“And They Turned To The Lord”

The readings from the Acts of the Apostles during the Easter season are exciting…. no, they are actually “other worldly”.  If my pulse goes up to 150 reading thru the events, what must it have been like to have actually lived them. 

Think of Peter who had lived most of his life as a fisherman. I would think his days were pretty routine…”welcome home Peter, how was your day….. oh, same-o…same-o, caught enough fish to pay the bills…what’s for dinner….oh, fish again…”. Well, since Peter met Jesus, his life went from “same-o, same-o, to are you kidding me” . So, Peter, how was your day? You will never believe it….. sit down, pour yourself a stiff drink and listen to this.” 

After 3 years of following the Lord and being a part of the Lord’s incredible ministry, he was on the roller coaster ride of denying Christ, the crucifixion, the resurrection, the 50 days of Easter, then Pentecost… going from “bum of the month” to the head of the Church… preaching to thousands (with his lack of education), to miraculous healings, and later martyrdom. Wow, what a life. I wonder if Peter ever longed for a few days of being out on the sea with his nets in the water and only the sounds of the waves and the birds. 

In today’s passage(Acts 9:31-42) you get a glimpse of a typical day in the life of Peter. “ As Peter was passing through every region, he went down to the holy ones living in Lydda. There he found a man named Aeneas, who had been confined to bed for eight years, for he was paralyzed. Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and make your bed.” He got up at once. And all the inhabitants of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.”  Wow, this seemed to be business as usual…no long prayer… just power. And how about some marching orders for Aeneas who had been paralyzed for 8 years…. “okay Aeneas, I’m sending you out to Africa to convert everyone, tell them what happened to you…..no, no, no ….after 8 years of paralysis and this miraculous healing, Peter tells him to make his bed… your job now is to get up and make your bed…. and clean up this messy room and while you’re at it, take out the trash.” Maybe Peter was still pretty new at healing and was working on his bedside manner. 

Well, Peter didn’t get a break after this healing, he was immediately summoned nearby to the bedside of Tabatha (Dorcas) who had died. She’s dead. “Peter sent them all out and knelt down and prayed. Then he turned to her body and said, “Tabitha, rise up.” She opened her eyes, saw Peter, and sat up. He gave her his hand and raised her up, and when he had called the holy ones and the widows, he presented her alive. This became known all over Joppa, and many came to believe in the Lord.”(ibid)

Wow, talk about exciting times. Thru these healings it says that “many came to believe…many turned to the Lord.” The church was getting a jump start thru these signs and wonders”. You couldn’t deny the power that was present in the apostles during these early days. These were attention getters. 

So, what about us? Our world is certainly in need of a “jump start”. We certainly need “many to come to believe in the Lord”. We are praying for revival in our church and in our country. We are saying novenas for revival and conversions and new disciples to rise up. 

St. Peter please pray for us to deeply repent as you did and to be open to being disciples of the Lord…discipleship even to the point of giving our very life in serving God. It seems too much for us, but in Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit, we can do it. We can give all in serving the Lord, in being his instruments of healing and conversion and witness. And that would be very good news.