- 2 days ago
- #mlcc
- #church
- #churchonline
How do you keep moving forward when every step feels like it tears you away from comfort and community? And what if the path God has for you includes clear warnings of coming hardship from the very people who love you most? One man’s unwavering decision to obey God in spite of the cost reveals lessons about strength, surrender, and what truly following Jesus looks like.
📝 Study Notes, Scripture List, Transcript, and more: https://medicallake.church/sermons/why-we-gather
#mlcc #church #churchonline
📝 Study Notes, Scripture List, Transcript, and more: https://medicallake.church/sermons/why-we-gather
#mlcc #church #churchonline
Category
📚
LearningTranscript
00:00The preacher, R. Esley Holmes, he was telling a story about Abraham Lincoln.
00:05I don't know if you knew, Abraham Lincoln had a son, Willie, who died at 11 years old in 1862
00:11from typhoid fever. And of course, you can imagine Abraham Lincoln and his wife, Mary,
00:16were extremely upset at the death of their son. I mean, it grieved him greatly to lose his son.
00:22And he would go to a Presbyterian church, and the pastor's name was Phineas Gurley,
00:26G-U-R-L-E, not Gurley, but Gurley, I guess you'd say it. And he would go there and
00:32he found that
00:32it helped him with his grief. And this pastor Gurley gave the eulogy to at William's memorial
00:40service at his funeral. And he said this, he said, when tragedy comes, one must look to
00:48him who sees the end from the beginning and doeth all things well. And then he goes on in the
00:55eulogy
00:55and he says, our sorrows will be sanctified and made a blessing to our souls. And by and
01:02by, we shall have occasion to say with blended gratitude and rejoicing, it is good for us
01:08that we have been afflicted. That comes from Psalm 119 verse 71. It was such the influence
01:16on Lincoln's life that he took that eulogy and he kept it and it gave him encouragement
01:21over the months that he was dealing with the grief of the loss of his son. But when you
01:27think about that verse, Psalm 119 verse 71, it's a strange word if you think about it.
01:33It really says, it is good for me that I was afflicted. You think, whoa, I don't like that.
01:41I don't like that either. I mean, if you would say, it was good for me that I suffered. You
01:45say,
01:46I mean, who says something like that? It's good that I suffer. I don't like it, but it's there in
01:53the Psalms. Despite it being there, it's still amazing. This pastor said that he sees so many
02:02people in the church who have bought into the erroneous notion that Christ always shields his
02:08followers from pain and heartbreak. Christ preserves us from suffering? Hardly. In fact,
02:20the opposite is true. Sometimes he leads us into suffering, yet we always know he will never
02:28leave us or forsake us in the midst of our suffering. Paul is moving towards Jerusalem and
02:37he's going to be getting information from the Holy Spirit through believers that suffering and
02:42affliction await him in Jerusalem. He knows it. He's not unaware of it. And yet he's still moving
02:52towards Jerusalem. He knows affliction is coming. And do you think he'd say, it was good for me that
02:57I was afflicted. That is such a hard word to accept. Yet he knew as he moved from place to
03:04place on his
03:05way to Jerusalem, you'll notice in the text, and I want to draw your attention to it right now as
03:08we read it, you'll see it, that every place he landed, it seems like he tries to get together
03:14with the believers that are there. He wants to gather together like we're doing together this
03:19morning. We're gathering together and he knows that in the midst of believers, as we see here,
03:24spending time with believers is a source of strength and encouragement and dark and difficult days.
03:31He knows hardships are coming his way, but he knows also the assembly of the saints, believers
03:36gathering together are a source of strength to help us when things get really hard. And as we,
03:41as was mentioned already, it does seem like the nation is getting darker. Actually, the world is
03:47getting darker as well. There's pockets of light that we see around, but it does seem like it is
03:52getting darker. And so the ability for us to gather together, to strengthen one another, to help us walk
03:58through these days of darkness. Paul says, I just want to be around the believers. What they do to
04:03my soul and what they do and that help me is, I just can't, I can't neglect that. Sometimes we
04:11minimize
04:12this idea of assembling together as believers. We don't put a high value on it. So Luke is going to
04:21give us great details. I'll put up that map again up here. He's going to give us great details of
04:26the
04:26journey. They're, they're moving from Miletus where he was with the Ephesian elders last week.
04:31He's going to go down to Kos, C-O-S. And that's where Hippocritus, the guy, the father of medicine,
04:36he was born in Kos. And then they're going down to Rhodes and in Rhodes, there's this 90 foot
04:40colossal of Rhodes statue. It was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. And then they go to
04:45Patera and then they get on a large sailing ship and hop down Tyre over here. And he'll eventually end
04:50up in Jerusalem as you see right now. But he's bouncing along the coastline at first with just a
04:55coasting vessel. And then he hops in a Patera and a large sea going vessel to get over to Tyre.
05:00That's basically what's happening in the text right here. Let me read to you verses number one
05:04through six. And when we had parted, remember he's gathered together with the Ephesian elders.
05:10They're on the beach praying and weeping. They're falling on his neck and weeping for him because
05:14they know they'll not see him ever again on this earth. So when we had parted from them and set
05:20sail,
05:20we came by a straight course to Kos and the next day to Rhodes and from there to Patera.
05:27And having found a ship crossing to Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail. When we had come inside
05:32of Cyprus, leaving on the left, they sailed underneath Cyprus. We sailed to Syria and landed
05:37in Tyre. For there the ship was to unload its cargo. And having sought out the disciples, so they
05:43land in Tyre and they sought out the disciples. They looked for the believers. We stayed there for seven
05:48days. And through the Spirit, they were telling Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. When our days there
05:56were ended, we departed and went on our journey. And they all, with wives and children, accompanied
06:01us until we were outside the city. And kneeling down on the beach, we prayed and said farewell to
06:08one another. Then we went on board the ship and they returned home. You can imagine weeping with the
06:13Ephesian elders, what was taking place at this prayer meeting here, the women and children and
06:18that man were all gathering together to pray with him. I'm sure there was much tears as well.
06:23It says here is when we had parted from them, when we parted from the Ephesian elders. That is a
06:28really
06:28interesting word. It has the idea to tear away. In other words, he didn't want to leave. He wanted to
06:37stay with the elders. He wanted to spend time with them, to encourage them, to go out and serve the
06:41church really well. And it's like he's being torn away from them. His heart was still there with him,
06:47but he was being torn away. His difficulty imparting from the Ephesian elders, it's hard to leave the
06:54ones you love. He loved them and he didn't want to leave them. He was torn away as he was
07:00being pulled
07:00away. He knew that these disciples would be the one to carry on the gospel to the next generation.
07:06They're the future of the church and he just didn't want to part with them. And so his soul is
07:11torn away as he has to get on ship and depart from them with much weeping, much wailing, falling on
07:18his neck. So he's traveling on the coast. Like each trip was probably a one day's journey till he gets
07:24on the large ship and travels across that sea over to Tyre. Immediately after arriving in Tyre,
07:32Paul sought out the believers. Immediately he went to look for the believers. He actually, the text says
07:37he looked hard for them. I mean, I don't know what you do. There's no churches in those days
07:41where you say, Hey, where's the Christian church? There's no church there. No, you have to say,
07:44well, who are, where are the people who follow the way? Remember, that's a designation for
07:48Christianity. Where are the people that follow the way? Oh yeah, I think there's some of them
07:52there down on so-and-so street. And yeah, you can find it. He looked hard for them. He just
07:57didn't go,
07:57well, yeah, I can't find them. Let's go do something else. He looked hard for them.
08:03He's traveling. It's not on vacation, but he's traveling, but he still wants to get together
08:07with other believers. He knows the importance of gathering together. And especially in these
08:11dark times that are coming his way with the affliction that he's going to suffer in Jerusalem,
08:15he realizes that their comfort being in their present and their encouragement will help him in
08:21the days to come. Now, the question is, do we count assembling of ourselves together as important?
08:27And I would say, yes, because you're here today. You obviously feel like it's an important thing,
08:31assembling together. But why? Why did God design the church, the called out ones,
08:36with the implication that they'll gather together? Why did he design the church? What purpose,
08:41what purpose does the church serve? Why should we attend a church? I mean, we got the Bible. I can
08:47pray
08:48at home. I can sing worship songs at home. I can study the scriptures at home. Why do we need
08:52to
08:52gather together? Why is that important? Well, a couple of reasons. Number one, God told us to.
08:59That's it. No, no, no other reason. No, there's a couple other reasons. But God told us to. He said,
09:04gather together. Don't forsake this of yourselves together. Why else do we gather together? We gather
09:09together for instruction in the word so that we can be taught the word and then we can go out
09:14next week
09:14and live out our faith. And you can say, but I can study at home. Yes, you can.
09:18However, God gave to the church pastor teachers who are to equip the saints for the work of the
09:23ministry. So, you're coming here to be equipped to serve God throughout the week. That's another
09:28reason to come. Also is to be encouraged. Maybe you need encouragement. We gather together,
09:34you're encouraged. Or you give encouragement to somebody else. Another good reason that we gather
09:38together. Also, to receive strength and courage to know you are not in this alone. Could you imagine
09:48the people that we just prayed for in Algeria to know the fact that they're not alone in this?
09:52They gather together to know that you're not the only one that's following Jesus. We gather together,
09:57yes, because you're not alone in following Jesus. We're together in this. And lastly is,
10:04we have an opportunity throughout the week to praise Jesus. In the car, we sing. I sing in the car
10:08by
10:09myself because then no one can hear me. And you sing at home and things like that. We do that
10:13individually throughout the week. But you can't do that corporately if you don't come together.
10:19And we get to come together and we corporately get to sing songs and praise to Jesus. We corporately
10:25get to worship him. So, he designed the church for a reason. It's not just that something we do on
10:30a
10:30Sunday. It's important for the believer in his spiritual life. So, the Holy Spirit informs the people
10:36in Tyre that suffering's coming to Paul in Jerusalem. Something's coming his way in Jerusalem.
10:43He'd already mentioned, Paul, that he's going to suffer. He already knows he's going to suffer as he
10:47gets to Jerusalem. In Acts 20, we saw already, Paul says,
10:51Now behold, I'm going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit. In other words, motivated,
10:56pushed by the Spirit, under the Spirit's will, not knowing what will happen to me there,
11:02except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await
11:08me. He knows what's coming. He knows afflictions are coming his way, yet he's still willing to go.
11:13What an attitude. What an attitude. If I knew that I'd go over there and someone's going to beat me
11:19up,
11:19I probably wouldn't go over there. Yet he says, I know it's coming and I'm still going to go.
11:25Actually, it says, through the Spirit they were telling, which means it wasn't just one time. It was
11:29over and over and over and over again, kept telling him. Paul was, the Spirit was moving
11:35Paul to Jerusalem. That was God's will for Paul to move to Jerusalem. What the Holy Spirit, he was
11:41predicting, he wasn't prohibiting him to go. He was just saying, this is going to happen. And you can
11:45imagine, they get the word through the Spirit that Paul's going to suffer in Jerusalem and they love
11:49him so much, they're going, don't go. Don't go. It's not that the Spirit said, don't go. It's
11:55they're telling him, don't go. Don't go. They love him. God was leading Paul to go to Jerusalem and the
12:05Holy Spirit was not giving contradictory messages. He wasn't saying one thing to them and another thing
12:10to Paul. He's giving the same message. He says, they were hearing afflictions and they're going,
12:14I don't want him to suffer. I love him. I don't want him to suffer. So, Paul is going to
12:20Jerusalem
12:21under God's will and imprisonment is waiting for him probably, yet this warning helped him be
12:30prepared for what is coming. That's nice when God does that, when he prepares us ahead of time for
12:35an event that's coming in our life. Sometimes you go through something throughout the week and you
12:39can't figure out why you're going through that. And then next week, something comes into your life and
12:43you go, oh, I get it now. God was preparing me ahead of time for what's coming my way. I
12:48get it now.
12:50And the Holy Spirit is preparing Paul for what he will encounter in Jerusalem. He's preparing his
12:54heart. We can be thankful knowing the Holy Spirit is moment by moment at work and is preparing us for
13:01what is coming our way in the future. He knows what's coming tomorrow. He prepares us today for
13:06that. And we need to listen to him and take courage that God will never leave us or forsake us
13:10on this
13:11journey. Whatever comes our way, dark days, afflictions, joy, whatever comes our way, God will never leave
13:17us or forsake us. He never sought out martyr. And he wasn't going, yeah, I'm going to go to
13:22Jerusalem to die. I'll show you who I am. He didn't seek out martyrdom, but he was willing to lay
13:26down
13:27his life. He was willing. And so like the departure from the Ephesian elders, they gathered together in
13:33a prayer meeting. And this time it says that the families were there with children, not always as
13:38mentioned in the Bible, but the whole family is together. All of the children, they're getting on
13:43board. They're getting and they're praying together with him. So they pray and I'm sure there's weeping.
13:47It doesn't say there is, but I'm sure there's crying at this point. So now they get on a ship
13:52and
13:52he knows that he's not going to see these people probably ever again on the side of the earth.
13:57Look at verse seven. So they get on a ship. When we finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at
14:04Ptolemus and we greeted the brothers. Again, they're looking for the Christians and stayed with them for one
14:10day, probably because the ship was unloading. We were telling, and the next day it was going to
14:13take off. So they'll lay out in one day, but they, they thought the believers out right away,
14:17immediately. On the next day, we departed and came to Caesarea and we entered the house of Philip,
14:22the evangelist, who was one of the seven and stayed with him. He had four unmarried daughters who
14:29prophesied while we were staying for many days. So there's a length of days there. Remember he's trying
14:32to get there by Pentecost. So he doesn't want to miss that. While we were staying for many days,
14:37a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. That means he came down from Jerusalem to down to
14:42Caesarea and coming to us, he took Paul's belt and bound his own feet and hands and said,
14:48thus says the Holy Spirit. This is how the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt
14:54and deliver him to the hands of the Gentiles. When we heard this, we and the people there urged him
15:00not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, what are you doing? We begin breaking my heart.
15:08For I am ready not only to be in prison, but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of
15:13the Lord Jesus.
15:14And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, let the will of the Lord be done.
15:20After these days, the many days we got ready and went up to Jerusalem for the day of Pentecost,
15:25I'm sure. And some of the disciples from Caesarea went with us, bringing us to the house of Manassan of
15:30Cyprus, an early disciple with whom we should lodge. So being tied to the ship's schedule,
15:37they get on the next day and they travel, they travel. He comes to Caesarea. He knows the church
15:43in Caesarea. He's familiar with the church in Caesarea. And he stayed in the house of one called
15:48Philip the Evangelist who had settled in Caesarea. Remember Philip? He was a guy who went up to Samaria
15:53and preached to the gospel. He's a guy with the Ethiopian eunuch and preached the gospel to the
15:57Ethiopian eunuch. And in Acts chapter 8, we read what happens after he preached to the eunuch.
16:02And when they came up out of the water, he had baptized the eunuch. The spirit of the Lord carried
16:07Philip away and the eunuch saw him no more. And he went on his way rejoicing. But Philip found himself
16:13at Astos, which is on the coastline. And as he passed through up the coastline, he preached the
16:19gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea. And there he put his home. He lodged there.
16:25And at this point, it's been about 20 years since he set up residence in Caesarea.
16:31Philip is the only person in the New Testament specifically called an evangelist.
16:36Philip the Evangelist. Timothy is told to do the work of an evangelist, but he's the only one that's
16:41called Philip the Evangelist. And Philip was one of the seven chosen to serve the widows in Acts
16:47chapter 6. Remember the story? We were a long, long time ago in Acts 6. He had the Hellenized
16:51widows that didn't have the daily ministration of the food. And so, they were complaining and
16:56the apostles said, hey, but we got to fix this. And so, the church got together, chose seven people
17:00to make sure the widows got their daily provisions so they wouldn't starve. So, he's one of those seven.
17:06He's one of those seven. Philip also, we are told, has four unmarried daughters who prophesied,
17:14the text says, showing that there were women in the early church who had the gift of prophecy.
17:19It says, it's actually in the present active, they prophesied more than one time. Those four
17:23unmarried women prophesied, they prophesied. In Joel's prophecy on the day of Pentecost,
17:29the Old Testament talked about this gift of prophecy when the Spirit is poured out,
17:32Acts chapter 2.
17:34And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh.
17:39This comes from the book of Joel. He's quoting Joel.
17:43And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your
17:47old men shall dream dreams. Even on my male service and female service in those days, I will pour out
17:53my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. You remember, Paul is going up to Jerusalem for what? For the day
17:59of Pentecost. He looks at these four unmarried daughters of Philip, and he says, this is exactly
18:04what happened on the day of Pentecost. This is the prophecy that Joel gave. He's seeing Pentecost
18:09in these four daughters right here. Luke had talked about other women who were prophetess,
18:14actually in the Old Testament prophetess, Anna in the New Testament, but excuse me, in the New
18:19Testament, Old Testament, you'll get my point. Before the Old Testament or the New Testament was
18:23inaugurated, Anna was a prophetess, Luke too. And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of
18:29Phanuel of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years
18:33from when she was a virgin. The Bible doesn't give us any information more about these four
18:38daughters of Philip. We don't know anything more about them at all. Tradition tells us
18:42that they lived in Asia Minor with their father and saw them as important witnesses and preservers
18:50of traditions from the apostolic period. So, they gathered all of the stuff from the apostolic
18:54period, and they preserved it, and they passed it on to other people. Now, in those days,
18:59prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch, and one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold
19:04by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world. This took place in the days
19:09of Claudia. So, we're already introduced to this Agabus. So, for whatever reason, the Holy Spirit
19:13sends them down to Caesarea, and there he gives a prophecy. There he gives a prophecy. He actually
19:19noticed he acts out the prophecy. He takes his belt, ties up his hands, and ties up his feet,
19:25like the Old Testament prophets did often. Isaiah did it. Ezekiel did it. They acted out the prophecy.
19:31So, he tied his hands and feet, saying, this is what's going to happen to the man who owns his
19:35belt when he gets to Jerusalem. Notice that Agabus did not warn Paul not to go to Jerusalem. He
19:42didn't say that. He didn't say, Paul, don't go to Jerusalem. He says, in Jerusalem awaits you
19:46suffering. Affliction. He didn't say, don't go. Again, the Holy Spirit's not giving a contradictory
19:52message here. In the Old Testament, we read that the prophet, right when they're going to say
20:00something, they'll say, thus says the Lord, and then they'll give the prophecy. Thus says the Lord,
20:05then they give the prophecy. Notice what the text says here. The text says, thus says the Holy Spirit.
20:12Thus says the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is speaking now to the church.
20:18And they urged him. They heard the suffering's coming your way, Paul, and they urged him,
20:23they urged him, and they urged him, don't go, don't go. They loved him. They didn't want to see
20:28their Paul then afflicted or imprisoned or killed in Jerusalem. They loved him. So, they're urging
20:35him, don't go over and over and over again. And he's basically going, listen, you're breaking my
20:41heart. Don't you know this is God's will for me? How can I not do what God is asking me
20:47to? How can I
20:48ignore God's will in my life? I have to do what he's asking me to do. Luke even includes himself
20:55with the group that was urging. He says, we urged them not to go. Even Luke is saying, don't go,
21:00don't go. But Paul was convinced that God was leading him to Jerusalem. And the weeping of his
21:07friends were just tearing his heart wide open is, no, don't persuade me to go against what God is
21:11asking me to do. He's willed this in my life. And don't try to persuade me to disregard and ignore
21:18God's will. Paul was willing, Paul was willing to give the ultimate witness for Jesus his very life
21:29because God says, go to Jerusalem. I'm going to go, he said. I'm going to go.
21:36Paul knew God's will. And when others tried to persuade him from acting against God's will,
21:41he would not listen. I can't do that. I'm sorry, guys. Listen, I love you all, but I'm sorry.
21:47You're not God. And God has told me this. And so, I'm going to do what God has asked me
21:52to do. I
21:52know God's will. Something similar happened to us, not about affliction, but something similar
21:58happened to us when we were missionaries in Germany. We were there for 10 years. About year
22:03nine, it was impressed upon our hearts by God that we were to leave Germany, come back to America.
22:09So, we told the church in Germany, we will give one year to prepare the church for our absence. And
22:14so,
22:14we spent a year preparing the church so that when we left, the church wouldn't collapse and fall
22:18apart. So, we're working this entire year. So, in that year where we had already announced that
22:24we're going to be leaving Germany at the end of the year, I had a missionary friend. He's a friend.
22:29He's still a friend today. He pulled me aside one day and he said, hey, I just want you to
22:33know,
22:34God told me you're supposed to stay in Germany. And I said, well, that's really funny because
22:40he didn't tell me that. He didn't mean it as an insult. In fact, he knew that we need work
22:50in
22:50Germany. We need workers. He wasn't trying to hurt me. He just wasn't God. And God had given us
22:56instructions what we were supposed to do and to lead in that direction. And he's coming along and
23:02he's saying, well, no, God told me this. And I said, well, no, I cannot be persuaded to act against
23:10what God has asked me to do. This is what God wants us to do. Paul would not let the
23:16believers
23:17persuade him to ignore God's calling. He was resolute is the implication of the text. He was
23:23resolute about this. He was fixed. He considered it a privilege to suffer or die for the name of the
23:31Lord Jesus Christ in the gospel message. He knew what was coming and he was still committed to go.
23:36That is an encouragement to me. He knew what was coming and he was still encouraged to go.
23:42God wants this. This is God's will. In the early 1940s, the president of Dallas Theological Seminary,
23:50Lewis Sperry Schaefer, was at a banquet. He was supposed to give a speech at a banquet. Well,
23:56you know how banquets are. Sometimes you have multiple speeches and then the keynote speaker comes at the end
24:01of the evening when everyone's already tired, they've eaten, they're ready to go home. So he
24:06realized that the lateness of the hour, he wasn't going to give the entire message, but he wanted to
24:11give them the points about his, the topic was this, the reasonableness of fully surrendering our lives
24:18to God. So that was the topic for the evening, the reasonableness of fully surrendering our lives to
24:23God. So he says, I don't have time to preach, but let me give you three reasons why it's reasonable
24:30to fully surrender our lives to God. He said, reason number one, God is all wise and knows better than
24:36anyone else. What is best for my life? Well, that makes sense. He knows me better than anyone else.
24:43He knows what's best for my life. Reason two, he is almighty and has the power to accomplish what is
24:50best in my life. That's a good reason too. Not only does he know, but he's all powerful and he
24:56can
24:56affect the best in my life. And the reason number three is God loves me more than anyone else does.
25:03Also good reason to fully surrender our lives to God.
25:08Reminds me of the hymn we sing. We haven't sang it here in a long time. In the first service
25:12we have,
25:13it's from Judson V. Van Deventer, 1896. You know the song.
25:20All to Jesus I surrender. All to him I freely give. I will ever love and trust him in his
25:26presence
25:26daily live. I surrender all. That's the idea. I surrender all. He's willing to go and he's carrying
25:34this large offering for the saints in Jerusalem. Again, I don't know if it's precious stones and
25:39silver or gold or script or somehow, but he's got an offering to take. So he's bringing this offering
25:44to take and the delegates are there with him. And they go from Caesarea to Jerusalem about a two-day
25:50journey and end up in the man's house named Mananson, who was a Greek-speaking, a Hellenistic
25:55Jew, Greek-speaking Jew who was a believer early on. So you got a bunch of Gentiles staying in the
26:00house of a person who is a Gentile, you know, doesn't hate Gentiles. It works out really well.
26:04So they stay with Mananson for a period of time. Paul's in Jerusalem because he loves his people.
26:09In fact, in Romans he said, I'd be willing to go to hell if my own people would get saved.
26:14That's Paul's attitude. That's how much he loved the Jews, his own people.
26:20Paul finishes now his third missionary journey along with his Greek mission,
26:26area of the Greeks. He's not going to be in the East any longer. In fact, he's going to move
26:31to
26:31Rome now and there he's going to be and there he's going to end in Rome. So from now on,
26:37all of his working in the East is finished. He's heading towards Rome. So what do we pull away from
26:43this today? Well, number one is this. Make assembling with believers a priority in your life.
26:52A priority in your life. You say, well, I'm here. Yes, yes, yes. You are. Yes, good. But think of
26:58it
26:58like this. Assembling with the saints is not just a Sunday thing. It's what takes place throughout the
27:05week as well. See, what do you mean? Well, I hope I don't forget anybody, but the saints here at
27:13Medical Aid Community Church gather together in more places and more times other than just Sunday
27:17mornings. Let's just start with Monday. Monday, we have a ladies afternoon Bible study. Saints are
27:24gathering together. Evening is a youth group. Maybe you want to gather together with a youth and be a
27:29helper with a youth group. Andy, I'm sure he's not here right now. So I'm speaking for him. I'm sure
27:34he would love to have helpers to come assemble together with the youth on Monday night. What
27:40about Tuesdays? Tuesdays, we have stitch and sew. Assembling of the saints, gathering together in
27:45stitch and sew. Getting around, talking about God and making things for people, distributing Bibles
27:50to people. We have the men's evening Bible study and the ladies evening Bible study that's going to be
27:55starting up here shortly. What about Wednesdays? Well, once a month, we have an armor of God meeting
28:00with the ladies and we have a Monday, we have a men's study at 11 o'clock and then we
28:06have waypoint
28:07in the evening. The saints are gathering together. Thursdays, ladies Bible study fellowship, which is
28:13now over with till the fall. And then in the evening, we have the worship team, the music team. Maybe
28:19you
28:19want to play on the music team or sing on the music team. See Jake about that. These are times
28:23that
28:24the saints gather together. It's not just Sundays. So make gathering together with the saints a
28:30priority in your life. And they don't, and people don't do it just here. I know people that go out
28:34and help others build something or tear something apart. Mostly guys, they love just working together
28:39with their hands. So assembling together with the saints, make it a priority. Two, know God's will for
28:47your life and do not let anyone persuade you to ignore it. How do I know God's will? Well, start
28:52here,
28:52first of all, start here. Know who he is, what he has said, what he has asked us to do.
28:58Start right
28:58here with the word of God and take the word of God and pray and let the spirit of God
29:02through the word
29:02of God, give direction to our life. And when you know what God's will is, do not let anyone persuade
29:07you to ignore it. Not your wife, not your husband, not your family, not your workmates. Be fully committed
29:13to Jesus. Don't let anyone persuade you to ignore God's will. And number three, be resolute in your
29:20commitment to follow Jesus. No matter what comes your way. Paul's affliction is coming his way. He
29:26said, it doesn't matter to me. It doesn't matter. I'm willing to die for Jesus's name. I don't care.
29:31I'm willing to do what God asked me to do. I am resolute in my commitment to follow Jesus.
29:37He is the most important person in my life. Make assembling with believers a priority.
29:44Know God's will for your life and don't let anyone persuade you to ignore it and be resolute in your
29:49commitment to Jesus Christ to follow him all the days of your life. Let's pray. Father, thank you.
29:55Thank you for Paul and the example that he gives us. The idea that he just wanted to get together
29:59with
29:59your people. I'm sure he wanted to teach them, but he also just wanted to be encouraged by them,
30:05strengthened by them, to know that he wasn't alone in this adventure, this, this, this, the way
30:12Christianity, the gospel preaching. He wasn't alone in this. There were thousands of people who also
30:18believed and followed as well. So, thank you, Father, for his attitude of willingness to, to
30:23surrender all and to go to Jerusalem and to suffer affliction, knowing that it's coming. He's still
30:28resolute. He would not let anyone, anyone persuade him to ignore your will. So, thank you. He's given
30:35us such instructions today, Father. Thank you. May we follow his example as we live our life
30:41praising you, serving you, and honoring you. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Comments