| The Encourager |
Acts 20:18-31 records Paul’s words to the elders of the church at Ephesus. The church of the Ephesians is a very good one, but like all churches, it has people in it, and therefore also has some problems. Paul makes some very bold statements here. He prophesies they are going to hit some hard times in the near future. He even makes the assumption that some of them are not going to make it through these hard times. Paul continues to say that he won’t be there to fix things when they go bad. But in all of that, Paul also has some confidence in them and their spirituality. He knows that God does care for them and will not leave them alone in their time of trial. And he has confidence that he has done what he was supposed to do, he has done his part - verses 26-27. At a time when we are patriotic, and yet also well aware of the difficulties our nation and society face, we also can say that we are probably going to face some financial hard times. [Be a little careful about your prophesying outside of Scripture; remember when gas hit $4 a gallon, everyone (you and me included) said it would soon be $8, and yet in a few months it was under $2.] But we will definitely face some spiritual hard times. As much as it pains me to write it, some of the saints won’t survive with their faith intact, and yet there still can be a sense of joy and peace in our lives if we have simply done our part. This message can go many ways; doing our part in the church, family, job, etc., but as it is our nation’s birthday, let’s take a look at doing our part in this country. [And make the application to every other aspect of our lives as well.] I. Doing My Part in the Answer - v. 21 When it comes to the answer this nation needs, we need to keep from being sidetracked. “No man that warreth entangleth himself in the affairs of this life” - II Tim. 2:4. One of Satan’s biggest ploys is to get us sidetracked from what the real issue is. And it is easy to do. We, as citizens, are worried about the jobs and welfare of our fellow countrymen. We don’t want to see people go without the necessities of life in the wealthiest nation ever to exist. But to stay focused is the only way to fix these things as well as receive the blessings of God. It is not about the economy, it is about righteousness - Pro. 14:34. Righteousness is still the thing the exalts a nation, and sin will still bring one down. We need the blessings of God more than we need the stock market to rally or the corporations to actually get a caring heart. But it is not enough to stand up and proclaim, “America, repent!”. That is actually very easy to say, and to even get a tremendous “amen” for doing so. But it is so much harder to hear, “you, yes you, the one reading this, you repent!”. The world has successfully entangled everyone in their rudiments. They give us a thirty second factoid on the news, and then thirty minutes of “how does that make you feel”. We have become a nation of “feelings”, rather than a nation of actually doing something about it. They want to know how you feel, but they also want to be sure and tell you how you are supposed to feel about any given subject. But we can do our part. I want to be part of the answer, not part of the problem. Adolf Hitler was voted into office on a platform of fixing the German economy. I would like our economy fixed, but not at the expense of millions of aborted children. I’m not going to get sidetracked. It is not about the party, it is about the Savior, Jesus Christ. It is not about the stock market, it is about saving the lives of children that are aborted just because they are an inconvenience. My political stance is one of morals, righteousness, and history. When I vote, I do not want to look back and see my vote went toward the decay of our country, because I was sidetracked by the popular concept of the day. I want to speak up for the Lord Jesus Christ and for the word of God, and then hear people say, “I knew you would say that. That is all you ever say”. When they say that, I will know I have done my part. II. Doing My Part in the Appreciation - v. 24 Paul’s life was not easy or convenient, but it was filled with joy and thanksgiving. In the midst of bodily peril and mortal danger, Paul was thankful that he had something to do for God. Paul was very cognizant of the trouble and aggravation that Christians can cause, but he was so thankful for having people to minister to - Phil. 1:3 In regard to our country, I want to be thankful for what we do have. I have heard much in the way of comments about how nobody prays anymore. Nobody is thankful anymore. Nobody is patriotic anymore. It reminds me of a time when someone in another church told me their church was not friendly and it really bothered them. I asked them if they were a member of the church, and they replied that they were. I than asked them if they were friendly to the guest, visitors, and other members. He said he was trying to be. Well, if that is the case, then nobody can say the church is not friendly. If you are part of the church, you be friendly, and that makes the church friendly. [I’m sorry, I realize that is not deep enough to merit my 8 years of college, but it really does work - Pro. 18:24.] The same is true for our country. If our country is going to have problems, it won’t be because of my life. My wife and I pray for our military, our country, and our president. I realize that the president is not a king [thank God] but he is the leader of our country, and his heart is in the hand of the Lord God. So we pray that God will turn his heart to right things [Pro. 21:1]. If any president we have doesn’t do right, it won’t be because of my lack of praying for them. Our country does deserve the judgment of God, and I know that. But so does every human on the face of this earth [Rom. 3:10]. But I pray for God’s mercy and longsuffering. My children are military families, and I want them to be safe. I want my grandchildren to grow up going to Sunday School and Vacation Bible School, not in a cave hiding somewhere. I want to kiss their little scraped knees where they fell learning to ride a bike, not trying to hush them while we hide in the brambles and thorns while the anarchist search for us. There is a bit too much gloating by some of the brethren about God’s impending judgment on this country. I really want to do my part to postpone it as much as possible. I preach personal repentance. I try to practice personal accountability and repentance. I try to be vocally thankful for our country, our military, our heritage. Nobody will accuse us of not being patriotic. There is a whole world out there going to hell. Do we just reminisce about how it used to be in earlier Americana days, and meander through our local Cracker Barrel and tell the kids, “I remember when …”, or do we try to win a world going to hell one soul at a time, and make a difference today. I don’t want to hear how it used to be, I want to see God do something now. And even if it does get bad, our children can grow up seeing the hand of God and feeling the fruits of the Spirit in the midst of trials. What about giving an account? We give accounts as individuals - II Cor. 5:10. And we give accounts as a local church - Rev. 2-3. What if we also give an account as a nation? [Some actually do in Matt. 25:32] How would your account read? Have you done your part in appreciating the blessings of God on this country? III. Doing My Part in the Application - v. 30 Paul again mentions that there will be some that do not make it. He can make the statement, but they have to make the application to their own lives. I want to do my part in applying the things of God to my life, even the rebukes and corrections. We change a nation one person at a time. Strong Christians make strong families. Strong families make a strong church. Strong churches make a strong community. And our nation is make up of communities. [That is why every local parade features their town fire trucks] I need to make sure I’m not a wolf - v. 29a. I need to make sure I’m part of the protection, not the problem - v. 29b. I need to make sure I’m not conned by the wolves - v. 30. I need to make sure I am doing my part. So many times, I am afraid that while I am preaching to others, I fail to see the things in my own life. It is required of God that we all stop and take a look at ourselves [I Cor. 11:28], and that we make the applications to our own hearts. As a preacher, all I can do is put the word of God out there. It is up to God to touch people’s hearts with that word, and it is their choice to listen to it or not. But I have to do my part. It applies to everything in our lives, from our homes to our jobs and to our churches. It might not be big and glamorous, but God will say “well done” if we did our part. |
| Doing My Part by Pastor Steve Hays |