Message Notes
Saul/Paul - The Persecutor/The Convert
Today's Songs:
Reckless Love
Death In His Grave
Forever (We Sing Hallelujah)
Worthy Is The Lamb
I Stand Amazed (How Marvelous)
Remember, you can find all the songs from this week and previous weeks in a publicly shared, accumulating playlist on Google Play and in weekly playlists on YouTube (like this one).
Summary: The message... not the messenger.
Key Scripture (1 Corinthians 15:11): 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
Man's Weakness V. God's Power
From Judas to Peter to Thomas and now to Paul, we see the weaknesses of those called to proclaim - the frailty of the messengers.
We see in God's call of the messengers to bear the Message a great contrast between the power of God and the weakness of men.
We see their weaknesses in their fear, trembling, and other aspects of their flesh.
Key Scripture (1 Corinthians 2:1-5): And I, when I came to you, brothers,[a] did not come proclaiming to you the testimony[b] of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men[c] but in the power of God.
We see the contrast between the power of God and the weakness of men in their equipping as God raises up common and uneducated men to proclaim.
Key Scripture (Acts 4:13): 13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.
In their motives -
- Some preached from an impure heart, but Christ and His Gospel were still preached.
Key Scripture (Philippians 1:12-18): 12 I want you to know, brothers,[e] that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard[f] and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. 14 And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word[g] without fear.
15 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will.16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.
In divisions between men -
- Occur when we allow sin to drive wedges between us
- In Acts 15, a sharp disagreement between Paul and Barnabas actually leads to the Gospel being proclaimed in an even broader expanse.
The Message of God -
- enduring, imperishable, unchanging, unfading, unstoppable, good and life-changing
Conclusion:
- The Apostles and their weaknesses verify that it's the Message, not the messenger, that changes things and makes the biggest impact.
- Some of the greatest church fathers and revolutionaries all possessed many weaknesses and were still raised up for a mighty work
- There are no great men of God, only a great God who raises us up for a great work.
Important Takeaway: The power of the Message alleviates the concern that my imperfections, incapabilities, or insecurities have any significant impact on God's ability to perform through me and to receive glory from my life.
