I am just eating up Acts here lately. The Lord is really speaking to me through it. I suppose it's all the stuff He's been trying to teach me. I'll try to relay that here.
Our Acts passage deals a lot with, what we call in our day and age, witnessing. Paul and Barnabas are simply visiting different cities and sharing the good news of the Gospel. And a good many people believe! A good many do not. But one thing I picked up on is that they didn't leave a city until their lives were threatened. In Iconium there were those who disagreed with them so Paul and Barnabas stayed on for a considerable amount of time talking with these people. I know for myself, when I receive opposition, I shut down. I feel a failure and I quit (usually, that's changing). Scripture doesn't tell us how long they stayed and tried to sway these people, but it says that God honored that patience and tenacity by enabling them to perform miracles. How cool is that? How often, when we stick with something, do we then see wonderful things come about because of that perseverance?
And then Paul and Barnabas take off for another town that ends up promoting them to gods! The Guys (as I'll call them) quickly turn this off, or at least try to. These guys were doing big stuff, performing miracles, leading tons of people to Christ, heading up churches, speaking in front of large crowds. It would be easy for them to get big heads. Look at what happens in our day and age with some of our preachers, teachers and evangelists. They fall. And sometimes they fall hard. And I think it's because they lose sight of what they were first called for. They see the glory, the fame, the recognition and they start looking inward. The Guys didn't fall for that. Amazing thing at the end of the story at Lystra, Paul is stoned, thought dead, even dragged outside the city. But then he simply gets up and walks back into the city he was just stoned in. I don't know what is more of a miracle, the fact that he survived and did so well after a stoning, or the fact that he walked back into the same city he was just stoned in! I'm sure the men who sought to kill him were also going to stay the night in Lystra. Maybe this city was pretty big and after surviving a stoning Paul thought his chances were pretty good. Or maybe he simply put his trust in God. What's that scripture "To live is Christ, to die is gain"
The Guys were definitely out of their comfort zone. Their lives were lived for the gain of the Cross, for the Glory of God. Not for themselves. Lately God has been showing me that my life is not my own. It's not about me. I cannot be selfish about my desires, my passions, my talents. These blessings that God has given me are for His glory, to make His name famous around the world. It's not to make me happy, although there is great joy in doing what He has called us to do. And I have to say that I do have great joy when I am doing the things He has gifted me to do. I have peace. I don't have peace or joy when those things are done for me. "Me" is taken care of when I serve "Him". He sees that we are filled with peace, joy and happiness when we seek to glorify His name.
How do we glorify His name? It's simple. Do what He called/created/designed us to do. In it's very basic form it's this:
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”This command takes different forms in each of us. We are not robots, or carbon copies and He doesn't want that! He has formed you to take His word in a unique, special way to the world He has called you to. And He has called all of us.
Ask Him what Matthew 28:18-20 looks like for you. Ask Him how you can glorify Him with who you are right now, all your talents, desires, passions. He has placed them there for a reason. He has placed them there to get you in the right places, situations to reach others for Christ. What do you love to do? Ask Him how you can enjoy that and glorify Him by sharing His name, making Him famous.
It's a change of mind. It takes us beyond ourselves. But that's ok, because at the end of us, Christ can really begin to work.
Tomorrow's passage: 2 Kings 1-3, James 1
4 comments:
Excellent post. I didn't really think about your observation that they stayed until their lives were threatened and their perseverance gave them the power to do miracles. Thanks for highlighting that. I also thought it was incredible that Paul dusted himself off after being left for dead and then went BACK to the same place.
Thanks, Kathryn; great post. I've really been appreciating Acts as well. There is so much there that I don't remember even from last fall. I've also been thinking a lot lately about the fact that life and how I live it is not about me. Definitely an important lesson that I have to keep reminding myself about (or be reminded by Bible reading or blog posts). :)
Great thoughts! I am starting to love Acts. Paul is such an incredible role model as to how to live out our faith and share the good news. Although I may not be traveling city to city like him, I can start by witnessing to my co-workers every day.
Great challenge here Kathryn, thanks! There are definitely so many people around us that need to hear the Good News. The saying "Preach the Gospel always, if necessary use words" is all well and good (and true). But I know I have often used it as an excuse not to say the words. And people still need to HEAR not just see, the gospel.
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