July 8
1 Chron 5:18-6:81 | PS 6:1-10 | Prov 18:20-21 | Acts 26:1-32
Pastor Chuck Swindoll said, "Early in my ministry, it was a hard lesson to learn, that the personal response of others to the preaching of the gospel must be left to God. I felt responsible if people did not respond to the truth of the gospel. If I had not been careful, I would have followed them around and made a nuisance of myself. Finally it dawned on me: My responsibility is to communicate the truth. It is God's task to take it from there and lead someone to believe it" How easy it is for all of us to believe that we are merely vessels, and weak ones at that. David wrote in Psalm 6:2, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak:", and again in Psalm 103:14, "He knows our frame: He remembers that we are dust." We have to remember that if the heroes of faith, such as Paul and David saw themselves like this, we need not beat ourselves up when our conversations and witnessing does not go as planned. We are simply to be obedient to our calling, and it is the calling for all of us who are called according to His Name.
Paul was given his commission by Jesus, as he recants it in Acts 26:16-18, "But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’ And this is exactly what he did. Paul passed on to Timothy this truth in 2 Timothy 2:26, that through our patience, gentleness and humility that, "that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will." So Paul described to King Herod Agrippa II the faithfulness of his calling in 26:19-20, "“Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance."
Paul moved forward in obedience to all 3 Roman officials between chapters 24-26: Governors Felix and Festus, and King Agrippa. All three rejected the message. This should serve as a healthy reminder to all of us. We must remember that even Jesus, God Himself, when performing countless miracles, speaking forth absolute and pure truth, His message was largely rejected by those listening. We must remember that it is not about us, but about Him. We need not keep a scorecard, as to how many accept. It is great when at a crusade that many respond, but even if only one person truly responded that crusade was worthwhile, as each soul brought into the kingdom is precious in His sight. If we keep our commission in focus, but our weakness in perspective, we will not lose sight due to frustration, and keep going.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: