LIFE SCRIPTS

As Peter traveled about the country, he went to visit the Lord’s people who lived in Lydda. There he found a man named Aeneas, who was paralyzed and had been bedridden for eight years. “Aeneas,” Peter said to him, “Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and roll up your mat.” Immediately Aeneas got up. All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord. In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas); she was always doing good and helping the poor. About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, “Please come at once!” Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them. Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called for the believers, especially the widows, and presented her to them alive. This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord. Peter stayed in Joppa for some time with a tanner named Simon.
Acts 9:32‭-‬43 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/act.9.32-43.NIV.

Three people are spoken of in this scripture. First, Peter goes to the home of Aeneas, a man bedridden for eight years. We’re not told of the disease he suffered from. Peter told him to rise up and take his mat and that’s precisely what he did. He was fully healed of his condition. As a man who’s seen his mother live with disability brought about by accident, I fully understand the state of Aeneas’s family. He must have constantly needed help. Probably they might have unseccessfuly consulted all available physycians and had resigned to fate. But it wasn’t the end because God is still at work. Even today, God is in the business of freeing people from the shackles of diseases. Notice that Peter didn’t inquire about his faith before being used to heal him. He performed the miracle then people accepted the faith. He then progressed to another place where a virtuous woman had died. Dorcas was a known philanthropist who did many good things for the people around her. She was a disciple of Christ. Her death brought sorrow to many because of the things she did. Here is an example of a disciple who did good works out of the faith she had. She served God as she served people. Service to God doesn’t start and end in church. In fact it’s practical out there where there is suffering and need. Feel like serving God? Well identify a need around you and plug into meeting it out of God’s love. That’s what Tabitha did. Peter entered the room where her body laid, held her and said, ‘Tabitha, rise up’ (paraphrased). Remember the story of Christ ministering to Jairus’ daughter? He said, ‘Talitha koum’…a striking resemblance of the words Peter used here. Tabitha arose and was presented to the widows. The third person in this passage is just mentioned by name. There was a man named Simon who hosted Peter during his journey there. He was a tanner…a man who dealt in skins and hides converting them to leather. The book of Leviticus was clear about handling of ‘unclean’ animals some of which were used by tanners for their skins and hides. This sojourn at the tanner’s home would be the beginning of God dealing with Peter and the legalism he held so dear. He had been ministering to people. Now it was time for God to minister to him.