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Acts 9: 32-41 "Arise!"
At this point in our story, Luke stops telling us about Saul, and brings us up to date with Peter. We will be studying Peter for the next 4 weeks or so.
Now it came to pass, as Peter went through all parts of the country, that he also came down to the saints who dwelt in Lydda.
After Saul went to Tarsus the church had a time of peace and edification. God was knitting the church together in love. And so Peter was able to travel around the country visiting and encouraging Christians. Why did Peter do this? I think it is because this is what he had seen Jesus do. Jesus did not stay in one place long. He was always going into the next towns. We will start to see a pattern in Peter's ministry. The pattern is that Peter's ministry looks a lot like Jesus' ministry. I hope that when people look at what I have done, they will be able to say the same thing. I want people to say, Jonathan's ministry looks a lot like Jesus' ministry. Do you remember when Jesus sent the disciples out in the gospel of Matthew. How he told them to preach the good news to the poor, heal the sick and cast out demons. You see Jesus told the disciples to do the exact same things that He did. We are also called to a Jesus ministry. Many churches have a healing ministry, or a mercy ministry, or an evangelism ministry, or a teaching ministry. But if we get focussed on one thing and this becomes the center of our church, I think we are off track. We must have a Jesus ministry. Our main calling is to love as Jesus loves. How did Jesus love? He preached the good news. He healed the sick. He lived for others and served them. So we can have a ministry of sharing the good news, a ministry of healing, a ministry of serving, but that is not our focus. Our focus is Jesus. We are also called to teach the Word of God. But again our purpose is not to make you all Bible experts. Our purpose is for you to know Jesus Christ. We know that Peter had a Jesus ministry. Because everything he did imitated his Lord, Jesus Christ.
There he found a certain man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden eight years and was paralyzed. and Peter said to him, "Aeneas, Jesus the Christ heals you. Arise and make your bed." Then he arose immediately. So all who dwelt at Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.
Arise! It is amazing how many times this word is part of God's message. To Abraham, God said "Arise, I will give you the land". To Lot, "Arise, get out of the city before I destroy it." To Hagar in the desert, "Arise, lift up the lad, for I shall make him a great nation." So many times God starts off with this word "Arise" To Moses, "Arise and begin your journey to the land of promise." To Joshua, "Arise, and cross the Jordan." To Gideon, "Arise and go against the camp." To Samuel, "Arise, annoint this one." When he came to David. To David, "Arise, for I will deliver the Philistines into your hand." God doesn't seem to like it when people are sitting down. To Elijah, "Arise, Go down to meet King Ahab." To Jeremiah, "Arise and go to the Potters house." To Jonah, "Arise, go to Ninevah." To Joseph, "Arise take the mother and child to Egypt." To Philip, "Arise". To Saul, "Arise". To Peter, "Arise".
The voice of God is clear. It is easily understood. And it is meant to be obeyed immediately. God did not say to these men and women. "Sit and think about it for a week and then go." He wanted them to get up off their seats and move. Act. I think that more than learning to hear the voice of God, we need to learn how to obey the voice of God.
Jesus talked to His disciples saying that anyone who would be His follower must be willing to bear His cross. He must be willing to forsake all in order to obey the Lord. He compared the disciples with a man building a tower. Of course the man will count the cost of construction before he starts building. It would be foolish to get half way done with the building and then run out of money. Likewise as disciples we must count the cost of obedience. But not when God calls us to obey. Then it is too late. We must count the cost beforehand. Too many times we are counting the cost when Jesus would have us arise! Jesus says to us, "Share your faith with your coworker." And we are still sitting in our chair thinking, "If I do that, it is going to cause problems for me at work." Counting the cost. Or Jesus says to us, "Give to that missionary." And we are sitting in the chair, calculating how much money we will have left over. Counting the cost. But that is not the time for it. We must count the cost now. What will I be willing to forsake for Jesus? What would I be willing to give up? What would I be willing to sacrifice? So then when Jesus calls, "Arise", we can step forward and obey His voice.
This word "Arise" is a word of faith. It doesn't take faith to sit. But to stand up does. It is when we stand up, that we make the decision to obey. Before we stand up, we only have good intentions, but after we stand we are on our way. It is interesting that most of the time God adds a promise to go with His "Arise". "Arise, I will give you the land" When we stand up we are saying to God, "I believe You. I trust that You will keep your promise."
Peter extended the promise of Jesus to Aeneas. "Aeneas, Jesus the Christ heals you." And then told him to "Arise" This man had been paralyzed for eight years. Surely he had not even tried to use those muscles during that time. You know as I considered this it dawned on me that it is possible that this man could have been healed by Jesus Christ and never have known it. If Peter hadn't said "Arise", this man would have continued to lay on the bed, never knowing that his legs now had strength, because he never would have bothered to try. I think that this happens more often than we think. We have the power of Jesus Christ over sin and disease and the demonic, but we fail to use it because it never occurs to us to. I really think that Jesus would heal us of many things if we would arise in faith and trust in his promises. Jesus said, "I have come to heal the brokenhearted." There are many who have had their hearts broken. Not just by lovers, but by parents. Some of us had our hearts broken when we were children, by parents who left us, or abused us, or never had time for us. Some of us had our hearts broken as our dreams crumbled when met with the harsh realities of life. As we suppressed what we really wanted to do, so that we could fit into the expectations of society. These are hurts that Jesus wants to heal. He has the power and the desire to make you whole. Let me extend this promise to you today. "Jesus the Christ heals you." Now what would it take for you to act on this healing in faith? For Aeneas, he needed to arise, and make his bed. How about you? Perhaps Jesus is saying to you, "Arise, forgive your parents." Perhaps Jesus is saying, "Arise, try again." Although Aeneas had given up long ago to take care of himself, the command of the Lord was "Arise, and make your bed." God wants to heal us our wounds, arise in faith today.
After Peter prayed for Aeneas, he recieved an urgent summons from Joppa.
At Joppa there was a certain disciple named Tabitha, which is translated Dorcas. This woman was full of good works and charitable deeds which she did. But it happened in those days that she became sick and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. And since Lydda was near Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent two men to him, imploring him not to delay in coming to them. Then Peter arose and went with them. When he had come, they brought him to the upper room. and all the widows stood by him weeping, showing the tunics and garments which Dorcas had made while she was with them.
Like Peter imitated Jesus, this godly woman Tabitha was
also imitating someone. Do you remember Philip? At the end of chapter
eight he left the Ethiopian eunuch and traveled up the coast to Ceasarea,
preaching the good news as he went. Both Lydda and Joppa were towns
that he would have passed through. Tabitha probably heard the gospel
first from Philip. Now Tabitha had a ministry of serving the widows.
She was good with needle and thread, so she made coats and dresses for
them. Do you remember what Philip's first ministry was? Yes, he started
out with Stephen serving the widows in Jerusalem. Tabitha imitated Philip,
who first taught her the gospel. Philip cared deeply for widows, and
so Tabitha began ministering to them as well.
We like to learn from books. We think if we want to learn about prayer,
we need to read a good book on prayer. If we want to learn about evangelism
we need to buy a book on evangelism. But then after reading the book,
we think to ourselves, "That was a good book." and put it
back on the shelf. We don't arise! Folks, if you want to learn about
prayer, find someone who prays and ask if you can pray with them. If
you want to learn about evangelism, find someone who regularly shares
their faith and go with them. If you want to learn how to be humble,
find a humble person and spend time with them. If you want to learn
how to serve, find someone who serves and serve with them. There are
people in our church who are doing all these things. God wants to knit
you together with them for the building up of the church.
But by the time that Peter came to Joppa, Tabitha was
dead. I am sure that when Peter found out that Tabitha was dead, he
started racking his brain, "What did Jesus do, What did Jesus do."
Peter would remember back to the day when the ruler of the synagogue
came urgently to Jesus saying, "My little daughter lies at the
point of death!" And how on the way news came that the girl had
already passed away. But Jesus said "Do not be afraid, only believe."
Like Jesus, Peter put them all out, and knelt down and prayed. As he
prayed he pictured how Jesus had taken the little girl by the hand and
said to her "Talitha, cumi" in Aramaic. "Little girl,
Arise". And how the little girl had immediately walked.
And turning to the body Peter said, "Tabitha, arise." And
she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. Then he gave
her his hand and lifted her up; and when he had called the saints and
widows, he presented her alive.
The only difference between what Jesus did and what Peter was one letter,
Talitha to Tabitha and a prayer. This is how similar our ministry should
be to Christ. The only thing I would add to the ministry of Jesus is
prayer and nothing would I subtract. How many times we are faced with
situations that look impossible. Hopeless. Dead. But by prayer we can
see the situation through the eyes of Jesus Christ. We can see what
Jesus would do. There is nothing that is impossible with God. It is
by prayer that the Holy Spirit reminds us of Jesus. Jesus promised Joh
14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send
in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance
all things that I said to you. When the situation before you looks impossible.
Go to prayer. God specializes in the impossible. Jesus would work through
you like he did with Peter
And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed on the Lord.
So it was that he stayed many days in Joppa with Simon, a tanner. Let
us pray.
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