November 21, 2011
The Acts of Apostles: Wk 9
Posted by Michael
Learn:
Acts 20:17-31
17 From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church. 18 When they arrived, he said to them: “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. 19 I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents. 20 You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. 21 I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus. 22 “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. 24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace. 25 “Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. 26 Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you. 27 For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. 28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.
Acts 21:10-13
10 After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’” 12 When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”
Main Idea:
For the past nine weeks we’ve been looking at not simply what apostles have done, but what apostles continue to do today. Every Christian is an apostle whether they realize it or not. As Paul was nearing the end of his ministry, he stopped in Ephesus to visit a church he deeply loved. They urged him not to continue on to Jerusalem because it would lead to his death. But Paul resolved to follow the path Jesus had laid out for him no matter what. We all have a race that Jesus has called us to run. It’s okay to stumble and fall, but we must keep getting up and pursuing the finish line. Paul was a servant to God above all else, and because of that he was able to lead others well. We are all leaders in some form, whether at work, in our family, or with friends. We can either lead people to Jesus or lead them away from Him.
Know What: Apostles are people who finish the race that Jesus has called them to run.
So What: It is never too late to begin pursuing the path that Jesus set out for you.
Now What: Go and be an apostle.
Discuss…
1. Why do you think Paul was so persistent on continuing his journey to Jerusalem? Why do you think his friends tried to discourage him from going? Are you unknowingly discouraging anyone from obeying God (even if you have the best intentions, as Paul’s friends did)?
2. Who are some people that you have influence over (whether you want to or not)? Are you leading them toward Jesus or away from Him? How can you do more of the former?
3. Why is it impossible to serve more than one “master”? What are some “gods” that you are tempted to serve other than Jesus?
4. How are you doing with the “race” Jesus has called you to run? Have you stopped running in any area? If so, how can you get back in the race?
5. What are some of the things you have learned from this series? Which apostle from the early church do you most relate to? Why?
6. What are some practical ways you can go and be an apostle today?
Next Steps…
This week, pray about serving. There are lots of ways to serve globally on Missions Teams, locally with jobSERVE, and at Summit. Take some time to ask God where He would like you to pour in and serve, and then take that step.
