Can You Help Me?
Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms. And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God. (Acts 3:1–8)
In this passage we have the record of a man who was basically asking Peter and John, “Can you help me?” He wanted some money. That is evident by the response that Peter gave when he said, “Silver and gold have I none.”
It has been my experience that many people want money and will scheme, manipulate, and deceive in order to get it. I will never forget the time when I left my family in West Virginia as I flew to a revival meeting. At that time we pulled a thirty-five-foot-long Airstream trailer. It was parked at the church where Jim Efaw was the pastor at that time. I flew back to West Virginia and had just gotten back to my trailer when there was a knock on our door. I opened the door and there stood a man weeping his heart out. I asked him what was wrong. He said that his mother had died and he needed money to buy gas so he could go to her funeral. This man was weeping so hard that I knew this had to be real. It touched my heart so deeply that I pulled out a twenty-dollar bill and gave it to him. He told me that he had sold his watch at the gas station located a short distance from the church, so I thought this poor man was really in a desperate state. After he left, I began to wonder if he really did sell his watch to get gas. So I went down to the gas station and asked for the manager. I asked him if a man had come there and sold his watch so he could buy gas and food because his mother had died and he was on his way to her funeral. He said, “No! We never sell or exchange gas for items like that. Did he tell you that story?” I tell you, I was so upset. That man was a con artist, a professional thief!
There are many people like that everywhere across this nation. But there are people who truly are in need, and we must be sensitive in helping them. Peter and John couldn’t help this man financially, but they could help him spiritually. They pointed this man to the Lord Jesus Christ. This must be our focus also, letting people know that the Lord can help them.
Not too long ago I had a revival meeting in North Carolina. My wife and I were staying in a hotel. One morning as I was having breakfast there, a man came over, sat down beside me, and said, “Can you help me?” The man’s eyes were full of tears. I asked him what was wrong. He said, “I have a problem with alcohol and I want to get it out of my life. I am tired of it!” I told him that I was raised with alcohol in my home. As I began to give him my testimony of how the Lord saved me from being enslaved to alcohol, he told me that he was truly saved. I dealt thoroughly with him, and he gave a clear testimony of being born again. I invited him to come to our revival service that night, and he did! He came forward during the invitation. Then he came back the next night. He told me at the close of the service, “You truly helped me. I am so grateful.” I told him that it was no coincidence that he came to me and asked for help. Several men in the church are helping him; they are working with him and giving him good, spiritual guidance. I was able to help a man with the same problem that my home had back in the hills of West Virginia.
I trust that many of us will be sensitive to the needs of others. The greatest way we can help others is by pointing them to Jesus Christ.
Evangelist Jerry Sivnksty may be contacted at PO Box 141, Starr, SC 29684 or via e-mail at .
(Originally published in FrontLine • January/February 2015. Click here to subscribe to the magazine.)
Photo by Matt Collamer on Unsplash