Make A Difference - Follow the Spirit Closely and Finish Faithfully

Thursday, February 6, 2020
And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.              Acts 20:22-24 

A couple of weeks ago, we had a guest speaker at our Mission Banquet, Jason Talent.  People are hungry and thirsty for something to make their lives different – better.  Continually searching for that in what the world offers leads to a dead end every time. Jason said that there will only be two things that remain in this life, the kingdom of God and the souls of people. We need to spend our lives working for something greater than ourselves. This week we have looked at three things Jason gave us that we can do to make a difference and today we will look at the last two.

·   Investing in People Intentionally

·    Serving People Humbly

·    Speaking the Truth Boldly

Make A Difference - Follow the Spirit CloselyFollowing the spirit closely is about two things - 

1. Your Relationship with Christ
2. You Willingness to trust Him

Having a strong relationship with Christ is imperative to following the spirit closely because the lines of communication have to be open both ways. Communication with Jesus Christ happens when you have a relationship with Him. You need to pray - a lot - for His direction and leading and you need to be listening always for His voice to lead you in the direction He has for you. Then, you must be willing to trust Him in wherever He sends you and whatever He has for you to do.  He does put us in situations we would rather not be in sometimes and with people we would rather not spend time with, but we can rest assured that He has a plan and a purpose for us wherever He leads.  If you have no communication from the Spirit, maybe the lines are crossed or closed altogether. Are you ignoring His plan for you because you don’t want to do it or are you too distracted by the rest of life to open you ears and your heart and receive His word? Or maybe you are afraid? If you are, then you are in good company because some of the greatest people in the Bible were afraid when they realized what God was calling them to do. God gives us what we need to do the work He has laid out for us. 

In the verses above, Paul talks about how the Spirit is leading him to go to Jerusalem and he has no idea what awaits him. He goes on to say except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me.  The only thing he does know is that he will have afflictions and be imprisoned. Would you be willing to go?  That is a big deal!  The only thing you know for sure is that it will be hard, you may get thrown in jail and have afflictions which can mean any number of things. We have no idea what it means to be persecuted for sharing the gospel the way Paul and others at that time did - many even being killed because of their witness.

Paul then goes on to say But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. Which brings us to the last point:

Make A Difference - Finish Your Task Faithfully
Paul said his life was of little value except that he shares the gospel and finishes the job God gave him to do. If God brings someone into your life that you develop a relationship with, speak truth into their life, and disciple on a regular basis, don’t drop the ball. God has the plan. If you suddenly stop meeting this person, you may miss the harvest moment. Stay faithful to His leading and the process. Finish the task He gives you faithfully.  It doesn’t matter how you start, but it matters how you finish.