TEXT: ACTS 20:18-24
TITLE: FOCUSED AND UNMOVABLE
19 SERVING THE LORD WITH ALL HUMILITY, WITH MANY TEARS AND TRIALS WHICH HAPPENED TO ME BY THE PLOTTING OF THE JEWS
20 HOW I KEPT BACK NOTHING THAT WAS HELPFUL, BUT PROCLAIMED IT TO YOU, AND TAUGHT YOU PUBLICLY AND FROM HOUSE TO HOUSE
21 TESTIFYING TO JEWS, AND ALSO TO GREEKS, REPENTANCE TOWARD GOD AND FAITH TOWARD OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.
22 AND SEE, NOW I GO BOUND IN THE SPIRIT TO JERUSALEM, NOT KNOWING THE THINGS THAT WILL HAPPEN TO ME THERE
23 EXCEPT THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT TESTIFIES IN EVERY CITY, SAYING THAT CHAINS AND TRIBULATIONS AWAIT ME.
24 BUT NONE OF THESE THINGS MOVE ME; NOR DO I COUNT MY LIFE DEAR TO MYSELF, SO THAT I MAY FINISH MY RACE WITH JOY, AND THE MINISTRY WHICH I RECEIVED FROM THE LORD JESUS, TO TESTIFY TO THE GOSPEL OF THE GRACE OF GOD. 1
• MINISTRY IS NEVER EASY
ACTS 20:19 SERVING THE LORD WITH ALL HUMILITY, WITH MANY TEARS AND TRIALS, WHICH HAPPENED TO ME BY THE PLOTTING OF THE JEWS
• LEADERSHIP AND MINISTRY IS NEVER EASY.
• MINISTRY IS NEVER EASY….
• IN MINISTRY THERE WILL BE TRIUMPHS, BUT THE TRIUMPHS COME WITH TEARS AND TRIALS
***WE DON’T GET TO REJOICE IN MANY THINGS THAT DID NOT COME WITHOUT SOME TEARS AND TRIALS
• MANY LEADERS JUST WANT TO BE TRIUMPHANT
***THEY ARE LIKE BASKETBALL PLAYERS WHO WANT TO RUN ONTO THE COURT BEFORE THE GAME STARTS AND HAVE EVERYONE CHEERING FOR THEM, AND WHEN THE GAME STARTS AND WHEN IT’S TIME TO PLAY, THEY RUN UP IN THE STANDS.
• MINISTRY IS ABOUT OTHERS
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• I KEPT NOTHING FROM YOU
• I TAUGHT YOU AND PREACHED TO YOU
• I KEPT NOTHING BACK THAT WAS HELPFUL
• IT WAS ALL ABOUT THEM
***AS A LEADER YOU WILL ALWAYS BE WATCHING OUT FOR OTHER PEOPLE
***EVEN WHEN PEOPLE DON’T WATCH OUT FOR YOU
***JEWS AND GREEKS WERE THE TWO CULTURES OF THOSE DAYS
• CULTURE MAY CHANGE, BUT OUR MESSAGE DOESN’T
• NO MATTER WHAT WAS GOING ON AND WHO CAME HERE, MEDIA, THE CURIOUS, WHOMEVER WE ALWAYS PREACHED THE LORD JESUS CHRIST! 3
***BOUND IN THE SPIRIT = THE ONLY WAY YOU MAKE IT IN LEADERSHIP IS YOU HAVE TO BE FOCUSED
• NOT KNOWING THE THINGS THAT WILL HAPPEN, LEADERS ALWAYS DEAL WITH THE UNKNOWN
***IF YOU HAVE TO HAVE ALL THE FACTS, THEN YOU CAN’T LEAD
• LEADERSHIP IS NOT ABOUT KNOWING ALL THE FACTS AS IT IS ABOUT HAVING FAITH
• LEADERSHIP DEALS WITH YOUR FAITH MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE
• YOU CAN NOT TAKE FAITH OUT OF LEADERSHIP
• WE CANNOT DO THE THINGS WE’VE DONE WITHOUT FAITH
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• CRISIS IS THE NORM OF MINISTRY
• NOTICE HE SAID EVERY CITY
• CRISIS IS THE NATURE OF LEADERSHIP
• CHAINS AND TRIBULATIONS AWAIT ME
****IF EVERY CRISIS GET TO YOU, YOU WILL NOT LEAD LONG
THEREFORE, MY BELOVED BRETHREN, BE STEADFAST, IMMOVABLE, ALWAYS ABOUNDING IN THE WORK OF THE LORD, KNOWING THAT YOUR LABOR IS NOT IN VAIN IN THE LORD. 5 ***I DON’T KNOW HOW MANY DAYS LEADING THIS CHURCH THAT WE DID NOT HAVE SOME KIND OF CRISIS GOING ON
• YOU HAVE TO SAY AND STAND ON…..
• “BUT NONE OF THESE THINGS MOVED ME”
***IN LEADERSHIP, YOU MUST TAKE HITS FOR OTHER PEOPLE
***PAUL IS SAYING THAT IN EVERY CITY I KNOW, THIS TROUBLE AWAITS ME, BUT I’M GOING TO DO IT ANYWAY
• LEADERS ALWAYS TAKE A HIT SO SOMEONE ELSE’S LIFE CAN GET BETTER
• OUR JOY DOES NOT COME FROM OUR CIRCUMSTANCES IN LIFE
• OUR JOY COMES FROM DOING THE WILL OF GOD IN LIFE
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