LIVING WATERS from Lightbearers

Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. Matt 10:8 NKJV

Peter was on a roll, and it must have been a wonderfully exciting time in his life! Three great miracles – the healing of Aeneas, the raising of Dorcas, and the Gentile outpouring in Cornelius household – hugely impacted the Church, changing the arc of history forever. The gentile outpouring has directly affected hundreds of millions of lives, including yours and mine. In maybe a six-month span, three miracles change the world forever. We want to see how Peter did it, and how you and I can have similar impact!

How do you raise the dead? That’s a legitimate question that we should all be asking because Jesus commanded us to do it in Matthew 10:8. Indeed, Hebrews 6:1,2 would indicate that it is to be a foundational teaching to believers. Faith regarding Heaven and eternal life are naturally tied to faith for raising the dead. Miracles arise out of an atmosphere of expectation. Can you imagine how this teaching would change Sunday School curriculums?                     

Christ is in us. The foundational practical application of the power within us is in the authority resident in the believer. The question becomes, how do you get the believer to recognize and assert the authority they have in Christ? Training is key, which is why we do HOLY SPIRIT ENCOUNTERS, where we actually teach on raising the dead, which has resulted in at least one resurrection so far. Over the years what I have noted about myself is that if someone tells me something is possible then I can easily grasp the faith necessary to do it. Teaching and training release the impossible to become possible!

Let’s get into the record of raising Dorcas.

Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.

In studying history, you must understand CONTEXT. Judging historical events by modern perceptions outside of context has led to great misconceptions and prejudicial findings. Here we see that the great persecution centered around the murder of Stephen had abated, and God was blessing and strengthening the EKKLESIAS, the house church assemblies. The power of God was on the move all over the place…

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. Acts 9:31-33 NKJV

Acts 1-12 basically deals with the ministry of Peter. Then In Acts 13 it shifts to Paul. Jesus, Peter, Paul – the Master and His two great disciples, they all raised people from the dead. These first two miracles – the healing of Aeneas and the raising of Dorcas – set Peter up for the great accomplishment, indeed, perhaps the signal moment of his ministry career, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to the Gentiles.

Apparently, there was a house church in Lydda. Under Peter’s ministry here the whole town is going to turn to the Lord. This is the kind of impact miracles can and will have.

There he found a certain man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden eight years and was paralyzed.  And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus the Christ heals you. Arise and make your bed.” Then he arose immediately. Acts 9:33-34 NKJV

Your reputation always precedes you, so have a good reputation! People’s expectation arose just because of Peter showing up. Remember this was a time of rest and refreshing for the Church, like the sun coming out after a morning filled with fog, like springtime after a long and cold winter. Peter was looking for an opportunity to release the power of God. We ministers all look for this, because when you can do it, it shakes the whole world. When I ministered healing to the woman with breast cancer in Kiambu, and she testified, it sent the whole conference to another level. When Peter saw Aeneas, it was just like Acts 3. Do you see it?

And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, “Look at us.” So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” Acts 3:4-7 NKJV

You lock in with Holy Spirit focus like there is nothing else going on in the whole world. People don’t understand this because they are so overwhelmed by circumstances, but in that situation, you are the absolute master – nothing is going to touch you – because The Master is rising up inside of you. When I tell you about how Michael and I raised a young one from the dead you’ll see more of this focus. But that’s a story for another day!

So all who dwelt at Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord. Acts 9:35 NKJV

One miracle equals one hundred salvations. The Lord will enhance your reputation to accomplish His purposes. He did that with Moses before Pharaoh, and the people of Egypt practically worshipped him. He did that with Joshua, Abraham, Isaac, David, Paul and others and He’ll do it with you.

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. But it happened in those days that she became sick and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. Acts 9:36-38 NKJV

Ok, here’s Dorcas. Remember what I told you about ‘an atmosphere of expectation’? Normally, when someone dies, they take them out and bury them immediately (Acts 5:6). Just from a practical, health and cleanliness point of view, that’s understandable. But they didn’t bury Dorcas, they set her up for a resurrection, and went and got Peter. Their faith was jumping on the inside!

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. Then Peter arose and went with them. Acts 9:38-39 NKJV

Dun-dun-dun-dun! Dun-dun-dun-dun! If this were a movie, the theme music would be building now!

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. Acts 9:39-40 NKJV

Peter comes in, he sees their faith, but now it is time to shut that all out and concentrate on the Lord. This is the key moment, where you are waiting with your eyes on the Lord, for His word. Then He gives it and you speak it with His own authority.

And turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, arise.” Acts 9:40 NKJV

He commanded her to arise. This is exactly what Jesus did! (Mk 5:41). You see, if you speak in the authority of Jesus Christ, you may not have to say the name of Jesus. He simply but with great authority said, ‘Tabitha, arise!’ He got the confidence and assurance to say that when he was kneeling. The gift of faith is the inner knowing awareness that when you command or decree a thing it will come to pass, producing the miracle. That ‘inner knowing awareness’ is the key to the whole thing.

And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. Then he gave her his hand and lifted her up; and when he had called the saints and widows, he presented her alive. Acts 9:40-42 NKJV

Doesn’t your heart just rejoice with them? Think for a moment about the realities that the Gospel brings! Joy, healing, salvation, happiness, fulfillment. And, you and I have a chance to be a part of that reality. I have the joy of knowing that because I stood for God there are people alive in the world, people who lived as a result of that stand. You either have or can have that same joy as well!

And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed on the Lord. Acts 9:42-43 NKJV

Wherever you go, when you bring the light of God, people live, and it’s not just a fleeting feeling, but a lifechanging reality! It’s incredible to think that we have this privilege. We bring the spiritually dead to life by bringing them to Jesus. Then there are times that we get the privilege to minister life to dead bodies, and healing wholeness to broken hearts. We will talk more in this series about how to remain in readiness to do these things. But this is the joy of raising the dead – raising Dorcas!

Remember dear ones, we must be about our Father’s business…