Author: missionspaul

Make the most of it.

Acts 20:7 “On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight.”

You may have wondered how long the preacher actually preached for in your last church service. Well this preacher talked until midnight!

Paul did this because the next day he was going to leave them, this was his opportunity and he intended to take the whole of it.

Paul was making most of his opportunity. That is the point.

Today is your day of opportunity. You will not have it again. So make the most of it, whatever it is that you do.

Taking a longer journey

Acts 20: 6 “But we sailed from Philippi after the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and five days later joined the others at Troas, where we stayed seven days.”

The magnificent seven had already gone ahead and Paul remained behind, as did Luke.

From Philippi they sailed for 5 days. Today you can get to the other side of the world in less than a day. To travel five days is a cruise!

But it gave time for Luke to be with Paul and to listen and understand him.

Maybe like me, you just have to take longer journeys. My mind works in this way: if I can get there quicker then I can get more done or I could get done and then go and do something else in the same time it would take in going slower. My journeys are too short. My GPS tells me the time it will take to get there and I try and beat the GPS time! People who know me know that in recent years I have begun to walk faster. It doesn’t matter where I am, I have found if I walk faster then all is well. When in an airport I find the challenge thrilling as the crowds all are walking as fast as they can to get to their gates.

I think by having shorter journeys I will not miss other potential things to do. But what am I missing by not taking longer journeys?

Maybe you are not like me!

Today I am about to get in my car for a journey that will take 3 hours 39 minutes. I have decided not to try and beat that time. Now that will be success! I might even stop along the way. This is radical! But I have decided also that I will try and learn something new in that 3 hours 39 minutes. I will try and appreciate and I will be open to anything that I might have missed.

It is time to get back involved

Acts 20:5 “These men went on ahead and waited for us at Troas.”

It is just one small word in a short verse but it means so much. ‘us’

Paul and Silas had left Luke behind in Philippi at the end of Acts 16, now here we see Luke is very much back in the narrative. This is his account of the work of the Holy Spirit and His mission. This is the Acts of the Apostles, the Acts of the Holy Spirit, Luke’s personal story of being part of what God was doing. Paul had decided to call by Philippi and that’s when Luke re-joined the team. It was an opportunity and Luke took it. After what was probably nearly 7 years, Luke is back.

It is one thing to write an account, it is another thing to write about you in that account.

You can tell people about mission but being on mission is more compelling.

What had Luke been doing for those years? How was he feeling not being part of Paul’s mission? We cannot answer but what we do know is that he was ready and Paul welcomed him.

You may not be where you want to be, but are you ready?

Your circumstances may have needed you to come aside for several years, but have you kept your enthusiasm, are you ready?

Unlike Luke you may even have been abandoned, side-lined, rejected and you may even have done those things to yourself, but are you ready today?

Your leader is in port, He is here and He is still calling you to get involved. He still wants you in mission. He wants you in the thick of the action. There are still more stories to be told in your life. Will you say yes? Are you ready? Will you be able to look back and say ‘I was there’, will you write about ‘them’ or ‘us’?

 

 

The cajonist

Acts 20:4 “He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy also, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia.”

The magnificent seven accompanied Paul as he heads back to Jerusalem. Five of them we may recognise but nothing much is known about Sopater and Secundus. Of course many have interesting ideas. But maybe it is not the other things that they are known for except this one important trait that we read today, they accompanied Paul.

Last night I attended a youth camp meeting and the drummer caught my eye a lot within worship. He wasn’t playing the drums but a cajon, a box that he sat on and leant forward and hitting the front of the box made a great sound. I have seen them before, my son plays one. He sat there accompanying everyone else. He never got the melody, never got the attention, people were not following him, he was following them. But without him the sound would have been less than it was. Without him the song may have lost its way. The band was better for the cajonist. Of course, he had to be good and he was, not everyone can accompany well. I suppose some can lag behind because they are sulking. Some can speed up because they don’t agree. Some can hit the cajon so loudly that they no longer accompany but they take over. Some can hardly hit it at all and in their timidity they may as well not bothered turning up.

Are you accompanying someone today? If you are then make sure you do it well. A good cajonist will say ‘life is not all about the cajon, but without the cajon life is duller.’ That’s what it is to accompany someone.

 

It doesn’t have to be a day every day, some days you can avoid them.

Acts 20:3 “… where he stayed three months. Because some Jews had plotted against him just as he was about to sail for Syria, he decided to go back through Macedonia.”

At the last minute…

He was just about to get on board the ship to sail for Syria, probably to visit his sending Church at Antioch …

It was the longer journey by sea but one he was ready for …

The he heard of a plot to attack him on the ship or when he landed in Syria…

At the last minute he changed his plans.

It’s okay to change your plans.

You don’t have to carry through with things. Especially if you are going to walk straight into an enemy plan. Why walk into the enemies trap when you know they are trying to attack you.

One of the wisdoms of leadership is knowing when it is right to go and listen to the complaint and the criticism and to take it on the chin and when to say NO I will not walk into that arena, I will not give the people the satisfaction of attack.

You are the steward of your life under God. I am not an advocate of voluntary martyrdom. I like to live. I like to avoid bad days.

7 lessons for those who encourage

Acts 20:2 He travelled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece”

Paul continues now to encourage. It is a season of many words of encouragement.

What would you do if you had many words of encouragement?

I know I am only doing what I am doing today because of many words of encouragement.

Here is what I have learnt from being encouraged and being an encourager with a bible verse to consider:

1. Encouragement will take someone to a place they thought they could never enter and get them to do something they thought they would never do. (Deuteronomy 1:38; 3:28)
2. Encouragement uses the right words because it has listened to the cry. (Psalm 10:17)
3. The result of encouragement is strength. (Acts 15:32)
4. Encouragement doesn’t come naturally, it is a gift to be sought. (Romans 12:6,8)
5. Encouragement also needs endurance for there to be a future. (Romans 15:4)
6. Being an encourager is not easy, it takes effort. (1 Thessalonians 5:14 Msg)
7. Encouragement is needed to get people to be where they should be. (Hebrews 10:25)

We will use many words today. Let us use them for encouragement.

A leader must encourage

Acts 20: 1 “When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples and, after encouraging them, said goodbye and set out for Macedonia.”

 

They had been seized and faced the accusations and were caught up in a violent near riot as the citizens were being tempted to think that they had defied their precious goddess. Paul had wanted to be with them but was held back by the wise disciples and his friends. So now they are together again. Paul does what all leaders must do, he encourages them. The word is paraklesis, it has a range of meanings from exhortation to comforting and consoling.

Paul must have done a good job because after he had done he left.

Leaders have to keep moving but there are times when it is just essential for them to stop moving for a moment in order to take part in paraklesis.

 

You are dismissed!

Acts 19:41 “After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.”

The city clerk sends everyone back to their homes. The riot has been stopped. Demetrius and the Jews have lost their case. God had stepped in again and preserved the work of the gospel. The assembly had gathered and now they are dismissed. The assembly is the actual word ‘ekklesia’, the same word that is used for “church.” It was a non-religious term used to describe a gathering or association of people.

It was a political term and it simply meant an assembly of citizens who were the ultimate power in the constitutional governments of the Greek cities whether that be monarchy or democracy.

But the Christians began to use it as Christ did, for His body, his called out chosen people. None more so than Paul, Ephesians 1:22 “And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”

It got them into trouble, but just like when they started using the phrase ‘Jesus is Lord’ because the phrase was stolen from ‘Caesar is Lord’.

Who has the true authority over the cities and towns in your country? It’s the church.

In the same scenario as the city clerk dismissing the ekklesia, the Spirit of God dismisses the Church from its buildings and gatherings to take the gospel to the whole world.

What is the reason?

Acts 19:40 “As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of what happened today. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it.”

What is the reason?

What is the reason for your work today?

What is the reason for your conversations?

What is the reason for being careful what you eat and taking the exercise that you need?

What is the reason for studying?

What is the reason for your devotional life?

What is the reason for going to the Church that you are part of?

What is the reason for the day off?

What is the reason for being with your friends, your family, meeting new people?

What is the reason for the laughter and the tears?

What is the reason for the event?

What is the reason for that habit and that behavioural response and reaction?

What is the reason for this riot?

There was no reason for the riot.

If there is no reason then stop doing it.

 

Is there anything else?

Acts 19:39 “If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly.”

Is there anything else?

The city clerk has challenged Demetrius who had brought Pauls gospel team into the city arena. Demetrius hadn’t planned for this. But he had got it all wrong. He had overstepped the mark.

The city clerk wasn’t asking for more accusation. I am sure Demetrius would have gladly provided. He was simply saying if you have anything else then you must go through the proper channels.

Some people carry grievances in their heart and instead of dealing with them in a right and just way, they use social media to air those hurts. If it matters that much and you know you will not settle then bring it to the proper place. If it is about a person then you can start there face to face not facebook. If it is a Church matter, start with the elders.

But if possible maybe the best thing would be to let go of whatever you still have in your heart against someone.

Don’t take prisoners and don’t carry burdens too heavy for you.

Is there anything else? No.