As

Luke tells the story of the mighty acts of God in and through his

church, he wants to make sure that we understand the ongoing work and

ministry of God’s people. The story of Ananias and Sapphira has led

to death and fear, but it is not the end of the story, and all is not

lost.

The

ministry of Jesus through his body, the church, goes on. One way that

Luke highlights this continuing work is in the ministry of healing.

Just as Jesus was known as a healer, the apostles became known for

their work in healing. And many people who were sick and tormented by

spirits were healed.

While

we may not be living in a time when an apostle’s very shadow brings

healing, we do live in a time when we are still called to bring

people who are ill and troubled before the church for prayer—and,

specifically, prayer for healing. The apostles did not heal. They

were agents of healing by the power and in the name of Jesus.

Notice

that while many people brought their loved ones to the apostles for

healing, there is a note that some people did not dare join the

believers who met together in Solomon’s Colonnade. May we not be

people who do not dare to join, but may we instead be drawn even

deeper to the church that continues to proclaim the message and

ministry of healing in the name of Christ, our Savior.