When
Paul joined other Jesus-followers for worship one evening, he spoke until
midnight. The dark night, the warm air,
and his endless proclaiming sedated one listener and established the precedent
for sleeping through preaching. Warning:
the sleeper nearly died as he fell out a window!
Paul
continued till dawn.
Zeal
for God’s good news is palpable in Paul’s farewell sermon to the Ephesians. A mature Jesus-follower speaks.
I
do not count my life of any value to myself, if only I may finish my course and
the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news
of God’s grace. Acts 20:24
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Consider
Paul’s farewell speech vv18-35 with these
questions in mind:
I
did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.
v27
How
might CG be more potently declare God’s purpose?
Keep
watch over yourselves and the flock…shepherd the
church…[attend
to] the message that is able to build you up…
vv28,31
How
might CG build ourselves up?
In
all this we must support the weak… remembering Jesus’ words v35
How
might CG better support our neighbors’ needs?
Is
Paul teaching the earliest Jesus-followers to expand FAITH, engage in FORMATION, enlist in FRUITFULNESS?
Y/N
Invitation:
Prayerfully
envision your role in a “rejuvenating culture of maturing disciples liberating
the world.” What’s next for you?
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