SERIES
Acts: Empowered to Extend
2018-01-21T08:00:00-06:00
3:1 The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. 2 Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, 5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.
8 Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. 9 They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. 11 Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. 12 Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. 13 For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.
14 I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, 15 if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. 16 Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness:
He was manifested in the flesh,
vindicated by the Spirit,
seen by angels,
proclaimed among the nations,
believed on in the world,
taken up in glory.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright (c)2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. http://www.esv.org
Dorcas is dead. That's the reality the disciples are facing. She was full of good works and acts of charity. She made beautiful garments with her hands, and she made the Lord look beautiful with her life. But now she's dead. Her body has been washed and laid in an upper room. For Dorcas, it's over. It's hopeless. And who would disagree? Apparently, the disciples. They send an urgent call for Peter to come. What do they think Peter will do? He has never raised a dead person to life. Perhaps they're hopeful in his close friendship with the One who is the Resurrection and the Life. When Peter arrives, he immediately feels the impact of Dorcas' life and the sting of her death. The clothes are a tangible reminder of the power of her life. The tears are a heartbreaking reminder of the power of death.
If you were Dorcas' friend, what would you have done? If you were Peter-summoned to come-what would you have done? The question is not as hypothetical as it may seem. We're surrounded by apparently hopeless situations. Situations where a sound thinker would say, "It's over." Situations where we're all tempted to say, "Dorcas is dead. There's nothing we can do. Let's just move on." On Sunday we talked about the sanctity of life and the horror of abortion. But the specter of hopelessness haunts us when we consider the hatred and division we see across our nation. The siren call of despair rings out wherever we find ourselves enslaved and see no way of escape. It's not an academic question: What do we do when Dorcas is dead?
Like Dorcas' friends, do we come together and make a plan? Do we grieve the apparent victories of death that terrorize us personally and corporately? Do we summon the courage to do something bold? Like Peter, do we agree to go, even when we don't have experience raising the dead? Do we go with a joyful confidence, not in ourselves, but in the risen Lord Jesus Christ? Do we silence the chaos and create a space to kneel and pray that the Lord will do what seems impossible to us? Surely, the Lord is the Hero of the story, but He delights to involve His people in His life-giving work. What if Dorcas' friends lose hope? What if Peter doesn't come? In a hopeless world, where is the Lord calling us to bear witness to the power of the resurrection? Death was not the last word for Dorcas; neither shall it be for God's people.