30th Mar 26 | 13:54
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03 Acts 09 32-43 THE MINISTRY OF PETER 03 Acts 09 33-34 Learn to live by the Truth
📖 Acts 09:32-43
03 – Fri31May2024 – *Learn to live by the Truth* - _Acts 09:32-43_ – THE MINISTRY OF PETER – _Matthew 10:08_
_Acts 9:33-34 There he found a certain man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden eight years and was paralyzed. (34) And Peter said to him, "Aeneas, Jesus the Christ heals you. Arise and make your bed." Then he arose immediately._
Throughout the Bible we see healing and miracles taking place. Here in Lydda, a man named Aeneas was healed. He was paralysed and had been bedridden for eight years. Peter stepped into this man’s life and gave him the healing of Jesus. He arose and probably made his bed, which Peter asked him to do.
We are to give the healing of Jesus to each other in the body of Christ. It is Christ who heals. We are only the instruments. God desires that we be made whole and complete.
_Hebrews 13:20-21 Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, (21) *make you complete* in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen._
We are to be doing His good work according to His will and to this end we are to be made complete. _James 1:4b …, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing._
The difficulty for us is that we do not see things made whole and complete in us. We experience pain, suffering, sickness and death. These are real and these are the facts. We have prayed, and others have prayed over us but the pain and sickness remain. So, how do we understand miracles of healing just like this incident where Peter gave Aeneas the healing of Jesus?
*We must live based on truth. God’s word is truth.* _John 17:17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth._ The truth is that God gives us His wholeness. We are complete in Him. _Colossians 2:9-10 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; (10) and *you are complete in Him*, who is the head of all principality and power._
*We must live based on this truth that we are complete in Him.* We need faith to see the truth because the facts of life stand in the way and tell us that the facts and the truth are not synchronising. We then begin to lose faith in the truth.
*As we pray for healing over each other in the body of Christ, we must pray from the standpoint of faith in the truth.* It is for God to bring harmony between truth and fact. The secret is continuing to live by the truth, regardless of whatever may be happening in the realm of facts.
Peter was operating in the realm of truth. _Matthew 10:8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. *Freely you have received, freely give*._ This was God’s word for him and he obeyed.
We too as the church must operate in the realm of truth and extend healing to each other, encouraging each other to remain based on truth and not look at the facts and become anxious. In doing so, we are building one another in the life of faith in Jesus.
The fact about Aeneas was that he was paralysed and had been bedridden for eight years. Did Peter look at the facts and become anxious? He could have. We would have but Peter was moving based on truth.
Peter was already living based on truth and that is why when he encountered this situation, he was not perturbed. In a simple way he extended the healing of Jesus to this man. *Our life too must always be lived based on truth* and then when opportunities present themselves to extend healing, we will function naturally and extend God’s healing into the situation.
We have freely received and we must freely give healing. Healing is not from us for us to ration it out. We are no one to deny healing to anyone. Healing is from God and He is good to the just and the unjust. _Psalms 145:8-9 The LORD is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy. (9) *The LORD is good to all*, And His tender mercies are over all His works._
Sometimes, the Lord may not give healing to those living by the truth. The fact of their condition may remain.
This is where the Lord is teaching us the lesson of His grace. _II Corinthians 12:7-10 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. (8) Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. (9) And He said to me, *"My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."* Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (10) Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. *For when I am weak, then I am strong*._
The Lord is teaching us to be reliant on His strength. When we are weak, we can understand His strength. ```Paul is therefore able to rejoice in His weaknesses for He lived on this truth that it was God’s strength that made him complete.```