Rethink Church - A Faithful Servant
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Finishing Well
Finishing Well
“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.” – Calvin Coolidge
We find ourselves at the end of Acts
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Started with Peter and then to Paul
The journey has been long and hard - like 2020
Paul stayed focused
But I consider my life of no value to myself; my purpose is to finish my course and the ministry I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of God’s grace.
Paul was faithful - that is the question for us
As we close out 2020 - what will be said of us
We have talked about what it looks like to make a difference
What about 2021 -
What does a faithful servant look like?
What do I have to do now to be that person ?
Acts 20
A Faithful Servant
A faithful servant will be His witness
You know that I did not avoid proclaiming to you anything that was profitable or from teaching you publicly and from house to house.
A Faithful Servant
A faithful servant will be His witness
Whether it was safe or popular - Paul shared
The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Nineteen: A Minister’s Farewell (Acts 20)
Paul was devoted to a great Person (“serving the Lord”) and motivated by a great purpose, the building of the church.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek.
A Faithful Servant
2. A faithful servant will anchor others in the Word
Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood.
A Faithful Servant
2. A faithful servant will anchor others in the Word
For not only does sound reason direct us to refuse the guidance of those who do or teach anything wrong, but it is by all means vital for the lover of truth, regardless of the threat of death, to choose to do and say what is right even before saving his own life.
Author: A.W. Tozer
There are so many beliefs out there, we must know the truth and be able to tell it form the lies.
So then, just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to walk in him, being rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and overflowing with gratitude. Be careful that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit based on human tradition, based on the elements of the world, rather than Christ.
A Faithful Servant
3. A faithful servant will give to others
In every way I’ve shown you that it is necessary to help the weak by laboring like this and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, because he said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
A Faithful Servant
3. A faithful servant will give to others
The most obvious lesson in Christ's teaching is that there is no happiness in having or getting anything, but only in giving.
- Henry Drummond
We are made to be generous
We are made to invest in that which is eternal
“Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal.
See a need be the one used to meet the need
Finishing Well
Finishing Well
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
Will you be found faithful?
I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.
- Helen Keller