Dear Student of the Word,
It's been a few weeks since you have heard from me, but here is my latest installment of my Acts Bible study. This week I discuss more about your life purpose than usual, and here is a sample of the one of the seven parts from this week's study:
Study Twenty-Eight, Part Three
19 "'Lord,' I replied, 'these men know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison and beat those who believe in you. 20 And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.' 21 "Then the Lord said to me, 'Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.'" 22 The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, "Rid the earth of him! He's not fit to live!"
22:19&20 – It’s obvious that Paul thought he understood how God was going to use him. When the Lord said that the Jews would not accept or endorse his purpose, Paul was incredulous. He thought it would make perfect sense to his fellow Jews. After all, they knew of Saul’s former life and practice, which included hunting down and persecuting believers. Certainly they would know that something radical had happened to him, or so he thought, but purpose isn’t a matter of common sense. Yes, it would have appeared that Saul would have had an impact on the Jews, but he never did. Why? Because the Jews weren’t part of his assignment from God. The Gentiles were his assignment and no amount of wishing or praying would make him effective to the Jews.
Paul never had effective ministry to his people. Even when he went to the synagogue, it was to find the God-fearing Gentiles that were his most successful field of labor. You can’t pick or choose your purpose or where you will be most effective. That is God’s decision.
So where is your most fruitful field? Are you resisting it or have you embraced it? Ministry and service aren’t matters of choice; they are an assignment. Only God can grant you success; our job is to be faithful and obedient.
22:21 – God wasn’t moved by Paul’s perspective or explanation of where Paul thought he could be more effective. God had already been chosen that field for him, and God was sending him to the Gentiles. This also made as much sense as going to the Jews, for an outreach to the Gentiles had been predicted throughout the Old Testament. From this point forward, it seems that Paul embraced and understood this call. He mentioned his purpose to the Gentiles in every one of his letters, using many different Old Testament verses to verify his purpose.
Here is the list of Paul’s references so you can study them yourself: Romans 1:5, 13, 16, Romans 15:7-29, 1 Corinthians 1:17,24, 1 Corinthians 3:5-15, 2 Corinthians 5:16-21, 2 Corinthians 10:12-18, Galatians 1:15-16, Galatians 2:2, 7-9, Ephesians 3:1-10, 7-12, Philippians 1:12-18, Colossians 1:27-29, 1 Thessalonians 1:4-5, 1 Thessalonians 2:16, 2 Thessalonians 3:1-4, 1 Timothy 2:5-7, 2 Timothy 4:17, and Titus 1:1-3.
Do you have a biblical outline or theology for what you do? For your purpose? If not, perhaps you can begin to develop one, drawing on Bible verses and experience. This assignment or purpose is your field, so to spak, and God wants you to work it.
He who works his land will have abundant food, but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty (Proverbs 28:19).
People all the time are chasing after what they think God wants them to do and it is simply a fantasy. Therefore, they bear no fruit. Where do you bear fruit? That is where you are to devote your time and energy. God isn’t only after good intentions; He’s after results!
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit — fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name (John 15:16).
22:22 – As soon as Paul mentioned the Gentiles, the crowd resumed their clamor for his death. The Jews obviously had no room in their heart for what was on God’s heart. They were religious and ethnic bigots, who attempted to preserve what they considered to be their superiority as compared to the Gentiles. They consistently ignored what the Lord had tried to tell them: That their choice wasn’t based on their merit, but His grace.
It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations, the LORD your God will drive them out before you, to accomplish what he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people (Deuteronomy 9:4-6).
What is your attitude? Do you think God’s blessings have come to you because you earned or deserved them, or because of His sovereign grace?
As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the unpublished volume of The Faith Files.
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