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Reaching out to Nearaway places
Have you ever yearned to visit some far away place? Perhaps you have been fortunate enough to make the dream come true. The multi-billion dollar travel industry thrives on both stimulating and meeting this longing to see exotic new lands. When churches send missionaries to the far corners of the globe, they are acting as "travel agents" of a much different sort. Jesus prepared his disciples to go to all the nations of the world in order to make disciples (Matt. 28:18-20). First Jesus' call to us says "come", then it says "go."
The book of Acts records the last words of the risen Jesus to his disciples. Before he ascended into heaven, he spoke to them of the power they were about to receive. It would be a power received "when the Holy Spirit has come upon you." The Holy Spirit would empower them and propel their witness of Christ and the gospel. Their witness was to begin in Jerusalem and would be carried clear unto "the remotest part of the earth."
The book of Acts wonderfully records the dynamic effect of the Spirit's outpouring upon the disciples. Jerusalem was abuzz with the happenings. A few chapters later we read of Saul's conversion. Soon we're following the action on Paul's missionary journeys. In a very short time the gospel had spread outward from Jerusalem and its light was on its way to the remote regions of the planet.
Our willingness to "go" should certainly embrace the possibility of going to some faraway place. But does our vision include "nearaway" places as well? By "nearaway" I mean places that, though not geographically far removed, are nonetheless "foreign" to us. Those living in abject poverty in our very midst may, though physically near to us, seem a world away. Perceptually, the gulf can seem as great as a wide ocean. Does it take the Holy Spirit's power and Jesus' call to "go" in order for us to cross this gulf? It does.
Peter and John, having been baptized with the Holy Spirit, shortly afterwards dramatically cross such a gulf to a "nearaway" place. The third chapter of Acts records the encounter. They were on their way to the Jerusalem temple at the hour of prayer. A crippled beggar was at his usual spot near "the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful." Here is a contrast! A beautiful gate, perhaps with gold plating and artistic designs. One viewing it on the way to worship might begin turning his attention to thoughts of beautiful, heavenly things. But today a shabby (perhaps smelly) beggar competes for the attention of the passers-by. "And when he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he began asking to receive alms."
Imagine that! Just as you are about to enter the sanctuary, some bum hits you up for spare change! It's enough to make one want to use a side door. Most often though, a determined averting of one's eyes will serve the same purpose. But how do Peter and John react to this beggar at the temple door? Instead of shifting their gaze away from the unsightly beggar, we're told that "Peter along with John "fixed his gaze upon him and said 'look at us!'" No doubt this greatly startled the poor beggar, being used as he was to being universally ignored. Even people tossing their coins into his palm didn't look at his face--much less make eye contact with him! And the beggar himself hadn't the boldness to look his patrons in the face either. Had anyone entering the temple ever even spoken a single word to him?
Now the narrative tells us that the beggar, having heard Peter's voice "began to give them his attention, expecting to receive something from them." He was about to receive something from them, although not what he was expecting. Peter, emboldened by the Spirit, spoke directly to the man, saying "I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene—walk!" Peter then seizes the man by his right hand, pulls him to his feet, and in the same instant the man's feet and ankles received strength and healing. The beggar then went into the temple with them "walking and leaping and praising God."
We need not be endowed with miracle-working power in order for God to work through us. Nor do we have to "fix our gaze" on every beggar we encounter. Yet we should, like Peter and John, be open to the opportunities for witness in the "nearaway" places of our daily lives. Especially when destitute persons huddle near the place of worship, might not a sincere "good morning" spoken to one of them show that our interest in reaching out to our "Jerusalem" matches our interest in reaching out to "the remotest part of the earth?"
To this suggestion someone might reply: "Yes, but saying 'good morning' to a street person might only encourage him in expecting to receive something from me." Well, that's what did happen in Peter's case. But Peter turned the man's attention to the greater gift: "but what I do have I give to you." It's certain that we can't give what we don't have. However, if we do indeed have the love of God--as well as the truth of the gospel and the compassion of Christ--then perhaps we can reach out and take someone's hand. Perhaps in doing so, God will send His supernatural strength in ways that heal the crippling effects of sin. Who knows, we might even see someone "walking and leaping and praising God!"
