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Side Jobs
Acts
20:18- 21:11
Most of us wear more than 1
hat, and have a side job, whether we are paid for it or not.
Some people have a career, but have a heart for other things.
We cannot do it all. The
Apostle Paul had the skills and knowledge to be more than a tentmaker, and
his other interests helped make him the man of God that he was.
Inside the heart of Paul we have found…
1.
Faithfulness
2.
Humility
3.
Compassion
4.
Courage
v. 18-19
Temptations =
persecution
Paul was constantly
persecuted by the Jews, but he never backed up or backed down.
Paul wanted to do God’s will, which meant reaching out to those in
regions beyond. He also knew God
wanted him to go to
v. 22-23
Imagine I asked you to make a visit on ministry night, and I explain
a couple of things to be aware of:
“When you pull into the
driveway they will probably throw rocks at your car, but get out of it
quickly and they will stop throwing at the car…but then they’ll likely throw
rocks at you. Go ahead and
approach them. They will start
beating on you with their fists or other objects.
Once you fall to the ground they will kick you, and tie you up, maybe
handcuff you, and then haul you off to jail, claiming you have committed
crimes against them. Ready?
Let’s go!”
How many of you think that
you’d feel “led” to make a different visit?
This is precisely what Paul
is headed for, and he knows it…he’s headed into the mouth of the lion.
He knows about the danger, has a promise he’ll be hurt, but he has
courage and wants to do the will of God.
Here’s part of God’s
warning to Paul about what lay ahead:
21:10-11
A prophet of God named Agabus illustrates what will happen using
Paul’s girdle [not the same as today, of course…in Bible days it was a belt.
When a man would go a great distance he would tie up the sides of his
robe around his waist w/ this girdle].
Given these circumstances, a lesser man would not have gone thru with
it. So what happened?
v. 12-14
Paul did what he felt he had to do, knowing he was walking into the
face of danger. That is great
courage, and we need that in this world today.
So let’s take a further look inside the heart of Paul and see how he
had this courage.
Paul
paints us 3 pictures in chapter 20.
He gives us 3 illustrations.
He reveals 3 passions of his and we realize he wasn’t just a
tentmaker, not just a preacher, but
had 3 other occupations
he always wanted to do.
“What do you wanna be when
you grow up, Paul?”
20:22-24
1.
Paul, the accountant
v. 24 “neither count I my life
dear unto myself”
This is an accounting term.
It means to look at the income and expenses, the assets and the
liabilities. To examine the
ledger like a profit and loss statement, and count the cost.
Paul says, I put my life on
one side of the scale, and doing God’s work on the other side of the scale,
and God’s work is more important.
He says, if I only live for myself, I’m in the red!
When
Jim Elliot was
preparing to go, people called him a fool.
They said, God has given you a brain, so use it!
He replied, “no
man is a fool who gives up what he cannot keep, to gain what he
cannot lose.”
There may be times where
serving God will call on us to give up something…but it’s something we can’t
keep anyway. One second after
death, nothing we’ve accumulated will matter anyway!
By the way, those
missionaries’ wives later went back and won that tribe to the Lord, and
Elizabeth Elliot actually got to know the man who murdered her husband.
And the Apostle Paul knew
this and as an accountant he added it all up and decided, I’d rather die in
the will of God that live outside of His will!
As an accountant he realized, it pays to serve God.
Have you discovered that fact too?
2.
Paul, the runner
v. 24 “finish my course”
That’s the language of a runner.
Hebrews 12:1
Wherefore seeing we
also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay
aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us
run with patience the race that is set before us.
I Cor. 9:24
Know ye not that
they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that
ye may obtain.
If
we’re gonna live for God, we might as well put our heart into it and
go all the way, go for
the gold!
Philip.
I press toward the
mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Quitting is not optional,
retiring is not one of my choices, I want to finish well.
II Tim. 4:7
I have fought a
good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
Now, the Christian life is
not a sprint. It’s not a 100
yard dash…it’s more of a marathon.
Here’s the good news: I’m
not running against you, and you’re not running against me.
We’re not competing with Paul, watching him leave us in the dust…all
we have to do is finish the course, run the race…so, until we hit the tape,
we must run the race!
So, how ya runnin’?
Have you slowed down in your service to God?
You used to be more faithful, you used to teach a class, or serve in
children’s ministries, or go on visitation…how ya runnin’?
Some used to tithe, but you aren’t in the race anymore…used to pray
with your family, but somehow you’ve gotten sidelined…you used to be excited
to read the Bible, but you’re not in the race anymore.
What’s the secret to
finishing well? My father in law
has made it his goal to finish well…what’s the secret?
Some right here in this room are in the process of finishing
well…what’s their secret?
Heb. 12:1…let’s see it
again.
Now look at v. 2:
Hebrews 12:2
Looking unto Jesus
the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before
him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right
hand of the throne of God.
We
must keep our eyes on the goal!
If you look off to the
sidelines and the crowd, you’ll trip and fall…you’ll be distracted and get
off course! People will
disappoint you.
If you’re always looking
back over your shoulder at past sins you’ll never go forward.
If you constantly compare where you’re at w/ where the other runners
are you’ll lose ground in the race!
Paul said, I’ve gotta go to
3.
Paul, the steward
v. 24 “the ministry, which I have
received of the Lord Jesus”
Paul never saw his ministry
as belonging to himself, but as God’s.
My kids like to call this place “my church” … “daddy’s church”, and
I’m always quick to say, that’s God’s church, and we get to go there!
As stewards,
we have no right
to decide what we’re gonna do and when we’re gonna do it…because
everything we have belongs to God!
Every minute of every day is a gift from God, and we have no right to
just decide how WE’RE gonna spend it…we’ve got to do God’s will.
Every dollar we have belongs to God.
Even our children belong to God.
Our talents are not our own, they’re God’s!
And someday we’ll answer to God as stewards.
1 Cor. 6:19-20
What? know ye not
that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye
have of God, and ye are not your own? [20] For ye are bought with a price:
therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
Where did Paul get his
faithfulness, his humility, his compassion, and this great courage?
He viewed himself as an
accountant, and decided that in the end, it pays to serve God.
He was a runner, and said,
I’m gonna finish my course.
He submitted himself as a
steward who had no right to just make his own decisions.
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