How do we promote God’s work? We promote His work…
A. By being available to serve (Read Acts 28:2, 3)
Paul promoted God’s work. Those on board the ship had survived the wreck just as Paul had said. They were now wet and cold because winter was settling upon the island. The people of the island showed great hospitality and started a fire. Paul makes use of his time by being available to serve by gathering branches for the fire.
(Read Acts 28:3-6) – We also promote God’s work…
B. By being available as an example –
While trying to serve others Paul becomes a spectator sport. As he places wood on the fire, a viper bites him. Paul is now cold, wet, shipwrecked, and bitten.
People watched Paul for a long time to see him die in agony. They watched for the swelling. They watched for the gut wrenching pain. They watched for him to fall over dead. Nothing. Watching him was like watching a scoreless soccer match – all the excitement but without any scoring.
Paul was alive and unharmed. The people began to think to themselves, “What was so different about this man that he did not die. Maybe he was a god.” Paul had become an example of the power of God.
As I was studying this, I began to think about Hong Yang, a missionary suspended from China and now in Mongolia. Hong Yang became a spectator sport in China. Many of his colleagues who lived there had been arrested and thrown in jail or prison. Many of his colleagues who traveled to and from China had been arrested. Hong Yang went back and forth for years and had not been arrested.
The problem for Hong Yang came from the way people in China viewed this minister. He had not been arrested like the others. Was there anything special about him? Was he not worthy of arrest for the sake of God? Was his teaching less than that of those who had been arrested? You have to understand, bringing Christianity to the people of China is a dangerous job. If you are not arrested or your house is being torn down, then in the eyes of those who live there, you must not be much of a threat to the Chinese government.
Arrest is a badge of honor. This became a crisis for the ministry of Hong Yang. Low and behold, as he testified, he gets arrested, thrown in jail, and kicked out of the country for five years. Hong Yang continued ministering for God year after year even though his ministry faced a crisis. He gets arrested which becomes a new crisis, and then he gets a new assignment to China’s next door neighbor. Hong Yang was available to God to serve others and to become an example.
While promoting God’s work, Paul looked beyond his own circumstances. He served others and became an example of God’s power. Now Paul had the attention of the others on the island and word spread about this man who shook off a viper! Despite all that Paul faced, the viper was not going to stop him from bringing honor to God’s work. Paul knew, as we should know, that putting God’s work ahead of our own needs and desires is how we honor God’s work in us.
Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Philippians 2:12-13 (NIV)
Our circumstances are God’s work in us to bring about His good and perfect will! When we honor God’s work by promoting it, we become a part of His plan to spread the good news throughout the world. We promote God’s work when we are available to serve by volunteering at the food bank or pregnancy support center. We promote God’s work when we send cards encouraging others. We promote God’s work as we pour into the lives of others by teaching or assisting in different Wednesday or Sunday classes.
With fear and trembling we should continue to work out our salvation as God works in us to bring about His purpose. Honoring God’s work begins with our promotion of His work as we make ourselves available to be used by Him.
The next thing we need to understand about God’s empowerment in our times of crisis is that…(more later)
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