"A Simple Presentation into The Book of ACTS" - Chapter #9, Part 3 - Bro. John "Ernie" Perez

Bro. Ernie continues this deep dive study into The Book of ACTS.  Grab your notebooks, your Pens and The Word and join us in class today!!!

A paralyzed man gets up and makes his bed. A grieving room watches a beloved disciple open her eyes again. Acts 9:32–43 doesn’t treat miracles like religious entertainment, it treats them like evidence that Jesus is alive and still turning hearts toward Him. We follow Peter on the road through Lydda and Joppa, watching what happens when ministry stays simple: pray, obey, speak the name of Jesus, and let the results point people to the Lord.

We also slow down on Tabitha (Dorcas) and what Scripture chooses to celebrate about her. Her influence isn’t described as a platform or a title, but as generosity, good works, and practical care for widows. That leads us into a frank conversation about the gift of giving, listening for the Holy Spirit’s promptings, and why quiet generosity can be one of the strongest forms of Christian witness. Your testimony, your obedience, and your everyday faithfulness can reach farther than you think.

Finally, we connect these stories to the bigger arc of Acts. The message stays consistent, the commands of Jesus don’t change, and the church grows when believers bend their will to the Spirit of God instead of trying to manufacture “power.” We also tease what’s coming next in Acts 10 as the door opens wider to the Gentiles and the mission expands toward the ends of the earth.

If this encouraged you, subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave a review. What’s one moment where God used your story or your generosity to touch someone else?

Ways to Give at https://m3mi.org...Thank you for your seed!  :)

Transcript

Resurrection Weekend And Welcome

SPEAKER_01 0:37

Hey, welcome to Simple to Simpleship Unfiltered. I'm your host, Sister Diana. So glad to be with you today. The day after Resurrection Sunday. Wasn't it absolutely just a gorgeous day yesterday? And it was just an amazing word.

SPEAKER_00 0:54

It was terrific. We we heard a powerful word. We went to church with our son Anthony and his family. And their their pastor brought forth a powerful resurrection word, and we had communion, and the Spirit of the Lord was awesome. And woke up this morning, couldn't stop singing to the Lord. My poor wife, she has to put up with it. She probably wish I'd meditate.

SPEAKER_01 1:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:26

But I I I come out of the bed kind of usually within a couple of minutes, I'm alive.

SPEAKER_01 1:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:33

You know.

SPEAKER_01 1:33

Yeah, I'm a morning person.

SPEAKER_00 1:34

And and and mama is a little bit like her mama. She comes out of the bed like, you know, oh, it's daytime. See, I wake up, I say, Good morning, Lord. She wakes up and says, Good Lord, it's morning.

SPEAKER_01 1:52

So good to be with everybody today. It seems like we haven't been together forever, just so much that's been going on. And my surgery, your surgery, and we're all healing, and God has been good and faithful once again.

SPEAKER_00 2:05

Amen.

SPEAKER_01 2:05

Joined around the table today. We got brother Ernie with us.

SPEAKER_00 2:09

Yes. Good morning.

SPEAKER_01 2:10

Sister Ann. Good morning. Mama. Good morning. Aria. Good morning. And Joyce back there. Hello. And Sandy back there. Good morning. And we're missing Tammy today. She's taking care of her mama, so good. Well, thank God that we've got another day we get to come and glean into his word and learn some things. And we just ask Holy Spirit to join us, Rada. Thank you for that prayer ahead of time. We're going into our continuing our simple presentation to the book of Acts, chapter nine, and we're going to finish it up with part three today.

SPEAKER_02 2:43

Amen.

SPEAKER_01 2:43

And I know that there's some recap that you're going to do. I do want to put recap on video. So can we go ahead and start the video? Very you know, we've had some technical issues this morning, so just slightly touch it.

SPEAKER_00 2:58

Perhaps it'll make me handsome.

SPEAKER_01 3:01

Well, it's not the miracle camera, you know. My phone only does so much.

SPEAKER_02 3:08

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 3:08

But we are going to try on our new camera, a new Insta360. We're going to try it on the side to see if we can get it going. But we're so excited about the new room. But we're going to do an inauguration for that room. I just feel like we're going to do it on our anniversary, which is coming up, uh, which is our three-year anniversary. And I think that's momentous in and of itself because we are we are all about threes. And and so we'll plan all that out. But we're going to start right now, Brother Ernie. Go ahead with the recap, and then let's go into chapter nine, part three, and finish this

Saul’s Conversion Recap And Arabia Gap

SPEAKER_01 3:42

up.

SPEAKER_00 3:42

All right. Our last lesson, after encountering Jesus on the road to Damascus, Saul of Tarsus is blinded by the encounter. It's it's so powerful. And during this time, he gets into Damascus and he's staying there, and he's blinded, and he sees a man in a vision while he's praying and fasting. He even gets the man's name. The man's name is Ananias. And Ananias comes in, lays hands on him, and his blindness is healed. Now, while Saul is praying and fasting for three days and having this vision, there's this man, Ananias, who the scripture just tells us is a devout man, that is a believer. He's not an apostle. Also has a vision of Jesus talking with him. In this vision, Jesus instructs Ananias where to find Saul of Tarsus, gives him the street address to go to find Saul of Tarsus, whereas he is saying, and lets him know that he's praying. He's seen you, Ananias, coming in a vision to lay hands on him so that he'll be healed. And Ananias, he supposes that Jesus does not know who Saul of Tarsus is. That's something that always stuns me because he starts explaining to the Lord, you want me to go and pray for this guy, but you don't know who this guy is. This is Saul of Tarsus. Have you been watching the 6 o'clock news or read the Jerusalem Post? You know, this this guy is terror. But the Lord tells him, you go. You go and you do what I tell you to do. And we know that he's come with warrants to arrest whoever he determines as a follower of Jesus. Drag him back to Jerusalem. But Jesus explains to Ananias, not only is Saul of Tarsus going to be healed, he's going to understand his calling, a calling to testify before kings and gentiles in the nation of Israel about the greatness of the name of Jesus. And furthermore, he says, Saul's going to learn how greatly he will suffer because of his testimony and his service for the name of Jesus, which is not something people want to hear. You need to go back and read the history of his life and see the many, many things that God allowed him to go through. Now, Saul is healed when Ananias prays for him. He's filled with the Holy Ghost, he's baptized, and he starts right away ministering. Wherever Saul ministers, he experiences great success and great persecution. He barely escapes Damascus with his life, avoiding assassins who are waiting to kill him. They're on guard seven days a week, 24 hours a day. They want to kill him. They are dedicated. But believers effect his escape. Now, however, Saul goes gets to Jerusalem and he's not well received right away. The disciples know who he is, they've heard of him, but his persecutions of the believers in Jerusalem are still very fresh memories. Remember, we read about Stephen and his stoning and how Saul of Tarsus was a part of that. And in Acts chapter 8, how Saul began to wreak havoc in the church. And I'm trying to think of the exact words that he was not only persecuting them, but persecuting them unto death. So it makes me think some were executed, like Stephen. Now, he gets there, and he's not having any success warming up in Jerusalem with the disciples there, and in comes Barnabas. His first name is Joseph. We read about him earlier in the scripture. The apostles renamed him Barnabas. His ministry is so powerful, the apostles renamed him Barnabas, meaning the son of consolation. He hears about Saul's conversion. He hooks up with Saul. He takes him to meet the apostles. And Barnabas's influence among the apostles is so strong he uses it to help them see that Saul is truly converted and is a bold and powerful witness for the name of Jesus. So Saul, who was the persecutor, is now a minister of the grace of God. He is traveling in and out of Jerusalem with the apostles, preaching up a storm. Soon he is a feared and hated man among the Jews who reject Jesus because they can't contend with his teachings. And these people are making it known they plan to kill Saul. So in order to preserve Saul's life and ministry, the brethren escort him to Caesarea. From there, at the direction of the apostles, he sails off to Turkey, where he's going to go to his hometown, Tarsus, and be there for a while. The scripture tells us after that there came a time of rest, of renewal and growth for the church in Jerusalem and the surrounding areas. Now, something that I didn't touch in that lesson that I want you to be aware of. I want you to look in Acts chapter 9. Let me see. Where he received meat, verse 19, he was strengthened. And then he was certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus, and straightway he preached. If you get a chance to read up on it, you might get much more clarity on it. But Galatians chapter 1, verse 17, Paul is opening the letter of Galatians, and he's talking a little bit about how they've been, some of them moved to another gospel. It was not the gospel that he preached. And then in verse 15 he says, But when it pleased God who separated me from my mother's womb and called me by his grace to reveal his son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen. Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me. So he did go there, but not yet. But I went into Arabia and returned again unto Damascus. Then after he returned to Damascus, verse 18 says, After three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter and abode with him fifteen days. Now, I want you to notice that Luke's narrative in Luke chapter 9 doesn't include Paul's trip to Arabia. But some or in Acts chapter 9. But Paul goes back in Galatians and writes it. So I'm thinking that Luke wasn't with Paul at this time. And Luke is writing the narrative from what he has learned and what he has heard. But Paul fills in the gap that he was in Arabian. We don't know for how long. But you know, we know that after he came back to Damascus, he was in Damascus for another three years. And I hadn't, I thought to myself, as I was getting into this lesson for today, I missed that. And so I wanted to point that out to you. And you could read from Galatians chapter 1, the whole chapter if you wanted to, but focusing on uh 15 through 18. And I read a book not a couple of years ago on the life of Paul. I don't want to say that my memory isn't good. I just say get a book and read it. And uh we're gonna we're gonna leave it there, and then we're gonna read from verse 32 now to verse 43, and then as is our habit, we will go back and discuss what we've read.

Peter Heals Aeneas In Lydda

SPEAKER_00 12:37

Acts chapter 9, verse 32. And it came to pass as Peter passed throughout all quarters, he came down also to the saints which dwelt at Leda or Lida. And there he found a certain man named Aeneas, which had kept his bed eight years, and was sick of the palsy. And Peter said unto him, Aeneas, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole. Arise and make thy bed. And he arose immediately, and all that dwelt at Lida and at Soron saw him and turned to the Lord. Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas. This woman was full of good works and alms deeds which she did. And it came to pass in those days that she was sick and died, whom when they had washed, they laid her in an upper chamber. And forasmuch as Lida was nigh to Joppa, and the disciples heard that Peter was there, they sent unto him two men, desiring them that he would come, that he would not delay to come to them. Then Peter arose and went with them, and when he was come, they brought him into an upper room, and all the widows stood by him weeping, and showing the coats and garments which Dorcas had made while she was with them. But Peter put them all forth and kneeled down and prayed, and turning him to the body, said Tabitha, and she opened her eyes. And when she saw Peter, she sat up, and he gave her his hand and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive, and it was known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. And it came to pass that he tarried many days in Joppa with one Simon a tanner. So we're going to go back to verse 32 and then make our way through these scriptures and give you our simple commentary. I appreciate your time. And I don't want you to think that this is the deepest thing you've ever studied about the book of Acts, but I want you to use it to launch yourself into a greater relationship with Jesus. I'm having fun doing it. I hope you're enjoying it. And all of you that comment on it, we're appreciative. We really are. All right, verse 32, and I'll read uh 32 through 35. And it came to pass as Peter passed throughout all quarters, he came down also to the saints, which dwelt at Lida. And there he found a certain man named Aeneas, which had kept his bed eight years, and was sick of the palsy. And Peter said unto him, Aeneas, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole. Arise and make thy bed. And he arose immediately. And all that dwelt at Lida in Soron sought him and turned to the Lord. So Luke's narrative now paints a picture of the Apostle Peter as an itinerant preacher, doing missionary work, we'll say within the realms of Palestine. And he is on his circuit. He evidently has a circuit and he comes through the town of Lida. Lida is a little more than halfway between Jerusalem and Joppa. Joppa being a city on the Mediterranean coast. Now in Lida, during his ministry, Peter meets this man, Aeneas, a man who has been bedridden with the palsy for eight years. So I want you to notice he's called a man. He's been bedridden for eight years. So I don't believe he was born this way. This is not since he was a child. He was some sort of adult, and suddenly he was stricken with something like being paralyzed or like polio. It's called the palsy. And he was bedridden. This is a hard blow to a man. Your life is rocking along, and you are doing whatever it is you think is important and achieving whatever it is you think you want to achieve, and then suddenly you're bedridden. Peter meets him and invokes or evokes, sometimes I cross those words up, the name of Jesus over Aeneas, and he is immediately healed. Now the testimony of Aeneas spreads throughout the city and the surrounding area. You read their Saron, which the Old Testament would call Sharon. And many souls turn to the Lord as a result of this man's testimony. So here's a good look at the purpose of miracles. The purpose of miracles is not so that we can say, I had a miracle. Look at me. There's a miracle in my ministry. Call for me. I'll come. I'll hold your revival. You want me. No, this man's testimony, the testimony of the man who was healed, had so much power that many people came to the Lord because of it. Please do not underestimate your personal testimony with Christ. In order to be a soul winner, you do not need a doctorate of theology. You do not need a master's, a bachelor's, an associate's degree. All those things are great tools. If you are blessed to go and get them, go do it. But what you really need is to be able to communicate what God has done in your life effectively. So you don't have to be a master of all things educational to do this. Now, do we know what Luke means when he uses the term turned to the Lord? See, I I think Luke is writing here from research that he's done. I don't think he's traveling with the Apostle Paul yet. There's not the word in here, and we did this, and we did that. That comes later in the book. So reading the book of Acts, it reads like I'm continuing the research that I did it for Jesus Jesus in the gospel, Saint Luke. And so now it's like he's getting this information, maybe from Peter when he sat down and talked with him, maybe, maybe from saints who were there, but he writes it down the best as he can. Do we suppose that this was a different salvation message than was first preached in Acts chapter 2 and Acts chapter 3? If we change the way the gospel was presented, then we make Jesus a double-minded man and unstable in all his ways. We make the apostles double-minded men and unstable in all their ways, according to James. The gospel has to be consistent. The born-again experience has to be consistent. So in my mind, it's it's settled. Now I don't know how you think, and I'm I'm not berating you, but in my mind it's settled. The gospel doesn't change. From then Peter said unto them, Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of your sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. It's not a different Savior. So it cannot be a different message. Now, we're going to read verse 36. Let me see how far I'm going to go with that. Through 38. Verses 36 through 38.

Why Miracles Point To Jesus

SPEAKER_00 21:06

Now, there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas. This woman was full of good works and alms deeds, which she did. And it came to pass in those days that she was sick and died, whom, when they had washed, they laid her in an upper chamber. That is verse 37. Okay, and we'll go one more. And for as much as Lida was nigh to Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent unto him two men, desiring him that he would not delay to come to them.

unknown 21:59

So

SPEAKER_00 22:01

In the city of Joppa, which is approximately a three-hour walk from Lida, a well-known disciple, she's evidently got a powerful ministry. Her name is Tabitha, and being interpreted is Dorcas. So in Greek it's pronounced one way, and in Aramaic or Hebrew, it it's another pronunciation, kind of like Juan and John. That's all that is. Just clarifying that. Now, this disciple was known for being full of good works and generosity. Please do not underestimate what Paul says is the gift of giving. It's when you can give at the prompting of the Holy Ghost, and it impacts people for the power of the gospel. And it's so important. We had a time in our lives when we were in Bible college. My VA benefits weren't coming in yet. I was working for a little more than minimum wage, and we'd been in school two or three months, and I came home one day, and mama says, We don't have any food. I said, What do you mean? She says, We don't have anything to eat. We don't have bread, we don't have butter, we don't have flour, we have spices. So I don't know where I got the idea. I don't know if I heard somebody testify about it, or if it was just that the Holy Ghost dropped it in my heart. But I I said to her, set the table. So, you know, I'm good at putting my foot in my mouth. So I said, set the table. And I went into the bedroom, closed the door, buried my face in the pillow, and began to sob and weep. I didn't want her to hear me. Saying, God, you brought us here, you opened these doors. I'm working, we're doing everything we know to do, we're tithing, we're offering. You brought us here. We can't be out of food. We can't be. And while I'm doing that, there comes a knock on the door. Now it's not the greatest neighborhood we live in, so I'll wash my face and holler at mama. I'll I'll get the door, I'll get the door. So I opened the door, and there's this couple that we know that doesn't know us very well. We went to church with them a little bit. How they found us, I don't know. They were a retired couple. And I opened the door, and the husband's standing there, and they're really country folk. And he he says, Brother Ernie, we didn't know where you live. We had to find out. We hope you're not embarrassed. But while while we were shopping for a bill of groceries, that's what he called it. While we're shopping for a bill of groceries, God spoke to us and said, These groceries are not for you, they're for brother and sister Perez. They said, Well, hope you're not embarrassed. We're, you know, just trying to obey the Lord. And I wasn't embarrassed, I was hungry. Yes. So we brought him in and they brought in bag after bag of groceries. I'm talking about hamburger, chicken, sausage, bacon, all types of meats, canned vegetables, fresh vegetables, frozen food, milk. And he was so excited, he said, brother, because Timothy was three months, four months old, he said, brother, baby food was on sale for a nickel of jar, so I bought five dollars worth. So they filled our cabinets,

Tabitha’s Life Of Generosity

SPEAKER_00 25:54

filled our little refrigerator freezer, and they even brought some canned food that they made at their home. Listen to me. When God speaks to you to give, don't say to yourself, that must be the flesh. Don't say to yourself, Do I ri can I really do that? Those people, it's like God took a miracle, and it was in the form of a spear, and he hurled it from heaven's throne at us. And to make sure it landed properly, he used those people for the tip of the spear. See, Tabitha was evidently that kind of person. Miss Tabitha slash Dorcas knew when people needed things. She knew by the Spirit, and when she provided it, it was so powerful that at her death, they were just crushed. Your ministry of giving is no less important than anything else. And I I don't mean when somebody says to you, if you have five dollars to give, if you have a thousand dollars to give, stand. I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about you're out and about doing the work of the Lord. Maybe you're just at the Burger King and God says to you, Go pay for those people's meals. Do it. You're in the restaurant, do it. They don't have to know your name. Just do it. Tell the waitress, please bring me that receipt and don't tell them, but I'll pay for it. But they don't have to know who did it. Why? Because Jesus loves them. If you want them to say anything, say it's because Jesus loves you. And let it go at that. Giving is a powerful witness. And you know, the widow, the widow, Jesus said the widows put in two mites in the temple and said, hers was the largest offering there. It's not about how much you give away, sometimes it's about how much you have left. We learned that from a Burmese pastor who was teaching one morning and telling us we don't understand sacrifice here in the USA. You think sacrifice is measured by what you give. In Burma, we measure sacrifice by what we have left. He said, I don't understand why you do it this way. Give when Jesus nudges you. When the Spirit of the Lord nudges you to have that kind of generosity. So she had this sickness that ultimately killed her. Now the saints prepared her body for viewing and for burial. And remember, they're not going to keep them up very long because they're going to start to smell. And they know that Peter is close by. He's in Joppa. That's about a three-hour walk. Looked it up. It's about 12 miles from Lida. And so they think to themselves, why not send for Peter? Why? The majority of miracles that were happening at that time were under the ministry of the apostles. The first one to be not under the apostles was Ananias. The next one that will not be under the apostles was Philip. Or Philip was before Ananias. And then Stephen. Stephen, Philip, and Ananias. That's the order where the miraculous ministry moved out from underneath simply the apostles to believers beginning to be used by God in this capacity. Remember, Mark wrote it at the end of his gospel that Jesus said, these signs shall follow them that believe, not just the apostles. But so far we've only got recorded Stephen, Philip, and Ananias, where this has been happening. And so this early church says, we better send for Brother Pete. He's close at hand. Now, when the disciples in Joppa realized, I'm sorry, and Lidah realized Peter was in Joppa, they sent two disciples to Peter, asking him to come to Joppa straight away. Now let's read verse 39. Then Peter arose and went with them. And when he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber, and all the widows stood by him weeping, showing the coats and garments which Dorcas made while she was with them. You know, there's no talk about what a great teacher she was, what a great singer she was, what a great musician she was, what a great writer she was, what a poet she was, a psalmist. It was her ability to give under the unction of the Spirit of God to recognize these people have a need, and God's going to use me to fill it. And so she had made coats and garments for them. It seems that's what she was most famous for. And they were just shattered. Verse 40 says, But Peter put them all forth and kneeled down and prayed. And turning to the body, said, Tabitha, arise. And when she saw Peter, she sat up. So Peter responds immediately, runs from Joppa to Lida, or from Lida to Joppa, goes straight to where Tabitha is laid in state. The proof of the power of men of her ministry is on despair. Despair, on display. People are openly weeping over her body, holding the many coats and garments she had made for them. They are crushed without her. So Peter, in verse 40, puts almost all of them out of the room, I say, but possibly put them all out just like Luke wrote. It's just somebody had to know exactly what happened in there. So either Peter had a chance to sit down and tell Luke or someone else exactly went on in that room, how it happened. So Peter puts them out of the room. I think there had to be, in my mind, I could be wrong, Peter could have done it himself. But I see someone there had to tell Luke how it all went down. There is no we in the narrative. Luke writes that Peter said to the dead disciple after he prayed, Tabbitha arise. You think he prayed in the name of Jesus? Whatsoever you do in word or deed, the scripture tells us, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus. After the disciples were released in Jerusalem, what did they do? They prayed that miracles would be done in the name of Jesus. It can't be any different here. So when Tabitha is healed, Peter says, Tabitha, arise. She opens her eyes and she recognized Peter. So evidently she was on his circuit for preaching. Because she knew him on site. She recognized Peter and sat up. I don't know about you, but I'm like Jerry Claire. If a dead man sat up, I'd take notice. So we know that Tabitha or Dorcas was acquainted enough with the apostle to recognize him for who he was on sight. He took her by the hand and he called the other people back into the room. Now, do we assume that Peter did not follow the protocol established in Acts chapter 3, verses 6 through 7, where Peter and John looked at the lame man, said, In the name of Jesus Christ, I ain't got any money, but in the name of Jesus Christ, rise and be healed? Are we going to dare say that we can work miracles of our own free will? Doesn't this have to be at the prompting of the Holy Ghost? Doesn't this have to be according to the word of the Lord? We do realize that Luke wrote this gospel with a specific reader in mind. That being the case, he doesn't have to repeat everything he says because he's writing to people who've been born again for their benefit, giving them a history of the establishment of the church. So he doesn't have to repeat word for word everything, the truths that are established. In the first three, four, five books, the book of Acts cannot change as we move through to Acts 28. If that's the case, what's the matter with Luke? Now, Luke knows the reader does not have to be given every minute detail. So to remember this, I would ask you to note to go back and read Luke chapter 1, verses 1 through 4, where Luke describes who he's writing the letter to and why. And then again in Acts chapter 1, verses 1 through 4, you'll see, we'll turn to that one. Acts chapter 1, verses 1 through 4, opens this way: the former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach. This is a letter written to the same person that got the gospel of Saint Luke. This is chapter 2. Volume 2, until the day in which he was taken up, that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen. He didn't give suggestions, he gave commandments. So do we think that they changed the way the commandments were lived out as you move through the history of the church? Can we change the commandments of Jesus Christ?

unknown 37:03

No.

SPEAKER_00 37:05

To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of things pertaining to the kingdom of God, and being assembled together with them, commanded them. Remember this. Whatever commands were given in the book of Acts have to be followed from chapter 1 to chapter 28. They can't be different because it's not a different Savior. Verses 41. And he gave her his hand and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints, the widows presented her alive. How exciting was that? They left the room, she was dead, they come back in there. She was sowing, I guess. I don't know. I mean, she was she was alive. It was powerful. I don't know if she wasn't making somebody's coat or if she was just standing there giving praise. But they walked in and celebrated this miracle. Now, reading verse 42 and 43. And it was known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord, and it came to pass that he tarried many days in Joppa with one Simon a tanner. Okay, here's the deal. What did we say about Aeneas' testimony? Many believed in the Lord because of his healing. Aeneas was given his testimony. In verse 42, it says, the miracles known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. Do you think they came together? Okay, it's kind of like Lazarus, right? When Lazarus was risen from the dead, the detractors of Jesus were all upset. What do we do now? They said, Don't worry, we'll kill him again. That was crazy. But the testimony of the healed, the testimony of the redeemed, is the evangelistic weapon in this world that is most effective. Your testimony of what Jesus has done in your life. Take note that Peter has left Lida after a miracle healing, has moved many souls to believe in Jesus. He arrives in Joppa, and there is another miracle testimony which has led to another large group of people believing in the Lord Jesus. So the miracle was not to give Peter a reputation, the miracle was to broadcast the saving, healing power of Jesus Christ. Don't get caught up in, well, I'm gonna lay hands on people and then I'm gonna be the evangelist that everybody wants. I'm gonna be the speaker. Everyone's gonna know I'm the prophet, I'm the apostle, because I'm gonna assert myself and they'll see it loud and proud. No. Let the Holy Ghost move.

SPEAKER_01 40:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 40:20

Let the Spirit of God move. He's adequate. It's just a matter of me bending my will to his. Okay, so we know we close this chapter with Peter as a guest in Joppa. He is staying in the home of a man named Simon. This particular Simon is a by trade a tanner. If you look at Luke chapter 10, verses 1 through 7, you'll see a training mission. But here in the book of Acts, no training. This is it. This is where the rubber meets the road.

SPEAKER_01 41:03

Hands-on.

SPEAKER_00 41:04

And this is way where we want to live. Now everybody say amen. Thank you very much. We'll see you next time.

SPEAKER_01 41:19

All right. Good. Good, good, good stuff.

SPEAKER_00 41:22

You know many times has my tongue got twisted. You call that good? It's good. I mean, it's good because the word is good.

SPEAKER_01 41:28

The word is good. And like you say, it's not you anyway. So

A Giving Testimony From Hard Times

SPEAKER_01 41:35

you know, with I think of poor Sister Tabitha, she's probably grateful that she gets called Tabitha instead of Dorcas, you know. That would be that would be a hard life, wouldn't it?

SPEAKER_00 41:46

Well, in our day and time, it would be a female dork.

SPEAKER_01 41:54

I mean, I love that that that we're moving into you're not just watching somebody else do it. You know, Jesus, you know, here watch. Now you go out two by two, but now he's like, I'm not here. Just like a teacher, you know, I'm training you, but now you gotta go do it. Yes. I'm not there, you know, for you to turn around and say, I do it right, you know, you just you just go and do it. And I and I think it's so important that that we're listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit, you know, to to move into those type of things. We want to be the next church, right?

SPEAKER_00 42:32

Amen.

SPEAKER_01 42:33

But without the Holy Spirit that came at the beginning of that, you're just you're just uh what they call them charlatans or something where they just go and they're trying to to to evoke something that they have no power to do because it's not them anyway.

SPEAKER_00 42:48

Amen. You know some years ago, a man that I pastored for a while, short while, and got his call to ministry, he said, while he was under our ministry, he came through town and we got to visit. And his ministry over the years has blossomed so powerfully. And I said to him, he's he's accomplished more than I have ever accomplished. And I said to him, Do you know it's the joy of the teacher to see the student excel anything the teacher has ever been able to do? Yeah, yeah. Jesus said, Greater works than these shall you do. It is it is our sincere desire that the people we minister to become more than we've ever been, do greater than we've ever done. Because this thing has to go from generation to generation until Jesus returns. Yeah. And we need to feel like we're putting this message in the hands of people. Who are going to submit to the Lord and the Lord is going to show up for them. And we're just going to just stand in awe. I got a a word yesterday from a brother at Peace Church, a friend of my son's, Anthony's. And my son now has the men's ministry there that we had for many years. And uh he was shaking his head. He said, You missed it yesterday. Tony brought a word. It just shook us up. It was so powerful. It was so applicable to our lives. And he just go on and on. He's talking to me about my son. You know, I'm having a hard time because it's a good thing I wore a juba because a regular shirt, the buttons would have been gone. I don't want to be arrogant.

SPEAKER_01 44:58

It's not arrogant, that's true.

SPEAKER_00 45:00

You know, but the gratitude that that uh my son is used like this, that this other brother is used like that. We were at a camp meeting one year, and this fellow walks up to me, shakes my hands. How you doing? I'm doing good, thank you. So you don't remember me. I said, honestly, I remember your voice. But I I I no, I don't remember your name, and I don't remember your face. He said, 25 years ago. I said, 25 years ago? He said, 25 years ago, you were the one who witnessed to us and God had started. You left, but God sent somebody up to pick it up. Sent somebody else. He said, now I'm driving the Sunday school bus, I'm preaching. My teenage boys are preaching. He said, you started that 25 years ago. Wow. You don't know the value of your testimony. Yeah, I never imagined him. His name was Richard Williams. I never imagined him. The last time I saw him, you know, I don't know. He looked like some mountain man. His hair blowing in the wind and his beard out there. He's a very knowledgeable mechanic, and another guy knew how to business go on. But he was not at all interested in God. He could have had his own Grizzly Adams auto shop, you know. But you don't know what God is doing. You don't know. So if you're reading anything in the book of Acts, remember the people you're reading about are just like us. Perhaps with one exception. They're more obedient.

SPEAKER_02 46:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 46:52

You know? Maybe they're more submitted. So if we can learn from that, when when uh we went to Australia, I went to minister in the Torres Islands. And uh the presbyter up there said to me afterwards, he said, Brother Ernie, we'd we'd like you to come back and take over the work in the with the Torres Islanders. I said, Why me? He said, Well, we believe you have a lot to teach them. I told Mama, they may not know a lot of scripture here, because they were new converts, but they know how to live for Jesus. If I stay here, I want them to rub off on me. You know, I'm on the teacher. And it doesn't mean that the word of God is not needed, but what I was impressed with is the testimony of Jesus Christ is sufficient to bring souls in. We need the word of God to grow them thereafter for sure. Yeah, but in the book of Acts, not everybody was as skilled in the word as Peter and Paul and James and the other people. The the the common Israelite didn't all read and write.

SPEAKER_01 48:08

I mean, Peter only had one example. Come on. You know, he only had one time he saw somebody raised from the dead, and sure, and it was sufficient because Well, I don't know how many other people in Jesus' ministry, but Lazarus made an imprint. I mean, but but it wasn't like Jesus went around and raised all the dead. It was just, but he saw that and he and the impact that Jesus had made on. Yeah, he he didn't doubt it. It said he went straight away there.

SPEAKER_02 48:35

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 48:36

He didn't like, oh, I need to think about this. I need to go find a book on it. I need to figure out, you know, what to do.

SPEAKER_00 48:41

And um But he needed to he didn't pause and go to a conference.

SPEAKER_01 48:45

There wasn't anything. Where's anybody else in town? I think that that's what you're saying when you have, especially if you go outside of the United States and you see these people, there's not anybody else to count on but you. You know, they might come into town, you know, every few years, but but but you better know your relationship with the Lord and trust him to move in the situation, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 49:12

Yeah, it it is uh we got this this thing in our head that they were also perfect. And I we need to erase that because Paul, when Paul makes the statement to the Corinthian church, I died daily, that is a culturalism, and it means I have to repent every time I turn around. Yeah, and and and he he makes it so plain to the Romans in Romans 5, 6, and 7, I struggle with this life, me too. Yeah, I'm right there with you. Yeah, but in Romans 8, he says, but God is bigger than our struggles. Yeah, you you can't let you admit you have the struggle, but you gotta remember Jesus is bigger than the struggle.

SPEAKER_01 49:52

He's bigger than that.

SPEAKER_00 49:53

And so it's not that we we have to be embarrassed because we have a struggle, yeah, or we have to be embarrassed because we're imperfect. No, we need to be grateful that the Savior has entered into our lives and understand it's not my strength, yeah, it's his.

SPEAKER_01 50:13

Yeah, it's not my wisdom, it's his. Yeah, that's awesome. That's awesome. Yeah, and so here we are, we're we're finishing up the podcast, but sister audio starts at lunch, and so uh everything you hear in the background, you hear the crackling in the refrigerator and all that, and I'm not gonna complain about it.

SPEAKER_00 50:32

All right, let me say this.

SPEAKER_01 50:35

We're filtered, you know, so it's just cook all the system.

SPEAKER_00 50:38

You want to come back because we're gonna start Acts chapter 10. Yeah, I'm not sure how many lessons that's gonna take because I really want us to just kind of groove our way through it and absorb what happens there. We're watching. Remember, we've only seen one Gentile become saved. He's called the Ethiopian eunuch. I saw some stuff today uh that was posted by someone that uh that it would be more accurate to say he was from Sudan, that all of that was called Ethiopia. I think I've read that too. And that he that he was possibly a Cushite and more likely from Sudan. And and he's the first Gentile. But he ain't the only. And and he he came in under Philip's ministry. Philip brought in the first mixed race people, the Samaritans. He ministered there. Then he goes out and you remember this, God translated him, right? He was standing here and he got through preaching and he baptized the eunuch and poof, he was Star Trek gone. And he landed 30 miles away, you know, is great, and he starts preaching again. But now we're going to watch the door be kicked open by the apostle Peter in Acts chapter 10. And and it's going to we're going to see the fulfillment of Jesus saying to Peter, I give you the keys to the kingdom. Peter preached on the day of Pentecost to the Jews.

SPEAKER_01 52:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 52:18

He went and helped Philip with the Samaritans. And he he and John went and did the baptizing and or did that praying through to the Holy Ghost, laying hands on him. And now he's going to the Gentiles. He had the keys to the kingdom. He opens the kingdom for the Jews, he opens the kingdom again, part of it for the Samaritans, and then opens it up for the Gentiles. That's awesome. That's awesome. And so then what Jesus prophesied in Acts 1, you shall be witnesses unto me in Jerusalem, and Judea, and Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the world. We're seeing it now because with the Gentiles, it's going to explode.

SPEAKER_01 53:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 53:04

And it it may begin with Peter, but the Apostle Paul is in the batter's box.

SPEAKER_01 53:08

That's right.

SPEAKER_00 53:09

He's back in cleanup.

SPEAKER_01 53:11

That's right. That's right. All right. So exciting. We're looking so forward to that next week. And so I ask you guys if you if you're enjoying the Acts, the book of Acts, the simple presentation of the book of Acts, to go and like and share and just put it on your Facebooks, put it on your Instas, whatever you got, your ex, and share it and let people get into this because we should be the acts church. We should be doing the greater things that the apostles stepped into, right? Amen.

SPEAKER_00 53:43

We aspire to be that church.

SPEAKER_01 53:45

But we can't

Peter Raises Tabitha In Joppa

SPEAKER_01 53:46

keep aspiring. We've got to step into it. Amen. Step into that. So thank y'all for joining us. Thank you so much for giving to keep this platform going. And like I said, just go like, share, and go and watch the video if you'd like to on YouTube on Simple Discipleship Unfiltered as well. And we're so grateful for you. Praying for you. If you have any comments that you want to share, go to the website and all that information is to follow. So here we go. We're going to end this podcast as we always do to go show some love. Love. Show some compassion.

SPEAKER_02 54:21

Give mercy and go be Jesus today.

SPEAKER_01 54:27

Hey STU family. If you have enjoyed this podcast today, would you please like, follow, and share our podcast link? And we would love to hear your feedback and your podcast topic suggestions. To do that, simply go to our website at www.m3mi.org, scroll to the more tests, and select contact us. Also, if this steam has been a blessing to you, you can also go to our website and select social steam. There are several ways that you can give whether it's in case this in the channel. And we thank you so much for selling your feed with us. The person is giving you their time. They're giving you their most precious gift because they can never ever get it back. Thank you for sharing this thing with me. We love you. We'll see you soon.