Honoring God’s Work, Part 3

II. We should also continue to advance God’s work.

Paul’s service to others opened the door for Paul to advance God’s work. A shipwreck and a viper brought Paul to this place.

Read Acts 28:7 - Verse seven tells us that in order to advance the work of God we have to…

A. Accept where God sends us

A curiosity seeker sends for Paul and those with him. His name was Publius, the chief official on the island of Malta. Publius wanted to see this “god” in action. He did not understand who Paul represented, but he knew that the viper should have killed Paul. Whatever gift Paul possessed had to be special.

Paul did not choose to go to this island or to this mansion. Paul choose to walk through the doors that God was opening and find out how he could serve God through that moment. Paul wanted to advance God’s work and sometimes he had to follow God’s lead in directions opposite to where he was headed. Accepting where God sends us also means we must…


B. Minister where God sends us. (Read Acts 28:8)

Publius had an ulterior motive in his invitation for Paul. If Paul could withstand the bite of a viper, could Paul also help his father? Publius needed answers because he could not stand the site of his father writhing in agony from a disease spread through drinking goat’s milk. The fever would not subside and the dysentery grew worse.

Paul who accepted this new mission now prepared to minister where God sent him. Paul went to see the father of Publius and began to pray at the sight of the man laying in agony. After prayer, Paul approached the man and laid hands on him. As Paul was still in prayer, God unleashed the healing power from heaven and the father of Publius was healed. God healed a man because Paul accepted and ministered where God sent him.

Daniel Bean told God he would go wherever God opened the door. Little did this country man from Georgia who was acclimated to 100 degree weather, little did he know God would send him to the frozen tundra of North Dakota. Not only did he have to adjust to a new climate, he also had to adjust to a new culture. Daniel was called to minister to the American Indians.

Daniel has suffered through cold winters, lack of space, and extremely limited funds, yet he refuses to give up and come home. He accepted where God has sent him and he is ministering there.

Now Daniel is facing another crisis. Both of the vans he used are now in need of repair (one van alone is going to need about $1500 worth of work). Half his congregation comes to church by those vans! But he is not giving up. In the middle of this crisis, he is going to borrow a van and use his own car to get the people to church. THIS is the pastor of the church!

Daniel is still encouraged and gets excited about every piece of news of God’s power overcoming every obstacle this ministry has faced.

God’s work is not for individual consumption – that means we don’t get to corner the market on God just because we feel bad! God works in our moments of crisis so we can share His power to bless others.

We have several people who are now ministering in two different nursing homes once a month. We have a few who try to visit the home bound. We tend to think that ministers are the only ones who should visit hospitals. And no one wants to change dirty diapers.

The military asks you where you want to serve and they send you where they need you. God does not ask you where you want to serve but asks you to be aware of where you are needed. It may mean visiting a nursing home. It may mean going into a hospital. It may mean changing dirty diapers. It may mean visiting the home bound. It may mean just sitting with a sick person at their home while their care taker gets a breath of fresh air.

The point is, advancing God’s work will require us to accept where God is sending us and minister in that place! Honoring God’s work will require sacrifice in our part even when we are suffering. But Satan will send vipers into your life to try to keep you from serving where God is sending you. Will those vipers keep you trapped or will you break free and serve in honor of the work of God?

Paul pushes past the shipwreck and the snake bite and promotes the power in God’s work and advances the spread of God’s word by touching a sick man. He understood the power of God in the heart of a crisis.

Finally, for us to understand how God empowers us in our crisis...(more later)