However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.
- Acts 20:24-
The Apostle Paul was a man of purpose. His teaching and conduct were shaped by his commitment to the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace. His proclamation of God's grace moved the hearts of many sinners to put their faith in the resurrected Jesus, who took their place on the cross of Calvary, to receive God's judgment of their sins.
Paul's commitment to testifying also included training others to do the same. We see this in verses 1-6. Paul arrived in Greece and stayed for three months. During that time, Paul discipled other men to testify to the good news of God's grace. These men included Sopater, Aristarchus, Secundus, Gaius, Timothy, Tychicus, and Trophimus. Paul was not a "solo act." His ministry demonstrated his desire to live into Jesus' Great Commission to Christians to testify to God's grace AND make disciples. At FPCB, we are blessed by several people who teach and preach the gospel. They have all been discipled by other teachers and preachers. One of the critical roles that our Pastors fulfill is to make themselves available to those who teach and preach.
The night before Paul left Greece, the believers assembled to eat, observe the Lord's Supper and hear more about God's grace. Paul taught until midnight when a young man named Eutychus fell asleep on a window sill. He fell to his death from the third floor. Everyone went to his lifeless body. Paul threw himself upon Eutychus and put his arms around him. Paul assured everyone that he was alive. When they all returned to the third floor, Paul got something to eat and continued speaking until dawn. In the morning, the believers, including Eutychus, went home and were greatly comforted. The testimony of God's grace is a means by which the Holy Spirit brings the community of Christ's followers back to God's Word. God's Word offers us the grace of Jesus, the Bread of Life. When you pray the Lord's Prayer and ask for daily bread, are you praying for bread-bread or daily offerings of Jesus, the Bread of Life?
Paul's commitment to testifying to God's grace kept him moving from place to place. His movement required that people come to him. Paul sent for the Ephesian Elders. He visited with them and told them that he was going to Jerusalem and they would never see his face again. Before he left, Paul tasked them with guarding their church from false teachers. He also said, "Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace…" Before Paul took leave of the Elders, they knelt and prayed. They wept as they embraced and kissed him before his departure.
The testimony of God's grace isn't a listening event that we leave and return to our everyday lives. No, the testimony builds a body of believers who eat together, remember the Lord in breaking bread together, gather to learn together, grieve together, love each other, and commit to doing what has been taught.
Dear Reader, know this: A prayer has been offered that you will be led to a moment when you can testify to God's grace.
It's a Great Day to Share the Gospel!
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