The Cost of Caring | Pastor Ray Burgos Jr

The sermon centers on the biblical account in Acts 3:1-10, where Peter and John heal a man lame from birth, illustrating the profound cost and dimensions of genuine care. Pastor Ray emphasizes that true care, rooted in God’s design, always involves sacrifice and action. Contrary to modern superficial expressions of care—such as social media prayers or emojis—real care demands time, presence, and often discomfort. The message explores three key dimensions of caring: spiritual devotion intersecting with human need, full presence with intentional focus, and active lifting or intervention. Each dimension carries a cost—whether time, energy, vulnerability, or social risk—but these sacrifices yield transformative victories, exemplified by the healed man who went from begging at the temple gate to leaping and praising God inside the temple. Pastor Ray encourages believers to embody this sacrificial care as an expression of worship and obedience, highlighting that care is love in motion and must move beyond feelings to action. The sermon closes with a call to salvation, inviting listeners to receive Jesus as the ultimate healer of spiritual and emotional brokenness.

 Highlights  

- True care is God’s design and always comes with a cost, including time, comfort, and convenience.  

- Genuine care is love in motion—actions motivated by compassion, not just sentiment.  

- Spiritual devotion naturally intersects with human need; prayer aligns the heart with God’s heart for care.  

- Full presence means looking intently and focusing without distraction, showing deep empathy and acknowledgment.  

- Caring often requires physical, emotional, and social sacrifice, including risking comfort and reputation.  

- Miracles often rely on human obedience and active participation, not just prayer or words alone.  

- The story of Peter and John healing the lame man illustrates how care moves people from brokenness into restoration and praise.  

 Key Insights  

- Care Always Has a Cost: Time, Comfort, and Convenience  

  Pastor Ray stresses that caring is not cost-free. In today’s fast-paced world, people often feel overwhelmed and emotionally drained, making sacrificial care rare. True care requires investing time, stepping out of comfort zones, and sacrificing personal convenience, reflecting Jesus’ example of sacrificial love. This insight challenges the modern tendency towards passive or superficial care, urging believers to engage deeply despite the cost.

- Care is Love in Motion: From Compassion to Action  

  Care is not merely feeling sympathy but involves active responses to others’ needs. The message highlights that biblical care is “love in motion,” which means bearing others’ burdens with reverence for God and acting on compassion even when there is no personal gain. This shifts the understanding of care from emotional sentiment to a tangible commitment that requires effort and obedience.

- Spiritual Devotion and Care Are Inseparable  

  The sermon reveals that true spiritual devotion always intersects with caring for others. Peter and John’s journey to a prayer service is interrupted by a man in need, symbolizing how communion with God aligns believers’ hearts with the brokenness around them. Prayer prepares and sends believers toward people, rather than serving as an escape from human needs. This insight emphasizes that a vibrant prayer life cultivates awareness and compassion, making care a natural fruit of intimacy with God.

- Full Presence: The Cost and Power of Looking Intently  

  The act of “looking intently” at the lame man signifies full presence—focused, undistracted attention that acknowledges the individual’s worth and pain. This requires vulnerability and willingness to be emotionally present, which is costly in a distracted culture. The insight here is that ministry and healing begin with genuine presence, which affirms and dignifies those who are marginalized or suffering.

- The Cost of Lifting: Care Requires Active Engagement and Risk  

  Beyond presence, care demands physical action and sometimes social risk. Peter’s act of taking the lame man by the hand to help him up symbolizes the transfer of strength and the willingness to risk personal balance or social comfort. This challenges believers to move beyond passive empathy to active intervention, recognizing that healing and restoration often depend on tangible help and obedience to God’s call.

- Obedience Unlocks Miracles: Human Participation in Divine Healing  

  Pastor Ray points out that many miracles depend on human obedience to God’s call to care. God’s power works “on the rails” of human action, meaning that prayers without action may limit the flow of God’s healing. This insight calls believers to be intentional and obedient in their ministry of care, understanding that their faithfulness can trigger divine breakthroughs.

- Care as an Expression of Worship and Kingdom Identity  

  The sermon connects care with a lifestyle of worship, stating that if believers do not care, they have a worship problem. True worshippers are moved with compassion and reflect God’s heart through their actions. Pastor Ray warns against “cotton candy Christianity” that avoids costly care and challenges believers to prioritize kingdom status over social comfort. Care is thus not only ministry but a profound act of worship and obedience that impacts communities and glorifies God.

This sermon profoundly challenges believers to rethink their understanding of care, framing it as a costly but victorious expression of love that flows from spiritual devotion, full presence, and active lifting. By embodying care as love in motion, believers reflect God’s heart and participate in His redemptive work in a broken world. The healing of the lame man in Acts 3 serves as a powerful metaphor for how sacrificial care moves people from brokenness to restoration, leading to joyful praise and transformation. Pastor Ray’s call to action and worship reminds the church that caring is not optional or secondary but central to living out faith authentically and powerfully in today’s world.