Something Strange for a Change

This powerful message takes us into Acts chapter 3, where we encounter the first miracle performed by the disciples after Jesus' ascension. At the heart of this teaching is a profound distinction: the difference between getting a temporary 'charge' and experiencing a lasting 'change.' We often come to God seeking quick fixes—emotional highs from worship, temporary relief from our struggles—but God desires to transform us completely from the inside out. The lame beggar at the Beautiful Gate expected spare change, but Peter and John gave him something far greater: healing in the name of Jesus Christ. This wasn't just physical restoration; it was complete transformation. The message challenges us to examine our own spiritual lives: Are we settling for temporary emotional fixes, or are we positioning ourselves for genuine, lasting change? Through the metaphor of spiritual formation leading to reformation, we learn that God values our alignment with Him before He releases our assignment. Like the disciples who waited in the upper room for power, we must sometimes sit down, get into the Word, and allow God to work on our hearts. The teaching powerfully illustrates how formation requires unity—standing together without gaps where the enemy can enter. When we allow God to truly change us, we move from crawling like caterpillars to soaring with wings like butterflies, completely transformed by His refining fire.