Pastor Jann Braaksma
Ever feel that what you do for the Lord really isn’t important? I preach the very best that I can, but our numbers don’t seem to grow.
When Darlene waxes this floor, it takes hours, and its hard work.
Karen spent four hours filling out a form for headquarters; it didn’t seem worth it, did it?
Mary spends time and effort to put out the newsletter, and we don’t often get comments, good or bad, about it.
Dale has spent days trying to get the deeds for the Ewart property.
Peggy, Andrew and Dennis practice to provide us the best worship possible.
Mike, Andy and Kenton do yeoman’s duty on the building and yard around here.
We all cook, speak, plan and prepare for youth group and camp crossfire.
Yet sometimes I wonder does any of it make a difference?
Yes, I believe it does. The bible in Colossians 3:22-24 says;
Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.
It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
For us it might read: Members of a little country church outside of Grinnell; work with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. In all you do, do it with all your heart, because you are working for the Lord, not for men.
Tell me about the book of Acts. Fifth book in the New Testament. Written by Luke, a Gentile physician. To give an accurate account of the birth and growth of the Christian church.
Key people are; Peter, Paul, John, Stephen and Timothy.
But what about Julius, Paul’s nephew, Jason, Lydia, James, Rhoda, Cornelius, Ananias, the five deacons and the crippled man? Not so familiar? Let’s look into their stories.
Julius’ story from Acts 27:1, 3,
When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Imperial Regiment.
The next day we landed at Sidon; and Julius, in kindness to Paul, allowed him to go to his friends so they might provide for his needs.
The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping. But the centurion wanted to spare Paul’s life and kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. The rest were to get there on planks or on pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached land in safety.
Use of the pronoun we in verse one indicates that Luke accompanied Paul on this journey.
Julius, a Roman centurion, was assigned to guard Paul. Obviously he had to remain close to Paul at all times. Through this contact, Julius developed a respect for Paul. How would your character look, up close and personal?
The soldiers would pay with their own lives if any of their prisoners escaped. Their instinctive reaction was to kill the prisoners so they wouldn’t get away.
Julius, the centurion, was impressed with Paul and wanted to save his life. Julius was the highest ranking official; therefore, he could make this decision. This act preserved Paul for his later ministry in Rome.
God used Julius to preserve Paul’s life in this moment so he could complete the work God had for him to do.
In Acts 12:1-17 we hear of Rhoda.
Herod’s plan undoubtedly was to execute Peter, but the believers were praying for Peter’s safety. The earnest prayer of the church significantly affected the outcome of these events. Prayer changes things, so pray often and with confidence.
The prayers of the group of believers were answered, even as they prayed. But when the answer arrived at the door, they didn’t believe it.
We should be people of faith who believe that God answers the prayers of those who seek his will. When you pray, believe you’ll get an answer. And when the answer comes, don’t be surprised; be thankful!
Just to clarify, The James in verse 17 (Tell James and the brothers about this) was Jesus’ brother, who became a leader in the Jerusalem church.
The James who was killed in verse 2 was John’s brother; we knew them as the ‘Sons of Thunder’.
John Mark wrote the Gospel of Mark. His mother’s house was large enough to accommodate a meeting of many believers. An upstairs room in this house may have been the location of Jesus’ last supper with his disciples.
I want us to be sure to hear the rest of the story. Verses 18 & 19 say; In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. After Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not find him, he cross-examined the guards and ordered that they be executed.
Under Roman law, guards who allowed a prisoner to escape were subject to the same punishment the prisoner was to receive. Thus these 16 guards were sentenced to death.
Why did God allow James, one of the original 12 disciples, to die and yet miraculously save Peter?
One man escaped, through no fault of the guards, and 16 guards died.
Life is full of difficult questions like these, and they cannot possibly be answered in this life time because we do not see all that God sees.
As people of faith we know that God will help us use our suffering to strengthen us and glorify him. We must walk by faith and not by sight. (1 Cor. 5:7)
Please allow me my aside here – Paul and Silas were in prison and about midnight they were singing hymns when an earthquake shook the prison doors open and everybody’s chains came loose.
The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped.
He preferred suicide to being killed by his authority. And the rest of this story? You will have to read Acts 16 to find out!
Let’s be reminded of Ananias – Acts 9:1-16
“Not him, Lord; that’s impossible. He could never become a Christian!” In essence, that’s what Ananias said when God told him of Saul’s conversion. After all, Saul had pursued believers to their death.
Despite these understandable feelings, Ananias obeyed God and ministered to Saul. We must not limit God—he can do anything. We must obey and follow God’s leading, even when he leads us to difficult people and places.
Got any difficult people in your life who need Jesus? Pray believing and pray often for them, then follow God’s instructions when they arrive. God may have a miracle planned if you trust and obey.
Before we hear the full story of Lydia, the “we” in verse 13 would have been Luke, the author of the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts, Paul, Silas and Timothy.
Also, inscribed on the arches outside the city of Philippi was a prohibition against bringing an unrecognized religion into the city; therefore, the prayer meeting was held outside the city, beside the river.
Acts16:12-15
Following the Holy Spirit’s leading, Paul made his first evangelistic contact in Philippi with a small group of women gathered at the river.
Paul never allowed gender or cultural boundaries to keep him from preaching the gospel. He preached to these women and Lydia, an influential merchant, believed.
She opened her home to Paul and his companions, and from there he lead many to Christ and founded a church in Philippi. God often worked in and through women in the early church.
We don’t have time to read all the rest of the stories; I’ve listed them in your bulletin; but here’s a teaser.
After his healing, the crippled man from chapter 3, praised God. As the crowds gathered to see what was happening, Peter used the opportunity to tell many about Jesus.
Everyone has heard of Stephen, and many know of Philip, but there were five other men chosen to be deacons in chapter 6. They not only laid the foundation for service in the church, but their hard work also gave the apostles the time they needed to preach the gospel.
Cornelius’ example in chapter 10 showed Peter that the gospel was for all people, Jews and Gentiles.
James in chapter 15 took command of the Jerusalem council and had the courage and discernment to help form a decision that would affect literally millions of Christians over many generations.
Jason in chapter 17 risked his life for the gospel by allowing Paul to stay in his home. He stood up for what was true and right, even though he faced persecution for it.
And finally Paul’s nephew in chapter 23 saved Paul’s life by telling officials of a murder plot.
Still think what you do for our Lord is not important? Think again. In these final days we must remain strong and faithful to the cause we have been called to.
Let us pray.
Reference: Life Application Study Bible