[The Good Deeds and Charity of the Holy Spirit]
Acts 9:36-43
We are Gods temple. We have to be able to die for faith to reveal Jesus, the Master of the temple. Even if we scatter, our numbers can be multiplied and we can grow with the great joy, great power, and great authority. The growth leads us to organize our bodies and spirits and then to the good deeds and charity of the Holy Spirit which we will look into today.
First, we have to be disciples. Tabitha had two different names. Her Greek name was Dorcas which indicates that she was a Hellenistic Jew. She was passionate in doing good deeds and helping others she was a devoted woman with a beautiful heart. Wooridle Church also helped others by donating to the needy among this COVID-19 crisis.
Tabitha was called a disciple. A disciple only speaks of the Word of God as a follower of Christ. Living by the Word means that we die and that Christ lives. A disciple follows Jesus way which is full of harships. Whoever wishes to take that path would be treated fairly regardless of the backgrounds. To be more precise, even if they are treated unfairly, they would not be affected by it. Tabitha accepted the Gospel and became a disciple and only a disciple like Tabitha could do good deeds and charity properly.
Second, those who despair in their sin do good deeds and charity. It was said that about that time she always did good and helped others, she became sick and died. The passage took turns in using both names of Tabitha. When Peter came, all the widows honored Dorcas good deeds and showed him robes and clothes, valuables at the time, which she made for them they cried for her. Tabitha lived a good and beautiful life that many people truly felt sorry for her death and grieved for her. Therefore, a death can be considered a touchstone for a precise assessment of life on the earth. It might seem that God brought her to life again because of her good deeds and charity which is not right. We have to be careful in reading and interpreting the Bible. We have to be careful about man receiving glory.
In Matthew 18, there is a story of a servant. He was forgiven for his debt, 10,000 talents, by his king. He received such a great grace. But then, he threatened his friend who owed him hundred talents and put him in jail because for not paying back. When the king heard about this, he removed his grace on the servant and put him in jail till he could pay off all the debt.
The ten thousand-talent-debtor did not forgive the hundred-talent-debtor. When the sin resides in us, it will lead us to death, the result of sin when disobedience blocks us from forgive others, death will consume us. The resentful and hateful heart disturbs our life. Being merciless makes us our life miserable. We all are forgiven for our debt of ten thousand talents. How distressful would we be if our sin weighs as much as ten thousand talents? Tabitha knew she was forgiven for ten thousand talents and that made her to do good deeds and charity. She continuously had things to share but she never could take credit for her actions because of her mindset of a debtor. Apostle Paul must have been in distress whenever he thought of Stephens death. Grace makes us realize that we are forgiven. We are forgiven for ten thousand talents, and we just have to obey the Lord whenever He calls us. God could give us sickness and death as a prize for our good deeds and charity. We could just die in a day. Tabitha must have lived every day was her last day, making herself to do much of good works and charity.
It will be easy to do good and help others if we think that we are forgiven for ten thousand talents. What is the good deed in Matthew 18? Forgiveness is the best good deed. Jesus said to forgive seventy times seven. If we are aware of the fact that we are forgiven for our ten thousand talents debt, it will be easy to forgive because we are not the ones to forgive. Even if we see the countless sins one has committed, we could forgive anything. We will be able to forgive anything singing, amazing grace, how sweet the sound. Forgiveness is the best revenge. Doing good deeds is the work of salvation. There is nothing more beautiful than work of salvation. The joy and endurance of the ten thousand-talent-debtor are the biggest good deeds, and we will know that we are not the ones to take the credit.
Third, God gives us the eternal life as a gift. How would people react upon our death? Even though Tabitha was sick and widowed, people had to know that she lived a heavenly life on the earth and that she already had the eternal life. So, people placed her upstairs and asked Peter to come at once. They believed in resurrection. And there were disciples who knew that she was a woman of faith. Luke kept emphasizing that Jesus rose her up from death. A believer only conveys Gods power, and Peter showed Gods power through himself, it was not his work. The key message in chapter 9 is that people turned to the Lord. Peter did two big miracles in Lydda and Joppa, healing a paralyzed and bringing dead back to life, and this work resembled Jesus ministry. Jesus already had told that whoever believes in Him would have the same power as He did. Therefore, we must have faith in everlasting life without feeling angry and resentful even if we get sick or hurt.
Conclusion, we as disciples must not take credit for the true good deeds and charity of the Holy Spirit. And as much we repent on our sin, God will give us the eternal life as a gift both on this earth and in heaven.
