Get Out Of The House

Jan. 26

Read Acts 9:32-35

“Now as Peter went here and there among them all, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda. There he found a man named Aeneas, bedridden for eight years, who was paralyzed. And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed.” And immediately he rose. And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.”

What an odd anecdote to simply drop into the flow of the book of Acts! The nonchalant way that God mentions this to us. The picture we get here of Peter as he ministers. It seems so organic… so “normal”. I have to confess that I wish this was more “normal” for me in my life. I wonder if it is supposed to be!?! Maybe there are some clues here for us as Christ followers today and how we should live?

“…Peter went here and there among them all…” (v.32) I love that phrase… he went “here and there”. Peter was just bouncing around… dropping in … saying “hi”. Another way to say this is that Peter did not stay put. Peter moved around. You know, we need to “move around” more. As comfortable as it is, we can’t just sit at home all the time. But even more so than that, we can’t just hang in our “familiar” and “safe” spaces. This process starts by moving around within the body of Christ: “Now as Peter went here and there among them all, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda.” Do we get chances to go “here and there” among the other believers in our region? Do you spend time with others Christians from different churches? Asking them about what they are learning? Sometimes we get consumed with our own smaller bubble if “church” and do not get a chance to visit one of the “other saints”. (v.32) This means a willingness and ability to move amongst other “saints” who may think a little differently than you… maybe from a different tradition or denomination. Peter did not stay put… he did not sit still. There is a time and place for sitting still with the Lord, and then there is a time and place to move about. When God “turns off the fasten your seatbelt light and permits you to roam about the cabin”!

Peter’s moving about didn’t just stop there with the saints in Lydda. “There he found a man named Aeneas, bedridden for eight years, who was paralyzed.” (v.33) He eventually made it into this dude’s home. How did he “find” Aeneas? Did the saints there know of him and mention him? Did Jesus just tell him who he was and where he was supposed to go? Did Peter just start randomly going into houses until he found a bed-ridden man? (LOL) Somehow, Peter got to a place that was new to him / unfamiliar and intimate. (It was after all his home and his bedroom where this guys bed was.) Our movement needs to bing us in contact with those who are broken and need help. We should know, as Gods people, of the needs around us so that when we meet someone who has the spiritual gifts that person needs we can direct them to that person. Why was Peter led to this man? He had already demonstrated the gift of healing. God had a habit of healing people through Peter, so it makes sense that Peter would be brought to this paralyzed man.

Who did the “healing” though? : "Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed.” (v.34) Peter understood that he was not the one healing… that it was Christ working in him and through him. There was not some big show. There was not some fanciful incantation… no magic words… no “hocus-pocus”. He simply and plainly spoke the truth that Jesus was healing him. This meant that Jesus had to tell Peter ahead of time that that was what he (Jesus) was going to do. What a great picture. All God is asking of us is that we walk around “here and there”… make movement into the lives of others in different places… walk to where we hear of different needs… and be willing to plainly use whatever gifts he has entrusted to us. Jesus does the heavy lifting… we just go “here and there among them all”.

The work of God in and through his people is more organic than we make it out to be,. It happens in peoples homes, as we are walking around… “bumping into” friends and people around us. It happens when we hear of a need and are willing to “walk over” and check it out. It means being aware of what is happening in the lives of those around us. It means we have to leave the house once in a while. We have to visit other places once in a while. This week may we walk over and meet some other believers… check in on another church. May we move into new places we have not been before. May we be willing to drop by someone’s house - like Peter came to Aeneas’ house - and speak into a sensitive and potentially intimate situation. (Like the intimate setting of a bed-ridden and paralyzed man in his home.) May we begin to learn of out gifts and be unafraid to use them. May we move into contact with the broken and use our gifts to bring healing, hope, and blessing. This is a sort of walking around aware of how God normally uses us and then moving according to that giftedness. Jesus does the healing work. He will guide you. He will tell you what to do. People will see him working in you and through you… and they will be transformed. It is time to leave the house! Love you guys. - JDP