The Apostle Paul’s The Life of Faith

We live in a time when there are still billions of people who have not heard the gospel.

(Illustration of 8 people representing the population of the world)

1 billion are evangelical Christians

3 billion are unreached people groups; less than 1 in 50 are Christ followers

As a church our mission is to go into all the world to preach the gospel. 

Coca cola has a goal of putting a can of coke into the hand of every person on the planet.

The Apostle Paul was one of the first missionaries God called and sent out to the unreached people and his life is an example for us to follow. He was always looking for new territory to share the gospel message.

He lived his life in such a way that he could tell others to follow me as I follow Christ.  He had no problem stating that others should imitate his way of life.  He was not perfect but his life was one of constant pursuit of God and striving to do what God called him to do.

2Ti_1:13  Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

As I look at his life of faith there are four important aspects of his life of faith.  We see these demonstrated in Acts 17: 1-12.

Act 17:1  Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 

Act 17:2  And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 

Act 17:3  explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.” 

Act 17:4  And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. 

Act 17:5  But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. 

Act 17:6  And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, 

Act 17:7  and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” 

Act 17:8  And the people and the city authorities were disturbed when they heard these things. 

Act 17:9  And when they had taken money as security from Jason and the rest, they let them go. 

Paul and Silas in Berea

Act 17:10  The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. 

Act 17:11  Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. 

Act 17:12  Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men. 

Paul had previously been in Philippi where he was run out of town, stoned and left for dead.  But God miraculously spared his life and Paul continued on his mission.

The first aspect of Paul’s life was marked by obedience to the calling and ministry God had given to him.

 When Paul received his calling in Damascus he immediately responded in obedience to the vision and mission God had given him.

When Paul gave his testimony before Agrippa he testified of his obedience.

Act 26:16  But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, 

Act 26:17  delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you 

Act 26:18  to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’ 

Act 26:19  “Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, 

Act 26:20  but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance. 

He passionately pursued his calling to preach the gospel to the Gentiles as well as his own people.  His obedience brought him to many cities where he preached the gospel message.  After leaving Philippi he and his companions moved on to Thessalonica where he continued his mission

As believers in Christ we each have a calling and a ministry that God assigns to us.  Our response should be one of obedience to passionately fulfill the calling of God on our lives.  Just as Paul declared to Agrippa we should also be able to say, “I have not been disobedient to the heavenly vision” or in many of our situations what we know to be God’s calling in our lives.

Act 26:19  “Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,

Paul encourage Timothy and others to fulfill their ministry and at the end of his life he could confidently 2Ti 4:7  I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 

 

The second aspect of Paul’s life of faith was his obedience to the leading of the Holy Spirit. 

He was forbidden by the Holy Spirit to go to Asia and Bithynia.  Through a vision in the night, he was redirected to go to Macedonia.  He followed the leading of the Holy Spirit and obeyed what he was told to do. (Acts 16:6-10)

Being led of the Holy Spirit is essential in fulfilling the ministry God has given each one of us.  We must learn to hear his voice and obey him.  He is the administrator of evangelizing the nations.  He knows where we need to go to be at the right place at the right time.

Holy Spirit leads us in our ministry.  While in Peru, I met a Missionary who had been ministering in the in the jungles with a doctor to bring medical attention and the word of God.  They felt the HS was telling them to go to a tribe in the jungle they had not visited, nor did they know how to get there.  They were directed by the Holy Spirit who went before them and spoke to them.  They followed his voice until they reached the village.  When they arrived there as man sitting in an open area by himself.  He was the chief of the tribe.  The missionaries did not speak his language and there was no interpreter, but they began to share the gospel message.  Each would share part of the story and they took turns until the message was communicated.  The chief then motioned for them to follow him to the village in the dark.  He woke up all the villagers and gathered them together to listen to what he had to say.  The chief explained the gospel message to the villagers and they all responded by bowing on their knees and lifting their hands toward heaven in acceptance of Jesus as their Savior.

These missionaries, like Paul obeyed the voice of the Holy Spirit and brought the gospel message to this tribe.

The third aspect of Paul’s life was overcoming the testing and trials of his faith.

Fulfilling his mission was not an easy task. He constantly faced opposition from both Jews and Gentiles.  While in Thessalonica he was once again opposed by the Jews who rejected his message.  The opposition turned violent and once again the people who accompanied Paul as well as the new believers feared for his life.  God has prepared Paul for the opposition when he called him to the ministry.  Persecution and suffering was part of the calling.

Acts 9:16 …I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.”

 In spite of the forewarning, Paul fulfilled his ministry. For most of us going through constant testing and trials could become wearisome and discouraging.  Yet these trials and tests are not designed to destroy us but to strengthen our faith.  Trials reveal what is really inside of us.  They show us who we are and what qualities God has placed in us or what areas of our lives need to be addressed.

Paul was beaten severely and left for dead but God raised him up and he continued his ministry.  He had to flee for his life in Thessalonica and while in Jerusalem the Roman soldiers had to intervene to keep him from being attacked by the Jews.  On his journey to Rome, he endured a horrific storm that ended in a crash and he had to swim to the shore.  Persecution and hardships were part of his fulfilling his ministry.

2 Corinthians 6:1-10 describes the many trials that Paul endured for the sake of the gospel being spread.

Afflictions, imprisonments, tumults, labors, sleepless nights, hunger, punished etc.

James the brother of Jesus also experienced trials and test of his faith but his perspective was different than what most people would embrace.

Jas 1:2  Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 

Jas 1:3  for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 

Jas 1:4  And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 

Paul knew that in spite of the difficulties he encountered that God was in control and was ordering his steps. These trials did not stop him from continuing his ministry but strengthened him to move forward.  Trials are designed to perfect our faith not destroy our faith.  Through our trials and tests God is teaching us and equipping us to pursue the ministry.

The fourth aspect of the life of faith of Paul was his tenacity of faith.  Tenacity is gripping something tightly, determination and persistence.   Paul was not a quitter.  He tenaciously pursued his calling and would not give up.  His commitment to his calling was for his entire life. When one door closed he moved on to another location.  When he was run out of Thessalonica he moved on to Berea.  He was determined to fulfill his mission of reaching the lost.

Many of the stories we read of missionaries are examples of great determination and persistence in spite of what appeared to be no tangible results.  William Carey was a shoe repairman who God called to go to India.  When he presented his proposed mission to his church board he was rejected and told the God did not need him to go to India, if God wanted to save the people he would do it himself.  Carey would not give up the calling and even though his wife resisted he went to India.  For 7 years he preached the gospel but had zero converts.  He did not give up but found another way to reach the people through his linguistic skills which enabled him to create a written language and translate the Bible into the language of his people.  One night there was a fire in his home that destroyed all the written work he had done.  Yet he persisted and rewrote what had been lost.  His work in India was very fruitful and continues to have an impact on the nation even though he has been dead since 1834.  He left a legacy because of his tenacity and persistence.

The final aspect of the life of faith of Paul was his reward of faith.  Each ministry location Paul went to produced fruit, there were people who accepted the gospel message and churches were formed.  In Thessalonica

Act 17:4  And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women.

Paul had developed a strategy of reaching the people with the gospel and he faithfully used it to show from the Scriptures that Jesus was the promised Messiah.

His work produced results which was seeing people come to faith in Christ.  The new believers were his reward for his faithful ministry.  This had to be a great encouragement to him to continue to go to new areas to preach the gospel.

When he left Thessalonica he went on to Berea and witness the reward of his faith when the received his message.

Act 17:11  Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. 

Act 17:12  Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men. 

It is a joy to be able to see the positive results of the work of the ministry God has given us.  To see lives transformed by the power of the Gospel message and the work of the Holy Spirit bring great satisfaction to our lives and motivate us to continue.

God blesses our lives of faith by rewarding us by seeing the fruit of our labor but we also have a greater reward that is waiting for us.  Paul at the end of his life looked forward to the reward that was prepared for him.

2Ti 4:8  Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.

God is a rewarder and he has something special for each one of us who finish the race.

I want to close the message of a story of a young lady whom God called to be a missionary in Malaysia. David Bowler shared this story that was passed on to me from a friend.

At one of his services he gave and Altar call and a young lady named Marcy, who graduated from Bible College came forward.  She was a very petite lady.  She surrendered her life to God to go to the foreign field. She had a desire to go to Malaysia, to a group of head hunters. No missionaries had gone there for 11 years.  These people were cannibals and had eaten people who tried to reach them.  The oil companies left the area because of their people being attacked and eaten. 

David Bowler, was a special forces Green Beret, highly decorated soldier who could lift 650 lbs.  All he could think of was the conditions were not right for this young girl to go to these people.  Her parents tried to talk her out of it.  David Bowler tried to talk her out of it but she replied to him, “You are the man of God who taught me of the God of the impossible”.  Marcy asked for prayer.  David felt he was putting a death sentence on her by allowing her to go.  He thought she would be eaten. He prayed for her, that God would let her die quickly.  No mission board would send her because it was a suicide mission.  Marcy spent 30 days in preparation hoping and praying that someone would go with her but, no one would go, and she would have to go alone.  The day arrived when Marcy would be taken to the cannibal people.  There were no roads to the people, she would have to enter by helicopter and even this was dangerous.  The cannibals knew how to bring down a helicopter with their spears, so Marcy had to repel 250 feet to get to the ground.

They dropped her down and told her they would come back 60 days later.  The pilot said he would be back but she would not.  He asked her if she understood the conditions were not right. Marcy replied that she had asked and she was going.  

When they dropped her down, the pilot began to cry. Their thoughts were to say goodbye because you will never see her again.  For the next 60 days everyone prayed for her protection and prayed God would just take her and not suffer if she was attacked.

60 days later the helicopter returned.  They found Marcy, with 70 people she led to Christ!  She found out that they only ate men!!!  The people had a 200 year Legend that a female god would come to them from the sky.  So when she was lowered by the helicopter they thought God had arrive so they worshipped her. She told them she was not God but would lead them to God.

An incredible story but we have an incredible God who call us to follow him, to take risks with him. Age, experience, conditions are not a problem for God so we can set them aside and believe that he will take us as we are to make us what he wants and needs us to be.  Nothing is too difficult for him.

Marcy’s life exemplifies that same life of faith that Paul’s life exemplified.

·         Obedience

·         Tests and trial

·         Tenacity and persistence

·         Reward

Where will your journey of faith take you?  Are you willing to take risks with God directing your steps?  Are you holding back and giving more power to fears or the counsel of others?  Whatever hindrances we see are not always the same in God’s view and that gives us hope for an exciting future.