How must I relay truth to those around me? Here is what Paul said in Acts 20: 18b-21, 24: "You yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house, solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ... But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God."
I don't know about you, but I see a lot in this passage to study and discuss, but I want to highlight a few things right now. First, Paul did not shrink from testifying! As he said in II Timothy 1:7, "God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline." Second, he testified with humility and boldness. What did Paul testify to those around him? He testified of repentance and the gospel.
I will define repentance in future posts, and I also desire to discuss the gospel: what it is and its centrality to all that we say and do as Christians.
Quote of the day: "It is plain that no man can arrive at the true knowledge of himself, without having first contemplated the Divine Character, and then descended to the consideration of his own." - John Calvin
JE
A man cannot live out his story without being a part of God's, whether lost or saved. I look forward to future posts on the subject.
ReplyDelete