This morning my Bible Reading Plan had me in Acts 20.
This is an incredible chapter. In fact, it’s one of my favorites in the New Testament. For years, it has been one of the primary passages that has formed and shaped my approach to pastoring and ministry in general.
Here’s the setup. After Paul arrives on an island called Miletus, he feels that it’s crucial to meet with the elders and pastors of the church at Ephesus… Verses 18 through the end of the chapter describe that meeting…
These verses are loaded with the heart and soul of a guy who put it all “on the line” for Jesus and His church…
They also reveal some of the priorities that governed Paul’s life and ministry… In reading Acts 20 again, I wonder if MY priorities line up with Paul’s?
Acts 20:20-21 (NLT), I never shrank from telling you the truth, either publicly or in your homes. 21 I have had one message for Jews and Gentiles alike – the necessity of turning from sin and turning to God, and of faith in our Lord Jesus.
Wow! That’s it! Paul said, “I had one message!" What was the message? Pretty simple and straight forward! "Repentance and faith… Repentance and faith… Repentance and faith… Turn from sin and to God… Put your faith in Jesus Christ. That's it! Pure and simple.”
How simple! How profound!
Sometimes I think we confuse the message! For Paul it boiled down to some very basic issues and this is what he spent his life teaching and preaching…
Acts 20:22-23 (NLT), "And now I am going to Jerusalem, drawn there irresistibly by the Holy Spirit, not knowing what awaits me, 23 except that the Holy Spirit has told me in city after city that jail and suffering lie ahead.
I love the fact that Paul describes the Spirit’s leadership in his life as “irresistible.” This is how I want to live life… I want to know that God has “irresistibly” drawn and called me…
It’s also interesting that the “irresistible drawing by the Holy Spirit” was not to an easy, carefree life, but to a radical life that would include pain and persecution!
What about Paul's commitment to the mission? I love Verse 24.
Acts 20:24 (NLT), But my life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus – the work of telling others the Good News about God's wonderful kindness and love.
Here’s the way it reads in the message.
Acts 20:24 (MSG), What matters most to me is to finish what God started: the job the Master Jesus gave me of letting everyone I meet know all about this incredibly extravagant generosity of God.
I love that! Paul’s life was wrapped up in accomplishing God’s purpose and plan! It meant everything to this guy! Paul's focus in life... His purpose for living was to share the good news about God's extravagant grace!
That’s the way I want to live… All too often, I blow it… Life’s not about the mission, the call, the work given me by Jesus… The message of God's extravagant grace... Instead, it becomes about my desires, wants, plans, and personal agendas…
Acts 20:25-27a (NLT), "And now I know that none of you to whom I have preached the Kingdom will ever see me again. 26 Let me say plainly that I have been faithful. No one's damnation can be blamed on me, 27 for I didn't shrink from declaring all that God wants for you.
What a way to live! No regrets! Paul says, “I put it all on the line and YOU KNOW IT!”
I'm challenge by the fact that when Paul thought of God's work in Ephesus, he could confidently say, "No one's damnation can be blamed on me..."
Talk about convicting. Can you honestly look at the people in your ministries sphere of influence and say, "Hey! When it comes to this harvest field, not a soul can blame me if they end up facing eternity without God?" Oh, man...
Paul was a "man on fire" with the mission and call of God. So much so that when he looked back at his work in Ephesus, his attitude was, "Job delegated. Job done. God gave me a job to do, and I did it."
ACTS 20:27b (NLT), "And now beware! Be sure that you feed and shepherd God's flock – his church, purchased with his blood – over whom the Holy Spirit has appointed you as elders.
That’s the challenge! After describing his personal commitment to ministry, Paul challenges the elders at Ephesus. “Feed and shepherd God’s flock… It’s pretty important to God… He purchased it with His own blood… If the church matters to God, it ought to matter to you… The Holy Spirit made you an elder, pastor or overseer, so take it seriously… Lay your life on the line for God's church!”
Pretty power packed passage, huh? How are you doing? Are you committed to teaching and preaching a simple message? Are you committed to pursuing God’s purpose and calling, regardless of the cost? Can you honestly say, "No one's damnation in my sphere of influence can be blamed on me?"
Sound off! How does this passage challenge the way you approach your ministry and calling?
Personally, it drives me to repentance and dependence on God.
2 comments:
Pastor Chris,
First and foremost I want to tell you how much I enjoy reading your blog. You insight is amazing. I had the opportunity to meet you (kind of) when you spoke at an MIP session in 2005. I was immediately drawn to your way of communicating and the passion you had in sharing the Gospel in such an impactful and relevant way.
Now about your current blog: wow!
Those passages are so convicting, so powerful, so hard to swallow. Paul was a man so driven by his calling, so consumed with his encounter with the risen Christ that nothing else seemed to matter. The major difference I see between his ability to have such tunnel vision and my own inability to remain focused is that he never lost his initial passion, his fervor, his first love. When I think back to my first real experience with Jesus, the passion that I felt, the heaviness of His Presence, and the reckless abandon I had for the things of God, I have to honestly say that I've changed. I've allowed life to dictate my experience with God, allowed the once sacred to become common-place. Paul was careful never to let this happen and so he could boldly proclaim, "No one's damnation can be blamed on me...". I long to be there, to be at that place where I can say that I've done it God's way, held nothing back, and proclaimed the truth regardless of what it costs me. Thank you Pastor for sharing the sobering truth that I'm not where I need to be and that I must strive to make everywhere I go a place for the Gospel.
Heath Croft
Heath: Thanks for the comment... I think a lot of us can relate to your dilemma... Life just has a way of doing this sort of thing to us...
May we all remember the passion of Paul when he said, "This one thing I do, forgetting what's behind and pressing towards what's ahead..."
Easier said than done... But critical, none the less...
God's best to you as you continue to pursue the mission of Jesus.
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