23/10 “Jesus Christ heals you. Get Up and耶稣基督医好你了！起来，并 …”（Read阅读Acts 使徒行传 9:32-43）
As Peter travelled about the country, he went to visit the Lord’s people who lived in Lydda. There he found a man named Aeneas, who was paralysed and had been bedridden for eight years. ‘Aeneas,’ Peter said to him, ‘Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and roll up your mat.’ Immediately Aeneas got up. All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord. In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas); she was always doing good and helping the poor. About that time she became ill and died 彼得周游各地的时候，也到了住在吕大的圣徒那里。他遇见一个人，名叫以尼雅，害了瘫痪病，在床上躺卧了八年。彼得对他说：“以尼雅，耶稣基督医好你了！起来，收好你的褥子！”他就立刻起来。所有住在吕大和沙仑的人，看见了他就归向主。在约帕有一个女门徒，名叫戴比莎，希腊话叫多加；她为人乐善好施。那时，她因病死了； … when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, ‘Please come at once!’ Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. 门徒听说彼得在吕大，就派两个人去求他，说：“请到我们那边去，不要耽延！”彼得就动身，跟他们一同去。… Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning towards the dead woman, he said, ‘Tabitha, get up.’ She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. 彼得叫大家出去之后，就跪下来祷告，然后转过身来对着尸体说：“戴比莎，起来！”她就睁开眼睛，一看见彼得，就坐了起来。… This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord. 这事传遍了约帕，就有很多人信了主。…（Acts 使徒行传 9:32-40, 42）
The pattern of the apostles doing ministry now shifted from staying in Jerusalem for those needs locally and from nearby towns to going through all parts of the country. The miraculous healing of Aeneas in Lydda through Peter who was only Lord Jesus’ instrument made many people turn to the Lord – presumably, with Peter preaching the gospel to them. Dorcas/Tabitha (both mean ‘deer’) was a beloved member of the Christian community in Joppa because she was full of good works and charitable deeds but she became ill and died. Peter was desperately begged to come and miraculously heal Dorcas who was not ‘resurrected’ but resuscitated to her old life where she would die again. She was raised from the dead for the sake of her ministry to others. 使徒们服侍的模式现在从留在耶路撒冷，对应着本地和从邻近市镇的那些需，改变为周游各地去。在吕大的以尼雅，透过那只是主耶稣器皿的彼得的神迹医治，使许多人归向主–想必彼得有向他们传了福音。多加/戴比莎（两者都是「鹿」的意思）是约帕基督徒群体中备受爱戴的一员，因为她广行善事，多施赒济，却因病死了。彼得应了迫切的乞求来，行神迹医治了多加，她并没有「复活（将来的身躯）」，却是苏醒回到了她旧有的生命，而她会再次死去；她从死人中苏醒过来是为了服侍别人的缘故。
Prayer禱告: Almighty Lord, help us to always trust your greater wisdom and knowledge in healing Aeneas or raising Dorcas from the dead (both being ‘small potatoes’) with your divine purpose, yet Stephen (and later, James, both being more important to the church than Dorcas) became a martyr and remained dead. Thank you for reminding us that we are called Christians/saints (in the Book of Acts) not because of being a super-perfect people but because of being distinctively setting apart from the world at large. May we follow Peter’s example in finding opportunities for your saving grace and miraculous power in others. 全能的主啊，纵然司提反（及后来雅各两者都是对教会来说似乎比多加更重要）成了殉道者而仍然死了，而在医治以尼雅或把多加从死人中苏醒过来（两者都是「小人物」）上有着你属天的目的，求你帮助我们常常信靠你伟大的智慧和知识。感谢你提醒我们，我们被称为基督徒/圣徒（在使徒行传中），不是因着成为超级完美的子民，而是因着总的与世界区别地分别归神为圣出来。愿我们寻找给你在别人身上，彰显救赎的恩典和行奇事的大能的机会上，效法彼得的榜样。Amen.
