Building the Church (20)
Building the Church • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Always Too Soon To Quit
Always Too Soon To Quit
Good morning, welcome back
How did you see God move this past week?
A man was shoveling snow from his driveway when two boys carrying snow shovels approached him.
“Shovel your snow, Mister?” one of them asked. “Only two dollars!”
Puzzled, the man replied, “Can’t you see that I’m doing it myself?”
“Sure,” said the enterprising lad; “that’s why we asked. We get most of our business from people who are half through and feel like quitting!”
Mediocre -Half Way Up the Mountain
By perseverance the snail reached the ark. Charles Spurgeon
Always Too Soon To Quit
Always Too Soon To Quit
There is a time we are asked and called to stick it out.
Suck it up drive on.
We need to see it through or we never see the outcome.
Sometimes the hardest things become the greatest victories.
That’s what I want us to dive into this morning as we continue our journey through Acts.
We have seen the church grow and spread outside of Jerusalem and into the world of the Gentiles.
We last saw Paul dealing with:
those stuck in the past
Those eager to grow
Those who did not have a clue.
Each new Gentile city getting darker.
Paul is about to enter some place even darker.
Let’s Pray.
Sin City
1 After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.
Sin City
When you think of Corinth, picture Vegas.
Corinth was the capital of Acacia, a center for commerce for East and West.
With that, every belief system you could think of and anything you wanted could be found there.
God give us what we need to get through.
2 And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to see them,
3 and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade. 4 And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks.
God give us what we need to get through.
New friends and supporters
5 When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus.
Our faith and function is not a solo venture.
We don't do this alone.
Every struggle and every victory is a group effort.
2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
Our obedience leads to the world’s opposition
Remember last week - Thessalonica and Berea.
Paul forced out of town
We must remember:
People reject God not us.
6 And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”
Our obedience leads to the world’s opposition
Blood on heads - literally means that you choose this.
We are not responsible for how people respond to the Gospel.
We are responsible on how we respond to the opposition and trouble.
7 And he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. His house was next door to the synagogue. 8 Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized.
The Commission Lived Out
Paul followed the plan set out be Jesus:
Go: came to Corinth
make disciples - won sinners to Christ
Baptized - taught them
When we do what we have been called to do - we see Jesus is always faithful to keep His end
9 And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, 10 for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.”
Walking by faith means seeing opportunities even in opposition.
11 And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
Blessed Assurance
When we stick it out
We see the affects in people’s lives
8 Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized.
We get reminded of Jesus presence and promises
10 for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.”
We see:
God opened the door and can keep it open.
12 But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him before the tribunal, 13 saying, “This man is persuading people to worship God contrary to the law.”
14 But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrongdoing or vicious crime, O Jews, I would have reason to accept your complaint.
15 But since it is a matter of questions about words and names and your own law, see to it yourselves. I refuse to be a judge of these things.” 16 And he drove them from the tribunal. 17 And they all seized Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal. But Gallio paid no attention to any of this.
Always Too Soon To Quit
Always Too Soon To Quit
God’s will, God’s way - lead to God sized results.
18 After this, Paul stayed many days longer and then took leave of the brothers and set sail for Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he had cut his hair, for he was under a vow. 19 And they came to Ephesus, and he left them there, but he himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. 20 When they asked him to stay for a longer period, he declined.
21 But on taking leave of them he said, “I will return to you if God wills,” and he set sail from Ephesus.
Always Too Soon To Quit
Always Too Soon To Quit
Imagine if we all quit when things got hard or changed.
We are not in control of where and when things happen, but we are called to trust.
Try to think of a time when God let you down when you were being obedient.
God knows our situation; He will not judge us as if we had no difficulties to overcome. What matters is the sincerity and perseverance of our will to overcome them.- C.S. Lewis
It is always to soo to quit.
Let’s pray.
