1One day at three o'clock in the afternoon, Peter and John were on their way into the Temple for prayer meeting.
2At the same time there was a man crippled from birth being carried up. Every day he was set down at the Temple gate, the one named Beautiful, to beg from those going into the Temple.
3When he saw Peter and John about to enter the Temple, he asked for a handout.
4Peter, with John at his side, looked him straight in the eye and said, "Look here."
5He looked up, expecting to get something from them.
6Peter said, "I don't have a nickel to my name, but what I do have, I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!"
7He grabbed him by the right hand and pulled him up. In an instant his feet and ankles became firm.
8He jumped to his feet and walked.
9Everybody there saw him walking around and praising God.
10They recognized him as the one who sat begging at the Temple's Gate Beautiful and rubbed their eyes, astonished, scarcely believing what they were seeing.
11The man threw his arms around Peter and John, ecstatic. All the people ran up to where they were at Solomon's Porch to see it for themselves.
12When Peter saw he had a congregation, he addressed the people:
13The God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, the God of our ancestors, has glorified his Son Jesus. The very One that Pilate called innocent, you repudiated.
14You repudiated the Holy One, the Just One, and asked for a murderer in his place.
15You no sooner killed the Author of Life than God raised him from the dead - and we're the witnesses.
16Faith in Jesus' name put this man, whose condition you know so well, on his feet - yes, faith and nothing but faith put this man healed and whole right before your eyes.
17"And now, friends, I know you had no idea what you were doing when you killed Jesus, and neither did your leaders.
18But God, who through the preaching of all the prophets had said all along that his Messiah would be killed, knew exactly what you were doing and used it to fulfill his plans.
19"Now it's time to change your ways! Turn to face God so he can wipe away your sins, pour out showers of blessing to refresh you,
20and send you the Messiah he prepared for you, namely, Jesus.
21For the time being he must remain out of sight in heaven until everything is restored to order again just the way God, through the preaching of his holy prophets of old, said it would be.
22Moses, for instance, said, 'Your God will raise up for you a prophet just like me from your family. Listen to every word he speaks to you.
23Every last living soul who refuses to listen to that prophet will be wiped out from the people.'
24"All the prophets from Samuel on down said the same thing, said most emphatically that these days would come.
25These prophets, along with the covenant God made with your ancestors, are your family tree. God's covenant-word to Abraham provides the text: 'By your offspring all the families of the earth will be blessed.'
26But you are first in line: God, having raised up his Son, sent him to bless you as you turn, one by one, from your evil ways."