- Acts 20:1-12
- how was Paul so committed?
- he loved God and the church more than anything else in the world
- Paul is the best example of spirit-empowered life
Spirit-empowered love seeks to:
- Guide faithfully (v1-2)
- following God faithfully
- 1-2 years passing within v1-2?
- encouragement = heart of Paul
- not just lip service
- exhortation urging and building into each other
- In 1 Thes, Paul’s fatherly role to others
- love is often telling people what they need to hear, rather than just what they want to hear
- our desire should be to build up
- Heb 3:13; protect each other with exhortation
- 1 Thes 2:12
- 1 Thes 5:11; responsibility of followers
- Corinth troubled Paul so deeply because he loved them deeply
- he was worried about how they would receive the letters
- we are sometimes told that addressing sin of others is unloving but we are commanded to have loving and kind gracious/firm address
- 2 Cor 7:5-8; grievance over sin brought them to repentance
- Give generously (v3-6)
- why listing and showing geography?
- the ones who had chosen to give up time and life to give to the church
- the church was suffering in Jerusalem
- believers in Israel may have been in total poverty
- remind others of what needs
- Gal 2:10
- Rom 18:25-32
- 2 Cor 8-9
- key of all generous giving is giving self to Lord
- 2 Cor 8:1-9; see how much immeasurable love and grace had been given to you by Jesus
- when you understand how much Jesus has given you, you will loosen grip of whatever you have
- give, give, give; you can’t out-give God
- why listing and showing geography?
- Gathers regularly (v7-12)
- longs to gather with body
- v5-6: “us” and “we; back to account of Luke
- regularly recharge
- OT Sabbath “replaced”; originally meant as regular refreshment and refocus on God
- In NT, church now met on 1st day of week, Resurrection Sunday, the Lord’s day
- regularly receive
- Word of God meant to be at centre of every gathering of believers
- how we are charged and morphed into image of Son
- worship is always response to revelation therefore it’s not the pinnacle or focus of gathering
- the goal/purpose of going into Word is so we would grow in desire to worship God
- we need to teach, believe and apply Word of God
- regularly remember
- reflect on Jesus’ death and resurrection
- church without Gospel is like person without pulse
- regularly relate
- v11; converse = discussion, relational growth, seeking to apply wisdom
- pic of Christian fellowship
- we need to long for this kind of relationship because it is the heart of the Gospel!
- determine in heart that church isn’t additional variable in life, it is the primary
- drifting from church signifies drifting from God
- regularly recharge
- Grow spiritually (v9-12)
- death detail is very purposeful
- “young man” = age 10-14
- v10; “this is not a problem”
- this tells and shows us we need to strengthen faith of believers
- time is limited, need to tell them as much as possible
- “not a little comforted” = hearts were encouraged and strengthened to power on in faith
- farewell scene: Paul wasn’t going to see them again in the life
- resurrection reminds them and us that death is not the end
- reminds us many who don’t know Lord
- How awake are we spiritually???
- Christ will shine in and through those who are awake in Him
- Rom 13:11-14
- 1 Cor 15:54
- Eph 5:14
- (Makes me think of Thrice – Wake Up)
- we need to wake up to the world and ourselves, encourage them, and share the Gospel
- death detail is very purposeful