ENCOURAGEMENT FROM ABOVE
Acts 18:1-17
Dr. Wm. J. Maxwell
First Presbyterian Church, Newport, RI
July 1, 2007
“Adversity in Ministry” – that is the title of an address I was listening to on a CD on my way to a meeting in Connecticut this week. It was an address given by seasoned pastor who had gone through his own “dark night of the soul.”
In giving many ways of finding encouragement in the hard times, he spoke of the particular time when his attention was drawn to what the Apostle Paul had gone through: reviling and slander, exclusion, beatings, stonings, shipwrecks, imprisonments, and his constant concern for the churches he founded. This seasoned pastor found “encouragement from above” in discovering anew all that Paul had experienced, and in reviewing Paul’s determined steadfastness through it all. Grateful that he didn’t have to go through precisely what the apostle had gone through, he nevertheless found new courage to face the challenges of life and ministry by heeding the witness of one who endured so much for the sake of Christ and His Gospel.
Beyond that of a seasoned pastor, we all face tough times, troubling moments and daunting challenges. We all need encouragement from above, and we are reminded of this when we see how Paul himself was encouraged in Corinth, receiving “encouragement from above.”
THE PASSAGE.
As we rejoin Paul in our long-standing study of Acts, we find him at the end of his second missionary journey. He is in Corinth, found in modern day Greece, and once again he finds himself in a time and place of adversity, in spite of his faith and his faithfulness – indeed because of it!
We are told of the hardships he experienced in this large city. First of all, he had to work in order to provide for himself while he sought to declare the Gospel. As a consequence, his days were long and his evangelistic work was hampered by the necessity of meeting his own personal needs.
Secondly, the Jews to whom he first brought the Gospel became abusive. They reviled him, maligned and slandered him to the point that he could no longer proclaim the Gospel to them. Their resistance and abuse became so bad that he symbolically and dramatically acted in protest against them and then turned in ministry to the Gentiles.
Thirdly, these same Jews eventually took Paul to court in the presence of Gallio, the notable proconsul of Achaia. They claimed Paul was pushing a religion that was not legalized according to Roman law. Thankfully, the case was dismissed by Gallio, though the Jews ended up beating Sosthenes, a ruler of the synagogue in Corinth who had come to faith in Christ through Paul’s evangelistic ministry.
These were tough times, hard times, difficult times for the apostle. And yet we are told, “Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.” Why? Because of encouragement! Because of encouragement given from above! Paul received encouragement from above by conversions brought about by the Lord, confirming the truth of the Gospel Paul was preaching. We are told that “Crispus, the synagogue ruler, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard (Paul) believed and were baptized.”
Paul also received encouragement from above through a vision given to him from the Lord one night: The Lord said to him, “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” Here, the Lord was reassuring Paul in saying that, in addition to the new Christians, there were others who would become Christians in that city as well. And with such encouragement from above, Paul persevered. He pressed on and proceeded on with the ministry of the Gospel.
NOW,
THE LESSON FOR US TODAY
IS NOT DIFFICULT TO ASCERTAIN.
While we may not be apostles, we nevertheless have our own share of challenges. We all go through hard times, but in the covenant love God has for us in Christ, God will never fail to give us the encouragement we need to persevere and to proceed on in life. Encouragement from above comes for us as well if we will but look for it and receive it.
For example, sometimes encouragement comes from above when people remind us - not of what we’ve lost – but of what we still have. Think about it – “not of what we’ve lost, but of what we still have.”
The story has been told that, in the middle of deep, serious financial trouble, a man went to a minister for counseling. The man complained regarding the seriousness and the gravity of it all, saying that he had “lost everything.”
The conversation then went along in this way: “Oh,” said the pastor in response, “I’m so sorry to hear that you’ve lost your faith.” “No,” said the man, “I haven’t lost my faith.” “Well, then,” the pastor added, “I’m sad to hear that you’ve lost your character.” The man, getting more upset, replied, “I didn’t say that! I still have my character.” The pastor then said to him, “Well then, I’m so sorry to hear that you’ve lost your salvation.” “That’s not what I said!” the man protested, obviously quite unnerved. “I haven’t lost my salvation.” That’s when the pastor wisely summed it all up in saying: “Well, you have your faith, and your character, and your salvation. It seems to me that you’ve lost none of the things that really matter.” [i]
Indeed. We may at times think that we have lost everything. But have we really? In the apparent losses of life, there is so much that yet remains in our lives. Encouragement comes from above when we are reminded that we yet have lives full “of the things that really matter.”
Sometimes encouragement comes from above in what we learn during the hard times. In fact, especially during the hard times.
In having lunch with another pastor this week, I shared with him during lunch that I have learned so much in life and in ministry about God, about people, and about myself – not so
much during the times of ease and of comfort, as in the more difficult and challenging times of life. The other pastor agreed regarding himself, and perhaps you would agree also as you look at your own journey of life.
You may have heard the story of the two maestros who attended a concert together. They had been looking forward to this event, in order to particularly listen to a young soprano. They had heard that she was very gifted, very talented, and had quite a promising future. Upon hearing her sing, one of the maestros was obviously impressed. He spoke to the other of the purity and clarity of the young woman’s voice. Pausing for a moment, the other maestro had a more thoughtful response: “Yes, this is true,” he said. “But she’ll sing even better once her heart is broken.”
Isn’t it true that there seems to be unmistakably a greater depth of passion and insight in life that come through the tough times? Knowing this, God sometimes allows the pain to enter in to our lives, but only in order that the song of grace and of wisdom may then more fully arise from our hearts.
Finally, may I add that encouragement comes from above in the assurance of God’s faithfulness in the very midst of it all.
The Bible provides us with numerous promises pointing us to God’s faithfulness. It is in the midst of the struggle that such promises are found to be true, because God is always true to His promises, and He is always true to His beloved covenant children. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ simply cannot be otherwise but faithful! He knows us and calls to us and comforts us by name.
Recently I came across a true story of a nurse seeking in a well-meaning way to comfort and console a patient. The patient had just gone through radical surgery and was in the Recovery Room groaning with pain.
“Settle down, Tom, settle down,” she said softly to the man. The pain was intense, so he kept moaning, and the nurse kept applying the comfort: “It’s all right, Tom. Just go with the pain; just go with the pain.” The man stopped and became quiet, only to start groaning again. “It’s okay, Tom,” she said. “You’ll be fine. You’ll be just fine.” Finally the patient spoke, albeit with a low, painful voice: “My name’s not Tom.” Not to be undone for a moment by this, the nurse picked up the man’s chart, looked at it intently and then she said, “It’s all right, Harry; it’s all right.” [ii]
Dear friends, there is One who does know our name. God has no need of looking at a chart, for He knows us intimately. In the midst of all the challenges you may be facing right now, hear Him speak to you in these words: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior …” [iii]
Such is the promise … and the encouragement for those loved and redeemed and called by name. Look for encouragement from above, dear friends, and receive it, for it is always there!