Up’s and Down’s in ministry
Application
- Since the Book of Acts is a book of transitions, we can expect variations to “the pattern” regarding issues of timing. However, once the Church has been established, surrendering to the Lord Jesus Christ by faith is followed immediately by receiving God the Holy Spirit. Water baptism by immersion, which we call “Believer’s Baptism,” is the biblical pattern for obedience thereafter.
- Witnessing to those who are “more like us” is the normal situation: We relate to them, their customs, their language [word usage, vocabulary], etc. As believers, this, most likely, is the group of unbelievers with whom we would feel most comfortable.
- The “school of Tyrannus” may not have an exact parallel today, but God the Holy Spirit will lead each of us as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ to witness, so we should be able to be to give the “Why?” for each of these three aspects of the Gospel.
- Conclusion: In case we have not considered it already, ministry has its Up’s and Down’s. In any particular day, we may go from “success” to “failure” and back to “success.” The “success” was not a result of what we did, nor was the “failure” a result of what we did or didn’t do—“success” or “failure” actually are God the Holy Spirit’s responsibility, where our responsibility is faithfulness.
Bible Text
(1) It happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephesus, and found some disciples. (2) He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said to him, “No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” (3) And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” And they said, “Into John’s baptism.” (4) Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” (5) When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. (6) And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying. (7) There were in all about twelve men.
-Acts 19:1-10
(8) And he entered the synagogue and continued speaking out boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. (9) But when some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the people, he withdrew from them and took away the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus. (10) This took place for two years, so that all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.