One of the key principles that made Paul so successful was that he had very clear values and was not afraid to articulate them to others, both in word and in his letters. He never deviated from those values. Here are a few that stand out:
“I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself.” In this statement there is no trace of self-centeredness or selfish ambition. Take for example Paul’s words in Philippians 1:21; “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” He places all his value in Christ as his life, and if death came his way, which it nearly did on several occasions, it would be victory. “If only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” Paul received a very clear mandate to preach the gospel to the gentiles and he was determined to be faithful to that call. He knew the call had come from “the Lord Jesus” and what he must do with the call; “to testify to the gospel of the grace of God”. In a sense, your call and mine is no different according to Matthew 28:19-20. In addition to being faithful to the call, Paul was bent on finishing this “course and the ministry that I received”. The American dream is to retire wealthy and end your years having a good time. I can’t find a chapter and verse for such an idea. This does not put treasure in heaven. Paul pressed forward to receive a reward from “the Lord, the righteous judge” (2 Timothy 4:8). Will you run the race and finish with Christ and His calling as your ultimate value? Let Paul be your model!
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We saw in Acts 14:23 that Barnabas and Paul “appointed elder for them in every church, with prayer and fasting” in new church plants. From the end of chapter 15 through chapter 20, Paul and Silas return to the churches that were planted and made sure they are established and strengthened in the faith. When we come to chapter 20:17-21, there is a unique training of the elders that Paul implements. Let’s go through these verses which pinpoint the key principles that Paul used. Here again, I challenge you to study the Scripture along with me.
Each trip to Asia brings me closer to the heart of God. I marvel at the way He works to accomplish His purposes in and through the people He loves.
When we met Brother B. in April 2014, it seemed like just another common meeting until something significant happened. He leaned forward with focused interest, expressing through a translator his desire to see God’s Plan for the Church taught throughout Vietnam; but it was when he asked for us to pray for him that everything began to change in ways none of us could ever calculate. His passion became prayer, and God began giving Him strategies and favor with other leaders. God reminded me once again during this trip that the power of Pentecost invaded a prayer meeting. THEN the Great Commission of Christ became the Great Mission of the Church. (Acts 1:14; 2:1-11) In Cambodia I was amazed how God broke through confusion and obstacles to do His work His way. I was reminded that the early church in Acts had obstacles far greater than I have ever known, but nothing was too hard for the Lord. God’s passion for the nations cannot be stopped because Jesus promised, “I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:9). Since hell itself cannot defeat God’s Plan for His Church, why should I allow small trials to affect me so much? In Thailand I hear the words of our Lord, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40). May God’s Plan for His Church multiply through a people who are forgotten by most, but never neglected by Jesus. (Randy) Arriving in Vietnam to the broad grin and big hug of Brother B., I knew this was going to be a full & fruitful trip. It was two years ago this month (April) that Tim and I met and prayed for Brother B., and so much has happened since. He has led hundreds of people through God’s Plan for His Church, and it is a joy to serve him as he tirelessly reaches out to his entire nation.
We trained 30 pastors and leaders in a city about 1 hour northeast of Ho Chi Minh City. About half of these will finish our training program in July and most of the remainder will complete it in December. Along with our daily study, we had powerful times of prayer for God’s work to reach unreached people groups. During breaks, I heard the testimony of how entire families came to Christ through amazing works of God. After three very full days near Ho Chi Minh, we traveled up to a city in the middle of the country. With only four hours rest, we began training 20 leaders. Many of these will complete their final plans for church multiplication in July. One pastor shared how years ago God healed him after a severe accident, and he inspired the group to give every effort to apply God’s Plan. (Randy) As we saw yesterday from Acts 14, God is at work. We ask that you pray with us for the multiplication of His work so the gospel is received by unreached people groups. I have usually been inspired by the stories missionaries bring back from their work in the field. They make me feel connected to what God is doing in other parts of the world. This is exactly what the apostles did when they returned to Antioch, the church that commended them to “GO”.
“And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.” (Acts 14:27). Do you notice how their report centered around what God had done, not asking for more money and support for building projects? I am not saying that these things are wrong in themselves, but they do not hold the same value of work in souls, and “opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.” Careful examination of the Early Church reveals that there was rapid growth and expansion, even beyond the walls of the Jewish church. As it penetrated Gentile territory, God raised up workers and messengers (apostles) who would continue to push into new territory. The Holy Spirit gave them a unique strategy that left behind strong churches even as they moved on to new fields. These churches became self-supporting, self-sustaining, self-governing and self-propagating. Observe the following key steps in their strategy.
“Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers” (Acts 13:1). We saw yesterday that Barnabas and Saul spent a whole year teaching in this church where “many people were added to the Lord” (11:24). The other leaders that emerged were being taught in the church, not sent back to Jerusalem or some Bible School. As we will see later with Timothy in chapter 16, the most effective training occurs as persons are working side-by-side with others in ministry.
What difference would it make to know that we are set apart for the Holy Spirit and His work? In this blog we will look at the character of Barnabas that qualified him for being sent from Jerusalem to see what God was doing in Antioch and the surrounding area. It is rare that a church today will look at a person’s qualifications before they are sent out on the mission field to evangelize and plant churches. It is more common that as long as the person(s) ‘feel called to the mission field’ we think they must be sent. As you study the references below, it is important to compare these key principles with what your church does today. Ask if changes need to be made so that those sent are going with a divine sending because they are qualified.
What does Scripture mean to be “a good man and full of faith”, and can that be said of you? The fall-out of Stephen’s stoning in Acts 7 is increased persecution of the church. If we look carefully at the following chapters, we see a divine intent in using the scattered church to be driven into Gentile territory where they preached the gospel and new churches were planted.
Would you be this type of person the church might send on such a mission? If not, why not? This is where we must let the Word of God be applied to ourselves by the Holy Spirit and make changes. In the next few blogs we will look at Barnabas’ proven character, sending, and qualifications. There will be some words I will leave blank because I want you to pick up your Bible and look for the key word and principle that fits this apostle. At the end of each blog will be a question or two that is intended to compare what you see in these leaders with what you see in the church today. The hardest question will be how you will apply the key principles to yourself.
Barnabas’ proven character:
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