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These small group Bible studies of Acts 9:32-43 contain commentary, discussion questions, and practical application. Visit our library of inductive Bible studies for more in depth inductive studies on this and other books of the Bible you can use in your small group.

Acts 9:32-43 Bible Study – God’s Power At Work

Outline

I. The healing of Aeneas (32-35)
II. Dorcas is raised from the dead (36-43)

I. The healing of Aeneas (32-35)

Discussion Questions

• Why was it significant that Aeneas was paralyzed for 8 years?
• How do you think it impacted his faith to be healed after all that time?
• What do we see from verse 34 about the source of Aeneas’ healing?
• What quality does Peter show when he commands Aeneas to be healed in Jesus’ name? How can you show boldness for the Lord in your life and ministry?
• What actions did Aeneas have to do to receive this healing?
• How would it have been difficult for a paralyzed man to attempt to rise?
• What may have happened if Aeneas refused to rise?
• Why was it important to make his bed?
• Is it important for us to make our beds? Why or why not?
• How did the people of Lydda respond to the healing?
• Why are miracles often effective in reaching people for the gospel?
• Since they are often effective, why does God not do them more often?

Cross-References

John 5:8-9 – Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked.

Acts 3:6 – But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!”

Jeremiah 17:14 – Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed;
save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise.

Psalms 147:3 – He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

Verse by Verse Commentary

1. Peter went here and there –

The task of the great commission was not easy. Jesus said, “Go.” That required energy, dedication, and activity. In this passage, we see that Peter was actively obeying Jesus’ commands to take the gospel to the world.

Application – Are you “staying” or are you “going?” The more we get up from our couches, leave our homes, and move through communities, the more opportunities we will have for outreach.

As he went, he “found a man” who was bedridden and paralyzed. The wording indicates that Peter was taking the initiative to look for ministry opportunities. It is not the picture of a man just killing time and doing his own thing before being approached and asked for help. This is how outreach goes.

How many times have people knocked on your door and asked you to help them or share the good news with them? This is a very rare event!

We should be going out to serve in the church and community. Look for opportunities to build God’s kingdom.

Seek and you will find.

Matthew 7:8 – For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

2. Aeneas as paralyzed and bedridden for eight years –

Acts 9:33 – There he found a man named Aeneas, bedridden for eight years, who was paralyzed.

The case looked hopeless. The longer the time after an injury without recovery, the less likely a recovery will happen. Here is a man who was already without hope of ever walking again. He was stuck in bed. Aeneas could not easily work for a living. He must have largely relied on others for support, which is not an easy situation to be in.

This story reminds us not to lose heart. God sees. He knows the struggles we face. He has the power to intervene. But even if He does not, we can trust that He is sovereign and knows what He is doing. Nothing is too difficult for Him. Just because things appear to be stuck and not moving does not mean that they will remain so.

Application – Take heart. Your situation is not hopeless. What difficult situation do you need to take the Lord to ask for His grace and intervention?

3. Peter’s faith and boldness –

Acts 9:34 – And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed.”

In this phrase, we can learn something about Peter and something about the Lord. Firstly, we see that Peter is very bold. He has total confidence that the Lord will indeed heal Aeneas. There isn’t any doubt, hesitation, or equivocation. Peter believes 100% that Aeneas will be healed.

Reflect – How could Peter be so confident?

Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit who must have revealed to him God’s desire to heal this man. The strong faith he displayed was a natural result of a close relationship to and dependence upon the Lord.

Jesus talked about faith that moves mountains.

Matthew 17:20 – He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”

I have enough faith to ask God to heal people, but as of yet not enough to command or declare that people are healed.

Reflect – How could a person have that level of faith?

I believe a person can only have the type of faith that Jesus is talking about if God has given that person some type of knowledge. We could only have faith to declare that a mountain be moved if moving the mountain serves God’s purposes and He has shown us that He is going to move it.

We cannot declare from Scripture that God desires to heal every person. There are many people even within the pages of Scripture who are not healed. Therefore we should not unilaterally declare God’s healing upon every sick person we meet, though we should pray for them.

If the Holy Spirit revealed Himself to me and commanded that I pronounce His healing on a person, that would be a different case. I believe that Peter, the apostles, and the prophets sometimes had this experience.

Application – Be bold to do the things that God has commanded us to do. If we are not sure, pray.

4. The source of the healing –

Peter said, “Jesus Christ heals you.” Peter did not have the power to heal anyone. He clearly recognized and stated for all to hear that Jesus was the power and source of healing.

Application – We should always give the glory to God rather than trying to keep it for ourselves.

Not everyone does this. Many pridefully exalt themselves. Muhammad Ali, for example, said, “I am the greatest. I shook up the world! I am the prettiest thing that ever lived.” He routinely said things like this. Ali did not recognize that his physical talent was because God created him that way. Neither did he give God credit for giving him opportunities to advance his career. It was all about himself. He used his grand stage to lift himself up.

That is a clear contrast with what Peter does.

Reflect – Has God given you a platform? How can you use that platform to glorify Him?

5. Rise and make your bed –

This seems to be a very simple command. But if you think about it in context, it is quite difficult. Will a person who has been paralyzed for years attempt to walk? They would have given up long ago. To even make such an attempt would require first believing that it was possible.

On multiple occasions, Jesus commanded the lame or paralyzed to “rise.” Peter here follows that same model.

Matthew 9:6 – But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.”

Jesus normally gave some action points to those whom He healed. Sometimes He asked them to declare their desire to be healed. Other times, He told them to “rise.” Although Jesus did the healing on His own, He didn’t want them to be passive. Taking action would be beneficial to their own faith and demonstrate that faith through obedience.

Aeneas demonstrated his faith in God by obeying Peter’s instruction even though many would have scoffed at the very idea of getting up.

From this, we learn two key lessons.

Firstly, God wants us to be active as He works in our lives. Yes, we are the clay. He works in and changes us. Yet at the same time, we are to respond to Him. A person should never just pray for patience, do nothing, and then expect God to intervene in the midst of their laziness and miraculously transform them.

Philippians 2:12-13 – Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Reflect – Has God ever asked you to take a step of faith before you could see what He was doing?

Immediately, he obeyed. Immediately, he was healed.

6. Make your bed –

It is important to be tidy!

II. Dorcas is raised from the dead (36-43)

Discussion Questions

• What kind of person was Dorcas?
• Why does Luke highlight her good character?
• What other important Biblical events take place in an upper room?
• Why did the disciples in Joppa call for Peter? What were they expecting of him? What does this show us about them?
• Why were the other ladies showing Peter garments that Dorcas had made? What can you see about their relationship with Dorcas?
• What does the many people gathered and weeping show you about Dorcas?
• What might your friends say about you after you pass away?
• Which miracle of Jesus does Peter seem to copy?
• Why did Peter put the people out of the room?
• What lessons can we take away from this event?
• Would you feel confident to attempt something like this as Peter did? Why or why not?

Cross-References

Mark 5:39-42 – And when he had entered, he said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. But he put them all outside and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was. Taking her by the hand he said to her, “Talitha cumi,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement.

Psalms 112:6 – For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever.

Verse by Verse Commentary

1. Dorcas was full of good works and charity –

Acts 9:36 – Now there was in Joppa a disciple named Tabitha, which, translated, means Dorcas. She was full of good works and acts of charity.

Luke takes care to highlight Dorcas’ good character and charity work. This was a woman who was well-liked and respected by her peers. She was involved in the community.

2. The disciples sent two men for Peter –

Acts 9:38 – The disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him, urging him, “Please come to us without delay.”

If Dorcas was not cherished by her friends, they would not have made the effort to go get Peter.

The disciples did urge Peter to come. Why?

Dorcas was already dead. However, it seems that they wanted more than for Peter to join the funeral. They did indeed desire for Peter to raise her from the dead. Going to ask Peter for help, even if it was a “Hail Mary” attempt, demonstrated a deep faith. They believed that resurrecting Dorcas was possible. This shows us what they thought about God. Some only sing words like “Nothing is too difficult for thee.” They believed them.

William Carey once said, “Believe great things of God. Attempt great things for God.”

Reflect – Is there something difficult that you need to believe God for?

3. A legacy of a life well lived –

Acts 9:39 – All the widows stood beside him weeping and showing tunics and other garments that Dorcas made while she was with them.

Dorcas was popular and had a well-attended funeral. These mourners were not simply putting on the motions. They were genuinely grieved about her passing.

In the book Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, he tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge. Scrooge is a miserly and stingy fellow. On Christmas Eve, a ghost of Christmas Future shows Scrooge his own funeral. There are no mourners. No tears.

One said, “It’s likely to be a very cheap funeral, for upon my life I don’t know of anybody to go to it.”

Another responds, “I don’t mind going if a lunch is provided.”

After his death, people moved in to steal and sell off his stuff. One went as far as to take and sell the curtains of the bed where he died.

Reflect – If you were to die tonight, what legacy would you leave behind?

Dorcas left behind her charity, service, mourning friends, and beautiful things garments she had created. It was a life well lived. She made a positive impact on others.

It would be a shameful thing to leave our short time on this earth without having used it well. I hope that my funeral will be full of people’s lives who I have impacted in some positive way for eternity. I hope that many people, starting with my family, will share testimonies of how I influenced them for the Lord. It is not a desire for praise, but a hope that my life was lived meaningfully. Most importantly, I would love to hear the Lord say, “Well done, good and faithful, servant. Enter into the joy of your master.”

Proverbs 10:7 – The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.

Ecclesiastes 7:1 – A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of birth.

Application – We should not wait to start leaving a positive legacy until our time is almost up. Every day, our candle burns a little lower. Every day, opportunities are gone that will never return. Let us redeem the time one day at a time. What are some things you can start doing today to impact those around you for the Lord?

4. Dorcas is raised from the dead –

Acts 9:40 – But Peter put them all outside, and knelt down and prayed; and turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up.

Peter closely followed what Jesus did when he raised up Jairus’ daughter in Mark 5:39-42.

They both put the crowds outside, took the hand of the deceased, and gave a command to arise.

Peter was present at that miracle and clearly was paying attention. He followed the model that Jesus gave. That is what disciples do. They follow.

5. Many believed in the Lord –

Acts 9:42 – And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.

Unlike the miracle with Jairus’ daughter (Mark 5:43), the news of this quickly spread. The result was that many believed in the Lord. This could only spread if people shared the testimony.

Application – When you witness a blessing of God in your life, share it! By sharing what God is doing, we can build one another up in faith.

To end the time today, can you share a testimony of God’s work in your life?