22  Marks of  an Effective  Personal Ministry (9:32-43)

Now it came about that as Peter was traveling through all those parts, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda. And there he found a certain man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden eight years, for he was paralyzed. And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; arise, and make your bed.” And immediately he arose. And all who lived at Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord. Now in Joppa there was a certain disciple named Tabitha (which translated in Greek is called Dorcas); this woman was abounding with deeds of kindness and charity, which she continually did. And it came about at that time that she fell sick and died; and when they had washed her body, they laid it in an upper room. And since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, having heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him, entreating him, “Do not delay to come to us.” And Peter arose and went with them. And when he had come, they brought him into the upper room; and all the widows stood beside him weeping, and showing all the tunics and garments that Dorcas used to make while she was with them. But Peter sent them all out and knelt down and prayed, and turning to the body, he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up. And he gave her his hand and raised her up; and calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive. And it became known all over Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. And it came about that he stayed many days in Joppa with a certain tanner, Simon. (9:32–43)

No matter how large their ministries may have been, God’s noblest servants have always taken the time to minister to individuals. Moses nearly wore himself out doing that, until his father-in-law rebuked him for mismanaging his time and told him to delegate (Ex. 18:14ff.). Despite the crowds that thronged Him constantly, the Lord Jesus Christ always had concern and time for individuals (cf. Matt. 9:19–22). Stephen had been engaged in the personal care of widows (Acts 6:1–6). Paul, though consumed with reaching cities and nations, endeared himself to people whose names are all through his letters. The great apostle shared his life and labor with them (cf. Rom. 16). The busy Reformers Luther and Calvin did not neglect their pastoral duties. The idea of a man of God who ministers only to the large crowds is foreign to Scripture. God expects all Christians, leaders included, to pour their lives into others (2 Tim. 2:2).

The apostle Peter knew what it was to preach to the masses. From the day of Pentecost on he spoke to huge crowds in Jerusalem. He also preached twice before the Sanhedrin (Acts 4, 5). This passage reveals the other side of Peter’s ministry, his personal service to individuals. Six elements of that service are implied, not from Peter’s direct teaching but indirectly from his actions. Peter was effective with individuals because he was involved, Christ-exalting, available, powerful, fruitful, and free from prejudice.

PETER WAS INVOLVED

Now it came about that as Peter was traveling through all those parts, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda. And there he found a certain man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden eight years, for he was paralyzed. (9:32–33)

The scene shifts from Paul back to Peter, who will again be the central figure in the narrative for the next three chapters. Paul has been converted and has boldly proclaimed his newfound faith both in Damascus and Jerusalem. His preaching so aggravated his opponents that first in Damascus, then in Jerusalem, they sought to kill him. He has by now fled Jerusalem for his home city of Tarsus. Several years later, as recorded in chapter 13, Paul’s ministry will dominate the rest of the record of Acts.

The continued expansion of the church outside Jerusalem (assisted by the persecution noted in Acts 8:1–2) required movement on Peter’s part. The statement it came about that as Peter was traveling shows the ceaseless itinerant character of Peter’s ministry at that time. On one of his trips, he came down to visit the saints who lived at Lydda. Peter was not set in some hierarchical office but was moving, which made it easy for God to direct him. Those actively involved in ministry are usually the ones to whom God grants the most ministry opportunities. God has always seemed to entrust His richest ministries to His busiest saints. Just being wholeheartedly active in ministry places one in strategic opportunities.

Lydda, known in the Old Testament as Lod, was located about ten miles southeast of the seacoast city of Joppa. It was an important place, since the roads from Egypt to Syria and from Joppa to Jerusalem passed through it. Today it is the location of Israel’s international airport. When Peter arrived there, he found a certain man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden eight years, for he was paralyzed. The use of the term a certain man to describe him, when contrasted with the description of Dorcas as “a certain disciple,” suggests he was not a believer. There are no examples in the New Testament of believers being healed (though Lazarus, Dorcas, and Eutychus were raised from the dead).

Luke does not say whether Aeneas was paralyzed due to a stroke, an illness such as polio, or an injury. In any case, his paralysis was beyond the abilities of the limited medical knowledge of that day. He had already been bedridden eight years, and faced that prospect for the rest of his life.

Peter’s availability because he was involved gave him an open door for ministry. The miracle, besides its obvious impact in the life of Aeneas, was to be used by God to bring large numbers of people in the surrounding region to faith in Jesus Christ.

PETER WAS CHRIST-EXALTING

And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; arise, and make your bed.” And immediately he arose. And all who lived at Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord. (9:34–35)

Those who would minister effectively for Jesus Christ must seek to exalt Him, not promote themselves. Peter understood his role perfectly (cf. Acts 10:25–26). Coming to Aeneas, Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ (not Peter) heals you” (cf. Acts 3:6). Peter’s selfless humility stands in sharp contrast to the many in the ministry today who seek their own fame (and fortune), instead of seeking to exalt the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Peter took our Lord’s words, spoken in John 15:4–5, to heart: “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.” In his first epistle, he echoed those words: “Whoever speaks, let him speak, as it were, the utterances of God; whoever serves, let him do so as by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen” (1 Peter 4:11).

Paul also understood that principle. To the Ephesians he wrote, “Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen” (Eph. 3:20–21). Of his ministry he wrote, “Therefore in Christ Jesus I have found reason for boasting in things pertaining to God. For I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me, resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles by word and deed” (Rom. 15:17–18).

Then Peter commanding Aeneas to respond to the healing said, arise, and make your bed. Aeneas immediately arose, with no paralysis. Since Aeneas’s cure was complete, and he would no longer be confined to it, Peter commanded him to make his bed. As noted in the discussion of Acts 3:8 in chapter 8, the healings performed by Jesus Christ and the apostles were instantaneous and total. The New Testament knows nothing of “progressive healings,” where someone has been “healed,” and is now gradually getting better. (For a discussion of the gift of healing, see my book Charismatic Chaos [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992].)

Peter’s healing of Aeneas had widespread and dramatic repercussions. All who lived at Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord. All may shock the reader, but such was the power and grace of God through Peter in that area that all believed. Not only in Aeneas’s home city of Lydda, but also in the surrounding plain of Sharon, the people came to faith in the Lord. Peter’s willingness to be involved with people and his desire to glorify his Lord made him a useful instrument by which the Lord could gather a rich harvest for His kingdom. The phrase turned to the Lord employs the verb epistrephō, “to turnaround” (cf. its use in Acts 3:19; 11:21; 14:15; 15:19; 26:18, 20, and in 2 Cor. 3:16 and 1 Thess. 1:9), which describes salvation as more than a change of mind; indeed it is a change of life direction. Conversion is an about-face from one belief and behavior to a completely opposite commitment.

PETER WAS AVAILABLE

Now in Joppa there was a certain disciple named Tabitha (which translated in Greek is called Dorcas); this woman was abounding with deeds of kindness and charity, which she continually did. And it came about at that time that she fell sick and died; and when they had washed her body, they laid it in an upper room. And since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, having heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him, entreating him, “Do not delay to come to us.” And Peter arose and went with them. And when he had come, they brought him into the upper room; and all the widows stood beside him weeping, and showing all the tunics and garments that Dorcas used to make while she was with them. (9:36–39)

Peter’s availability led to an even more astounding opportunity. Aeneas was healed, but Dorcas was raised from the dead.

While Peter was at Lydda, tragedy struck the church at nearby Joppa. One of the most beloved members was a certain disciple named Tabitha (more commonly known by her Greek name of Dorcas; both names mean “gazelle”). The epitaph on this lovely lady was that this woman was abounding with deeds of kindness and charity, which she continually did. Specifically, as verse 39 shows, she made clothes for the poor and needy. In contrast to Aeneas, she is specifically called a disciple. Mathētria (disciple), the feminine form of mathētēs (“disciple”), appears only here in the New Testament. Dorcas was certainly an appropriate model for what a Christian woman should be. She fulfilled her calling as a disciple, as described by Paul in Ephesians 2:10: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them”; and Colossians 1:10, “That you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” She was a New Testament example of a Proverbs 31 woman, one who “extends her hand to the poor; and … stretches out her hands to the needy” (Prov. 31:20).

Naturally when at that time she fell sick and died, it was a serious blow to the believers in Joppa. They washed her body in preparation for burial, as was customary. However, instead of burying her immediately, as was also customary (cf. Acts 5:6, 10), they laid her body in an upper room. Evidently, they had something else in mind.

What that was becomes immediately apparent. Lydda was near Joppa, and the disciples heard that Peter was there. No doubt they had also heard of his healing of Aeneas, which gave them an idea. They sent two men to Peter, entreating him urgently, “Do not delay to come to us.”

Despite his consuming duties among the masses confessing Jesus as Lord, Peter arose and went with them. He was never too busy with the crowds to be available to help in time of need. When he had come to Joppa, they brought him into the upper room where they had laid Dorcas’s body.

Peter saw firsthand how loved Dorcas was and what a loss her death was for the church at Joppa. All the widows of the church stood beside him weeping, and snowing all the tunics and garments that Dorcas used to make while she was with them. The church’s responsibility to care for widows, though often neglected today, was taken seriously in the early church (cf. Acts 6:1ff.; 1 Tim. 5:1ff.). Employment opportunities for women were severely limited, and widows without family to care for them were often left destitute (cf. Mark 12:41–44; Luke 7:11–15). The loss of Dorcas, therefore, was a serious blow to these widows.

Many believe that to deny women leadership roles in the church is to deny them the opportunity to minister. Nothing could be further from the truth. Dorcas neither preached nor led the newlyborn church, yet her ministry in the Joppa church was so crucial as to endear her to all.

PETER WAS PRAYERFUL

But Peter sent them all out and knelt down and prayed, and turning to the body, he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up. And he gave her his hand and raised her up; and calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive. (9:40–41)

As he had seen the Lord do when He raised Jairus’s daughter (Mark 5:40), Peter sent them all out of the room where Dorcas’s body lay. He would not put on a display before the crowd that would draw all attention to him, and wanted a quiet place to pray.

Some might think that Peter, who had been involved in countless healings (cf. Acts 5:12–16), should have simply commanded Dorcas to rise. He knew, however, the source of his power and presumed nothing about the will of God. Accordingly, he knelt down and prayed.

Essential to all successful ministry, prayer acknowledges dependence on God. Prayer realizes that God is “able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to [His] power that works within us” (Eph. 3:20). Peter had learned the importance of prayer from His Lord, having seen and heard Him many times in communion with His Father (cf. Matt. 14:23; Luke 6:12–13).

Many years ago five young college students made their way to London to hear Charles Haddon Spurgeon preach. Arriving early at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, they found the doors still locked. While they waited on the steps, a man approached them. “Would you like to see the heating apparatus of this church?” he asked. That was not what they had come for, but they agreed to go with him. He led them into the building, down a long flight of stairs, and into a hallway. At the end of the hallway he opened a door into a large room filled with seven hundred people on their knees praying. “That,” said their guide (who was none other than Spurgeon himself), “is the heating apparatus of this church.”

Having finished praying, Peter turned to Dorcas’s body and said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up. And he gave her his hand and raised her up; and calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive.

For those who loved her the joy must have been inexpressible. That God did not raise her solely for their benefit, however, will soon become evident.

PETER WAS FRUITFUL

And it became known all over Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. (9:42)

God’s greater purpose for raising Dorcas now became clear as word of her return to life became known all over Joppa. As noted in chapters 8 and 13 of this volume, God used miracles as confirming signs that the gospel is true. He also used them to authenticate the apostles as His messengers. God used the raising of Dorcas as the spark for the salvation throughout the city.

As with the healing of Aeneas, Peter’s ministry bore much fruit. Because of Dorcas’s resurrection, many in Joppa believed in the Lord. It may be affirmed that turning to the Lord (v. 35), a phrase commonly used in Acts, is synonymous with believing in the Lord (cf. Acts 11:21). There is no saving faith without conversion, no true belief without repentance and transformation. Again Peter’s God-empowered ministry, both in Lydda and Joppa, caused many souls to be added to the kingdom.

PETER WAS FREE FROM PREJUDICE

And it came about that he stayed many days in Joppa with a certain tanner, Simon. (9:43)

This footnote serves as a bridge between this passage and the following account of Cornelius’s conversion. Peter decided to remain in Joppa and stayed many days with a certain tanner named Simon. These were challenging days for Peter, as the walls of his lifelong prejudices tumbled down. First came the conversion and Spirit-filling of the Samaritans, with whom no self-respecting Jew had any dealings. Yet Peter had been forced to welcome them as brothers in Christ. Soon will come an even greater shock, as Gentiles enter the church.

In this seemingly insignificant footnote, yet another wall comes down, as Peter stays with a tanner. Tanners were despised in first-century Jewish society, since they dealt with the skins of dead animals. Tanning was thus considered an unclean occupation, and Simon would have been shunned by the local synagogue.

Prejudice is devastating to any ministry. In far too many Christian circles, those who do not fit the mold are rejected. Any bigotry is a blight on the cause of God, who “is not one to show partiality” (Acts 10:34). There is no place in an effective personal ministry for prejudice. The zealous Jewish nationalist Paul learned that lesson. To the Corinthians he wrote,

Peter knew the principles for an effective personal ministry, and lived them out. Because of that, the Lord blessed his ministry to individuals as much as his ministry before the huge crowds. In fact, one led to the other. And it would be through his ministry to another individual, Cornelius, that the final barrier would be thrown down, and Gentiles would be admitted to the church.