Latest / INSIGHT FOR LIVING: Biblical Wisdom For Everyday Living / The Jagged Edge of Authentic Ministry │ Msg 1022 (1)

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The Jagged Edge of Authentic Ministry │ Msg 1022 (1) · INSIGHT FOR LIVING: Biblical Wisdom For Everyday Living

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Speaker 1: I want to read some selections out of the 13th
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Speaker 1: and then the 14th chapters of the book of Acts.
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Speaker 1: If you'll turn, please. We'll sort of follow along through
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Speaker 1: this first journey Paul took with Barnabas. Or Barnabas took
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Speaker 1: with Paul, however you prefer to say it. Let me
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Speaker 1: just sort of pick excerpts through this. May I do that?
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Speaker 1: Acts 13, 1. Now there were at Antioch in the
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Speaker 1: church that was there prophets and teachers, Barnabas and Simeon,
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Speaker 1: called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene and Manan, who had
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Speaker 1: been brought up with Herod the Tetrarch and Saul. By
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Speaker 1: the way, this Saul is the same one as Paul
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Speaker 1: the Apostle. His name is changed according to verse 9
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Speaker 1: from Saul to Paul. Now back to verse 2. While
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Speaker 1: they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy
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Speaker 1: Spirit said, Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for
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Speaker 1: the work to which I have called them. Then, when
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Speaker 1: they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them,
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Speaker 1: they sent them away. If you like marking your Bible,
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Speaker 1: you can put right above verse 4, beginning of first journey.
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Speaker 1: With verse 4, we begin the first of several missionary journeys.
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Speaker 1: So being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went
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Speaker 1: down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus.
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Speaker 1: When they reached Salamis, they began to proclaim the word
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Speaker 1: of God in the synagogues of the Jews. They also
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Speaker 1: had John as their helper. Verse 6, when they had
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Speaker 1: gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they
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Speaker 1: found a magician, Jewish false prophet, whose name was Bar-Jesus.
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Speaker 1: By the way, that means son of Jesus. Interesting, this
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Speaker 1: false prophet named himself the son of Jesus, who was
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Speaker 1: with the proconsul Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence. This
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Speaker 1: man summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the
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Speaker 1: word of God. Verse 12. Then the proconsul believed when
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Speaker 1: he saw what had happened, being amazed at the teaching
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Speaker 1: of the Lord. Now the journey continues. Verse 13. Paul
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Speaker 1: and his companions put out to sea from Paphos, and
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Speaker 1: they came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them
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Speaker 1: and returned to Jerusalem. But going on from Perga, they
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Speaker 1: arrived at Pisidian Antioch. And on the Sabbath day, they
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Speaker 1: went into the synagogue and sat down. After the reading
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Speaker 1: of the law and the prophets, the synagogue officials sent
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Speaker 1: to them, saying, Brethren, if you have any word of
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Speaker 1: exhortation for the people, say it. That was a little
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Speaker 1: like telling... a bulldog to Sikkim because Paul at that
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Speaker 1: moment stood up and he preached all the way down
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Speaker 1: through verse 51. He is delivering the goods and let's
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Speaker 1: begin at verse 52. And the disciples were continually filled
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Speaker 1: with joy and with the Holy Spirit. They have now
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Speaker 1: come through that area all the way to Iconium and
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Speaker 1: in Iconium they entered the synagogue of the Jews and
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Speaker 1: and spoke in such a manner that a large number
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Speaker 1: of people believed, both Jews and Greeks. Persecution follows, and
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Speaker 1: then they move on, verse 6, to the cities of Lyconia, Lystra,
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Speaker 1: and Derbe, and the surrounding region, and they continued to
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Speaker 1: preach the gospel at Lystra. They preach, and verse 19
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Speaker 1: tells us of what happened to Paul at Lystra. Jews came.
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Speaker 1: From Antioch and Iconium, having won over the crowds, they
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Speaker 1: stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing
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Speaker 1: him to be dead. While the disciples stood around him,
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Speaker 1: he got up and entered the city. The next day
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Speaker 1: he went away with Barnabas to Derbein. And then they backtrack.
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Speaker 1: Verse 21, they returned, the end of the verse says,
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Speaker 1: to Lystra, Iconium, and to Antioch. Verse 24, they passed
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Speaker 1: through Pisidia and came into Pamphylia. When they had spoken
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Speaker 1: the word to Perga, in Perga they went down to Atalia,
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Speaker 1: that's the coastal harbor, and from there they sailed back
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Speaker 1: to Antioch where they started. Notice their response when they
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Speaker 1: got back home. When they arrived, verse 27, and gathered
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Speaker 1: the church together, they began to report all things that
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Speaker 1: God had done with them and how he had opened
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Speaker 1: a door of faith to the Gentiles. And they spent
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Speaker 1: a long time with the disciples. See that reference to
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Speaker 1: opening a door of faith to the Gentiles? That was
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Speaker 1: the beginning of your and my forefathers' hearing of Christ.
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Speaker 1: the door opened from the Jews and reached out now
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Speaker 1: to the Gentiles. What an amazing message of grace, which
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Speaker 1: seems appropriate for our day, but in that day it
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Speaker 1: was altogether unique. May we pause for just a few
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Speaker 1: moments of prayer. You bow with me, please. Thank you, Father,
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Speaker 1: for the honor you give to your word and for
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Speaker 1: the way you bless its proclamation, whether in the first
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Speaker 1: or 21st century. whether from someone as gifted and capable
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Speaker 1: as Paul or someone as needy and in deep dependence
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Speaker 1: on you as I. Thank you, Father, for the way
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Speaker 1: you honor the proclamation of truth. We pray that if
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Speaker 1: we gain nothing more today than a reminder of the
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Speaker 1: value of the word of God, We pray that that
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Speaker 1: will be cemented into our hearts, that we will hear
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Speaker 1: of the hope it offers, that we will gain courage
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Speaker 1: from its truths, that we will be lifted above the
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Speaker 1: drag of grudges and offenses and disappointments and misrepresentations of
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Speaker 1: this day, and we will be able to see clearly
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Speaker 1: how precious your word is and how appropriate and relevant
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Speaker 1: it is for the times in which we live. Thank
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Speaker 1: you for those who leave today to begin another year
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Speaker 1: at college, at their university. We pray that you will
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Speaker 1: go before them and be with them in a special
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Speaker 1: way and use those who know you to make the
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Speaker 1: message known in dorms, in sorority and fraternity settings, in
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Speaker 1: places that right now they have no idea where they'll
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Speaker 1: be used. We pray you would encourage all the students
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Speaker 1: who began their schooling this year. And tomorrow, as they
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Speaker 1: begin their classes, we pray that you would go before them,
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Speaker 1: strengthen them, encourage the parents, and make this a grand
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Speaker 1: new school year for all of them. And we as
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Speaker 1: a church, our Father, find ourselves again dependent upon you
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Speaker 1: for blessing and for provision. And we wait upon you
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Speaker 1: for that. Our Father, you have begun this ministry. You
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Speaker 1: are sustaining it by the gifts of your people. And
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Speaker 1: even today, we pray that you will cause us to
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Speaker 1: be generous in our response as we give out of
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Speaker 1: the abundance of your many provisions. Thank you for the
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Speaker 1: privilege of hearing the preached word. May your spirit ignite
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Speaker 1: this time together as we center and focus our attention
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Speaker 1: upon yourself. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask this.
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Speaker 1: And everyone said, amen. Well, in case you've forgotten, we're
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Speaker 1: engaged in a study, a biographical study of the life
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Speaker 1: of Paul, known in some circles as St. Paul. And
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Speaker 1: often there are stories that swarm around his life that
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Speaker 1: are legendary and mythological and sometimes fascinating and eye-opening, but
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Speaker 1: often those aren't truthful. And that's why we focus our
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Speaker 1: attention on the biblical account of Paul, not only because
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Speaker 1: we will always get the truth when we turn to
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Speaker 1: the Bible, Because God promises to bless those who spend
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Speaker 1: time in his word. He's never promised to bless those
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Speaker 1: who read novels. There's nothing wrong with a novel. He's
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Speaker 1: never promised to bless those who earn a PhD. There's
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Speaker 1: nothing wrong with a PhD. Or to go into some
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Speaker 1: special career. There's nothing wrong with any one of them.
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Speaker 1: But he has promised to bless the proclamation of his word.
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Speaker 1: So whenever you want to do a serious, truthful analysis
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Speaker 1: of any character mentioned in the Bible, that's the place
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Speaker 1: to go. You turn to the Word of God for information. instruction. Also,
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Speaker 1: you turn so your faith will be deepened. Romans 10,
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Speaker 1: 17 assures us that faith comes by hearing and hearing
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Speaker 1: by a word from Christ. And so it is when
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Speaker 1: we open our Bibles to the book of Acts that
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Speaker 1: we find again what God promises to bless. Since I've
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Speaker 1: been away for several Sundays, this is a good time
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Speaker 1: for me to affirm one strong conviction we have had
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Speaker 1: since we became a church back just a number of
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Speaker 1: months ago. All of us who founded the ministry were
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Speaker 1: committed to the expository preaching of the Bible. We said
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Speaker 1: to one another, we are deeply committed to the word
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Speaker 1: of God not reacting against something else or someone else,
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Speaker 1: but when we've established a place of ministry, at the
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Speaker 1: heart and center of that ministry will be the faithful
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Speaker 1: and uncompromising, consistent teaching of the scriptures. That's why earlier
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Speaker 1: I thanked those who stood here in my place while
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Speaker 1: I was away because they are so committed to that.
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Speaker 1: And I love that. I was, while I was away,
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Speaker 1: able to catch up on some reading, and one of
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Speaker 1: the pieces I read was an article found in the journal,
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Speaker 1: the theological journal that has been a part of Dallas
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Speaker 1: Seminary's life for decades. The journal is called Bibliotheca Sacra,
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Speaker 1: and it's Latin for the divine or sacred book. And
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Speaker 1: in Bib Sac, as we commonly call it, I came
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Speaker 1: across a wonderful article called The Power of Biblical Preaching,
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Speaker 1: an Expository Study of Jonah 3, 1 to 10. And
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Speaker 1: because it's so appropriate for this morning, I wanted to
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Speaker 1: read it to you. A couple of paragraphs. Much of
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Speaker 1: evangelical preaching has become strangely impotent, and sadly too few
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Speaker 1: realize it. Like Samson from whom the spirit departed without
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Speaker 1: his knowing it, many pastors seem to have little awareness
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Speaker 1: that God's power has vanished from their once dynamic pulpits.
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Speaker 1: Rather than preaching with renewed fervor, they are preoccupied with
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Speaker 1: pouring their energies into secondary strategies, such as pursuing the
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Speaker 1: latest church growth programs. alternative worship styles, and corporate marketing
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Speaker 1: plans to build their churches. While some of these augmentations
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Speaker 1: may have a place in the church, the crying need
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Speaker 1: of the hour is for divine power to be restored
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Speaker 1: to evangelical pulpits. He adds, at the heart of this
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Speaker 1: crisis is a lost confidence in God's power to use
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Speaker 1: his word. While many hold to the inerrancy of scripture,
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Speaker 1: some pastors do not seem convinced of its sufficiency when
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Speaker 1: preached to bring about God's desired results. They reason that
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Speaker 1: biblical preaching is outdated, archaic, and irrelevant. In some churches, drama, dialogue,
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Speaker 1: film clips, and similar means are taking the place of
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Speaker 1: solid Bible exposition. These are not necessarily bad in themselves,
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Speaker 1: but expository preaching should never take a backseat to these
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Speaker 1: secondary means of communication. And then he concludes, at least
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Speaker 1: from my reading, pastors would do well to revisit the
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Speaker 1: ministry's of God's servants in the scriptures, and heed their
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Speaker 1: examples as proclaimers of God's word. He is so right.
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Speaker 1: When you go to the scriptures to look for models,
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Speaker 1: you find those whom God blessed in special ways were
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Speaker 1: those who were committed to and faithful about the proclamation
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Speaker 1: of his word. Classic example is, of course, Saul of
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Speaker 1: Tarsus when he was converted. And with that in mind
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Speaker 1: and without hesitation, let me ask you to open your
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Speaker 1: Bibles again to the 13th chapter of the book of
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Speaker 1: Acts as we continue our study of the life and
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Speaker 1: times of Paul. While you're finding your way there, let
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Speaker 1: me do a little review. Remember Saul The Saul we
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Speaker 1: have studied for several messages already. The first glimpse of
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Speaker 1: him is at the end of chapter 7 and the
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Speaker 1: first part of chapter 8 where Stephen is being stoned
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Speaker 1: and Saul is standing alongside in hearty agreement with putting
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Speaker 1: him to death. In fact, the clothing of those, the
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Speaker 1: outer tunics of those who were stoning Stephen were placed
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Speaker 1: at the feet of young Saul, the Pharisee, as he
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Speaker 1: watched the act with a smile. If that wasn't bad enough,
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Speaker 1: by the time you get to chapter 9, he is
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Speaker 1: fully engaged, leading the charge of persecution against Christians. And
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Speaker 1: if you wanted to band yourself up with those or
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Speaker 1: join yourself up with those in the band of persecutors
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Speaker 1: of the church, you would join Saul's band. He was
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Speaker 1: the one saying, we're on our way to Damascus even
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Speaker 1: to persecute Christians. And those who live through that, we
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Speaker 1: will bring bound back to Jerusalem, put them on trial
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Speaker 1: and throw them in prison. This man was bound and
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Speaker 1: determined to put Christians away. And you know, If you
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Speaker 1: remember our study on the way to Damascus, a light
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Speaker 1: comes from heaven and blinds him. And he in a
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Speaker 1: blinded state is converted to Christ of all things. This
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Speaker 1: remarkable conversion is more than many can even believe. Ananias,
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Speaker 1: whom we don't meet again in the scriptures, comes out
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Speaker 1: of hiding and is dispatched by the Lord to go
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Speaker 1: to Saul and to have a hand in the healing
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Speaker 1: of the blindness and to probably be the one who
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Speaker 1: baptizes him and gets him underway in the Christian life.
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Speaker 1: Saul makes an attempt to break into the circle of
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Speaker 1: Christians and they don't. They doubt the sincerity of his faith.
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Speaker 1: And thanks to Barnabas, he is allowed to enter the
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Speaker 1: circle and fellowship with them. But it isn't long before
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Speaker 1: the Lord takes Saul and sends him to Arabia. Remember,
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Speaker 1: three years. Three years in hiding. What he did in Arabia,
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Speaker 1: we're never told. But we assume it was there. Revelations
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Speaker 1: were given by the Lord there. and he experienced in
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Speaker 1: the solitude and silence of the desert a whole transformation
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Speaker 1: of his inner being so that when he did finally
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Speaker 1: come to terms with his calling, he, we would say today,
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Speaker 1: hit the floor running. By the time Barnabas brings him
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Speaker 1: to Antioch, which is the place of a brand new
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Speaker 1: revival that's breaking out north, far north of Jerusalem, He's
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Speaker 1: brought in to teach and to preach, and he's being
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Speaker 1: used in a wonderful way. Now, that's where we pick
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Speaker 1: up the story. Out of the blue, something happens. Verse
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Speaker 1: 2 of chapter 13 tells us, while they were ministering
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Speaker 1: to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, set
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Speaker 1: apart for me Barnabas and Saul. Hold your place and
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Speaker 1: look back at verse 1. The first man mentioned in
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Speaker 1: the group of prophets and teachers is Barnabas. The last
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Speaker 1: one mentioned at the end of verse 1 is Saul.
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Speaker 1: So like bookends, the Holy Spirit picks the one that's
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Speaker 1: mentioned first and the one that's mentioned last, and he
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Speaker 1: puts them together and he says, I have plans for
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Speaker 1: them that I don't have for the other three teachers.
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Speaker 1: Set them apart for the work to which I have
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Speaker 1: called them. Let me pause here. and add this thought.
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Speaker 1: Entering into ministry is not choosing just another career or
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Speaker 1: selecting a profession to follow. It's a calling. And it's
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Speaker 1: so significant a calling that God makes certain when his
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Speaker 1: called ones are set apart that they get their priorities straight.
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Speaker 1: I remember when I applied for my first year at
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Speaker 1: Dallas Seminary. I was fresh out of the Marine Corps,
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Speaker 1: about 40 pounds lighter, flat top. I was lean and mean.
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Speaker 1: And I sat down in the registrar's office and Cynthia
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Speaker 1: sat beside me as we were being interviewed by Dr. Campbell,
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Speaker 1: who was Donald Campbell, who was the registrar at the time.
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Speaker 1: I remember he looked at me over the top of
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Speaker 1: his glasses and he said, young man, which is a
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Speaker 1: great thought now for me to think about, about. Young man,
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Speaker 1: would you be happy doing anything else with your life
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Speaker 1: than serving Christ? I thought about it. I'd never been
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Speaker 1: asked the question before. And I said to him in
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Speaker 1: all sincerity, no, sir. I would not be happy doing
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Speaker 1: anything but this. He told me a year later that
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Speaker 1: they would never have accepted me if I had had
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Speaker 1: any other answer. I think that's a great reminder to
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Speaker 1: all of us. If you can be happy doing anything else,
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Speaker 1: do that. Because in ministry, as we're going to learn,
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Speaker 1: there is a jagged edge that is not known by
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Speaker 1: the general public. Most folks think you work on Sunday
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Speaker 1: and hide out all the rest of the week playing
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Speaker 1: golf and fiddling around with all your buddies. And anybody
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Speaker 1: in ministry rolls his eyes and says, are you kidding?
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Speaker 1: And those out of ministry say, yeah, what's the big deal?
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Speaker 1: I mean, just you learn how to get on your
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Speaker 1: feet and talk and you got it made. I mean,
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Speaker 1: that's it, isn't it? No, that's really not it. There's
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Speaker 1: a jagged edge of authentic ministry that I'm going to
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Speaker 1: introduce you to. And it comes right out of the
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Speaker 1: chute in this first journey. that most people never think about.
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Speaker 1: Most folks never think that there are that many pressures
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Speaker 1: or that many responsibilities connected with handling the word of God.
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Speaker 1: I can tell you in brief, and now we will
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Speaker 1: see it before us in Paul's life, as soon as
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Speaker 1: you commit to serving Christ as a result of being
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Speaker 1: called to the work for which he's called you, you
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Speaker 1: open the gates of hell against you. The adversary despises
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Speaker 1: everything you love and works against everything you attempt by
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Speaker 1: the power of the Spirit to achieve. It isn't a
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Speaker 1: work of fun and games. It is a calling, however,
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Speaker 1: wonderfully rewarding and as fulfilling as anything I can imagine.
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Speaker 1: But if you can be happy doing anything else, do that.
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Speaker 1: I think at this point, Saul and Barnabas would have
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Speaker 1: said to the Lord, this is exactly what we want
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Speaker 1: to do. We want to go where he has called
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Speaker 1: us and we want to do the work he would
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Speaker 1: have us do. And they had no idea what that meant.
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Speaker 1: That's always true. You never know what's in front of you.
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Speaker 1: If you knew, you'd never go. And so in his case,
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Speaker 1: he says, I'm ready to do what the Spirit of
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Speaker 1: God directs. And the Spirit began to lead them. Now,
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Speaker 1: I want you to do something I've asked you to
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Speaker 1: do before. I want you to find a map of
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Speaker 1: the first journey of Paul. Can you do that? If
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Speaker 1: you have a Bible that doesn't have maps, you're using
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Speaker 1: the wrong Bible. You need to get yourself a Bible
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Speaker 1: that has a set of maps in the back. I
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Speaker 1: happen to use Charles Ryrie's, I've got to look on
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Speaker 1: the binding here to see what it is. Study Bible,
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Speaker 1: expanded edition of the New America Standard. So I have
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Speaker 1: a little map right in front of me at the
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Speaker 1: beginning of chapter 13. You may not be so blessed.
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Speaker 1: So you'll have to find your map in the back.
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Speaker 1: And find your map and kind of be ready to
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Speaker 1: go back and forth because I want to do a
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Speaker 1: little geographical journey with you through this first trip that
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Speaker 1: Paul took. Okay, you find the one on the missionary
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Speaker 1: journeys of Paul. Okay, look to the far right and
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Speaker 1: you will locate a place called Antioch. You'll see Jerusalem
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Speaker 1: down there in Israel. Work your way north all the
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Speaker 1: way up, almost to the turn of the land, and
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Speaker 1: you will find Antioch. That's where it all starts. Got it?
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Speaker 1: Everybody on the same page here? If you're on the
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Speaker 1: Exodus of Moses, you're not going to find Antioch. So
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Speaker 1: you've got to locate the first missionary journey of Paul.
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Speaker 1: Look at that, Esther, I can't find it. So look
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Speaker 1: at the first journey of Paul and you'll see Antioch
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Speaker 1: on the right. Okay, now we're going to go back
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Speaker 1: and forth. Look at verse 4, end of the verse.
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Speaker 1: They went down to Seleucia. Wait a minute, look on
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Speaker 1: your map. You'll see the harbor city, just to the
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Speaker 1: west of Antioch was Seleucia. Got it? That's where they
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Speaker 1: went as they got ready to get in the water
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Speaker 1: in this sailing vessel, and they sailed to Cyprus. Okay,
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Speaker 1: that's the island, the large island right there in the
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Speaker 1: northeast corner of the Mediterranean. You got Cyprus? You'll see
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Speaker 1: two cities mentioned on your map, Salamis and Paphos. That's
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Speaker 1: the first work that was done of cold turkey evangelism
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Speaker 1: in the journey, the first journey of Paul, right there
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Speaker 1: on the island of Cyprus. Why Cyprus? Barnabas was a Cypriot,
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Speaker 1: according to chapter 4 of Acts. Maybe Barnabas suggested the
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Speaker 1: first place was to go by home and make the
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Speaker 1: gospel known. Maybe he knew Sergius Paulus, who was introduced
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Speaker 1: to the Lord Jesus according to verses 6 through 12
25:06
Speaker 1: when he came to Christ. Notice verse 6 of chapter 13.
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Speaker 1: Hold your place in your map. Look at verse 6.
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Speaker 1: When they had gone through the whole island as far
25:19
Speaker 1: as Paphos. Now, it's easy for us to get sidetracked
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Speaker 1: on a lot of little details, but there were no
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Speaker 1: trams or trains, and there were no flights. They walked.
25:35
Speaker 1: How long it took them, we're not told. If they
25:38
Speaker 1: did take any kind of transportation, it would be on
25:40
Speaker 1: the back of a horse or maybe sitting in the
25:42
Speaker 1: back of a cart that was on its way. Maybe
25:45
Speaker 1: they hitchhiked to get across the island. We're not told
25:48
Speaker 1: how they got there. But they had gone through the
25:51
Speaker 1: whole island and they stopped at Paphos. And it was
25:53
Speaker 1: there they led this man, the proconsul, to the Lord Jesus.
26:00
Speaker 1: And then they left Paphos. Look at verse 13. Paul
26:05
Speaker 1: and his companions put out to sea from Paphos and
26:10
Speaker 1: came to Perga in Pamphylia. Okay, let's look again. You
26:13
Speaker 1: go north of Paphos and you will come up to Perga.
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Speaker 1: See it? Right there on the coast of the Pamphylian shores,
26:22
Speaker 1: you'll see Perga. Okay? There, many scholars believe that Paul
26:30
Speaker 1: contracted malaria. or some dread coastal disease that haunted him
26:35
Speaker 1: the rest of his life. It could be. Maybe his ophthalmia.
26:40
Speaker 1: Maybe his problems with his eyes began there. We also know,
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Speaker 1: according to the end of verse 13, they were deserted
26:47
Speaker 1: by one of their companions, John. I failed to mention
26:51
Speaker 1: at the end of verse 5, John went along as
26:53
Speaker 1: their helper. That's important. John helped carry the baggage. John
26:58
Speaker 1: would help with the cooking. John would be of assistance
27:00
Speaker 1: to these two men as they did the proclaiming, and
27:03
Speaker 1: now they lose their helper. Why John left, we're not told.
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Speaker 1: Paul and Barnabas argue about that later, and it becomes
27:11
Speaker 1: a stimulating discussion, which we'll get into at the end
27:13
Speaker 1: of chapter 15. But John left them when they really
27:18
Speaker 1: needed him, and at a time of perhaps great physical stress.
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Speaker 1: The Pamphylian coastline is rugged to this day. It's inhospitable.
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Speaker 1: It is southern Turkey, not a place where many cruise
27:32
Speaker 1: ships stop. It is not a visual feast to spend
27:38
Speaker 1: time along that rugged coastline, and it certainly wasn't in
27:41
Speaker 1: the first century, but it was there they were called.
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Speaker 1: You don't go to where it's comfortable, and you don't
27:46
Speaker 1: go where you prefer to go. You go where you're
27:48
Speaker 1: called when you're in ministry. And so the Lord led
27:52
Speaker 1: them to go up to Perga at Pamphylia. John deserted them.
27:56
Speaker 1: And then they began to work their way around what
27:59
Speaker 1: we know today as southern Turkey. So let's look at
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Speaker 1: the map. They go up from Perga, now follow your arrow,
28:05
Speaker 1: up to Antioch in Pisidia. See that? Due north of Perga,
28:10
Speaker 1: you will see Antioch. That's not the same as Antioch
28:13
Speaker 1: where they started, of course. Same name, different province, different country, really. Now,
28:19
Speaker 1: from there, they go across due east, east-southeast, to Iconium, Lystra,
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Speaker 1: and Derbe. While they are in Lystra, a fascinating thing happens.
28:32
Speaker 1: Let me go back for a moment to this chapter,
28:35
Speaker 1: chapter 14. I want you to see it. Look at 1422.
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Speaker 1: After he had removed... He raised up David to be
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Speaker 1: their king. Paul is preaching this message concerning whom he
28:53
Speaker 1: also testified, said, I have found David, the son of Jesse,
28:56
Speaker 1: a man after my heart. I'm in the wrong chapter.
28:58
Speaker 1: Isn't that fun? Chapter 14. I thought that's great reading,
29:04
Speaker 1: but it has nothing to do with what I want
29:06
Speaker 1: to say. Here it is, verse 9. Of course, chapter 14,
29:11
Speaker 1: verse 9. The man was listening to Paul as he spoke, who,
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Speaker 1: when he had fixed his gaze on him, had seen
29:17
Speaker 1: that he had the faith to be made well, said
29:18
Speaker 1: with a loud voice, stand on your feet. He leaped
29:21
Speaker 1: up and began to walk. Now watch the crowds in Lystra.
29:24
Speaker 1: When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they raised
29:27
Speaker 1: their voice, saying in the Laconian language, the gods have
29:30
Speaker 1: become like men and have come down to us. Now
29:36
Speaker 1: that's a very tempting moment for a preacher when the
29:39
Speaker 1: people believe your message so greatly, they think you're a
29:42
Speaker 1: God from heaven. And you're tempted to believe that until
29:45
Speaker 1: you talk with your wife about it. And that changes everything.
29:49
Speaker 1: Verse 12, they began calling Barnabas Zeus and Paul Hermes.
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Speaker 1: Zeus is the mightiest of the gods and Hermes is
29:58
Speaker 1: the god of oratory. And they had heard Paul preach
30:01
Speaker 1: and they had watched Barnabas minister and they thought Zeus
30:04
Speaker 1: and Hermes have come down to live among us. And
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Speaker 1: the priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city,
30:12
Speaker 1: brought oxen and garlands to the gates and wanted to
30:15
Speaker 1: offer sacrifices with the crowds. I mean, these people are
30:20
Speaker 1: being adored by these pagan idol worshipers, mixing their message
30:26
Speaker 1: with the mythological gods of the heavens. Watch the response.
30:30
Speaker 1: This is beautiful. But when the apostles... Barnabas and Paul
30:35
Speaker 1: heard of it. They tore their robes and rushed out
30:39
Speaker 1: into the crowd crying, men, why are you doing these things?
30:43
Speaker 1: We are also men of the same nature as you
30:46
Speaker 1: and preach the gospel to you that you should turn
30:48
Speaker 1: from these vain things to the living God. Isn't that great?
30:53
Speaker 1: The one who made the heavens and the earth and
30:55
Speaker 1: the sea and all that is in them. And he
30:58
Speaker 1: goes on to describe the gospel to them. Verse 18. Remember,
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Speaker 1: they were just worshiping them. 18. Even saying these things
31:07
Speaker 1: with difficulty, they restrained the crowds from offering sacrifices to them.
31:14
Speaker 1: But before that ink is dry, in verse 18, Jews
31:19
Speaker 1: came from Antioch and Iconium, having won over the crowds,
31:23
Speaker 1: they stoned Paul. Welcome to the ministry. One moment they're worshiping,
31:29
Speaker 1: the next moment they're stoning. One moment they want to
31:34
Speaker 1: raise you up as some kind of Greek god. Another moment,
31:38
Speaker 1: I mean, how low a guy can you be having
31:41
Speaker 1: done such and such, so and so. I'm having a
31:43
Speaker 1: little fun with you, but I want you to see
31:45
Speaker 1: the jagged edge of an authentic ministry. I love it
31:49
Speaker 1: that they didn't accept the worship. And I love it
31:53
Speaker 1: that Paul didn't give up when they stoned him. I
31:55
Speaker 1: want you to see what he did. This is fabulous.
31:58
Speaker 1: They stoned Paul, dragged him out of the city. By
32:01
Speaker 1: the way, in those days, after stoning, they dragged you
32:04
Speaker 1: out to the garbage dump, hoping that the wild animals
32:07
Speaker 1: would eat you. They dragged him out of the city
32:10
Speaker 1: and supposing him to be dead. For a moment, stop.
32:13
Speaker 1: I know it's hard to do in an air-conditioned building.
32:16
Speaker 1: It's hard to do sitting there, dressed up as we are.
32:19
Speaker 1: Imagine being stoned. Imagine being that hated. People literally picking
32:28
Speaker 1: up rocks and striking you with them until you're unconscious.
32:33
Speaker 1: And left for dead. Verse 20. While the disciples stood
32:41
Speaker 1: around him, he got up and entered the city. The
32:47
Speaker 1: next day he went away with Barnabas to Derbe. Wait, stop.
32:53
Speaker 1: Did you see what I just saw? He spent the
32:57
Speaker 1: night where they had stoned him. He went into, he
33:03
Speaker 1: entered the city, and the next day he went away
33:07
Speaker 1: to Derbe. Let me ask you something. If they stoned
33:11
Speaker 1: you in Abilene, are you going to stay in Abilene overnight?
33:18
Speaker 1: You're going to take as quick a flight, there aren't many,
33:21
Speaker 1: you take as quick a flight as you can out
33:24
Speaker 1: of Abilene to get as fast as you can to
33:26
Speaker 1: Ottawa or some point beyond. You don't want to be
33:30
Speaker 1: within thousands of miles of where they're starting, unless of
33:33
Speaker 1: course you're called. Then you stick it out. You stay
33:39
Speaker 1: right there. You face it. You go to sleep trusting
33:44
Speaker 1: in the same God who got you up the previous morning.
33:47
Speaker 1: knowing that he is sovereign over whatever is happening, and
33:50
Speaker 1: you don't stop. Welcome to an authentic ministry. I love it.
34:01
Speaker 1: Spent the night the next day, and look at what
34:03
Speaker 1: he did the next day. Verse 21. You'd think at
34:07
Speaker 1: least he'd be a little cautious about his message. They
34:11
Speaker 1: had preached the gospel to that city. After that, they
34:15
Speaker 1: had made many disciples. They returned. To Lystra. That's the
34:19
Speaker 1: place where they stoned him. He went all the way
34:22
Speaker 1: to Derby, preached the gospel. People came to Christ. They
34:24
Speaker 1: found a church. They turned right around. Let's not miss Lystra.
34:27
Speaker 1: We got people there interested in the gospel. But what
34:30
Speaker 1: about those that stoned you? Can't worry about the people
34:32
Speaker 1: that stoned you. You got to press right on through.
34:34
Speaker 1: You got to go right on into this. Face it
34:36
Speaker 1: head on. Let me tell you something. A ministry that
34:40
Speaker 1: lasts is a ministry that will go right through times
34:43
Speaker 1: of enormous persecution. It is not fickle. It does not
34:47
Speaker 1: need the applause of people and it rejects being enshrined
34:50
Speaker 1: and turned into a God. It is a ministry that
34:55
Speaker 1: delivers faithfully the truth of God. That brings me to
35:00
Speaker 1: the first of four observations about Paul's ministry on this
35:05
Speaker 1: first journey. By the way, they returned finally to Antioch
35:09
Speaker 1: and gave a report. Let me get to these these
35:12
Speaker 1: characteristics of an authentic ministry. There are four. I may
35:16
Speaker 1: not have time to get them all in, but we'll
35:18
Speaker 1: come back to it next time. So here's the first one.
35:20
Speaker 1: Paul's ministry was saturated with the word of God. Paul's
35:26
Speaker 1: ministry was saturated with the word of God. Listen to this.
35:31
Speaker 1: 15 times in chapters 13 and 14, God's word, the
35:38
Speaker 1: word of truth, the teaching of the Lord, the law
35:41
Speaker 1: and the prophets, the good news are mentioned 15 times.
35:47
Speaker 1: You want proof? 13.5, 13.7, 13.12, 13.15a, 13.15b, 13.32, 13.44, 13.46, 48, 49, 14.3, 14.7, 15, 21, 25.
36:08
Speaker 1: Fifteen times there's a reference to the Word of God.
36:12
Speaker 1: Paul took with him on that first journey just enough
36:15
Speaker 1: to live on, just enough clothes to cover his nakedness,
36:20
Speaker 1: a heart full of hope in God's truth, and a
36:25
Speaker 1: knowledge of the Word of God. That's what held him together. Application.
36:33
Speaker 1: Chances are very good that you've gotten a little soft.
36:37
Speaker 1: through the past few months and your time in the scriptures.
36:41
Speaker 1: I can't say with dogmatism because I haven't been watching,
36:46
Speaker 1: but I know human nature. I know how easy it
36:50
Speaker 1: is for that to happen to me. But I must
36:54
Speaker 1: warn you, especially if you're getting ready to go off
36:57
Speaker 1: to school somewhere, or if you're getting ready to take
37:00
Speaker 1: on a new kind of calling or profession, or step
37:05
Speaker 1: into a new direction, or certainly if you're getting ready
37:07
Speaker 1: to step into seminary, your time in the Word of
37:10
Speaker 1: God is the most valuable time of your day. Don't
37:15
Speaker 1: omit it. I don't care if you work 15 hours
37:19
Speaker 1: a day, you have a few moments before the 15
37:22
Speaker 1: hours start. Go to the Word of God. I don't
37:26
Speaker 1: care how pressurized your life may be, you have segments
37:30
Speaker 1: during the day when you can break open God's Word
37:34
Speaker 1: and pour over it. 10 minutes, 15 minutes. One man
37:41
Speaker 1: writes this, which I think will be challenging. Every servant
37:44
Speaker 1: must be reading the scriptures daily. Many of God's most
37:50
Speaker 1: used servants have made such reading and meditation a part
37:53
Speaker 1: of their lives. George Mueller read the Bible 200 times.
38:00
Speaker 1: David Livingston read it four times in succession. while he
38:05
Speaker 1: was detained in a jungle town. He lived out Spurgeon's dictum,
38:13
Speaker 1: a Bible which is falling apart usually belongs to someone
38:16
Speaker 1: who is not. William Evans, who in the early part
38:23
Speaker 1: of this century, meaning the 20th century when this was written,
38:26
Speaker 1: pastored college church in Wheaton, Illinois, had memorized the entire
38:32
Speaker 1: Bible in the King James Version and the New Testament
38:36
Speaker 1: in the American Standard Version. Billy Graham says that his
38:42
Speaker 1: medical missionary father-in-law, Nelson Bell, made it a point to rise, quote,
38:49
Speaker 1: every morning at 4.30 and spend two to three hours
38:53
Speaker 1: in Bible readings, He didn't use that time to read
38:56
Speaker 1: commentaries or write. He didn't do his correspondence or any
39:01
Speaker 1: of his other work. He just read the scriptures every morning,
39:07
Speaker 1: and he was a walking Bible encyclopedia. Some of you
39:12
Speaker 1: are thinking, man, I don't have two or three hours
39:17
Speaker 1: at the Bible. Of course you don't. I don't either.
39:20
Speaker 1: Let's start with 10 minutes. That'd be 10 minutes more
39:24
Speaker 1: than some have done in a long time. How about
39:28
Speaker 1: 15 minutes a day? How about cutting the lunch break
39:32
Speaker 1: a little short so you've got time on the other
39:34
Speaker 1: end to spend time in the Psalms or one of
39:37
Speaker 1: the New Testament letters or working your way through a
39:40
Speaker 1: section of the scriptures? I read of a moving incident
39:44
Speaker 1: in the life of a man named Dr. John Brodus,
39:46
Speaker 1: who was at one time president of the University of Virginia.
39:49
Speaker 1: Don't forget that. He was also a founding professor at
39:53
Speaker 1: Southern Seminary of the Southern Baptist up in Louisville, Kentucky.
39:59
Speaker 1: Just three weeks before Brodus' death, he stood before his class.
40:03
Speaker 1: The scripture reading was Acts 18.24, which reads, Now a
40:09
Speaker 1: certain Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by birth, an eloquent man,
40:14
Speaker 1: came to Ephesus, and he was mighty in the scriptures.
40:20
Speaker 1: After Brodus read this verse, he went on to say, gentlemen,
40:24
Speaker 1: we must be like Apollos, mighty in the scriptures. A
40:31
Speaker 1: student later said a hush fell upon the class for
40:34
Speaker 1: the next few minutes as Brodus stood and repeated, mighty
40:42
Speaker 1: in the scriptures. Mighty in the scriptures. Mighty in the scriptures.
40:56
Speaker 1: As Spurgeon once said, our very blood ought to be bibline.
41:01
Speaker 1: I love that. Next time I have a doctor take
41:04
Speaker 1: my blood and ask about the type, I'm going to
41:06
Speaker 1: say it's bibline. He's going to say, well, it's not
41:11
Speaker 1: on your chart. And I'm going to say, put it
41:13
Speaker 1: on the chart. It's bibline. If Paul could saturate his
41:18
Speaker 1: life in the word of God, you and I can too.
41:22
Speaker 1: Maybe not to such an extent as Dr. Nelson Bell.
41:26
Speaker 1: Maybe not like John Broadus, who stood before his class
41:29
Speaker 1: and spoke with such eloquence, but like you. And you
41:32
Speaker 1: are touching some lives no one else will touch in
41:36
Speaker 1: your sphere of influence. Be known for your biblical counseling.
41:42
Speaker 1: Be known for your biblical advice. your biblical frame of reference,
41:48
Speaker 1: your biblical stand on moral values. Establish that and become
41:54
Speaker 1: saturated with the word of God. Here's the second observation
42:00
Speaker 1: I make on Paul's first journey. His message emphasized the
42:05
Speaker 1: gospel to the lost and grace to the saved. When
42:12
Speaker 1: I read through the messages that Paul preached on his
42:15
Speaker 1: first journey I find two prominent themes running concurrently like
42:21
Speaker 1: threads in a sweater. They're woven into the tapestry of
42:25
Speaker 1: his ministry. When he's with the lost, he gives the gospel.
42:30
Speaker 1: 13 verse 38. Look at that with me. Let it
42:33
Speaker 1: be known to you that through him forgiveness of sins
42:37
Speaker 1: is proclaimed to you and through him everyone who believes
42:40
Speaker 1: is freed from all things from which you could not
42:42
Speaker 1: be freed through the law of Moses. Wouldn't it be
42:47
Speaker 1: a great goal for us that we not let one
42:50
Speaker 1: week pass for the rest of our lives when we
42:52
Speaker 1: have not shared Christ at least once to someone else?
42:57
Speaker 1: It was a pleasure this past week for me to
42:59
Speaker 1: sit across from a man, a businessman, and to sort
43:02
Speaker 1: of outline on a napkin how his life has been
43:05
Speaker 1: involved in one island full of debris, and he longs
43:09
Speaker 1: for the island that is full of peace and relief
43:12
Speaker 1: and forgiveness. My comment to him was, you know, you've
43:16
Speaker 1: just taken the wrong bridges. And you've therefore gone to
43:19
Speaker 1: the wrong islands. This religion, that religion, this area of
43:23
Speaker 1: good works, that area of self-help. There's only one bridge
43:28
Speaker 1: that leads you to the one island you need to
43:30
Speaker 1: be on. And the bridge is Christ. And in the
43:33
Speaker 1: simplest of terms, I described to him how he could
43:36
Speaker 1: come to know Christ. He didn't at that moment believe.
43:40
Speaker 1: But for all I know, in the hours that followed,
43:42
Speaker 1: he will. What we do is we invest the gospel
43:47
Speaker 1: in the lives of the lost, just like the Apostle Paul,
43:50
Speaker 1: and we leave the results with him. And that's exactly
43:54
Speaker 1: what Paul did. The second emphasis is on grace. Just
44:00
Speaker 1: as the lost don't understand the gospel, the saved don't
44:03
Speaker 1: understand grace. I find that all the time. I find
44:06
Speaker 1: that dear saints of God trying to live under the law,
44:10
Speaker 1: trying to please the people around them, living under the
44:13
Speaker 1: legalism of demands and expectations that come from certain spiritual leaders, so-called.
44:20
Speaker 1: And I think the grace has freed you from that.
44:23
Speaker 1: It has freed you to walk in love and obedience
44:26
Speaker 1: to Christ. I love the way it happened in Paul's life, 1343.
44:31
Speaker 1: When the meeting of the synagogue had broken up, look
44:34
Speaker 1: at what happened following the church service. Many of the
44:37
Speaker 1: Jews and of the God-fearing proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas,
44:41
Speaker 1: who speaking to them were urging them to continue in
44:44
Speaker 1: the grace of God. Isn't that great? Paul, Barnabas, keep
44:48
Speaker 1: telling us about grace. Keep preaching grace. Look at 14
44:53
Speaker 1: verse 3, same theme. They spent a long time there
44:57
Speaker 1: speaking boldly with reliance upon the Lord who was testifying
45:02
Speaker 1: to the word of his grace, granting that signs and
45:05
Speaker 1: wonders be done by their hands. Verse 26, same chapter.
45:10
Speaker 1: From there they sailed to Antioch from which they had
45:13
Speaker 1: been commended to the grace of God for the work
45:16
Speaker 1: that they had accomplished. Think in terms of giving the
45:20
Speaker 1: gospel to those who don't know Christ and think in
45:23
Speaker 1: terms of relieving people of guilt and shame-based religion, introducing
45:28
Speaker 1: them to a grace way of life. You will do
45:31
Speaker 1: the greatest service for fellow Christians if you'll help them
45:35
Speaker 1: understand grace, the gospel, grace. While we were away, one
45:39
Speaker 1: of the things Cynthia and I did was attend a concert,
45:42
Speaker 1: as some of you have done, to listen to the
45:44
Speaker 1: three tenors as they sang over in Fort Worth, It
45:48
Speaker 1: was wonderful. Lornell Harris, Steve Green, Steve Amerson. Wow. It
45:54
Speaker 1: just doesn't get much better than that. I thought, Lord,
45:57
Speaker 1: you missed your chance to come back. I mean, this
45:59
Speaker 1: is the moment right now into this concert. We all
46:03
Speaker 1: get caught up. But, you know, what do I know?
46:05
Speaker 1: So I afterwards, therefore, go in the back room and
46:08
Speaker 1: meet with the guys and their friends. And it was
46:10
Speaker 1: a great reacquainting with one another. And I said to
46:14
Speaker 1: one of them, I noticed two themes tonight. I heard
46:18
Speaker 1: the gospel. It's still the cross. People need the Lord.
46:23
Speaker 1: And can it be down from his glory? And it's grace.
46:30
Speaker 1: Were it not for grace. Amazing grace. This must be
46:34
Speaker 1: the place. And Dottie Rambo's well-known piece, he looked beyond
46:38
Speaker 1: my faults. Isn't that a great piece? You know why
46:41
Speaker 1: you love it? Because it's about grace. Doesn't deny your faults.
46:45
Speaker 1: He just looks beyond your faults. And I said to
46:49
Speaker 1: those men, whatever you do, don't stop singing the gospel
46:56
Speaker 1: and proclaiming grace. Don't stop doing that. That is a
47:01
Speaker 1: balanced ministry if you're ever going to be exposed to balance.
47:06
Speaker 1: The lost need to hear how they can come from
47:08
Speaker 1: the bridge, from the island of debris and lostness and
47:12
Speaker 1: misery and guilt to the island of peace and relief
47:17
Speaker 1: and forgiveness. And building that bridge is a simple matter
47:21
Speaker 1: of sincere, authentic communication. You don't have to have a
47:25
Speaker 1: seminary degree. You don't have to know a lot of
47:28
Speaker 1: the vocabulary. But in love with Christ... You help them
47:34
Speaker 1: understand what they are missing as you describe the island
47:37
Speaker 1: that is not a part of their life. And you
47:39
Speaker 1: help them build a bridge from darkness to light, from
47:44
Speaker 1: death to life, from guilt to forgiveness. It's wonderful. And
47:50
Speaker 1: then once they're on the island, release them. Don't try to,
47:56
Speaker 1: don't try to strangle them. Release them. Let them live.
48:02
Speaker 1: Tell them about the wings of grace that will let
48:04
Speaker 1: them fly beyond the legalism of the law. You will
48:08
Speaker 1: do for them the greatest service on this earth, the
48:12
Speaker 1: gospel and grace. Let me give you one more point,
48:15
Speaker 1: then we'll finish the rest next time. The third observation
48:19
Speaker 1: I'll make about Paul's ministry is though the public's reaction
48:23
Speaker 1: was mixed, his response was mature. Though the public's reaction
48:30
Speaker 1: was mixed, His response was mature. Examples, when he needed
48:39
Speaker 1: to be firm, he was. When he was invited to speak,
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Speaker 1: he did. When he was refused and rejected, he didn't quit.
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Speaker 1: When he was unrealistically admired and adored, he humbly resisted
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Speaker 1: such praise. When he was despised and even stoned, he persevered.
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Speaker 1: when with fellow believers he encouraged and affirmed them, and
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Speaker 1: when he was with the church body, he was accountable
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Speaker 1: as he came back home. I mean, what a list.
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Speaker 1: What maturity. You say, man, the results must have been magnificent.
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Speaker 1: I mean, he must have led thousands to Christ. I'm
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Speaker 1: not sure. I'm not sure. Because numbers are never mentioned.
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Speaker 1: That's another thing I ought to ride a horse on,
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Speaker 1: but I'm not going to take time right now. Forget
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Speaker 1: the numbers. Don't tell me you just have a class
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Speaker 1: of 15 people. I said I wasn't going to get
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Speaker 1: on it, so I'm not going to get on it.
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Speaker 1: Stop right there. Whatever the results will be, that's in
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Speaker 1: the Lord's hands. Dream big, but remember it's a jagged ministry.
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Speaker 1: And an authentic ministry that's jagged will have a lot
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Speaker 1: of surprises along the way. There will not be things
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Speaker 1: that result as you expected. I close with a classic example.
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Speaker 1: There is a sentence in the diary of a man
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Speaker 1: named James Gilmore. Pioneer missionary to Mongolia. Pioneer missionary to Mongolia.
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Speaker 1: The diary sentence is written at the sunset of his career,
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Speaker 1: which speaks to the point. The journal entry reads, quote,
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Speaker 1: in the shape of converts, I have seen no result.
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Speaker 1: I have not, as far as I am aware, seen
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Speaker 1: anyone who even wanted to be a Christian. What adds
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Speaker 1: some pathos to that statement is to go back to
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Speaker 1: the early part of his journal and read his dreams.
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Speaker 1: Among his dreams in the first part of his journal,
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Speaker 1: this entry appears. Several huts in sight, When shall I
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Speaker 1: be able to speak to the people, O Lord? Suggest
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Speaker 1: by the Spirit how I should come among them and
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Speaker 1: in preparing myself to teach the life and love of
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Speaker 1: Christ Jesus. That was his dream. In the end of
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Speaker 1: his journal, I have not, as far as I'm aware,
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Speaker 1: seen anyone who even wanted to be a Christian. When
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Speaker 1: I speak today about the jagged edge of an authentic ministry,
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Speaker 1: I'm not in any way promising success in human terms.
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Speaker 1: I'm not saying because you are faithful to proclaim the
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Speaker 1: word of God, your church will be packed. Some of
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Speaker 1: God's faithful people are preaching his word in places where
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Speaker 1: the church is not growing. And the great temptation is
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Speaker 1: to turn to some of the other stuff that I
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Speaker 1: began this message with. Don't turn. Don't change. Stay at it.
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Speaker 1: God is in it. Some are called to minister in Frisco, Texas,
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Speaker 1: which is my privilege, and some are called to the
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Speaker 1: outermost part of Mongolia where he doesn't even know of
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Speaker 1: one interested in the message. He is no less called
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Speaker 1: than I. And my respect for him knows no bounds.
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Speaker 1: Wherever you may find yourself in this message, pull closer
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Speaker 1: to the Apostle Paul's model. Saturate yourself in the word
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Speaker 1: of God. Commit yourself at least once a week to
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Speaker 1: the sharing of the gospel with someone lost and the
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Speaker 1: message of grace to someone who's saved but still trapped
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Speaker 1: in self-works. And though the people's response will be mixed,
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Speaker 1: respond with maturity. He's a model that follows Christ's model
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Speaker 1: perfectly and beautifully. I'd like us to bow together for
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Speaker 1: a few moments of quietness. I'd like you just to
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Speaker 1: sit there with your thoughts for a few moments. I
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Speaker 1: know what time it is and I'll not linger needlessly here.
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Speaker 1: I find sometimes the most sensitive part of a message
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Speaker 1: comes after the sermon has ended. God's word lives on.
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Speaker 1: Maybe your heart's been pricked today over a statement made
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Speaker 1: regarding time with God and his word. Maybe that's what
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Speaker 1: you take from this message and you include in your
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Speaker 1: journal before the day is over, Lord, by your strength
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Speaker 1: and help, I'm going to get back into the the
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Speaker 1: reading of your word. Give me the discipline to begin
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Speaker 1: immediately with time alone with you. Maybe you're going through
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Speaker 1: a really tough time and you feel like they're coming
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Speaker 1: after you, kind of like those people who followed Paul
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Speaker 1: like a snake. And you may have been focusing more
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Speaker 1: on those against you than the one who is with you.
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Speaker 1: It would be a good time for you to release
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Speaker 1: that burden. And just in your own words, in your
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Speaker 1: own way, your own thoughts, Lord, I give you this pressure.
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Speaker 1: I release this to you. Take this for me. And
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Speaker 1: strengthen me to go on without the applause and encouragement
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Speaker 1: of others. Hey, you may be connected to someone who
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Speaker 1: doesn't know Christ. And this is your moment. I mean,
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Speaker 1: what better time than now? You built a relationship, a friendship.
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Speaker 1: Maybe it's time for you to sit there at that
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Speaker 1: restaurant with that napkin as a little object lesson and
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Speaker 1: draw your two islands and tell them about the bridge.
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Speaker 1: Just do it in your own way, in the most
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Speaker 1: natural way in the world. Nobody's going to be embarrassed.
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Speaker 1: Just pray for timing and direction or maybe grace. Maybe
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Speaker 1: you need to Encourage some Christians that are living under
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Speaker 1: the demands of blame, guilt. I got to tell you,
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Speaker 1: if you've never come to know Christ, that's what the
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Speaker 1: end of our service is dedicated to. It's offering you
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Speaker 1: the gift. I won't embarrass you. I couldn't force you
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Speaker 1: if I tried. Coming into the family of God is
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Speaker 1: between you and him. But the only way you're going
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Speaker 1: to get there is to go across the bridge of
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Speaker 1: the cross. The song says, Jesus paid it all, all
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Speaker 1: to him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain.
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Speaker 1: He washed it white as snow. I invite you to
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Speaker 1: come to Christ this very day. Now, Father, thank you
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Speaker 1: for the pleasure of authentic ministry, for the joy of
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Speaker 1: worship that turns attention away from people and focuses attention
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Speaker 1: on the Savior and the word that he has left
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Speaker 1: in his legacy. Thank you for the gospel that delivers
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Speaker 1: us from the horrors of a life lost in sin.
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Speaker 1: and for grace that frees us to fly above the
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Speaker 1: demands and pressures of others. Thank you, Lord, for the
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Speaker 1: maturity that you're able to bring to us, and we
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Speaker 1: ask you for it. Encourage those who've taken time this
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Speaker 1: day to hear the word of God and to participate
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Speaker 1: in our worship. Encourage them on their way home and
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Speaker 1: in the work that unfolds before them this week. Bring
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Speaker 1: to our attention again and again the importance of time
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Speaker 1: spent with you, and may this be the beginning of
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Speaker 1: a whole new way of life for many. And now
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Speaker 1: unto him who is able to guard us from stumbling
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Speaker 1: and to present us faultless before the presence of his
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Speaker 1: glory with great joy, to the only wise God, our Savior,
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Speaker 1: be glory and majesty, dominion and power, now and forevermore.
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Speaker 1: In the name of Jesus Christ, all God's people said, amen, amen.
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Speaker 2: The preceding message, The Jagged Edge of Authentic Ministry, was
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Speaker 2: copyrighted in 2001, 2003, and 2024, and the sound recording
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Speaker 2: was copyrighted in 2024.
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Speaker 1: By Charles R.
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Speaker 2: Swindoll, Inc. All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted
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Speaker 2: material for commercial use is strictly prohibited.