Your testimony and the gospel

Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul.
Acts 16:14

Continuing with the topic of how the Lord saves people as the Holy Spirit supernaturally “opens people’s hearts” as God’s people share the gospel, lets talk about our testimonies.

Our testimonies can save no one. We are not out to get people to receive Christ because we did, or because it “worked for us.” Before considering the value of our testimonies, let us be reminded of Paul’s words in Romans 1:16

I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

So the gospel is what people need to hear, because the gospel is the power of God to save! Our testimonies are a valuable tool for sharing the gospel—as long as our testimonies include the gospel. Think of your testimony as a bridge to connect the disinterested with at least hearing you out. Face it, there are lots of people (maybe even most?) who are not interested in hearing about Christ and the gospel. But if they know and care anything about you, they will listen when you want to tell them something very important to you.

So tell them your story. And when you get to the place in the story at which you were converted, say something like this: “That is when I came to understand that God is holy and demands holiness from all of us. I knew that I was not holy and that I was therefore subject to God’s wrath. But I also came to understand that because God is also loving, He provided a way by which I would be forgiven. That way is Jesus, who died to pay the penalty for my sins and that I would be forgiven if I trusted in Jesus and truly sought to turn from my sin.”

Can you see how your story is a way to share the gospel? Can you also see that your testimony without the gospel is not the power of God unto salvation?

More tomorrow…

The Holy Spirt works even when we do our part poorly

Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul.
Acts 16:14

Only the Holy Spirit can change the unbelieving heart of a lost sinner into the heart of one who trusts in Christ for salvation. But as we considered last time, He has sovereignly chosen to do His work as we who believe, proclaim Christ and the gospel. Let’s consider how we do our part.

The Lord saved me through a terrible witness of a co-worker. I will not take the time here to recount those details, but suffice it to say that what that dear brother did and said was not the way to proclaim Christ. But God used that situation and I was irresistibly drawn to Christ. Not by the man’s words or actions but by the Holy Spirit.

This is not an encouragement to present Christ badly. It is an encouragement that even if we do not proclaim Christ well, the Holy Spirit will save Christ’s people. So do not not speak about Christ to non-believers because you fear you don't know what to say. Just tell what you know, and pray, trusting that the Holy Spirit is able, and will open the hearts of those Christ came to save!

More on this next time…

They cannot believe unless we…

Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul.
Acts 16:14

The last few posts have been about the work of the Holy Spirit in “opening people’s hearts” as necessary for salvation. Apart from Him, even the best gospel presentation will bring no one to salvation. However…

This does not preclude the necessity of believers speaking about Christ and sharing the gospel. Consider Paul’s words in Romans 10:13-14

For "Whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved." How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?

• All who cry out to Christ for salvation based on what He has done to save His people will be saved.

• Yet no one can cry out to Him for salvation if they have never hear of Him or the gospel, so...

• Christ and the gospel must be declared, and God has chosen those He has saved to tell others so that they too may be saved.

Therefore, while salvation is a work of the Holy Spirit, not of either the preacher or the lost sinner, we must speak about Christ and the gospel if any will be saved. The Holy Spirit will do His part, and He will cause the lost sinner to cry out for salvation—but how are we doing as the proclaimers of Christ?

Salvation is of the Lord

Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. Acts 16:14

Why must God “open a person’s heart” if they are to believe? Because we are all born sinners, who deny God. How does the Bible describe this condition?

Ephesians 2:1 & 5  And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins… even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).

Our spiritual problem is described as being “dead in trespasses and sins.” Not sick. Dead. Not dying. Dead. And dead people neither know they are dead, nor can they do anything about their condition. That is why if the dead are to ever be alive, someone else would have to make them alive. That someone is God, and that is exactly what God the Holy Spirit does when He “opens our hearts.” Ephesians 2:5 says He makes us alive. He raises the spiritually dead to life. And He does this unilaterally. Of course He does, because being dead, not only can we not raise ourselves, we cannot assist Him in raising us!

When He raises us from death to life, we are “born again.” Only then do we believe! We are not born again because we believe. We believe because we have been born again by the Spirit of God.

That is what happened to Lydia in Acts 16:14, and that is what happens to everyone who has ever, or will ever, be saved. Truly, salvation is of the Lord. Therefore, all glory be to Him forever and ever, Amen!

Something even God cannot find

Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul.
Acts 16:14

We’ve been considering the plight of the natural man who denies God and insists that there is no God, or that he can save himself. We’ve considered Romans 3:10-11 and we began considering Psalm 14. Lets continue with Psalm 14.

Psalms 14:1-3 The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God." They are corrupt, They have done abominable works, There is none who does good. 2 The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God. 3 They have all turned aside, They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one.

Why do natural born sinners deny God? They do not want to answer to Him. Why? Because they are “corrupt.” They have “done abominable works,” means they have committed sins for which they will be judged by God. “There is none who does good,” meaning, perfectly good, as God is good. Even sinners are capable of doing “good things,” but their motives are not for the glory of God (Romans 3:23), so they are not good before God.

Note how the “LORD looks down from Heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God.” If there were any to be found, would not the all-seeing and all-knowing God find them? But what does God find? “They have all turned aside, They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one.” Why are natural born sinners this way?

We’ll consider the cause and the remedy next time…

Reinventing God. It doesn't work.

Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul.
Acts 16:14

All natural born sinners deny God. Only a tiny number of them do so blatantly by claiming to be atheists. The rest (and that is the rest of all of lost humanity), deny Him by reinventing Him according to their idea of how He should be.

Some deniers of the one true and living God invent religions they can follow to justify themselves before God. This doesn’t work.

Others reinvent a God who loves and forgives everybody of everything, These insist that all that is needed to go to Heaven is to die, because according to their beliefs, everyone who dies goes to a “better place.” This makes these deniers of God feel good while alive, but it will not help when they die and find out that their “god” does not exist except in their imaginations.

Still others reinvent a god who judges as they would judge. Good people go to Heaven and bad people go to Hell. And of course these people always consider themselves to be among the “good” ones. A variation of this is: they insist that while they may not be good all the time, their good deeds outweigh their bad deeds, so they are sure to be okay. These are self-righteous fantasies of those who deny God.

Why are we naturally God-deniers? We’ll attempt to answer that next time…

The fool's biggest mistake

Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul.
Acts 16:14

Last time we began considering the fact that no one believes unless the Holy Spirit “opens our hearts.” Why is this necessary? Because we are naturally born sinners. Paul made that clear in Romans 3:10-11, when he quoted from Psalm 14.

Psalms 14:1-3  The fool has said in his heart," There is no God." They are corrupt, They have done abominable works, There is none who does good.  2  The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God.  3  They have all turned aside, They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one.

First, note that the Bible calls natural (unsaved) people “fools.” Foolishness according to the Bible is not an intellectual problem. It is a spiritual problem. What does that problem look like? It denies God.

That doesn’t mean that all are atheists. Far from it. All people have a God-given instinctive knowledge that God exists. Only a minute minority of those who deny God claim to be atheistic. And they do not really disbelieve in God. Rather, they don’t want to answer to Him, so they counsel themselves that He is not there, thinking that will excuse them from answering to Him. When these poor people die, they will find out how wrong they were. Can denying one will die, allow one to live forever? Of course not. Neither will denying the existence of God excuse anyone from standing before Him for ultimate judgment!

More on Psalm 14 next time…

No, not one!

Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul.
Acts 16:14

Why did Lydia believe? Why does anyone believe? Because the Holy Spirit “opens the heart.” Without this supernatural work of the Holy Spirit, no one would ever believe. Why? Because we are all born with sinful hearts, that keep us from understanding, much less believing and embracing Christ and the Gospel. Consider some key verses on this subject:

Romans 3:10-11  As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one;  11  there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God.”

The natural state of human beings, ever since Adam and Eve sinned is that we are unrighteous, we do not understand God, nor de we seek Him. True, people are nearly universally “religious.” Being religious is not seeking God. It is seeking to justify ourselves with good works, morality, and/or by practicing rituals. These get no one to God, but are an offense to Him as we insist that we are “good,” in spite of what God’s Word says.

This was not a new concept introduced by Paul in Romans. He was quoting from the Old Testament, including from Psalm 14, which we’ll consider next time…

Equality in Christ

…and from there to Philippi, which is the foremost city of that part of Macedonia, a colony. And we were staying in that city for some days. And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there. Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. Acts 16:12-14

Paul was in Philippi, a Greco-Roman city. Paul’s latter letter to the Philippians was addressed to the church that grew out of this missionary encounter. On the Sabbath, they went out of the city to the place where the local Jews were known to pray. Apparently there was either no synagogue, or due to Roman persecution of the Jews, they were not welcome in the city. And why were there only women there for this Sabbath Jewish prayer meeting? It is believed that the persecution of the Jews may have caused the men to either leave the city, or did not want to be identified publicly as Jewish.

The more important point of this narrative is that it was there that Paul met Lydia. Lydia was almost certainly a Gentile woman who was a “God-fearer,” meaning she had become convinced of the truth of the God of the Jews, but had not been officially converted to being Jewish. Lydia was also a wealthy woman, since purple dye was exceedingly expensive in that day.

The even more important point is that when Paul spoke of Christ and the gospel, Lydia was converted. The following verse says she and her household were baptized.

This account is instructive not only because the gospel was being revealed to a wealthy Gentile, but to a prominent woman. Contrary to to modern feminists, Christianity is not anti-female. The fact is, in that day every culture and religion was strongly male-dominated, restricting women in most every way. It was Christ and the Christian gospel that broke new ground by including women as equal in the eyes of God.

Thank the Lord that He loves His people equally regardless of race, socio-economic states—and yes, whether male or female!

Helping promptly, in Jesus’ name

Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them.
Acts 16:10

Having heard about the need in Macedonia, Paul “immediately” sought to go to Macedonia to help with the need. That he did so immediately is a great reminder about acting promptly when we are aware of a need we can help with. Why? Because delayed action can easily become inaction. Why is that? Because we are all busy and we sometimes forget. So a simple rule of thumb is that if we sense the Lord prompting us to embark on a charitable act, we are wise to act promptly.

One simple caution is to be sure we are being prompted by the Lord. There are always more requests than there are resources and we can’t do everything. So when becoming aware of a need, ask the Lord if this is a need He wants you to help with. If He says yes, then I suggest acting promptly lest forgetfulness sets in!

One more thing. Paul went to “preach the gospel to them.” Support charitable efforts that are expressly gospel-centered. Most are not, but as believers we must seek do more than to simply be “do-gooders.” We must “offer a cup of cold water, in Jesus’ name!”

Just pray about it, won’t you?

After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them. So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." Acts 16:7-9

As was the case in Acts 16, there are some places that are more in need than others. While the Church in our area has spiritual needs, we do not know what it is to be “in great need” like those who are either persecuted or impoverished. For that, let us give thanks and refrain from complaining. We are in many ways, RICH!

Spiritually, the Church in our corner of the world has a great need, but our great need is not difficult to meet. We who are spoiled (economically and face virtually zero persecution) need only to repent of our collective worldliness and get serious about biblical worship. Cut the innovations by which the Church seeks to win the world’s affection and return to biblical worship (singing, praying and doctrinal preaching). We would be amazed what would likely happen if we did this.

But my attention in this post is more about the Church in other places that are impoverished and or persecuted. What can we do to respond to their cry to “help us”?“ Just this: (1) Pray for them. More often and more fervently. (2) Support them in practical ways. How? Pray for and support the ministries that do so much to help the poor and the persecuted. We do this as a church, but some of us who are able might choose to financially support ministries that specifically serve the persecuted Church and the less fortunate in other lands.

Just pray about it, won’t you?

Warnings about counselors

After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them. So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." Acts 16:7-9

God spoke to the Apostle Paul in a dream. I do not advise waiting for that kind of leading, or even trusting it if you do have a dream. Why? Because dreams are not how God generally (if ever) leads His people. Instead, we have said that we know God’s will by knowing God’s Word.

We ended last time by saying there is another way in which God is often pleased to reveal His will to us. That way is by seeking wise counsel. I’ve been stumped by a problem before, so I have telephoned, asking a trusted counselor to help me sort things out. But there are two important warnings attached to this.

First, to whom do I go for counsel? Not just anybody. And certainly not somebody who is likely to tell me what I want to hear. Instead, I must go only to a person I know has a committed and long-standing life in God’s Word. Seeking counsel is about seeking God’s Word!

Second, the counselor is not the Holy Spirit. I must not simply do as the counselor says as though the counselor is infallible. A counselor counsels me to help me discern and decide wisely. If a counselor insists that I do as he or she says, I need to seek a different counselor!* I must make the decision and I am accountable to God for my decision.

So, the first point insists that I choose a counselor wisely. The second point insists on my personal responsibility to discern and walk by faith rather than blindly following another person.

*The only exception to this statement would be if the counselor points you to a commandment in scripture, in which case I would not be obeying the counselor but God Himself.

Finding God's Will in God's Word

After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them. So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." Acts 16:7-9

Last time we considered the fact that while God did direct the Apostle Paul through God a dream, He does not generally (if ever) direct us through dreams or visions—or even by “impressions.” We said that we are to seek God’s will while prayerfully attending to His Word. What does that look like?

First, it is not a Christian crystal ball or Ouija Board. We do not ask the Lord for His will on a particular decision and then open the Bible and and read a page we have randomly turned to and voilà, we know God’s will. Rather, we learn to discern the Lord’s will by constantly, over a long period of time, reading the Word systematically. This discipline will progressively tune our hearts and minds to know His voice, and therefore His will. This happens because the “cumulative effect” of a life lived in the Word of God is to know the God of the Word. It isn’t instant, but over time, it is the single most important and reliable way to know God’s will.

Second, some issues are abundantly clear to the diligent student of God’s Word. Whether to marry a non-believer, for instance, is strictly forbidden. But which Christian to marry may not be so crystal clear.

Third, there are of course myriads of things we may want to know about God’s will. There is no “one-size-fits-all” answer. Waiting for God to reveal whether you should buy a Honda or a Toyota is probably not that important. But by knowing God’s will, you will know that He wants you to shop wisely, and remain within your means.

In all things, seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these [other, lesser critical matters] will be added to you (Matthew 6:33). And then walk by faith.

There is no other means by which God sometimes reveals His will. We’ll consider that next time…

"The Spirit did not permit them"

Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them. So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." Acts 16:6-9

What is meant by, “the Spirit did not permit them”? In that particular instance, Paul received a vision from the Lord about going to Macedonia instead of where he was planning to go. I assume we all realize that God does not normally guide us through dreams and visions. In fact, Hebrews 1:1-2 explains that that method of communication is now passé.

God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things…

Paul was an Apostle, and during the transitionary time of the book of Acts, signs, wonders, visions and dreams were still somewhat common. But not now. How does the Spirit guide us today?

Primarily, through His Word. We hear, read, and study scripture to have the mind of God in order to discern the will of God, and then we walk by faith.

Are there times that we may have a strong impression through which the Lord may be leading us? It is possible, but “impressions” can come our way from all sorts of sources that are not from the Spirit of God. To discern whether such impressions are of the Lord (or otherwise), we must seek the Lord in His Word, praying for discernment. If the Word does not support the “impression,” it is not from God. Dear ones, please be careful about attributing impressions that come even from news items and advertising, as being from God.

What do we mean when we say, “Seek the Lord in the word and prayer”? Next time…

Scripture or traditions?

Now while they were passing through the cities, they were delivering the decrees which had been decided upon by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem, for them to observe. So the churches were being strengthened in the faith, and were increasing in number daily. Acts 16:4-5

As Paul and Timothy went about on this second missionary journey, they informed the churches they previously planted and were now following up on, about the decisions made at the Jerusalem council. These Jewish-Gentile issues were important in that day because they set the ground rules for Gentile believers who were joining what began as a mostly Jewish religion.

Apparently the Gentile believers in this mostly Gentile region were encouraged. As a result, the missionary and church planting enterprise gained momentum.

Sadly, some of the Jewish believers who were more strict were not likewise willing to abide by the decisions of the Jerusalem Council. We know this because most of the rest of Paul’s ministry was plagued by the “Judaizers” who followed Paul and sought to put people back under bondage to the Jewish laws and traditions.

While we can understand their zeal for their religion and traditions, they were wrong. How often are there people in the church who are more committed to religious traditions than the Word of God? Sadly, these are also wrong. Let us be sure not to be among that number! Scripture alone!

Paul did what to Timothy?

Then he came to Derbe and Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a certain Jewish woman who believed, but his father was Greek. He was well spoken of by the brethren who were at Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted to have him go on with him. And he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in that region, for they all knew that his father was Greek. Acts 16:1-3

Paul did what to Timothy? You read it right. Paul circumcised Timothy. But why?

A little background: Timothy had a Jewish mother but a Gentile father. Had Timothy been the son of two Gentiles this likely would not have taken place, but because he had a Jewish mother, tradition demanded that he have the sign of the covenant: circumcision.

But didn’t the Jerusalem council say this was not necessary? Yes, it did. So why then did Paul and Timothy do this? It was a concession so as not to offend the Jewish believers who would have said that Timothy was not a devout Jew before being converted to Christ, evidenced by not having been circumcised.

You and I would likely have said those Jews who were offended were the ones with the problem (not Timothy), and we would be right! So why did Paul and Timothy take this radical step? Because they were more concerned not to give offense, and thereby hinder the gospel ministry, than they were about their “rights,” and Timothy’s comfort. Did they have to do this? No, but they were willing as a sacrifice for the sake of the furtherance of the Kingdom of God.

Praise God this specific issue is not an issue today! But, are there other freedoms that we enjoy that we might consider laying down for the sake of the Kingdom? If we could think of any, would we be willing to lay them down? Think of all Jesus set aside to save us!

Like Christ, Timothy was committed!

Discipleship (part three)

Then he came to Derbe and Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a certain Jewish woman who believed, but his father was Greek. He was well spoken of by the brethren who were at Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted to have him go on with him. And he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in that region, for they all knew that his father was Greek. Acts 16:1-3

Continuing with the subject of discipleship, let’s think about the process. 2 Timothy 2:2 gives an important instructional pattern for the process:

2 Timothy 2:2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

The Discipler: Someone has to be in the lead. He or she has been taught and is prepared to teach others. This doesn’t require special seminary training or that one be an official officer in the church. It just means he or she is ahead of those being discipled at least a little. (The discipler will usually learn the most when teaching/leading.) One more important note to would-be disciplers: Your goal is to lead in a well-balanced approach. Those who have special agendas beyond that, are not ready to lead.

The Disciple(s): These must want to learn and be confident that the discipler is someone from whom they can safely learn. This is important since some who may want to teach are not ready. The choice of who to look to as a discipler is important. Ask your pastor for counsel on this matter.

The only requisite for those who are selected to be discipled is that they must be “faithful.” Those who cannot make a commitment to the bullet points in the previous post are not ready. Many discipleship groups have begun and fizzled out due to a lack of commitment. This makes the selection of who to disciple important.

The on-going process: You can see from the text that this is a never-ending process because the goal for discipler and disciples alike is for students to become teachers—and so on, and so on, and so on…

Discipleship (part two)

Then he came to Derbe and Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a certain Jewish woman who believed, but his father was Greek. He was well spoken of by the brethren who were at Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted to have him go on with him. And he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in that region, for they all knew that his father was Greek. Acts 16:1-3

Last time we began thinking about Paul’s relationship with Timothy in terms of “discipleship.” Discipleship is deliberate training in the things of the Lord in either a small group (like Jesus and His disciples) or one-on-one (like Paul and Timothy).

While there is no “one way” to do discipleship (there are many different curriculums and approaches), there are a few basics that ought to be considered essential.

• Fellowship: Committing oneself to getting together regularly weekly (which is best), or if not weekly, as often as possible. Communicating from time to time when apart (via email, text, or phone).

• Scripture: Studying together, and hopefully memorizing scripture. Remaining committed to regular personal Bible reading.

• Prayer: Praying with each other when meeting, as well as for each other when you are apart.

• Church: Joining and serving in the local church.

• Evangelism: Encouraging each other to share the gospel and pray for non-believers.

In our church, discipleship groups, primarily using our discipleship curriculum, have always been a priority. The goal is not to “get through the curriculum,” but to “get the curriculum through us.” And not just to get the information, but to be able to, in turn, lead others through in the process. Discipleship is not “done” because one has completed the curriculum.

Where are you in this process? Haven’t considered it? Maybe you should. In the process? Great! Carry on, remembering that you aren’t done because you finish the curriculum. Aspire to lead others.

More Next Time…

Discipleship (part one)

Then he came to Derbe and Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a certain Jewish woman who believed, but his father was Greek. He was well spoken of by the brethren who were at Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted to have him go on with him. And he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in that region, for they all knew that his father was Greek. Acts 16:1-3

Jesus’ “Great Commission” was that Christians be about the work of “making disciples.” Though this task is done in a general sense through the ministry to congregations of people, making disciples is also a very personal ministry, either in one-on-one or small group relationships.

Besides preaching to crowds, Jesus discipled the twelve. He focused even more pointedly on Peter, James, and John. Likewise, Paul went about preaching and planting churches, but he also had a special relationship with young Timothy.

It is a common desire in many to have special relationships with one, or a few people in whom we invest ourselves more pointedly. For what purposes? First, simply to encourage spiritual growth in a more personal and deliberate way. Second, those in ministry generally want to mentor those to whom they may pass the baton at an appropriate time.

Timothy was one of those in Paul’s life and ministry. Paul even wrote to Timothy years later about this vision for discipleship:

2 Timothy 2:2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

We’ll consider that verse about this pattern of discipleship and a little more next time, but for now, are you being discipled? Do you want to be? Are you seeking to disciple others?

"Churchless" Christianity?

…but Paul chose Silas and departed, being commended by the brethren to the grace of God. And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches. Acts 15:40-41

Okay, I know I hit this point a lot, but in our day in which so many who profess faith in Christ have no commitment to a local church—we need to hear it.

What did Paul and Silas do? Did they go out about to encourage Christians? Only indirectly. The inspired Word of God states that the went about “strengthening the churches.” Obviously, the Christians were encouraged by this, but as a result of the Apostle’s commitment to local churches.

Yes, every believer must come to faith in Christ individually, but every believer is then instantly a member of Christ’s Church (the Universal Church) made up of all believers. Because Believers are to be found here, there and everywhere, it is impossible for us all to worship and serve practically unless we are committed members of local churches.

The Apostles went about planting local churches, and then following up on and strengthening those local churches. They did this, not only in person, but by writing letters. Two whom did they write? Individual Christians? No, they wrote to local churches. Paul wrote 13 letters that are included in our Bibles. Only one (the shortest, Philemon) was to an individual—in whose house a church met (v.2)! Three were addressed to pastors of local churches (1 & 2 Timothy & Titus). The other nine of his letters were addressed to local churches! And by the way, the book of Revelation contains seven more letters written to seven more local churches!

If people in those days wanted to hear God’s Word from an Apostle, they went to church where those letters were read to the congregation. Today we can read those letters on our own, but to get the fullest impact, we attend meetings where those letters are read and explained—in a local church!

I know that most who will read these words already know this and are members of a local church, but countless numbers of people who profess faith in Christ are not. Let’s us pray for these people, and graciously urge those we know who are in this “churchless” category to join us at church!