The incredible events of Pentecost were now over. There had not only been the birthday of the Church, but an explosive birthday, with thousands coming to the Lord! They are meeting every Lord’s Day in the temple courts, as that was the only place that could hold the assembly. Everyone is getting plugged into home groups in the midst of daily fellowship taking place. There is constant work to be done, extensive responsibilities for the apostles to shoulder, and how does the third chapter of Acts open?

“Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the ninth hour, the hour of prayer” (Acts 3:1).

Seriously?!?! With all they have to do, they leave all their duties and responsibilities, take precious time in which a lot of work could be done, and walk all the way to the temple to have an appointed time of daily prayer?!?! Why? Because they knew that was the most important thing for them to do EVERY day – talk with God.

How do you think everything else will turn out during their day?
How do you think results are going to happen?
How do you think God is going to get involved and bless, bless, bless?
How do you think it would affect your life if you were doing that EVERY DAY?

No, seriously, think about that for a moment. If you were to have an appointed, designated time of prayer EVERY single day, what do you think that would do to you?
Give you some peace?
Give you some clarity, purpose, direction for your life?
What do you think that would do with how good of a husband you are? How good of a wife you are? How good
    of a father, mother, sibling, friend, coworker, member of the Lord’s Church you are? 

For Peter and John, a miracle takes place. A 40+ year old man who had been lame since birth, was now able to walk. Miracles of this manner were performed to give authority to the spoken word as they did not yet have the Bible, and as “all the people ran together to them at the portico named Solomon’s, completely astonished” (vs. 11), Peter sees this, realizing the opportunity God has afforded him.

He says, “¹²Men of Israel, why are you amazed at this, or why are you staring at us, as though by our own power or godliness we made him walk? ¹³The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus, the one whom you handed over… ¹⁵but put to death the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are witnesses… ¹⁹Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away… ²⁶God raised up His Servant for you first, and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways” (Acts 3:12-26).

Peter preached Jesus – Jesus is the sole focus of his preaching. Why? Because he was one of hundreds of witnesses who had seen the risen Lord! The world had tried to kill Jesus, but death can never defeat the Author of life; He will always triumph, and Peter had seen his victorious Savior face-to-face!

Having seen the Lord, Peter and John had devoted themselves to His Kingdom, experienced tremendous results, and yet they still turned to the power of prayer in order to take their next and every following steps, and prayer-powered results happened!

As we begin studying the events of Acts 3-4, we will see the story begins and ends with prayer that shook the Church and the world. Might we be so SHAKEN in 2023.