Journey Through The Bible
     Old Testament Reading: Exodus 32-34
     New Testament Reading: Acts 9

Peter got up and went with them. When he arrived, they led him to the room upstairs. And all the widows approached him, weeping and showing him the robes and clothes that Dorcas had made while she was with them. Peter sent them all out of the room. He knelt down, prayed, and turning toward the body said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, saw Peter, and sat up. He gave her his hand and helped her stand up. He called the saints and widows and presented her alive (Acts 9:39-41).

In chapter nine of the book of Acts is a story that most Christians are very familiar with, the story of the conversion of the Apostle Paul. Then, in chapter ten, Luke records the taking of the gospel to the Gentiles for the first time in the wonderful story of the conversion of Cornelius. How important the tenth chapter of Acts is to all Christians who are not direct descendants of Abraham.

Tucked in between these two marvelous sections of scripture is this wonderful brief story of this very important, dear lady Tabitha, also known as Dorcus.

Often in the church, we view the people who teach or preach as being most important. Those that lead and direct the ministries of the church must certainly be more important to God than the average Christian. As we read through the New Testament, we see the Apostles Peter, John, and Paul as being far more significant and essential to the church than the multitudes of people following Christ.

But that is not the way God sees. The most important functions are the ones we don’t often see. The most important ministries are the ones we often don’t even know who performs them. Don’t ever think, “Oh, I’m just the dirt underneath the toenail the body of Christ. I don’t have an important job to do”. Scripture teaches us that every single job in the church is important!

Here in the ninth chapter of Acts is this story about Peter. He was in Lydia, and the Christians called him to come to Joppa because a lady had passed away. Her name was Tabitha, or as Luke points out, in Greek, her name was Dorcas.

When Peter went there, he went to the upper room where her body was. Many came and told him she had a ministry in the community sewing clothing for them. They were showing Peter all the different clothes that she had made that they were wearing. They were poor widows. They didn’t have clothes unless Dorcas made the clothes for them. And God, through Peter, raised her from the dead so she could continue her ministry in that church.

Two chapters earlier in Acts chapter seven is the story of Stephen, a deacon of the church and an excellent teacher who knew scripture well. His defense of the gospel is the longest recorded sermon in the book of Acts. He was martyred by stoning, but God did not raise him from the dead. Instead, Jesus stood up and welcomed him into heaven.

A couple of chapters later, in Acts twelve, the Apostle James was killed. He was the first apostle to be martyred. God never raised James from the dead. In fact, not one of the twelve apostles was raised back to life when they died.

Yet here is this humble servant sewing clothes and God thinks Dorcas’ ministry to the church was so important that she needed to continue to do it. More essential than the deacons, more significant than the apostles, because she had a special ministry to the poor widows that no one else was taking care of.

The Apostle Paul said that God has put the body of Christ together, giving greater honor to the less honorable. The parts of the body we think are weaker are indispensable to God, and the unrespectable parts are treated with greater respect. It doesn’t matter what your ministry is, every single ministry in the church is important.

Remember Dorcas. Though she was but a seamstress, she gave her talent to the Lord and used it in such a manner that her good works lived after her. There is no such thing as an unimportant ministry.