A while ago two guys were walking through town to attend a prayer meeting.  On their way there, a beggar who had been lame since birth tried to get money from them.  Peter, one of the guys, looked at him and said, Acts 3:6, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”  The beggar, we’ll call him Billy, was helped up to his feet and he didn’t just walk, he jumped around.  This ended up getting Peter and the other guy, whose name was John, in trouble with the authorities and they had to spend the night in jail.  The authorities had just recently killed Jesus and they didn’t want people preaching about Him.  But they didn’t know what to do with Peter and John because everyone was freaking out about Billy, so the next day they threatened them and let them go.  Peter and John went back to their people and had such a prayer meeting that the place shook and, Acts 4:31, “they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly”.  

This was their prayer, Acts 4:24-30:

“Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.  You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David:

Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed.  They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.  Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.  Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

Now I know any experience I’ve had with the Holy Spirit doesn’t even come close to this and what I’ve read others have had.  I know of a man who was arrested for being a Christian and they brought dogs to torture him.  Those same dogs who were trained to hurt people sat still in front of him though they were beaten for it. I’m Facebook friends with the guy.

I go to a church now where one of the pastors spoke about hearing from God to stop at a place and say such and such to someone there he’s never met before, and the person got overwhelmed with God’s love for them.  I’ve heard about that kind of stuff before and I think it would be awesome if God would speak to me in such a way.

I’m Facebook friends with another guy who has documented over 3000 miraculous healings that he’s been blessed to be a part of. That stuff blows me away.  I’ve seen movies and videos of Christians just walking on a street in a city praying over strangers and they get healed.  Its all fake?  Why?  No one asked for any money.  I didn’t pay anything, there were no ads that I saw.

“Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

As these days get dark, just remember they call Jesus the Light of the World for a reason.