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Life Lessons for Serving God
Today, I want us to look at some lessons that are important for serving God. At the beginning of Acts 18, we were introduced to two new helpers: Aquila and Priscilla. This morning we find Paul having journeyed from Corinth to Antioch with his two new helpers.
While we could surely get numerous lessons from this passage, I just want us to focus on 6 Life Lessons for Serving God:
Acts 18:18
After this, Paul stayed many days longer and then took leave of the brothers and set sail for Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he had cut his hair, for he was under a vow.
1. God closes some doors only temporarily. You might remember that Paul and Barnabas set out to head to Asia in chapter 16. But they were forbidden by the HS. They wanted to head North, but God closed that door and led them South. God closes a door only to open it in His timing. But we must remember that Paul did not sit and wait or pout when God initially closed that door. He faithfully served God all along.
At times I talk to Christians who seem to be waiting for God to open the doors they want open before they serve Him faithfully.
2. God uses average ordinary people. Paul had left Timothy and Silas and we learned before that Paul did not like to be alone. So God provides a husband and wife team to help Paul. We first met them in v. 2. There was nothing extraordinary about them. They were not rich—they were tentmakers. They were not scholars. They were not dignitaries. But they were devoted to Christ. You take a husband and wife who are devoted to Christ, and thus have a good marriage, and you won’t find better helpers for Paul.
Aquila and Priscilla were forced out of their home in Rome, by Claudia’s edict for the Jews to leave Rome. We are told that Paul left them in Ephesus. They conducted their business there and eventually the church met in their house. So dedicated were they that Paul says they were willing to die for him in Romans 16:4.
Don’t ever think that God can’t use you. If you are ordinary then you are the perfect candidate for God to use you. We have gotten to the point where some have the idea that only those who have some type of degree can serve God. That is not true. Some people have more degrees than thermometers, yet they don’t have the tender hearts that God wants. God uses people that are devoted to Him no matter how much they know!
I praise God that for all of you that minister here. I can’t do but a small portion of what needs to be done here. You all are very important. I can’t study the way I am supposed to without you. I can’t pray the way I am supposed to without you. We are a team. More than that we are a family—God’s family.
Acts 18:19
And they came to Ephesus, and he left them there, but he himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.
3. Paul never forgot his God-given mission. He went to the Synagogue as he always did. Now he did not stay as long as other times, but he did not forget his calling. I believe this is important because I notice some in the ministry who seem to forget their calling. Many a pastor starts out preaching God’s word and making that their main priority and then they get involved in politics or what have you. In the course of time they are not spending as much time in the word. My point is that we must not forget God’s calling on our lives. (OS Hawkins’ quote)
Acts 18:20-21
When they asked him to stay for a longer period, he declined. But on taking leave of them he said, "I will return to you if God wills," and he set sail from Ephesus.
4. Paul learned to trust God’s timing. Aquilla and Priscilla wanted Paul to stay. But Paul was following God’s lead and said that he would return “if God wills.” Paul had learned about God’s leading and timing. Have you? You know that Paul loved them. But he said no, because he was being obedient. Sometimes when we say yes to people, we are saying no to God.
This is hard for me with a smaller network of people than Paul had. Plus Paul was the greatest leader of his day, not just one of many pastors like me. It is so hard to have time to do all that you would like to.
(Acts 6) This is why they had others to help.
Acts 18:22-23
When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church, and then went down to Antioch. After spending some time there, he departed and went from one place to the next through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.
5. Paul did not allow discouragement to consume him. Now most students of Scripture are aware that Paul made three missionary journeys. The first two are quite easy to trace from beginning to end. The third one is a bit more veiled but we find it here. Paul was at his starting point again in Antioch. Antioch was the commissioning church. So Paul “went up,” which was Jerusalem, and then to Antioch. As he left Antioch he was embarking on his third missionary journey.
Now ministry at any level is not easy. But we can’t give up. In fact, God often works contrary to what we might think. We might think that the more faithfully we serve God the easier it will be. But Paul’s life is proof that that is not the case. Now being an apostle was not easy. Being a missionary is not easy. Being a pastor is not easy. But guess what? Being a nursery worker is not always easy. Being a children’s worker is not always easy. Being a prayer warrior is not easy.
Let me tell you how to know if you are ministering on your own power or relying on God. If you are constantly tired of ministering and are only doing it out of obligation you are doing it while relying too much on your own strength. See when we allow God to minister through us, then we will get the greatest sense of joy we can have. This does not mean that we will never get physically tired, but we will get great joy.
This is why I want everyone in this church to be doing some sort of active service. I know that if you are serving God the way He wants you to, it will bring great joy to you. Some of you are lacking joy because you are not serving God. Some of you may even be studying for the ministry, but you are not serving God.
Don’t think that coming to church is serving God. Don’t think that simply studying is serving God. We should be actively serving God in some capacity. It won’t always be easy, but it will be a source of great joy.
Let me say a bit more about discouragement. I have often found that I tend to get discouraged. Many Christians I know get discouraged. I have found that when my prayer life is more active, I am not as discouraged. I have also found that by encouraging other people, I become encouraged. Be an encourager.
By nature I am a bit pessimistic. God is changing me as I pray about it. I am trying to dwell on the positive and not the negative. Now, I am not talking about positive thinking, but biblical thinking. We are going to heaven! Our citizenship is in heaven. That is all we need to be encouraged!
I have spoken to so many Christians who are just not content and they are a bit discouraged. I would say that about 80% of the believers I know pretty well are a bit discouraged because they are not doing what they want to do. I know very few believers who tell me “I really like my job.” I get like that too. But why? We get discouraged, which is opposed to contentment often because we want things in our timing. The only answer I know of is to pray!
*Now when it comes to serving God nothing is more important than this next point: HUMILITY
6. Humility is the key to serving God. We all have pride. Pride is what caused Satan to fall. He used that to entice Adam and Eve to sin. We all deal with it. Pride is what won’t allow us to say we are “sorry,” or “we were wrong.” Early in our marriage my apology to Angela was always “I am sorry for my part.” Pride is what leads to church splits. Pride is as bad as any sin. The dangerous thing about pride is that we all have it.
I mean haven’t you noticed that your way is the best? Your way of parenting is the best? Your ideas on what your child’s school should do is the best? Your idea on what the church should do is the best? A lot of these things point to pride. Again we all have it. I have met homeless people who are full of pride. I used to think, why would anyone who has no money, has no job, has no possessions, have pride? That is how pervasive pride is. In fact, due to pride, some people who don’t have jobs won’t take one unless it pays what they want.
Now while we all have pride, things like money and education can make people even more prideful. For instance some of you are prideful because you think you understand God’s sovereignty better than most believers. God cares more about you heart than your head! Here we have a man who was educated. He was also eloquent in his speech. This is a recipe for pride. But we see that Apollos was humble. Let’s look at what we know about Apollos:
Acts 18:24-25
Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John.
Now listen young preachers. None of you will learn to wax eloquent like Apollos. In fact, most preachers don’t wax eloquent, we wax elephants! I don’t care how well you can speak. God’s hand of blessing is the key. I met a man recently who was an assistant pastor of a very large church. He was a wonderfully humble man. He has a terrible problem with stuttering. But God uses him, not because of his speech, but because of his heart! You may stutter or you may be as eloquent as an Adrian Rogers. Adrian Rogers is a preachers dream in terms of voice inflexions and pulpit command. He was perhaps like Apollos. Let’s see what we know about Apollos:
A. Apollos was a learned man – v. 24 = He was from Alexandria (not Virginia). Alexandria was a center for learning. They were even more serious about scholarship then those in Athens. So Apollos would have been well versed in Jewish philosophy among other things. And he was not some man who had a lot of knowledge, but was as dry as a desert! He was eloquent. I mean some teachers are walking “droughts!”
B. Apollos had a thorough knowledge of the Old Testament – v. 24 = Obviously this speaks of his knowledge of the Old Testament. It is even possible that Apollos had studied under the famous Jewish scholar, Philo. Apollos’ knowledge mixed with his eloquence allowed him to defeat the Jews in debates.
C. Apollos had been instructed in the way of the Lord – v. 25 = This speaks mainly of the Old Testament, since his knowledge only extended to the time of John the Baptist.
D. Apollos spoke with great fervor - This means he taught from the heart. The Scriptures were seriously important to him. He taught with conviction.
Now imagine you are Aquila and Priscilla. You meet this man that has such a reputation. He is educated and eloquent, and you are neither. He is well known and respected, and you are neither. What would you do? How would you approach him and tell him that there is more that he doesn’t know?
Acts 18:26-28
He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him and explained to him the way of God more accurately. And when he wished to cross to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed, for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.
They just simply pulled him aside and said, Apollos, we need to explain some things to you. They did not interrupt him and make him look foolish. Apollos humbly accepted this teaching and went about serving God. So we see the humility of Apollos and the boldness of this couple. You know ability is often the enemy of humility. But this is not the case with Apollos.
Let me ask you a couple of questions: Are you always right? Are you able to take instruction? When someone suggests something to you are you quick to be defensive, or do prayerfully consider what is being said? If you answered yes to these then be aware that you have pride.
We all have pride in our lives that we must ask God to eradicate so that we can serve Him the way we should.
E. Apollos was a man who relied on the Scriptures – v. 28
Acts 18:28
for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.
I am struck by the fact that God uses all kinds of people. He used Aquila and Priscilla, a couple who were simply willing to serve Him. He used Apollos, a man who was a skillful communicator. He used Moses who was not so eloquent. He used Paul a former murderer, who though knowledgeable, was weak and feeble physically. But they all had one thing in common: They were humble and willing to serve God. We must become more humble. The less pride we have the more God we will have! If you want more of God you can have it. But it will cost you “self.” You can have all of God you want, but you can’t have God and self. You choose!
