Good morning, church. Good morning. Hey, it's great to be with you and just excited to spend some more time with you in the Word. We continue our study on the book of Acts. We're in the second part of Acts chapter 9 today.

Earlier in the story, during the Gospels, and as we know that Luke and Acts are written by the same author, so if we just kind of rewind the story, early in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus calls these 12 disciples. A bunch of them are just ordinary Joes. Some of them are fishermen. Peter is one of those. They're fishing on the Sea of Galilee. They're casting their nets, trying to pull in fish. Jesus says, follow me. They leave their nets behind, and they begin this life of literally following him.

But wherever he walked, they walked. Wherever he spent the night, they spent the night. They watched, and they listened. They asked some really dumb questions. He taught them. He shaped them. All during those years in a process called discipleship. He was the teacher, the rabbi, the master. They are the student, the disciple, seeking to learn the ways of Jesus.

Now, 200 years before Jesus, there's a rabbi or teacher who said these words, which are recorded in the Mishnah. And he says, "Let thy house be a meeting house for the wise, or the sages. This is like a word that's used before the word rabbi comes into common use. Let thy house be a meeting house for the wise, and powder thyself in the dust of their feet, and drink their words with thirstiness."

Maybe sometimes you've heard the phrase, "May you be covered in the dust of your rabbi." This is actually the original wording here and where we find it in the Mishnah. And the image is sitting at the feet of the teacher. There could be sitting in a chair where they would teach, and people would sit at the feet, and the dust from the rabbi's feet might kind of get onto them.

The other image of it is that they're walking so closely behind the master that they're trying to, as the master's walking and talking down the road, they're trying to listen carefully, so they want to stand so close they can hear what the teacher is saying, and the dust that would be kicked up from their feet is getting onto their clothing.

And the idea of wishing that somebody would powder thyself in the dust of their feet means you're so close to them, hanging on every word that your clothes get dirty from the dust of their feet. And all that time, he says, "drink their words with thirstiness." Thirsty for knowledge, for wisdom, for understanding.

Now, what's the ultimate goal of the disciples' education? Is it simply to know more stuff? Is the end of education simply to be transformed from someone who knows little to someone who knows much?

School just started up all across the country. Kids are back in school. And I guarantee you, in every math class in America, some kid is raising their hand, "Teacher, why do we have to know this stuff?" Right? They want to know, "Will trigonometry actually be needed in my life, or is it just endless, pointless progression of useless information?"

And the teachers are going to scramble, trying to connect the subject to life. "Maybe someday you'll be an engineer or a scientist, and you're going to need this." And all the kids groan.

I'm curious, how many people here are using trigonometry in your daily life? You're up to me. Yes, fantastic. Okay, there is a reason. I see a few raised hands, right?

But education is not ultimately just a futile exercise meant to just sort of keep your head getting bigger. We're trying to expand thinking. We're trying to be prepared for life.

Whatever it is we're learning, we want to be prepared for life. And the education of a disciple is not simply learning information. The goal, the ultimate goal of the disciple who's getting covered in the dust of their rabbi, is for them to learn to live like the rabbi.

How does the rabbi pray? How does the rabbi understand scripture? How does the rabbi respond to challenges and threats? How does the rabbi treat various kinds of people? How does the rabbi live a life to honor God? How does the rabbi live out the law?

And the goal is that one day the students would live a life that looks like the teacher's life.

All year in 2025, we're studying two books written by the same author. First, Luke, which he calls the disciples. Then we have the cross, the resurrection. Now we're in the book of Acts, where Jesus has ascended to the Father, and the disciples are to live out now what they have learned in those years of falling behind Jesus.

And the cool thing we see in Acts is this bumbling group of disciples that were always putting their feet in their mouth and asking dumb questions. They are now looking like the master.

And the couple of stories that we're going to look at today in Acts chapter 9, we're going to see examples of disciples looking like the master that they have studied.

I invite you to stand for the reading of God's word from Acts 9:32.

"As Peter traveled about the country, he went to visit the Lord's people who lived in Lydda. And there he found a man named Aeneas, who was paralyzed and had been bedridden for eight years."

"Aeneas," Peter said to him, "Jesus Christ heals you. Get up, roll up your mat."

And immediately, Aeneas got up. All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.

Lord, we just pray you'd open your word to us. Help us to hear from you. In Jesus' name, amen. Please be seated.

So I want to show you a map just to kind of orient you. Hopefully, if you can't see here, you can look up on the screen.

So here we have Judea, Samaria, Galilee up there. And some of these lines show what we've been studying.

A couple weeks ago, we looked at Philip, who went up and worked with Samaritans. Samaritans came to faith. God sent him down on a road toward Gaza, and he encountered the Ethiopian eunuch, who came to faith and went back to Ethiopia.

A week ago, we were actually way up north of here in Damascus with Saul. And Saul, the persecutor, who wasn't satisfied with persecuting Christians here, he went way up to Damascus trying to persecute there. But the Lord called him to faith and told him he's going to be an ambassador to the Gentiles.

This week, we are looking at Peter. And so the blue line here is Peter traveling. He's been in Jerusalem. When the persecution broke out under Saul, the apostles didn't leave. Other people left, but the apostles stayed in Jerusalem. And now he ventures west.

So now here's the first town. The passage I just read, which we're going to study first, is here in Lydda, and it's going to reference Sharon. Sharon's not a different city. Sharon is here, referring to the coastal plain—this whole area of the coastal plain west of Jerusalem.

So he's going to come to Lydda. Something's going to happen here where people in the coastal plain, here at the miracle, come to faith.

In the second story, he moves on to Joppa, which is a port city, mostly occupied by Jewish people. That has to do with the Maccabean history, and I don't want to go into all that, but it's mostly Jewish people.

Next week, he's going to travel to Caesarea, another port city, which is mostly Gentiles.

So we're preparing for this massive expansion of the gospel beyond just the Jewish people, who are mostly here in Judea and Galilee, and it's beginning to broaden out.

From Caesarea, something's going to happen next week, which will launch this big Gentile mission. But you can see Peter's getting closer—closer to where the center of the Gentiles is. The gospel is moving west as Peter travels, visiting the Lord's people.

There's already Christians living in these areas.

Now, the geography is important for a couple of reasons. First, it's just how the church grew, what the disciples were doing. It's bringing the church in Jerusalem into closer proximity with Gentiles, or non-Jews.

And it sets up what's going to happen next week. But I can't spoil and tell you what happens next week because David's preaching—I don't want to steal his thunder. Okay, so don't read ahead.

In today's scripture, Peter's traveling in that western region. And the first person he encounters is this guy named Aeneas. Now, it's important to pronounce it that way—Aeneas. He's been paralyzed for eight years.

Here's a significant detail: this is not the first time Peter has encountered a paralyzed man.

I'm not referring to Acts 3, where he encounters a man who is lame and is healed—that's actually two different words and medical terms.

This word "paralyzed" specifically appears in only one other place where Peter encounters a paralyzed man, and that's back in Luke chapter 5.

Luke chapter 5 is the same chapter where Peter is called as a disciple. So he's called as a disciple. There's a miracle about fishing, another miracle, and then the third miracle—still in that same chapter—it's right after Peter starts following Jesus, he sees his master encounter a paralyzed man.

He's standing there with him, watching, trying to learn the ways of his master. And this is how he sees Jesus engage with a paralyzed man.

We'll read that in Luke chapter 5:

"He said to the paralyzed man, 'I tell you, get up, take your mat, and go home.'"

"And immediately, he stood up in front of them, took what he'd been lying on, and went home praising God."

Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, "We have seen remarkable things today."

No kidding. It's a pretty remarkable thing to see.

I'm sure that made a big impression on this brand-new disciple Peter, right? He's like, "Whoa, look what Jesus can do." This guy I'm following, my rabbi, can make a person who's paralyzed get up and walk. That's unbelievable.

So he learns that Jesus has miraculous power. He also learns that Jesus has great compassion for people who suffer.

Like many teachers, Jesus was walking right by the paralyzed man, passing beggars on the street, passing by those in need.

And this disciple was trying to learn the ways of the master. It's like, "Oh, wow, this master stops, sees the hurting person, expresses compassion, looks directly at them, notices their pain, and cares for both their spiritual and physical needs."

This particular story in Luke 5 is actually about Jesus in a house, where four men carry their friend, break a hole in the roof, and lower him down.

Jesus is not annoyed—he sees him, talks about his spiritual state, heals his physical state, and all the people praise God.

Now, years later, he's living as a sent one—an apostle, to be a sent one—representing Jesus in the world.

He encounters a situation similar to what he saw the master do.

Back in Acts 9:32:

"As Peter traveled about the country, he went to visit the Lord's people who lived in Lydda. And there he found a man named Aeneas, who was paralyzed and had been bedridden for eight years."

"Aeneas," Peter said to him, "Jesus Christ heals you. Get up, roll up your mat."

And immediately, Aeneas got up.

All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.

He shows compassion for the paralyzed man, calls him by name, announces healing, and the people come to the Lord.

There's one key difference between what Peter does and what Jesus does.

When Jesus heals, he does so by his own authority. He's like, "I tell you."

Peter says, "Jesus Christ heals you."

Jesus Christ heals you. And the power of the Lord works even in that moment.

In this miracle, I think it's important to mention that not every paralyzed person in Lydda or Sharon was healed that day—only one.

For every miraculous healing in the Bible, we need to understand that many others are not healed immediately. They have to wait for the hope of restoration in heaven.

And these miracles did not happen every day, even in Acts.

Think of social media—your friends posting their highlight reels.

They seem to be traveling in Europe, in the coolest coffee shops, their kittens doing amazing things, living fantastic lives.

But if you look at the dates, there's often long gaps—75 days or more—where nothing post-worthy happened.

And on those days, we look at others' highlight reels and feel miserable.

The same happens with Scripture. Sometimes I read a miracle story and think, "Wow, I wish I saw more miracles in my life."

Or I wonder, "Why does it always happen to someone else?"

That's why I pointed out the huge time gap in Paul's life—"after many days"—which turns out to be three years.

Luke didn't think there was much interesting to post about three years of Paul's life.

There's another span in Peter's life, as seen in Acts 9:43:

"Peter stayed in Joppa for some time with a tanner named Simon."

So after these miracle stories, he hangs out with Simon the tanner for a while.

We tend to think, "Let's move on to something more exciting," but Luke includes these details because life is often ordinary.

The key point is that these miracles are signs—signs that Jesus is still active and working.

Most days are normal, but God works through moments of extraordinary power.

Another miracle in this chapter is the raising of Tabitha, or Dorcas in Greek.

In Joppa, there was a disciple named Tabitha, which means gazelle.

I'll just call her Tabitha because Dorcas sounds like "dork." Sorry if anyone here is named Dorcas.

She was always doing good and helping the poor.

She became sick and died. Her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room.

When the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to urge him, "Please come at once."

Peter went with them, and when he arrived, he was taken upstairs to the room.

All the widows stood around him crying, showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.

Why that detail? What's the deal with the robes?

When you first read it, you might think they’re mourning her style or clothes. But no.

The widows are among the most vulnerable—supporting widows was one of the earliest ministries of the church.

They are showing Peter the clothes she made for them—beautiful garments crafted by her own hands, out of her resources, her time, her skill.

They are dressed in her handiwork, a testament to her love and service.

This reminds me of our church's ministry called Crafters for Christ.

Women gather, knit, crochet, and make beautiful things to give to those in need—babies, the homeless, prisoners.

One woman shared how a blanket made by Crafters for Christ was the only thing she owned in jail, and she still sleeps with it years later.

Crafters for Christ are like modern-day Tabithas.

God bless you for your work.

Many here are living out their discipleship in practical ways—living like Jesus, noticing pain, loving others, even if it’s not in a miraculous way.

May we live so that people see Jesus in us and miss us when we’re gone.

Lord, we thank you for your Word, for your example, for all the disciples who have gone before us.

We ask that you move among us, work in our lives.

Most of all, we thank you for Jesus.

In his precious name, we pray. Amen.

Hey, thank you for being here today. We’d love for you to come back every week.

If anyone needs prayer, we have a prayer team right here—you can walk up and tell them anything, and they will pray for you.

Everyone online, there's a QR code you can use to submit a prayer request, and we will pray for you.

I also want to share a message from Nancy Appleby:

Ron, our dear brother, has been on hospice and went to be with the Lord last night at 10:40.

Please keep praying for the family.

I visited Ron a couple of days ago. I would have loved to do something miraculous like Peter—say, "Rise," and have him walk.

But sometimes, what we’re given is this:

Because of Jesus’ power and resurrection, we know that one day Ron and all our loved ones in Christ will rise—not just temporarily, but to eternal life with resurrected bodies.

We long for that day.

While the miraculous may not be open to us, Tabitha’s ministry is.

We can love and support those who have lost loved ones—pray for Nancy, for others.

That ministry of Jesus is always available for us to do.

If you're new, we’d love to meet you. Stop by the hospitality table labeled "New Here."

There are many ways to get involved—at those tables in the back, you can let us know you're interested.

You're invited to give financially to support the church’s work, and to serve in various ways.

Now, receive this benediction:

And now, may the power of Jesus Christ and the God who raised Him from the dead be at work in your mortal bodies, giving you new life, a new spirit, a new chance.

May the love of God, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you now and forever. Amen.

We'll be right back. Thank you.

Subject: Living as Disciples: Imitating Christ's Compassion and Love

Dear Christ Community Church of Milpitas,

I hope this email finds you reflecting on what it means to be covered in the dust of our rabbi, Jesus, as we seek to live like Him.

Last Sunday, we continued our journey through Acts chapter 9, seeing how Peter, once a bumbling disciple, now steps into the role of the master he followed. We looked closely at two stories—Peter healing Aeneas, a man paralyzed for eight years, and raising Tabitha from the dead—both powerful examples of living out Jesus’ compassion and power. These miracles remind us that while extraordinary moments are signs of God’s work, much of discipleship happens in the ordinary, faithful service to others, just like Tabitha’s loving care for widows. As we watch Peter imitate Jesus, we are invited to consider how we too can live so closely behind our Master that we are marked by His love and grace.

I want to encourage you to ask yourself: How close am I walking behind Jesus? Am I learning not just His words but His heart—how He notices pain, how He responds with compassion, and how He serves others in practical ways? Miracles may not happen every day in our lives, but the call to live like Jesus, loving and serving those around us, is always present. Let’s be disciples who don’t just know about Jesus but who live like Him, so that people see Jesus in us and miss us when we’re gone.

Blessings,
Christ Community Church of Milpitas Team