Follow us with the 2013 Faithful Conference for Pastors and Leaders!View replays and read post summaries here on the blog. In this article, see Dave Harvey’s “The Bold Affirmation of the Gospel:”
The Bold Claim of the Gospel
Acts 20: 17-25
The date is the 57th of the Christian era. The ship on which Paul stopped at Milet, and there he calls the leaders of Ephesus to come to him, and he does so for several reasons. First of all, he was a relational man. He is united with these men in communion and wants to see his friends. The second reason, and perhaps most importantly, is that he thinks he’s about to die.
I considered walking as the best opportunity to commune with my children. I once took my son for a walk in Pennsylvania. There we met some students who were going to explore a cave, and we decided to accompany them, after being invited. Inside we found a chamber, and inside the chamber a beam of light went through a hole at the top, and beyond the hole you could see where they were. previously outside. Then the students started coming out through the hole in the cave and my son was very excited, wanting to go after. When the last student arrived, my son asked to be approached as well. I said no, but after a few minutes of thinking about it, I decide to blurt it out. But after that, they asked me to go up as well, which I hadn’t considered before. I didn’t want to go, I said I wouldn’t. I went to meet my son outside. Suddenly I felt old, overwhelmed. When we got back to the trail it was heavy to keep from climbing. Suddenly I stopped and said, “Son, I have decided that I am going to climb the cave wall!” and celebrated it. I went back to the cave and within 15 minutes of analyzing the cave I started climbing. When I was up there, the cave narrowed and suddenly I had a hand on each wall hanging and trapped. He didn’t know where to go, but going up was not safe. I didn’t want to give up and at that moment my mind started to travel. It is amazing what the mind can do. I started to think that there was a good place to stay, to settle down, to bring my wife, to raise my children. I had to go, but the only way was to move on, but the cost was too risky.
Often life with Christ is like this, the only way is to move on, even if it is very risky, that was the situation I was in. I got to the end, I survived, but I did because I didn’t. I want to disappoint my son. Paul continued for Christ, by the strength of God in his life. I was in a very difficult situation, where I could only move on, but it was too risky.
There are many differences between Paul’s life and ours, but there are also many similarities, for example, we were not in the third heaven, but we share the same gospel, this does not mean that we will run the same dangers as Paul, but that this gospel moves us forward even through dangers and challenges, through costs and sacrifices.
The gospel makes a bold statement. Today I want to talk about three statements the gospel makes to leaders and their wives (if they are married).
1? Leaders move uncertainly
Paulo was always moving forward, but he didn’t know what was going to happen. Paulo had to obey, maintain his trust. God did not reveal everything to him, but he went through what the spirit revealed to him. God wanted him to move, even though he did not know where or why, God was helping Paul get used to having a Lord. obey unknowingly, why would God do this to Paul?
Why are you doing this to us? I can’t help but say that this is to remind us of the difference between a leader and God. The existence of risk reminds us that God is much greater than us. God is not in danger. The risks remind us of two things, we are not omniscient, we do not know everything, we are not omnipotent and God controls everything!
Risks exist because we cannot handle events or know what will happen; risk indicates that we are weak and dependent; we must entrust our present and future to God; we can have uncertainty in the present if we have confidence in what Christ has done. done in the past and hopeful for the promises of the future. There is a valuable point we can highlight here: this uncertainty of what will happen and what drives us to have more dependence on Him.
God is glad to put us in the position of walking unknowingly, God likes to put us in situations of risk, because He puts us in a position of greater dependence on Him, uses it for our good and glory.
He taught Abraham to walk by faith, not by sight. The gospel makes this bold statement.
2? Leaders prepare for difficulties
Verse 23 adds a detail to God’s request. Paulo knew a detail. Prisons and tribulations awaited him, Paulo knew he was in danger, he knew more or less the end of the story, he just didn’t know how it was going to happen, he knew there would be a cost, which would have been difficulties and tribulations. Why does God make it a mission that would continue?Most of us would seek a path of resistance, a desire, an impulse, in search of comfort, a need to take care of our lives as if we were a god, difficulties deprive us of our comfort and keep us connected to what really matters. keep us safe in the gospel.
The natural man does not want to leave without knowing, we want to avoid difficulties, but the gospel spoils all this.
You won’t get rid of the risks if you’re a leader!
3? Leaders value the gospel above all
Verse 24
He says that he values the gospel above his own life, says that fulfilling the gospel call is worth much more than your life, he does not protect himself because he is very valuable, he is willing to sacrifice his relationships, and Paul has valued simply wanted to be faithful in testifying to the gospel of Jesus, he realized that some things are so worthy that it is glorious to be a part of them. .
Forced by the spirit, we go to Jerusalem, not knowing what awaits us.