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"But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God."
(Acts 20:24)
Since January 2019, I have been preaching through the Book of Acts at our church, Great Hills Baptist Church in Austin, TX. We have taken breaks to study other themes, like when I preached the series entitled, "Winning the Battle in Your Mind", but overall, over the last several years (yes, years), we have been studying the remarkable account by Luke of the beginning of the Church of Jesus Christ and its expansion from Jerusalem all the way to Rome.
The first 12 chapters of Acts feature the Holy Spirit's work in the Early Church, especially through the life and ministry of the Apostle Peter. The remaining chapters in Acts shift the focus to the Holy Spirit's work in and through the Apostle Paul. He is my hero in ministry! Paul faced many hardships and setbacks as he served the Lord, but the man just would not quit. Like a bulldog with a bone in his mouth, he simply would not let go. The older I get and the longer I serve the Lord in ministry, the more impressed I am with those who do not quit, who persevere until Jesus tells them it is time to move on. I have shared with our church family many times that as long as I have the spiritual, mental, and physical strength to do so, I will continue to serve as their pastor. I believe it is the highest and most challenging call that God assigns.
How can you and I continue with the Lord's call on our lives, so we push forward and onward and do not become disqualified or put on the sidelines?
I spoke last Thursday to the participants at the Touchpoint Conference held at our church. The room was full of people from across the USA who work for or with Touchpoint, a ministry designed to help local churches with church management software. I felt the Lord impress me to share with them the biblical text that I am writing about this week in our devotions. After reading Acts 20:24, I shared two important things that I believe will help followers of Jesus finish their race well. First, I spoke to them about how we should not attempt to go it alone, but rather rely on each other, and second, how we should adopt this Pauline determination to keep going in the face of hardship.
How are you holding up? Is quitting or walking away from what is right a temptation for you? I think the enemy of our souls would like nothing more than for you to surrender and give up. This week, I want to offer some words of encouragement and instruction on how you and I can say with Paul, I am going to "finish my race with joy."
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