Updated:- Monday, November 6th, 2023
How Did Simon Glorify God?
Today we are going to learn how to glorify God from Simon Peter.
What do your conversations say about glorifying God? Who has turned to the Lord because of your faith in him?
In this Bible Study, Simon Peter shows us how to glorify God. Take note for we could learn much from him.
I am traversing the Book of Acts through weekly Bible studies. Now, I am at Acts 9:32 and I’m going on to verse 43 today.
Last week, I examined how God converted our enemies into our friends. Here is a link to that Bible Study.
But today, I shall investigate the impetus for Peter’s behavior in two instances in Acts 9.
What Is The Glory of God?
I have written about the glory of God. Click the link and read about it!
Now let’s continue with our Book of Acts Bible Study. I always read from the King James Version of the Bible. It’s the only version I use.
I like it and think that it is the true Word of God. I did a Bible study concerning that too and I shall leave a link to it in the description below this one.
So, as we do this Bible study we’re realizing that the church is in its infancy, but it’s growing.
Now, in our last study, the focus was on Saul of Tarsus. However, this week, it has shifted to Simon Peter. so let’s start, Acts 9:32.
“And it came to pass, as Peter passed throughout all quarters, he came down also to the saints which dwelt at Lydda.”
Acts 9:32
How Does The Lord Get Glory Through This?
So Peter was visiting all the Believers in a region and finally, he arrived at Lydda.
“And there he found a certain man named Aeneas which had kept his bed eight years, and was sick of the palsy.”
Acts 9:33
Why does the Scripture inform us of the time Aeneas was crippled? It’s important! Nothing we read in this Word of God is trivial or it’s an oversight.
Everything here has importance.
In this instance, the Lord wants us to know that it was well established in Lydda that he had been sick for so many years.
So, everybody in Lydda knows that Aeneas was crippled. This wasn’t news. That’s why the Scripture tells us that he was sick for eight years, everybody knew.
Peter Shows Us How To Glorify God By Doing This!
Now the purpose of that is that what’s going to happen here must go to the right source.
What Peter is going to do must be channeled to the right source, you will see what I mean as I continue.
The glory of what Peter did for him belongs to the Lord and not Peter. He didn’t make him walk again, the Lord did.
Note how Peter made that abundantly clear, listen as I read.
“And Peter said unto him Aeneas, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole: arise, and make thy bed. And he arose immediately.”
Acts 9:34
Why did Aeneas get up instantly?
He heard Peter’s words of wellness, that’s one reason, because he believed the words that Peter spoke to him about Jesus Christ, and he obeyed him.
Peter told him, “Aeneas get up and make your bed.” He heard it, he believed it and he got up.
This might sound like something simple, but for somebody who has not walked for eight years, this is tremendous.
Simon Peter Uses This Simple Method To Glorify God!
If he never believed Peter, he would have done nothing. You cannot believe that Jesus is the only begotten son of God and do nothing with that knowledge.
You must share that knowledge with somebody, you can’t keep it to yourself, and that is exactly what Apostle Peter did.
He shared his knowledge and his faith in Jesus Christ with Aeneas and it healed him.
People who believe in Jesus Christ demonstrate that they do, by their actions relevant to him.
This is exactly what Peter did, he told Aeneas, “I believe that Jesus makes you well, if you believe this, demonstrate it.”
This is basically what Peter said with those words. I believe that Jesus can make you well now. Do you believe this?
What Do We Do When We Believe Something?
If you believe this, get up and walk. Therefore he exhibits the only proof of faith, your actions relative to those words.
I could tell you how Jesus nailed all your sicknesses and all your diseases to his cross and that you are healed, but you could only show that you believe this by what you do, or what you do and say next.
“And all that dwelt at Lydda and Saron saw him, and turned to the Lord.”
Why?
Healing Power of Jesus Christ!
Because they knew how long he was ill and how he got well, by believing in the healing power of the name of Jesus Christ.
Simon Peter spoke his faith in Jesus to him and he believed, received, obeyed, and experienced wholesomeness.
Yes, he experienced wholesomeness. So Peter, by saying to him, “The Lord makes you well”, is glorifying God.
He’s not taking the credit or the praise for him walking again. He said, “The Lord makes you well.” So this is how Peter glorifies God.
Okay, let’s continue.
Head Over To The Forums!
I know that you could comment below this Bible study, on any concern that you may possess, about this or any topic, and I encourage you to do that freely.
However, I know many visitors to YouTube will not comment because they don’t want their profile pictures displayed with it.
As a result, I desire that you click through to my forum. The secure URL is atotheword.com/community. Head over there and ask any question on this Bible study or any other topic from the Bible.
Your Communications
That is a private space. Your communications are not censored and you could ask any question on any Bible-related topic, anonymously.
I’m in the forums daily and shall answer all your questions. Alright, let’s resume.
Now we are at another incident where Peter is going to do as he did with Ananias, he’s going to glorify God in this instance.
“Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did.”
Acts 9:36
How To Glorify God By This Simple Method!
So she was beloved and she was very good at helping people.
As a disciple of Jesus Christ, your goal should be to attain a place where everything obeys you and everyone, and I mean that.
Anything you speak to will obey you. Anyone you speak to will obey you, and you don’t have to speak to them directly you know, you can speak to them without them knowing.
Oh, it’s marvelous, but yes, that should be our goal, because only then will you demonstrate power with God.
When you speak to inanimate objects, objects that don’t have life, and they obey you, that’s awesome.
Speak To Anything!
Do you remember that the Lord spoke to everything and anything? Jesus spoke to the wind!
He spoke to the waves. Christ spoke to the tree. He spoke to the dead.
Jesus of Nazareth spoke to the devils and he spoke to people.
Oh! Yes, we are made in his image and we can do as he did. We can speak to everything we encounter in this life, good and bad, living or dead.
We can, and they will respond but to get to that place where we speak to things and people and they obey us, it takes knowledge of the Word of God.
We just can’t just get there at that point, nope, it doesn’t happen like that.
Simon Peter Speaks to The Dead!
“And it came to pass in those days, that she [Dorcas] was sick, and died: whom when they had washed, they laid her in an upper chamber.”
Acts 9:37
And because of the Jewish tradition, when a person dies that person is buried within 24 hours. So, Dorcas died and they washed her and put her in an upper chamber, and let’s continue.
And you should be aware that as a Believer in Jesus Christ, you could speak to situations like sickness and it obeys you. Oh, it might sound scary but it is true.
“And forasmuch as Lydda was nigh to Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent unto him two men, desiring him that he would not delay to come to them.”
Acts 9:38
Lydda Close To Joppa
So Lydda was situated close to Joppa. The saints there heard that Peter was there and they sent two men to him requesting that he should come to Joppa with all speed.
It may have gone something like this, Dorcas has died but if Peter comes she will live again; or Dorcas has died but if Simon Peter was here she wouldn’t have died.
That’s similar to how these saints were thinking about Simon Peter.
It’s not that they held him in such high esteem you know, they held him in great esteem as a representative of heaven and of God and they knew that he wields the power of the Lord God.
They Wept & Lament
“Then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: [where the body was] and all the widows stood by him weeping, and shewing him the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them.”
Acts 9:39
Note how different Peter’s behavior is from theirs. They were weeping and lamenting and declaring that she is no longer with them.
But Peter seemed unmoved by all this.
“But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up.” .
Acts 9:40
What did he pray about? There are all sorts of teachings on this that he prayed for the dead. We don’t know what he prayed about directly or exactly, because the scripture doesn’t tell us.
But we could hazard a guess. I’m going to tell you what he prayed about. One thing we know, he didn’t pray for the dead.
“And he gave her his hand, and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive.”
Acts. 9:41
Many Believed In The Lord!
“And it was known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.” Acts 9:42.
Now, why does the Bible reveal that many believed in the Lord? Because of Peter’s faith in God they turned to God.
They believed in God because of what Peter did. His faith affected them to the point that they believed.
In this case, what Peter said didn’t glorify God, but his actions glorified God, and this is what many people make a big fuss about.
First, he removed himself from the complainers, therefore he put them all out. Jesus did a similar thing when he resurrected a young girl!
Next, he kneeled and prayed to his God, and this glorifies him, for in a crisis who does Peter seek out first?
What Did Peter Pray About?
The Lord God, the counsel of the Lord, and this is why I said I can hazard a guess as to Peter’s prayer. Peter knelt and prayed. He might have said, Lord, I know your words, I know your teaching because you taught us what to do.
I am going to stand on your Word and declare as you have taught me and this is what he did next.
Then he spoke to the dead as Jesus had told him to do. Jesus had taught them how to speak to the dead, and what to do.
Freely You Have Received Freely Give
In Matthew 10:8 he said,
“Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils, freely ye have received, freely give.
Matthew 10:8
And Simon Peter had experience with Jesus speaking to situations, to trees, he was with Jesus when Jesus spoke to the fig tree and it dried up, and he said, “Lord how soon has this tree dried up.”
And the Lord said to him, “If you have faith like a mustard seed, you’re going to do the same.”
So Peter is only doing what he saw his Master did.
He spoke to Tabitha and she got up and stood up.
Conclusion
Now let me conclude. Above we observe Apostle Peter’s actions and in both instances, he had one motivation to glorify the mighty and precious name of Jesus Christ.
One of our main duties as believers in Jesus Christ as the only begotten Son of God is to glorify him. However, one of the most popular methods to do this is in our conversations.
Say for illustration, you saw a friend while shopping and she asked how are you doing? Your former employer is downsizing and recently made your position redundant.
So, now you’re unemployed. Instead of complaining about that, see through the eyes of faith and speak prosperity, and glorify God with your words.
Tell her that God has promoted you because He has provided a better job for you and the next time you see her you will tell you all about it.
I guarantee you that the next time you see her you will have a fantastic story to tell her because the Lord will honor your words.
Because of This – The Children of Israel Did Not See The Promised Land
Never a complaint about anything, never, because of complaining the Children of Israel didn’t see the promised land, and they didn’t make it into the promised land.
Only two from that, not even Moses made it. But it’s not because Moses complained why he didn’t make it, but the general populace of the Children of Israel didn’t make it because they complained in the wilderness against God. And this is why we must never complain as Christians.
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
Are You Called According To His Purpose?
This is not for everybody, it’s not for everyone, but for those, that love God and to them who are called according to his purpose.
But if you know in your heart that you love God and you’re called, that is for you. I tell you that the Devil sends people every time you receive a Word, to snatch it from your heart.
They shall come complaining with their negative talk. But you need to be able to identify them when you hear and see them.
Then you need to counteract their negative talk with talk of faith and glorification for the name of Jesus Christ. It’s important to glorify God.
How Could I Give To The Lord The Glory Due To His Name?
“Give unto the Lord, ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.”
1 Chronicles 16:28-29
And that’s what 1 Chronicles 16:28-29 glorifies. So when we glorify God, we worship him, we speak good things about him, uplifting things, things of faith and love.
Yeah, we make him bigger. People say negative things. Oh, you got a word from God? Somebody come and tell you? Do you believe in that? I say yes, I believe in the living God, he has never failed me yet.
In closing, this week I want you to glorify God each time you are tempted to complain. Find something positive and faithful to say about your situation and about the Lord God. Glorify his name in everything that you do.
God bless you and have a great day. The blessings of the Lord are on you and if He wills, I’ll see you in another Bible Study. Bye!
