I think back to the beginning of the Church with gratitude for the precise timing and way that God brought people into the Church uniquely gifted for what God was going to do. Though he was not one of the twelve disciples or an apostle, God put it into the heart of Luke to acquaint himself thoroughly with the growth and movement of the Early Church. He “followed all things closely for some time…to write an orderly account”(Luke 1:3) and must have had a special relationship with Paul. As we read the Book of Acts, his use of the word “we” which tells us that Luke was there at the beginning and in most of the situation Paul went through.
When Paul is writing his last letter from prison, he makes the comment that “Luke alone is with me” (2 Timothy 4:11). What a faithful brother! Luke never drew attention to himself, yet he played such a vital role in documenting accurate details and remaining with Paul as his companion and perhaps personal physician. This raises the question regarding the role God has given us. Are we content with the ministry given us by the Holy Spirit and are we faithful in it? Others may seem to be more in the spotlight, but is our humility evidence that we are content in serving where God placed us?
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Some people are very involved in cooking, learning new receipes or trying to outdo one another with baked goods. Even the disciples were concerned that they and others did not have enough to eat. When Jesus proposed to feed four and five thousand people, they almost laughed at the idea of using “five loaves and two fish” (Matthew 14:13-21). The amount was not an issue.
When they passed through Samaria, Jesus began speaking with a woman at a well, but the disciples left him to go into the village and buy food. When they returned, they said, ““Rabbi, eat.” But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” So, the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work” (John 4:31–34). This should challenge our priorities. It is not wrong to provide and enjoy good food, but Jesus was making a point that His life was not governed by material needs or wants. If we are honest, we place far too much emphasis on things that do not have eternal consequences. WHAT WOULD YOU GIVE UP TO DO GOD’S WILL? ARE THERE THINGS HE HAS GIVEN YOU TO DO AND THEY ARE NOT FINISHED? Our human nature bristles at the word “command.” We like to be in control of our own lives and think that we are ‘little masters.’ In this short blog, I want us to consider the example we see in Jesus and how He accepted the authority and commands of His Father.
“I have not spoken on My own authority, but the Father who sent Me has Himself given Me a commandment--what to say and what to speak” (John 12:49). Another example is; “I do as the Father has commanded Me, so that the world may know that I love the Father” (4:31). Notice the detail of the Father’s commands. Jesus never had a problem with authority. There is a reflexive principle in the authority that Jesus accepted from the Father; “As You sent Me into the world, so I have sent them into the world” (17:18; see also 20:21). We would not hesitate to say that Jesus’ ministry was totally effective and finished everything the Father sent Him to do. Since that was true of Him, why should not we accept His authority over us and do what He has commanded; “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). The how and where instructions come after we are obedient in our hearts. Paul was not looking for an argument with the Jews in Rome. He was “compelled or constrained” by God’s love for them to explain “the hope of Israel” (Acts 28:20) and the “kingdom of God” (23). A quick read of Romans 9:1-5 is a powerful and convincing evidence of Paul’s yearning for the Jews to accept the light of the gospel. Imagine saying about your concern for others, “I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers”(9:2-3).
This special servant was not worried about how his head would be cut off. The salvation of others was of primary importance, making comforts and the end of life hardly worth any consideration. At the same time, when these Jews “disagreed among themselves” about what Paul was saying, he left them with a prophetic condemnation from the prophet Isaiah because he cared. F. F. Bruce says Paul’s “life and ministry were so entrusted to the Lord that he took everything that befell him, both squalls and stalls, as from God. Experience had taught him to trust in the Lord’s providence and to lean on the Lord’s promises.” (Commentary on the Book of Acts). Can you say the same? How strongly we view the gospel and God’s Word will determine how we use each day God gives us right to the end. Remember the parable of the talents (minas) in Matthew 25:14-30? We have been entrusted with a message that has eternal consequences. What are doing with it? Joseph and Tim met with some leaders from the Quechua Church in Quito, Ecuador who are hungry and desperate to be taught accurately the Word of God. They want to launch the Spanish GPHD among the leaders of many churches. We believe this could spark a fire among the largest minority tribal group of 2.5 million people. They want to do it as soon as possible. Tim is willing to return when everything is ready to launch.
As they are together this week, they have spent time reviewing the Spanish material to make sure every word is translated correctly. Part of their passion is that nothing would distract or hinder what God wants to do there. We see the potential for a powerful movement of the Spirit when persons are so dedicated to His work of reaching the lost and unreached. Will you join us in praying for this work? Only God knows how far-reaching this could be throughout Central and South America, Spain and the Caribbean, and even here in the USA. I urge you to get involved, first through prayer. If our hearts are burdened with what is on God’s heart, we will find the present and eternal reward of fellowship with His work. Though I have been confined to home today because of illness, I was still able to complete my reading and time with the Lord. It was no less inspiring than any other day.
It’s not often you hear or read of a prisoner taking charge of a crisis and protecting the lives of guards, convicts, and crew. That is what Paul did. At the beginning of this storm in Acts 27:14-44, the owner and pilot of the ship paid no attention to Paul (27:11). As the situation got worse, another element is introduced that no one experienced except Paul. “This very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and to whom I worship, and He said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul, you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you” (23-24). With such clear and divine communication, Paul takes charge of the remainder of the voyage and there is no life lost, only the cargo and the ship. In this process, Paul is concerned about their mental health (“take heart”), their physical wellbeing (“take some food”), their safety (“unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved”), and he continually assures them with authority. The clear thinking and purity of motive we see in Paul is a model we must follow. We never know when God will place us in this type of circumstance, and we need to be ready to fulfill His purpose. Bad circumstances may be God’s auditorium for a captive audience. In one of our training modules, God’s Plan for His Church, we often ask the question; do you have a Paul, Barnabas or Timothy in your life? This comes after going through all of Paul’s letters and discovering the value of these relations he had with Barnabas, Timothy and many other wonderful persons who stood by Paul and those he mentored. We need the same relationships.
“The next day we put in at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him leave to go to his friends and be cared for” (Acts 27:3). After reading Acts 27:1-12, I want to ask the question, do you have a Julius in your life? Paul was a prisoner being transported by guards from Caesarea (Judea) to Rome, Italy, because he appealed his case to the emperor, Caesar. Julius was not required to treat Paul kindly. I have no doubt he saw in Paul a different character than in other prisoners. A “Julius” is someone that God puts in the right place at the right time to provide our needs for just one occasion and then they are gone. There is no other connection with them except that the circumstances put you and the “Julius” together just for that moment and then they and you move on. We need to thank God for Julius’ in our lives. They are God’s undeserved appointment. In my quiet time this morning I was deeply convicted by Paul’s word to King Agrippa; “I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision” (Acts 26:19). While we know that he was referring to his encounter with the Lord on the road to Damascus, it has a very strong application to all of us no matter how we were brought to Jesus as Savior.
What if we do not obey? In addition to our call at conversion, we have all been called to “go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation” (Mark 16:15). Are we obeying that command even were we live? This reminded me of a comment by Roland Allen; “I wonder what would happen if we all went “into all the world” in the places where we were born or to which the Spirit might carry us, receiving a world-wide Spirit and expressing a world-wide Spirit wherever we might be.” (Essential Missionary Principles, page 20.). Would there be any place left that had not heard the gospel? This requires that we give freedom to the Spirit to give us this “world-wide” mindset. He is the missionary Spirit sent from the Father at the request of Jesus now sitting at the righthand of God. When He has liberty to work in us, THE WORK WILL GET DONE! There are times in our lives and ministry we may wonder whether certain events are worth the time and trouble going through them. In most cases, we cannot see ahead or know what God is going to do with our sacrifices, sufferings, or when we felt our circumstances were pointless.
In reading Acts 25:1-12, I wondered if Paul’s appeal to Caesar is an escape from the Jews or was it a means of pushing the gospel westward? Many had been converted and these disciples were already in Rome and Paul’s letter to the church helped establish them in the gospel. Would it be important for Paul to go there? I would say “Yes” for several reasons. Paul knew the Jews were bent on his death and his work was not finished. To get out of Jerusalem was prudent. Acts 19:21 shows that Rome was always his plan after the work in Asia was finished. After Rome, he was thinking of Spain (Ro. 15:24, 28). These were no trivial ideas to Paul. His plans were a wonderful blend of his own determination and the leading of the Holy Spirit. Festus and Caesar were just pawns in the hand of God to accomplish His purposes that were established before the ages of time. How different our lives would be if this motivation became the way we thought and planned our lives! For Paul, the bent of his life was that the gospel spread to the “ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8; 20:24). This was Paul’s aim and every decision calculated reaching it. What am I aiming for? What are you aiming for in life? If it does not have eternal consequences, it will end up being NOTHING! This is affirmed by Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:10-15. Be sure to read this passage before answering. Tim was thinking this about what is happening in Ecuador and other places around the world, including Africa and Vietnam. God has allowed us to get a glimpse of what happens when we point His Sheep to the sufficiency and authority of His Word and the Holy Spirit. What is taking place can only become true when we decrease ourselves and increase Christ (John 3:30).
We must learn to go into places with the gospel and our training tools and get out as quickly as possible. This can only be done by trusting Christ and the Holy Spirit to do the work, not man. We really believe this indigenous growth and disciple-making cannot happen if we stay or live in these places for extended periods of time. Little did we know the extent of what is happening in Ecuador, and other places, after sowing the Seed and casting His Bread upon the waters. The pivotal key has been that we exalt Christ, boldly proclaim the Authority and Sufficiency of His Word and trust the Lord to do the work. After observing some, although they have, and are planting many churches after completing GPHC, our discernment is that they strategize and organize a movement that increases and makes too much of themselves. This is a danger and something we should avoid at all costs. It is far more effective to join God where He is working than to assume we know what to do and work without Him. If we do the latter, we exalt ourselves and rob God of His glory (Malachi 3:8). |
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