ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER
Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on October 26, 2022 under AM Bible Study |
AM Bible Study Group: October 26, 2022 from Acts 9:32-43
Theme: God’s work in one field for the gospel opens the way for His work in another.
(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).
Our heavenly Father is amazing in His work. He is sovereign in all that He designs to do, and is wise beyond human understanding. In His intricate management of all things, He wastes nothing. And as we yield ourselves to Him to go obediently at His command, we find that the work that He calls us to in one field of ministry for the gospel opens the door for work in another field of ministry.
That’s a principle that we see on display in this morning’s passage. We had just read of how the Lord had redeemed the former-persecutor Saul of Tarsus; and how He had said that He would send him to bear His name “before Gentiles kings, and the children of Israel” (Acts 9:15). And now, as we come to the remainder of Chapter 9 of Acts, we see how He sent Peter out to minister in such a way as to open up further doors for ministry to the Gentiles—doors through which Paul would later be sent.
One field in the work of the Lord of the harvest leads to another—if we, His workers, will be faithful to His call.
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Now; our passage this morning begins by making reference to the work that Peter had already been doing. The last we heard of him was in 8:25; where we’re told that Peter and John had “returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.” Sometime after this—in the course of his ongoing ministry—Peter came to the saints who dwelt in a town about a day-and-a-half’s journey west of Jerusalem. It’s here that we read of …
1. THE FIELD OF MINISTRY IN LYDDA (vv. 32-35).
Verse 32 tells us;
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 (v. 32).
Peter had, no doubt, been ministering in the many places that were within the range of what the Lord had promised in Acts 1:8—that is, beyond Jerusalem and into all Judea and Samaria. And along the way, he came to Lydda. Historians tell us that this town was located at the crossing of two major highways. It would have seen many travelers going to and fro; and it would be a place from which the news about the gospel would have easily spread to other cities and regions.
Verse 33 tells us;
There he found a certain man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden eight years and was paralyzed (v. 33).
The phrase “a certain man named Aeneas” suggests that this was someone who was known among some within the Christian community. How it was that he had become paralyzed and bedridden isn’t told to us. Eight years of being paralyzed and bed-bound would have seemed like a humanly hopeless and helpless situation. But when Peter encountered him, it would have probably reminded the apostle of the many times he personally witnessed the Lord Jesus raise other poor, helpless individuals and heal them. There was a man in particular who we’re told about in Luke 5. He too was paralyzed. He was lowered down from a roof to Jesus; and Jesus healed him and told him, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house” (Luke 5:24). So Peter knew that there is hope through the name of Jesus.
And what’s more, Peter had already seen God work through him to heal others in the name of Jesus. He had already been used to heal a man similarly paralyzed at the temple in Jerusalem in Acts 3. And so; we find that Peter used almost the same words to Aeneas as our Lord did toward the paralyzed man who was lowered through the roof:
And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus the Christ heals you. Arise and make your bed.” Then he arose immediately (v. 34).
Note the word “immediately”. It wasn’t simply that the man began to recover and slowly improve over the course of a few days. Instead, he instantly jumped up and—as clear evidence that the power of Jesus had healed him—he “made his bed” since he no longer needed it. The results for the cause of the gospel were dramatic. We’re told in verse 35;
So all who dwelt at Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord (v. 35).
The healed man Aeneas (whose name is related to the Greek word for “praise” or “adoration”) became a human “gospel tract” for the Lord Jesus Christ; so that all who saw him in both Lydda and in Sharon believed. Sharon may refer to the Plain of Sharon—the long strip of land that extends many miles north along the Mediterranean Coast; which would mean that the news about Aeneas’ healing spread very far. What a great field of ministry this proved to be!
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Now; at the lower base of the Plain of Sharon—about 10 miles northwest of Lydda—was a town called Joppa. It was a major port city (the city, in fact, from which Jonah sought to catch a ship to flee from the call of the Lord in Jonah 1:3). And it’s from Lydda that the fruits of Peter’s ministry then spread to …
2. THE FIELD OF MINISTRY IN JOPPA (vv. 36-42).
We’re told in verse 36;
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 (v. 36).
Her name in Aramaic (Tabitha) meant the same thing as her name in Greek (Dorcas)—that is, ‘Gazelle’. In the Bible, a Gazelle is an animal that is symbolic of grace, beauty, and swiftness. And that’s what this woman must have been like to those around her. We’re told that she had become a follower of Jesus—“a disciple”; and that she was “full of good works and charitable deeds”. She was apparently a woman who had quite a knack for crafts; and she made clothing and garments for others that were greatly cherished. (Back in the old days, churches used to have “Dorcas Circles” in which women in the church would often pool their efforts together and make needed clothing and articles for others.) We’re told that these were good deeds “which she did”; which would suggest that Dorcas did them as a regular pattern of life. She didn’t just talk about doing good deeds. She did them! This gazelle-like woman of God must have been greatly loved by those she served.
And then, something happened. We’re not told how or why. All that we’re told in verse 37 was …
But it happened in those days that she became sick and died (v. 37a).
Her death wasn’t a natural thing. An unexpected sickness tragically came upon her and took her life. And it must be that the believers in Joppa heard about the miracle that God had performed upon Aeneas through Peter. They wasted no time:
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 (vv. 37b-38).
They had washed her body in the manner that was appropriate to Jewish burial. But they didn’t bury her. Instead, they immediately called for Peter. The trip of the two men to go and get Peter; and Peter’s return with them, could have taken place all within a 24-hour period. But obviously, time was of the essence. They urged him to hurry; and this may have been because the sooner Peter got to them, the less her body would have undergone decay, and the greater the likelihood that Peter could revive her. What an act of faith they had in the power of Jesus that they heard about from Lydda! And so; we’re told,
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. But Peter put them all out, and knelt down and prayed.” (vv. 39-40a).
Now; once again, it’s very likely that Peter would have remembered a similar situation in which he also witnessed Jesus perform a great miracle—not just of healing, but of giving life to the dead. He would have recalled the event that we read about in Luke 8; where Jesus raised the young 12-year-old daughter of Jairus the synagogue ruler. Do you remember how, when Jesus arrived, he sent out all the people who were weeping? Jesus took some of His apostles—including Peter—with Him to where the girl’s body lay. We’re told that He took the girl by the hand and said, “Little girl, arise” (Luke 5:54); and the girl’s spirit returned to her and she arose immediately.
Peter must have looked at Dorcas’ body and understood that, from God’s perspective—just as Jesus had said of that girl—“she is not dead, but sleeping”. And so, putting all of the mourners and weeping widows outside, Peter prayed; and turning to Dorcas’ body, he once again followed the example of his Master and spoke to Dorcas. He even spoke to her in words that were very similar to those spoken by Jesus. Jesus had turned to the little girl and, in Aramaic, said, “Talitha, cumi”—which meant, “Little girl, I say to you, arise” (Mark 5:41). And so, Peter, also speaking in Aramaic, called Dorcas “Tabitha”. And if he used her Aramaic name, it’s very likely that he gave her an Aramaic command; “Tabitha, cumi”—
And turning to the body he 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 … (vv. 40b-41a).
Peter had watched Jesus. He knew the gentlemanly thing to do—even in a time like that—and gave her his hand. And just as Jesus then presented the girl to her parents, we read in verse 41;
and when he had called the saints and widows, he presented her alive. And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed on the Lord. (vv. 41b-42).
The field of ministry in Lydda led to the field of ministry in Joppa. In God’s sovereign grace, one thing leads to another!
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Now; just to show how much this is so, notice what we find in verse 43. It’s there that we see …
3. THE FIELD OF MINISTRY BEYOND (v. 43).
We’re told,
So it was that he stayed many days in Joppa with Simon, a tanner (v. 43).
And as we read on into Chapters 10-11, it would be from the home of Simon the tanner that the Lord would call Peter to a stunning new field of ministry. He would bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles in Caesarea! And this would then lead to opening up the door to Paul’s great ministry to the Gentile world. In God’s work, one thing leads to another.
Think of how, in Matthew 9, we’re told;
Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest” (Matthew 9:35-38).
And why does Jesus teach us to pray for the Lord of the harvest to send out His workers, rather than just telling us to go? It’s because the Lord of the harvest—our heavenly Father—is wise in His appointment of things; and sovereignly works through those who are submitted to He calls His workers in such a way that one field of ministry opens the way to another. How truly wonderful is His orderly and interrelated plan! How wise it is to obediently and faithfully submit to Him!
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ; always remember that in God’s sovereign work, there are no small tasks. There are no insignificant fields of ministry. When God places us into some opportunity of service—no matter how small it may seem—let’s do what He gives us to do with all our energies. Who’s to say that some seemingly insignificant act of obedience that God sets before us may not be the very key that unlocks a great work of God through someone else?
Because God’s work in one field for the gospel opens the way for His work in another.
AE
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