Faithful

-

"…and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip…" - (Acts 6:5-6, NASB)

   Philip was an interesting man. If you trace his life in the book of Acts you will find a man who faithfully exercised the responsibilities entrusted to him. Very little is known of him at this time, other than he was full of the spirit and of good reputation. He was one of the seven, chosen from among and by the church, to serve the church under the disciples blessings.  Later, when the church is scattered abroad due in large part to pre-conversion Paul, Philip ends up in Samaria. There he preaches and teaches about Jesus, cast out demons, and performs miracles before the people. Philip's preaching of the gospel impacted Samaria so much that Peter and John came to further the ministry there. Later, Philip meets an Ethiopian who is searching the Scriptures. Philip teaches him about Jesus and baptizes him. As a result the gospel spreads into Ethiopia. Philip is miraculously carried away to another location, and undoubtably continues preaching. Much later in Acts, we find Philip in Caesarea and he is now referred to as "the evangelist". He has four daughters upon whom God's mighty hand is resting. Incidentally, Paul, the one who caused Philip to run out of Jerusalem, camps out with Philip for a time.
   There is a simple yet powerful principle displayed in Philip's life: God honors faithfulness. In Jesus' parable of the talents, two servants heard the master say to them, "Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master." (Matt. 25:14-30, NASB)  If there is one skill, one trait that God is looking for above and beyond all others, it is faithfulness. Not only does faithfulness bring joy to the LORD, but He can use a faithful man or woman in more ways than He ever could a talented one. Talent and skill are inferior qualities to faithfulness. If you are doubtful, just remember that Jesus first chose fishermen to carry the gospel. Wherever you may be, whatever God has you doing, remain faithful in that field. You heavenly Father is watching, and you will reap a harvest in His time, if you remain faithful (Gal. 6:9). 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Don't Waste Your Pain

-
Image
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction... - 2 Corinthians 1:3-9    Affliction (pain and suffering) is an inevitable, unavoidable, and repeatable part of life. None of us are exempt. While  we would all like to avoid affliction, the truth is that pain and affliction  serve a greater purpose , whether it comes from our own choices, the ordinary course of life, an attack of spiritual forces, or from God Himself.  Richard Cecil is noted as saying, "God's way of answering the Christian's prayer for more patience, experience, hope, and love often is to put him into the furnace of affliction.” Even  though we cannot avoid affliction, we can use it for the glory of God. That’s right. Your pain can be used to glorify God. How do we do this?    First, we need to learn to receive God's comfort. Much like in life, some folks are better at letting others "in" th
Read more

Dependent Upon God

-
Image
Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, "Tell the sons of Israel to turn back and camp..." Exodus 14:1    Have you ever stopped and considered why God led the Israelites to freedom by taking them through the desert? Really, think about the process for a moment. He led them out of the slavery for a day or two, then told them to turn back towards the city of their captivity, next to the sea, and make camp. This lead to their being trapped. Then He led them to a place with with plenty of water, but it was undrinkable. Not too long after that, when all their food provisions were depleted, He led them to a place where there was no food or water for themselves or their livestock. Why would God be so cruel? Well, if you know the rest of the story, then you may already know the answer. They were never trapped, for God parted the waters, allowing them safe passage through the sea and drowning their enemies. The undrinkable water was made drinkable, and they were provided food
Read more

Biblical Apprenticeship

-
Image
"...Go therefore and make disciples... ” - (Matt. 28:18-20)   The Greek word mathetai is the term we usually translate as disciple, and it expresses the idea of "student" or "pupil". To me, the best understanding today of the biblical principle of disciples is apprentices. Think about it, in a typical apprenticeship a new generation of practitioners are prepared with on-the-job training and often some accompanying classroom work and reading.  Apprenticeships typically last 3 to 6 years, and generally involve four steps:     (1)  Commitment - At this level the apprentice makes the commitment to stay the course by receiving the education and training necessary to become the “journeyman”.       (2) Classroom - At this phase, the apprentice receives the information necessary to understand and work within the sphere of labor.      (3) Training - At this phase, the apprentice begins to put the information they have learned into practice. First by wat
Read more