Mark's Story by Tim Lahaye, Jerry B. Jenkins Page A

man’s feet and ankles were immediately restored, and he leapt up and walked into the temple with them.
    “Praise God!” he cried. “Praise God!”
    Instantly a crowd pressed in, people murmuring and amazed. “It’s the one who sat begging alms at the gate of the temple!” they called out, and first hundreds, then thousands gathered to see. The healed man clung to Peter and John, and as they moved onto Solomon’s Porch, Mark and Joses found themselves in the middle of a massive crowd that pointed and cheered, clearly stunned.
    Peter extended his arms to quiet them. “Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up in the presence of Pilate, though he was determined to let Him go. But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. And it is faith in His name that has made this man strong. Yes, the faith which comes through Jesus has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of all of you.
    “Yet now, brethren, I know that you did this to Jesus in ignorance, as did also your rulers. But those things God foretold through His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before. For Moses truly said to the fathers, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’
    “Yes, all the prophets from Samuel and those who follow foretold these days. You are sons of the prophets and of the covenant God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.”
    Again Mark was amazed that this was the same man who had been so fearful at the time of the arrest of Jesus. This weak, very human fisherman now seemed to speak with the very authority of God. But what was this? Here came the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees!
    “Stop! Stop!” they shouted, stepping in front of Peter and John. “Dare you teach the people that in Jesus there is resurrection from the dead?”
    “Let them speak!” the crowd roared. “We believe! We believe!”
    And as the officials grabbed Peter and John and hauled them away, many who heard believed. As Mark watched, others of the disciples began working their way through the crowds, which by now had grown to many thousands, and began praying with new believers.
    “Mark,” Joses said, “there must be five thousand men alone here who have become believers!”
    That night in the upper room the remaining disciples prayed for Peter and John and their announced public trial the next day. Mark’s mother was troubled. “You and Joses will tell me everything that happens tomorrow, will you not?”
    Wild animals could not have kept Mark away. What could the authorities do to such bold men who were clearly acting under the power of God and seeing thousands join their number daily?
    The next day Mark made sure that he and Joses were there early when the rulers, elders, and scribes, as well as Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, and the family of the high priest gathered and set Peter and John in their midst. Not far away, Mark noticed, the healed beggar stood tall and beamed.
    The authorities demanded of Peter and John, “By what power or by what name have you