Bible Study Notes

One of the main ways we are able to encourage one another at Grace Reformed Church is our participation in our weekly corporate worship service. This is not unique to GRC, as weekly church gatherings have been the norm since the establishment of the church. In fact, religious gatherings of this type existed even prior. This is evident as you read about the temples and synagogues in the Old Testament, and these types of gatherings are the backdrop for Peter and John as they prepare to enter one such temple in the beginning of Acts 3.
However, as they were preparing to enter this house of worship, no one on the inside could have been prepared for the fact the most visible act of true worship was about to come from the largely ignored man who they strode past to enter the temple each day. Prior to this healing, and subsequent speech inside the temple by Peter, there was no acknowledgment of Jesus Christ as the messiah. This meant prayers offered to God, and any other sacraments were largely offered for the edification of the believer, and not the glorification of God.

QUESTION: Have there been times, or even seasons of your life, where you approached participating in worship in a corporate setting as something you had to do to improve your standing before God? What obstacles were in place to make you feel this way?

Despite being familiar with the prophecies concerning the coming of Jesus Christ, those present during this event missed the signs, and therefore missed Christ. With one simple message, Peter was able to open his audience’s eyes to what the proper focus of their worship activities should be. With the miracle performed in the name of Jesus and by his power, Peter held a captive audience as he opened their eyes to the truth they had overlooked.
11 While he clung to Peter and John, all the people, utterly astounded, ran together to them in the portico called Solomon's.
12 And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk?
13 The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant[b] Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him.
14 But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you,
15 and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.
16 And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus[c] has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.
This message appears to be harsh, as Peter refers to the Jews in attendance as the ones who murdered the savior, however he continues after this to offer them hope, and encourage them in the fact their sin will not be counted against them because of Christ.
17 “And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18 But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ
would suffer, he thus fulfilled.
19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,
20 that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus,
This news was transformational to the crowd, and we read later it served to greatly increase the size of the early church, by adding approximately 5,000 believers to the early church.

Peter offered them nothing more than the truth of their salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and their hearts immediately became filled with the desire to honor and glorify God.

QUESTION: Can you remember a time when you were discouraged and brought back into peace simply by hearing and being reminded of the Gospel?

QUESTION: Are there things you remember trying during this time, or others, in order to bring yourself out of the funk that ultimately failed?

Peter used the miracle of healing to demonstrate his authority, but it was the miracle of Christ’s resurrection and the forgiveness of their sins that finally motivated them to a state of true worship. We struggle as Christians to keep this truth at the forefront of our worship when we attend church with our brothers and sisters in Christ. We allow our own self-consciousness to convince us we may not be as good as the person sitting to our right or left. We deceive ourselves into thinking we have not been faithful enough to receive the blessing of our salvation.

QUESTION: In the paragraph above, the hindrance mentioned is a discouragement based on our perceived failures. However, the opposite can also be true. We can be distracted from truly worshipping due to a perceived lack of need. Have you ever felt either of these extremes? Which do you find more prevalent, and why?
The challenge we all face whether worshipping corporately, or trying to lead a life that is honoring and glorifying to God, is we feel disconnected from the miraculous work completed in our hearts. The examples of healing and other miracles in the Bible show how gratitude for the healing leads naturally into worship of the healing’s source. We have all been healed from our sin, yet the disconnect still exists in us from time to time.

QUESTION: How can we help encourage one another as a church to ensure we do not allow ourselves to lose focus on the truth of the Gospel? What are some things that have helped encourage you in the past?