Ordinary, Extraordinary

Introduction: Two Ordinary Miracles

Just before this passage, Scripture records one of the most explosive moments in all of history: Saul of Tarsus encountering the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus, a hinge moment that changed the trajectory of the church. If we were producing this story, we would naturally keep following Paul—the big, dramatic narrative that grabs attention.

But Luke does something different. He pans away from the massive story and narrows in on a paralyzed man and a woman who makes clothes for widows. This is not coincidental. Luke is reminding us who the church actually is—not only the apostles writing letters and planting churches on big platforms, but also faithful people doing what they're called to do wherever they're planted.

The kingdom of God advances through extraordinary acts of power and through extraordinary acts of faithfulness. It advances through ordinary people doing extraordinary things in God's story.

Meet Aeneas and Tabitha

Aeneas had been bedridden for eight years, paralyzed, his world limited to the size of his mattress. We know nothing else about him—no backstory, no family, no profession. Yet his life is changed when he meets Peter.

Tabitha, also called Dorcas, is the first woman called a disciple in the New Testament. Not an apostle, not a deacon—a disciple, a saint, a follower of Jesus. Her life was devoted to sewing tunics and garments for widows, providing practical warmth, comfort, and protection in a culture where losing a husband meant losing income, community, stability, and security.

These two people, along with Peter, sit at the heart of this passage—an invitation to notice not just the apostle doing amazing things, but also the ones we might walk right past.

The Boldness of Peter

Peter visits the saints in Lydda and meets the paralyzed man. He doesn't hesitate:

"Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and make your bed."

Later in Joppa, taken to a room where Tabitha lies dead, Peter puts everyone out, kneels, prays, and speaks directly to the body: "Tabitha, get up." She does.

Notice his words carefully. He doesn't say, "Aeneas, I heal you," or even, "God heals you." He says, "Jesus Christ heals you." There is a consecrated confidence here—not confidence in his own ability, but confidence in the name of the one he serves. Peter knows he is not the source of healing; he is the vessel. He has watched Jesus heal over and over, and now he knows his own life is simply a continuation of Jesus' story.

Jesus' Pattern, Continued Through His People

In Matthew 4:23 we read that Jesus went throughout Galilee teaching, proclaiming the good news, and demonstrating it—curing diseases, healing the afflicted, freeing the oppressed. This pattern repeats throughout his ministry, and Peter watched it happen.

Jesus told his disciples in John 14:12:

"Very truly I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do, and in fact will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father."

When Peter meets Aeneas, he doesn't have to improvise. He has seen how Jesus operates and heard what Jesus said, so he simply speaks—and it happens.

What Stops Us From Praying With Boldness?

If we're honest, we often think too much of ourselves and too little of Christ. We worry about how prayer will reflect on us—looking foolish if nothing happens, or someone being disappointed in God because of our involvement. We put emphasis on our own impact rather than on God's ability.

When we do that, we shrink God down to the size of our confidence. But if we flip that—placing our confidence in who God is and what he's able to do—we can step into the awkward, uncomfortable moments with boldness and courage.

No matter how much confidence you have, it's way too small in scale next to God.

Not every prayer for healing is answered the way we hope. Many are healed; some are not. We can't fully make sense of how God works, because we are not God. But that mystery is a poor reason to stop praying with boldness. Jesus moved toward the sick, the paralyzed, and the dying. He prayed. He acted. We do the same—not because we're certain of the outcome, but because we're certain of him.

The Quiet Faithfulness of Tabitha

When Peter arrives in Joppa, the widows hold up the tunics Tabitha made for them—like a eulogy without words, evidence that she saw them, knew them, and cared for them. Her craftsmanship was her testimony.

Tabitha likely knew what it meant to be on the margins herself, and yet she had something to give. Jesus said, "I was naked and you clothed me... what you did for the least of these, you did for me" — and Tabitha lived exactly that out.

Paul echoes this calling in 1 Thessalonians 4:

"Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and work with your hands... so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders."

Faithfulness preaches. It gets attention—not because it's proclaimed through a microphone, but because a life lived well is beautiful and people notice. Within this church family there are so many quiet examples: someone living with chronic pain who still shows up early to serve, people who notice when someone is missing, who bring a meal, who ask, "Can we help you move?" This doesn't just happen on its own—it happens because, filled with the Spirit, we have something to give.

Proclaiming and Demonstrating Together

When Peter prays for Aeneas, the man immediately gets up, and "all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord." When Tabitha is raised, "this became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord." Bold prayer and faithful service both bear fruit—the word of God goes out.

It's worth noticing:

• A church that prays boldly but doesn't serve faithfully in secret will eventually feel like a spectacle, a sideshow.
• A church that serves faithfully but never prays boldly will eventually feel hollow.

We need both. Filled with the Spirit, we are called to walk into rooms where people are hurting, sick, or dying, and pray with boldness and courage. We are also called to spend our lives faithfully serving others in ways that never get a public shout-out but still matter—letting our lives be inconvenienced by the ones others walk past.

What Did Jesus Do?

This text leaves us with a simple question: What did Jesus do? That's what Peter was watching, and that's what he lived out. Jesus moved toward people. He got on his knees. He prayed. He depended on the Father. Filled with the Spirit, he healed, taught, preached, and went to the margins. He spoke life into rooms of death. And then he gathered his people and said, "Now you go and do what you've watched me doing—and greater things will you do."

We can focus on the big and the miraculous—and that matters, that's worth praying for. But there is also a call to live a faithful life right where we are today. That call is ours.

Response: Praying for Healing Together

Before moving to communion, the congregation was invited to put this word into practice. Those needing physical healing were asked to raise a hand, and others were invited to become the hands of Jesus—laying on hands and speaking the same words Peter spoke:

"Jesus Christ heals you."

The prayer that followed asked God to stir faith, pour out his Spirit, and give opportunities in the week ahead to move with boldness and courage, to speak words of life, and to live generously and faithfully wherever God has placed each person.