As the church grew Paul began running into people who had divergent beliefs regarding the Gospel and other teachings regarding salvation. Some of them were like Apollos, believers who were confused on one point or another. Some were disciples of John the Baptist, believing that Jesus was the savior, but not having been baptized into the baptism that gives forgiveness and salvation which Jesus commanded before He ascended into heaven.
What did Paul do when he met people like this? He shared the Gospel with them. He taught. He corrected. He drew people into the Scriptures so that they could experience the fullness of God’s salvation.
One of the things we must understand is that what we teach matters. We live in a world that minimizes doctrinal purity. We live in a culture that values expediency over integrity. God calls us to be faithful to His message. And when we find fellow Christians who have beliefs that diverge from the Scriptures we are to speak the truth to them in love.
Living up to a doctrinal standard means that we let people know when we disagree with them. It means that we ourselves seek to better know what we believe and the One in Whom we believe by striving to be both hearers and doers of the Word. However, maintaining a doctrinal standard is not an excuse for being a jerk. As we stand for the faith we are to do it with gentleness and respect. We are, after all, speaking of our brothers and sisters in Christ who have been redeemed by His death and washed in His blood just like us!
This is important distinction because as the world deals with us they come at us from a position of power. The Sons of Sceva were drawn to the name of Jesus because they saw power there to cast out demons. Demetrius and the silversmiths caused a riot because they were losing money and influence due to the growth of the church. They were losing power, so they sought to reclaim it by screaming and yelling. We are the Church, and we don’t deal in that kind of power.
The power in the Kingdom of God is not about domination. We don’t yell and scream to get our points across. We don’t demand lockstep conformity, nor do we accept compromise on the Gospel. Instead, we love and serve. We live in humble gratitude for the blessings we have. We see out victory and salvation in what looked like Jesus’ demise, when He died on the cross for our sins. The power of the resurrection is not a power that leads to commanding others, but to giving them new life in Christ. So we hold firmly to the hope we have in Jesus.
Paul spent two years in Ephesus reasoning, persuading, teaching, and proclaiming the Word of God, showing that Jesus is the savior of the World. God has placed us where we are with a similar purpose. We are here to help people to know, love and follow Jesus. We might not rent a lecture hall and hold forth on a daily basis, but each day we have opportunities as we live with hope and forgiveness to be witnesses by our words and actions regarding what Jesus has done for us.
God, grant that we would be filled with your Spirit so that our lives would help draw others to You. Help me to proclaim Your truth with both gentleness and respect and please bring many people into Your kingdom through the power of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Amen.
What did Paul do when he met people like this? He shared the Gospel with them. He taught. He corrected. He drew people into the Scriptures so that they could experience the fullness of God’s salvation.
One of the things we must understand is that what we teach matters. We live in a world that minimizes doctrinal purity. We live in a culture that values expediency over integrity. God calls us to be faithful to His message. And when we find fellow Christians who have beliefs that diverge from the Scriptures we are to speak the truth to them in love.
Living up to a doctrinal standard means that we let people know when we disagree with them. It means that we ourselves seek to better know what we believe and the One in Whom we believe by striving to be both hearers and doers of the Word. However, maintaining a doctrinal standard is not an excuse for being a jerk. As we stand for the faith we are to do it with gentleness and respect. We are, after all, speaking of our brothers and sisters in Christ who have been redeemed by His death and washed in His blood just like us!
This is important distinction because as the world deals with us they come at us from a position of power. The Sons of Sceva were drawn to the name of Jesus because they saw power there to cast out demons. Demetrius and the silversmiths caused a riot because they were losing money and influence due to the growth of the church. They were losing power, so they sought to reclaim it by screaming and yelling. We are the Church, and we don’t deal in that kind of power.
The power in the Kingdom of God is not about domination. We don’t yell and scream to get our points across. We don’t demand lockstep conformity, nor do we accept compromise on the Gospel. Instead, we love and serve. We live in humble gratitude for the blessings we have. We see out victory and salvation in what looked like Jesus’ demise, when He died on the cross for our sins. The power of the resurrection is not a power that leads to commanding others, but to giving them new life in Christ. So we hold firmly to the hope we have in Jesus.
Paul spent two years in Ephesus reasoning, persuading, teaching, and proclaiming the Word of God, showing that Jesus is the savior of the World. God has placed us where we are with a similar purpose. We are here to help people to know, love and follow Jesus. We might not rent a lecture hall and hold forth on a daily basis, but each day we have opportunities as we live with hope and forgiveness to be witnesses by our words and actions regarding what Jesus has done for us.
God, grant that we would be filled with your Spirit so that our lives would help draw others to You. Help me to proclaim Your truth with both gentleness and respect and please bring many people into Your kingdom through the power of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Amen.
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