PAUL’S SERVICE

“Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God” (Acts 9:20 NKJV).

Following his conversion, the apostle Paul immediately began serving the Lord. Three things are said about Paul’s service in our verse - his passion for service, his preaching in service, and his place of service.

Passion for service – “Immediately.” This word shows enthusiasm. No sooner had Ananias counseled Paul after his conversion that he began to serve the Lord. He did not waste time dragging his feet or postponing his service for the Lord. Paul’s conversion inspired him to serve, and he immediately began to serve. When a person is truly saved, he is possessed by a zeal for serving the Lord. Those who profess to be saved but drag their feet in serving the Lord may be revealing that they are not truly saved.

Preaching in service – “He preached the Christ . . . that He is the Son of God.” This statement tells us two things about the apostle Paul’s preaching. First, the theme of Paul’s preaching was Christ. There is no better theme as folks need to hear about the Lord Jesus Christ more than they need to hear about anyone or anything else. We will do the world no good if our preaching leaves out the Lord Jesus Christ. Second, the theology of the apostle Paul’s preaching was correct. He preached Christ as the “Son of God” which means Paul preached the Deity of Christ. Many ministers today do not preach Christ. Not mentioning Christ means that they often do not teach the Deity of Christ. Thus their message is a bad message.

Place of service – “In the synagogues.” The apostle Paul preached Christ where Christ was not received well. The synagogues were not known for an enthusiastic reception of the Lord Jesus; instead they were known more for their rejection of Christ. Yet, the apostle Paul preached Christ in the synagogues anyway. This took both courage and consecration. It always takes courage to speak out for the Lord Jesus Christ in this world. And it takes consecration to serve Christ in a place where the reception is not good. We need both courage and consecration to serve God.

(Adapted from Butler’s Daily Bible Reading 3)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“The measure of a man’s worth is the measure in which he no longer lives “to and for himself,” but “to and for Jesus Christ.” No more and no less!”

Major W. Ian Thomas (1914 - 2007)

English Evangelist, Author, and Bible Teacher

Word Study

Feed (Shepherd)

In 1 Peter 5:2 we read, “Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly” (NKJV).

“Feed (Shepherd)” is the Greek word poimaínō (ποιμαίνω = poy-mah'ee-no). It means to herd or tend sheep; rule, govern; care for, look after, nourish. In classical Greek, poimaínō describes the function of a shepherd who tends flocks. It was also used figuratively to mean cherishes, guides, rules, or governs. In the Septuagint poimaínō also means to tend flocks and was used figuratively to describe God’s care for His people. In the New Testament poimaínō was used in the literal sense of tending a flock, as well as figuratively of church leaders. Here, the apostle Peter is applying it in a figurative sense to describe church leaders who were to “shepherd” the flock of God, an activity which involves protection, nurture, and discipling. It is also important to note that the word “shepherd” is in the aorist imperative which is a command calling for effective action. It conveys a sense of urgency - don’t delay.

Did You Know…

According to the Book of Exodus, the 10 Commandments were written “with the finger of God” (Ex. 31:18).

Bible Quiz

According to the Book of James, why was Rahab the harlot considered “justified (righteous)?”

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz

To what question did the Lord Jesus respond by telling the Parable of the Good Samaritan? “Who is my neighbor?” Luke 10:29.

Prophecies Fulfilled by the Lord Jesus Christ

The Spiritual Rock of Israel (Ex. 17:6; 1 Cor. 10:14)

"Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it that the people may drink” (Ex. 17:6NJKV).

In context, the Children of Israel journeyed until they came to Rephidim, where they found no water and quarreled with Moses. One would think that by now, they would have learned that God is able to provide. Instead, they complained to Moses, rather than trusting the Lord who had delivered them and provided for them. In fact, they were so upset that they even threatened to stone Moses (17:4). Yet, in spite of Israel’s fickleness, God graciously told Moses to take his staff and hit the rock at Horeb. When he did, water miraculously gushed out for the people to drink. Here we have the elders witnessing a great miracle of a gracious God meeting the needs of a complaining people. The rock is also a type of the Lord Jesus Christ smitten for us on the cross (cf. 1 Cor. 10:4), and the water is a type of the Holy Spirit whose coming was made possible by Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension to heaven (John 7:37-39). This explains why Moses was wrong to smite the rock a second time when he should have spoken to it (cf. Num. 20:1-13). The Lord Jesus “died to sin once for all” (cf. Rom. 6:10; Heb. 7:27; 9:26-28). Moses was prohibited from entering the Promised Land because of this failure.

Did You Know – Christian History

Helmuth James Graf von Moltke was born March 11, 1907was born in Kreisau in the Prussian Province of Silesia (now Poland). He was a German lawyer who, as a draftee in the German military intelligence service, acted to expose German human-rights abuses of people in territories occupied by Germany during World War II.

From 1927 to 1929, Moltke studied law and political sciences in Breslau, Vienna, Heidelberg, and Berlin. In 1939, World War II began with the German invasion of Poland. Moltke was immediately drafted at the beginning of the Polish campaign by the Counter-Intelligence Service. As an expert in martial law and international public law, Moltke’s work mainly involved gathering insights from abroad, from military attachés and foreign newspapers, and news of military-political importance, and relaying this information to the armed forces. In his travels through German-occupied Europe, Moltke observed many human rights abuses, which he attempted to thwart by citing legal principles. Having access to information about deportations and the shootings of hostages reinforced Moltke’s opposition to the war and the entire program of the Nazi Party. He used his influential position to warn the outside world of what was going on in Germany. He also helped Jews to escape from the Nazis and mobilized opponents of the violent regime. Moltke’s mindset and his objections to orders that were at odds with international law both put him at risk of arrest. He was eventually betrayed and arrested by the Gestapo in January 1944. He was brought to trial before Judge Friesler. Friesler told him Nazism and Christianity were alike in one thing: both systems demanded the whole man. However, Moltke possessed strong religious convictions and in his opinion, only by believing in God could one be a total opponent of the Nazis.

In his last letter to his wife Freya, dated January 11, 1945, Moltke wrote that he had stood before Judge Friesler “not as a Protestant, not as a big landowner, not as a nobleman, not as a Prussian, not as a German, but as a Christian and nothing else.” He believed that the hand of God had been at work throughout his life to bring him to the moment when his life must be sacrificed in opposition to evil. He was sentenced to death on 11 January 1945 and hanged twelve days later at Plotzensee Prison in Berlin.

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A Little Humor

A kindergarten teacher asked her class, “Who knows the Ten Commandments?” A young boy raised his hand and said, “Thou shalt not take the last donut without asking thy father!”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“Are you lost? Get found with GPS…God’s Plan of Salvation!”