representatives of Jesus and asking for his mission. In many ways, their prayer and command here are similar to that found in the Lord’s Prayer, “May your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” and do it here in this man’s life because he needs healing. He also places the impetus of healing on Jesus. Then they just acted with the promise of healing. They reached out and helped the man to his feet, and as he stood in faith, they heard and saw his ankles and feet becoming strong. (according to the Doctor Luke writing this book). In this story, I get the image from Ezekiel 37, of the Spirit bringing new life to the skeletons in the valley, where Ezekiel hears the rattling as the bones come together. Here, the Spirit is bringing healing to this man’s feet and ankles, the bones are rattling and snapping into place with the promise of new life for this man.

Signs and wonders not only bring healing and liberation to the person experiencing them, and build faith for those watching, it also opens the door for others to hear the message of Jesus. As I shared earlier, this starts a trajectory that takes the church to almost 5,000 people. It ends up being a catalyst to bring God’s good news to the region and across the globe. In this story, now standing on the steps, Peter addresses the crowd. A place in which beggars sat, now is transformed into a pulpit for transformation. The light reflecting from the beautiful gate behind them outlines Peter and John as they proclaim the healing and salvation that can be found through Jesus alone. Peter challenges them with the questions - Why are you surprised? Why do you look at us like we did this? Because in this day, Jewish people thought wonderworkers did miracles out of a place of great piety and holiness that moved God to pay attention to them. Rather, this story shows that sometimes the most broken and ordinary people become exemplifiers of the miraculous nature of God.[18] This is evident throughout all of Acts, but perhaps most notable in Acts 14. When the apostles say, “We too are only human, like you.”[19] It’s not our holiness that moves God, it’s our faithfulness to depend on him. The man is driven into worship because of his healing, and he dances for joy, runs liberated from his condition, and celebrates that God has come near and touched his life. He was driven to worship.

         Biblical commentator and theologian William Barclay wrote about this passage, “For Christians, there are still miracles all around if they have eyes to see.”[20] That is important for us to remember. River Corner Church confesses in our fourth value, "We partner with the Holy Spirit to bring healing and peace to the places we live, work, and play."[21] Katie reminds us of this each week when she does announcements on a Sunday morning. God’s healing and peace look very different in different stories in the life and ministry of Jesus. The same is true in Acts and in the writings of the other biblical authors. Today, the same is true, God’s healing and peace look different at different times in different places. However, we must never lose sight of God’s healing and peace can show up in ordinary ways in extraordinary ways. 

In our Statement of Faith, we confess that “We are to be led by the Holy Spirit,” and “as Spirit-filled people of God, we can….do the things he did, and grow in spiritual maturity through ways both ordinary and otherworldly.” In our Statement of Faith, we also confess “We believe that we are called to embody God’s peace, healing, and restoration.” This means “Following Jesus's example, we are called to compassionately bring about God’s peace, healing, and restoration to individuals in the places we live, work, worship, and play. We must also do this throughout the world, embodying God's shalom, love, goodness, justice, and good news.”[22] Together we confess and believe that God desires us to bring his peace and healing in restorative ways to the world around us, in the places we each are invested. This story reminds us of not only this responsibility but also of what can happen. As Leadership Coach John Maxwell once said, "When we trust God, He can make the ordinary, extraordinary." 

I think there are practical takeaways we can make to remind us of how the ordinary can become extraordinary, and how we can participate in God’s mission beyond Sunday.  

1.    In the middle of the ordinary routines, we must be both interruptible and fully present in our community. Just as Peter and John were on their way to prayer when they encountered the beggar at the Beautiful Gate, we should be attentive to the needs of those around us in our everyday lives. Take time to be present in your community, whether it's through volunteering, supporting local initiatives, or simply being open to conversations with neighbors. Also, be interruptible, don’t hurry past possibilities. Mother Teresa said, "Do ordinary things with extraordinary love."
 
 

2.    In the middle of the ordinary and mundane aspects of life, we must just try and listen for the Spirit of God, so that we don’t miss opportunities. Like Peter and John, be open to the opportunities God presents in your ordinary routines. They didn't have money to give the beggar, but they recognized the opportunity for God to work through them. Perhaps they even heard God’s still small whisper that let them know God wanted to do something at that moment. Stay sensitive to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. At other times, it may mean just trying, being willing to step out in faith when you see a need. Blaise Pascal, the French Christian and Mathematician, once said "Small minds are concerned with the extraordinary, great minds with the ordinary." Be driven to think about the extraordinary in ordinary moments.
 
 

3.    Don’t be defined by what you have or don’t have, but rather your trust in God’s Power. When faced with challenges or limitations, remember to trust in God's power to work through you. Peter and John didn't rely on their own resources or abilities but trusted in the name of Jesus to bring about healing. Trust that God can turn ordinary moments into extraordinary encounters. Are you defined by what you can do, and not do, or by your trust in God to show up and show off? Again, Mother Teresa says, “Holiness does not consist in doing extraordinary things. It consists in accepting, with a smile, what Jesus sends us." 
 
 

4.    Big things can happen while practicing radical hospitality. Just as the early Christians were known for their radical love and care for one another and their neighbors, seek to extend hospitality and compassion to those around you. Look for opportunities to show kindness, offer support, and meet the needs of others, whether they're part of your church community or not. The Historic Christian Physician Paul Tornier once said that people flock to him to see his approach and walk away disappointed because the reason they experience healing is simply because he practices being present with them and listening. 
 
 

5.    We are all called to share the Good News and to remember Jesus will be with us through God’s Spirit to the end of the age. Use every encounter, whether ordinary or extraordinary, as an opportunity to share the good news of Jesus Christ. Like Peter and John, be bold in proclaiming the message of salvation and inviting others to experience the transformative power of Jesus in their lives. Your actions and words can have a profound impact on those around you, leading them to faith and growth in Christ.

In closing, as we reflect on the stories shared today, the words of Leadership Coach John Maxwell resonate deeply: "When we trust God, He can make the ordinary, extraordinary." Just as Menuka, Kevin, and Anita have shown us through their lives of service and dedication, and as Peter and John exemplified in Acts 3, our church community is called to embrace God's mission beyond the confines of Sunday gatherings in our ordinary moments. Through radical love, compassionate outreach, and unwavering faith, we have the opportunity to witness God's transformative power in the everyday moments of our lives. Let us be a church that lives out the values of mercy, charity, and hospitality, extending the hope of Jesus to all we encounter. We must continue to find ways to partner with the Holy Spirit for God’s healing and peace in the places we each live, work, and play. 

Missed Sermon

Prayer

[1] Acts 1:8.
[2] Acts 2:44-45.
[3] Acts 3:12 (New International Version).
[4] Acts 4:4 (New International Version).
[5] Acts 4:8 (New International Version).
[6] Acts 4:13 (New International Version).
[7] Acts 5:16 (New International Version).
[8] Acts 6:7 (New International Version).
[9] Acts 3:12 (New International Version).
[10] Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), Ac 3:1–12.
[11] Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), Ac 3:1–12.
[12] Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), Ac 3:1–12.
[13] Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), Ac 3:1–12.
[14] Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), Ac 3:1–12.
[15] Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), Ac 3:1–12.
[16] Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), Ac 3:1–12.
[17] Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), Ac 3:1–12.
[18] Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), Ac 3:1–12.
[19] Acts 14:15 (New International Version).
[20] William Barclay, The Acts of the Apostles, 3rd ed. fully rev. and updated., The New Daily Study Bible (Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2003), 37.
[21] About on RiverCornerChurch.com
[22] William Barclay, The Acts of the Apostles, 3rd ed. fully rev. and updated., The New Daily Study Bible (Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2003), 37.