36 min
A Successful Disaster Selah - A Podcast by Koinonia Fellowship
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- Christianity
How do we measure whether or not a ministry outreach is a failure or a success? As we continue our journey through Acts, earlier in chapter 21, we read And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judea a certain prophet, named Agabus. And when he was come unto us, he took Paul’s girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.(Acts 21:10,11).
In spite of the danger, Paul was determined to go to Jerusalem to deliver a financial gift to the struggling Jewish from their Gentile brethren. When Paul arrived, he was made aware of a problem by some of the Jewish brethren who accused Paul of teaching all the Jews which are among the Gentiles that they were to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs. To “solve” the problem, the Jewish brethren in Jerusalem suggested this. We have four men which have a vow on them; Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law (Acts 21:23,24). Paul agrees. Problem solved right? Wrong!
The Jews which were of Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the people, and laid hands on him, Crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is the man, that teacheth all men every where against the people, and the law, and this place: and further brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place (Acts 21:27,28). Their attempt to solve the problem “backfired.” Or did it? Not really.
Paul asked for an opportunity to share the gospel with the very same angry crowd of Jews who were out to kill him. The desire to share the gospel with his fellow Jews was the prayer of Paul’s heart (Romans 9:1-3). Outwardly speaking, it would appear that Paul’s ministry there was a disaster. But in the eyes of God, it was a success, because God spells success by our obedience and faithfulness, in spite of the outward response, good or bad. SELAH
How do we measure whether or not a ministry outreach is a failure or a success? As we continue our journey through Acts, earlier in chapter 21, we read And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judea a certain prophet, named Agabus. And when he was come unto us, he took Paul’s girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.(Acts 21:10,11).
In spite of the danger, Paul was determined to go to Jerusalem to deliver a financial gift to the struggling Jewish from their Gentile brethren. When Paul arrived, he was made aware of a problem by some of the Jewish brethren who accused Paul of teaching all the Jews which are among the Gentiles that they were to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs. To “solve” the problem, the Jewish brethren in Jerusalem suggested this. We have four men which have a vow on them; Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law (Acts 21:23,24). Paul agrees. Problem solved right? Wrong!
The Jews which were of Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the people, and laid hands on him, Crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is the man, that teacheth all men every where against the people, and the law, and this place: and further brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place (Acts 21:27,28). Their attempt to solve the problem “backfired.” Or did it? Not really.
Paul asked for an opportunity to share the gospel with the very same angry crowd of Jews who were out to kill him. The desire to share the gospel with his fellow Jews was the prayer of Paul’s heart (Romans 9:1-3). Outwardly speaking, it would appear that Paul’s ministry there was a disaster. But in the eyes of God, it was a success, because God spells success by our obedience and faithfulness, in spite of the outward response, good or bad. SELAH
36 min