Acts 14

The Secret to an Effectual Ministry- Revealed {Acts 14}

10:00 AM

Today's Passage: Acts 14


I ended last week's post on leaving a legacy by sharing my desire to one day hear the Lord say, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Master” (Matt25:21) and since, I’ve been reading each chapter with interests, trying to discover the qualities needed to have an effectual ministry in this day and age. After all, I know times have changed, but our Lord hasn’t, and neither has His call to all of us found in Matthew 28:18-20!

Paul was hands-down the greatest missionary in all of the New Testament church and I was determined to see if I could learn his secret, and O goodness girls, I believe I’ve found it!! It’s hidden within the chapter, but before the big reveal, I want to share a bit of how I found it!!

You see, I’m not always good at being, “intentional about my good intentions”. What I mean by that is, I may tell you I have this tremendous desire to hear the Lord say, “Well done…”, but when obstacles and opposition arise, I’ll be the first to rethink my goals, but not Paul! After he and Barnabas were run out of Antioch of Pisidia,they simply, “shook the dust from their feet as a sign of rejection and went to the town of Iconium.” - 13:51

Now I know, one could argue that they had seen and experienced great success in that city and that, “the Lord’s message spread throughout that region!” which only spurred them on. BUT, once more here in chapter 14, Paul and Barnabas see that with success comes great opposition and once more, “they fled to the region of Lycaonia—to the towns of Lystra and Derbe and the surrounding area.”- Acts 14:6

There seems to be a pattern forming: Arrive -> Preach -> Witness Conversions -> Oppositions arises -> Move on to the next town…

That is until 14:19-20,“Then some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowds to their side. They stoned Paul and dragged him out of town, thinking he was dead. But as the believers gathered around him, he got up and went back into the town. The next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.”

Did you catch it? I reached this point in the chapter and had to stop reading, and admit to myself and to the Lord that, I think had this been me at this point, The Lord and I would have had to have a talk, for I’m not certain I could have taken much more of the fierce persecution Paul and Barnabas were experiencing! And this was when the Lord showed me something I’ve never noticed before!

- Paul Got Up!

Paul was
  • Stoned
  • Dragged out of town
  • Believed to be dead
  • BUT he got up!
  • AND walked back into the same town!
  • AND then started on a 60 mile journey the next morning!!

How can a person stoned and believed dead, get up and go on a sixty mile journey the next day!?

That’s when Paul’s own words came flooding into my mind…

“I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” Phil 4:13

“Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.” 1 Thessalonians 5:24

“For it is God who works in you to will and to act on behalf of His good pleasure.” Phil 2:13

I can see now Paul knew exactly what he was talking about. No man can get up and keep going after being stoned and left for dead without God’s help, but Jesus has promised us that, “with God ALL things are possible”. Matthew 19:26 (Emphasis mine)

I also understand now why Paul often referred to himself as the Lord’s “doulos” or bond-servant. A “doulos” is often defined as a slave, but it’s much more than that, in that the person volunteers to serve wholeheartedly, claiming to have no rights of their own. I looked up the definition once more in the Stong’s Greek Dictionary and here’s some of what I found: A Doulos is
  • one who worships God and submits to him
  • the true worshippers of Christ, whose agency God employs in executing His purposes
  • So devoted to another to the disregard of one's own interests,
  • strenuously laboring for another's salvation,

I can clearly see Paul fitting this description, what I wonder most is, do I? How about you?

Blessings!
sue

contentment

The Secret to Contentment {Ephesians 1}

10:00 PM


What kind of life do you think brings contentment? Is it one with few troubles and great successes? Perhaps it’s one that comes with good health, financial security, and a loving family. Interestingly, the Apostle Paul didn’t have any of these particular qualities in his life, yet he wrote to the Philippians that he had learned the secret of being content (Philippians 4:12).

There were several times in my life when I battled with being content. In fact, I was far from being content! I was miserable! The problem was, I could justify my lack of contentment or longing for something I didn’t have at the moment. 

The first time I needed a larger house. Despite the fact that larger homes come with larger mortgages and the money would have to come from somewhere, in my mind it was a necessity! We had outgrown our current house even though it was adequate and in a nice neighborhood and the rest of the family was content to remain right where we were.
The second time, I wanted me children back. One was out of college and living on her own and the other was in college. Both, were thousands of miles away; much too far for me! I wanted them to at least be close, if not under my roof. And each time the spoiled brat became evident in me! (I know this may come as a shock to you, but I’ll always claim to be the bratty sister in the family, and often wonder how the Lord puts up with me at times.) 
The Lord did eventually fulfill both of these longing far better than my finite mind could have dreamed, but it wasn’t until He helped me to discover what Paul’s secret to contentment was! His secret, that He had been trying to tell me for years! Oh sure, I had read over it many times before until I finally saw it for myself and truly understood. Take a look,
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” (Eph 1:3)

Did you catch it? The secret Paul discovered was to focus on his position in the Lord, not on what this world offers us.
I know finding and holding onto contentment in our media-driven world can sometimes be hard! There will always be something bigger or better to buy and someone else who has all we desire.
But think about this a moment:
·        We were chosen (hand-picked by God) before the world began to be holy and blameless! (1:4)
·        Predestined to be adopted into His family. Given all the rights of son-ship. (1:5)
·        We’ve been accepted into the beloved by His grace that He lavishes upon us. (1:6)
·        And through Jesus we’ve been forgiven and redeemed (bought by His blood, so that nothing can change our standing in God’s family. (1;7)
·        We’ve received not only His grace, which He lavishes on us, but His wisdom and understanding as well! (1:8)
·        He has also made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure. (1:9)
·        AND when you believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,  who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance (1:13b-14a)

There is so much more if time would only allow me to tell it all! Suffice it to say, Ephesians chapter 1-3, are a wonderful place to sit when we’re dealing with a longing for more, for the truth is, we deserved hell and received mercy! Not because of anything we had done, but purely because of all Christ Jesus did for us, and because we never did anything to earn it, our position in God’s family can never be taken away!
Jesus took care of our greatest problem and drank the cup of condemnation so that we could drink of the cup of blessings! Blessings already bestowed to us! We don’t even have to earn all those blessings; they’re ours already. “Every spiritual blessing in Christ” is ours!
When I think of all this, I can’t help NOT feeling blessed beyond measure.

I also can not lie to you, there are still times when I catch myself longing for something more, but I’ve honestly, like Paul, have learned the secret that brings me back to being perfectly content in Christ Jesus and all He has already done for me.