“Under Authority” (Luke 7:1-10) - 2nd Sunday after Pentecost -

Power and Authority

The theme of this week’s 4 lectionary passages (1 Kings 18, Psalm 96, Galatians 1, and Luke 7) is about power and authority. I would like to start with a story of Pastor A.W. Tozer, who was a well-respected and beloved pastor. His very last message, The Waning Authority of Christ in the Churches, was published 2 days after his death. It was his valedictory. In his last message he expressed his concern for today’s church in this way: “Jesus Christ has today almost no authority at all among the groups that call themselves by His name. By these I mean not the Roman Catholics nor the liberals, nor the various quasi-Christian cults. I do mean Protestant churches generally, and I include those that protest the loudest that they are in spiritual descent from our Lord and His apostles, namely, the evangelicals.”[1] Then he offers some concrete proof to support his charge that Christ has little or no authority today among the churches. He asks, “What church board consults our Lord’s words to decide matters under discussion?” He grieves that our church meetings are habitually opened with a formal prayer; after that the Head of the Church is respectfully silent while the real rulers take over. He also grieves that today’s church becomes more and more committee-driven, rule-driven and less Christ-centered and the word-driven. We cannot deny the fact that Christ’s authority in his church is challenged or even ignored today. But today’ passage, the story of the centurion, declares the truth lour and clear that Christ still has authority over all. The centurion acknowledged and fully understood the authority of Jesus. To be more precise, how did the centurion acknowledge the authority of Jesus?

Authority over “Custom”

First, the centurion believed that Jesus has authority over custom. Luke 7:3 says that the centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. The centurion was well aware of the Jewish custom, in this case ceremonial law, regarding Gentiles. He knew the Jewish people are reluctant to converse with Gentiles. That is why he didn’t even consider himself as a Gentile worthy to come to Jesus and ask him in person. So he sent the Jewish elders. He also knew that a Jewish teacher could not enter a Gentile house because that would defile himself. The centurion respected the Jewish custom, but that custom couldn’t hinder him from experiencing Jesus Christ who brings physical, spiritual, and emotional healing to his life. This man had faith that surpassed the power of custom and tradition.

One day a rich young man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” Jesus said, “If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.” The man said, “I have kept all of them. I have faithfully followed all of our father’s religious customs and traditions. What do I still lack?” Jesus said, “You still lack one thing! You have never got out of your comfort zone – your custom and your tradition. Are you willing to follow me at the risk of getting out of the boat?” Then the man became very sad and went away (cf. Luke 18:18-23). Today many churches, including our church, praise the Lord Jesus Christ and preach about him. We worship according to our custom. We run the church according to our tradition. And it must be right because we have always done it that way. The power of custom is like gravitation. It exerts a steady and constant pressure over every area of the church in one direction, that is the status quo. In this case custom is lord, not Christ. In the story of the rich young man, “custom” does not just mean religious practice, but also Jesus expands the concept of custom to family system, blood ties and regionalism. Jesus said, “Everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life” (Matt 19:29, NLT). And the centurion responded by faith, “Yes, Lord! I believe you have authority over my family traditions, my cultural customs, and my religious practices. Come, and heal my servant!”

Authority over “My Way”

Secondly, the centurion believed that Jesus has authority over “my way.” At fist, he was expecting that Jesus would come and heal his servant. That was his expectation, his way. But then, he even gave it up. In verse 6 he sent his friends to say to Jesus: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. Just say the word, and my servant will be healed.” Probably, you remember the story of Naaman, the commander of Aram’s army, in 2 Kings 5. He was a highly regarded soldier, but he had leprosy. He heard the news that the prophet in Samaria could heal any diseases. He traveled from Damascus to Samaria, a distance of over 100 miles, to see Elisha to cure him of his leprosy. Finally he arrived at the door of Elisah’s house. But Elisha didn’t come out; instead, his servant came out and delivered the message: “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan.” Then, Naaman became furious and went away, saying, “I thought he would certainly come out to meet me!" I expected him to wave his hand over the leprosy and call on the name of the LORD his God and heal me!” (v. 11, NLT) That was his expectation, his way. But thankfully, Naaman changed his mind and decided to follow Elisha’s instruction. When he set aside his way and acknowledged God’s authority over his way, he then experienced healing and restoration in his life.

Our practical question is this: Can we believe in the power of the Lord Jesus Christ, even if we don’t see or hear so called “real proofs”? We often want God to come and speak with us, and we are insisting that he do it again. Oswald Chambers said, “How many of us have set ourselves aside as if to say, “I cannot do anything else until God appears to me”? He will never do it. We will have to get up on our own, without any inspiration and without any sudden touch from God. Then comes our surprise and we find ourselves exclaiming, “Why, He was there all the time, and I never knew it!””[2] The centurion did walk by faith. He believed that whether Jesus would directly come and speak to him or just say the word where he was, he had authority over illness. The centurion believed, and he saw the glory of God.

Authority over “All”

Thirdly, the centurion believed that Jesus has authority over “all.” In verse 8 he said, “For I myself am a man under authority.” He had authority from Rome. He was able to enforce the obedience of his soldiers under him. But at the same time, he recognized that Jesus had a higher authority from God. Jesus was in the very nature God but did not consider equality with God something to be grasped. Instead, he voluntarily emptied himself, took the form of a slave, and became human. Then he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name (Phil 2:6-9). The highest authority is given to Jesus in response to his death on the cross. And now we are acceptable to God and have spiritual authority as his children, not because we have obeyed, nor because we have given up things, but because of the death of Christ. In Matthew 28:18 Jesus said to his disciples, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples!” The centurion fully understood Jesus’ authority over all. He also understood the strength of authority. As a Roman soldier, he understood he had authority over his people when he surrendered to his superior authority, such as chiliarch and caesar. In the same way, we Christians have spiritual authority when we are surrendered to Christ Jesus our Lord. Our authority comes from surrender. Authority is different from power. Authority comes from the office. Power resides in the person. Pastor Adrian Rogers gives us a good illustration of how these two are different: “Football players, big and fierce, have power. The only man on the football field without a uniform and pads, armed only with a whistle, he – the little guy – has the authority. He can stop a play or send guys to the locker room. Jesus says that we are the "little guy."”[3] We are weak, but he is strong. In Christ we are strong. Our strength comes from His authority. The more we acknowledge Jesus’ authority, the more we experience His power in our lives. If we acknowledge Jesus as a good moral teacher, we will live a moral life. But if we acknowledge Jesus as God in the flesh, we will experience God’s forgiveness, freedom, and healing in our lives. So let us step out in faith and acknowledge Jesus’ authority over our custom – our family custom, our church custom, and our local custom. Let us humbly surrender and acknowledge his authority over our way. And let us declare Jesus’ authority over all and exalt and sing his holy name forever! As our response to the Word, I would like to sing with you Larry Hampton’s “Hail to the King.” This song beautifully declares Jesus’ supreme authority as follows: 

You came to us a man, in very nature God
Pierced for our iniquities as You hung upon the cross
But God exalted You to the highest place
And gave to You the right to bear
The Name above all names
That at the Name of Jesus we should bow
And every tongue confess that You are Lord
And when You come in glory for the world to see
We will sing...

Hail to the King,

in all His splendour and majesty
Hail to the King of kings,

Lord Jesus, our God!

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[1] A.W. Tozer, The Waning Authority of Christ in the Churches: Tozer's Very Last Message to the Church (CrossReach Publications, 2015), Kindle Location 16-18.

[2] Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest, May 1, 2016, “Faith – Not Emotion,” http://utmost.org/faith-not-emotion/

[3] Adrian Rogers, Sermon: Strength through Authority – Luke 7, http://www.lifeway.com/Article/sermon-strength-through-authority-luke-7

“The Trinity: So What?” (John 16:12-15) - Trinity Sunday -

 The Trinity?

 If you google the word “trinity,” you will easily find this image on the screen: One God in three Divine Persons – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The three persons are distinct, but are one substance, essence or nature. This is a good diagram, but still it is mysterious and hard to grasp the meaning of the trinity. When you hear the following three words, “God is love,” how do you feel? We feel our hearts strangely warmed. But when we hear, “God is a Trinity,” No! It sounds like irrelevant dogma. But in fact, why is God love? Because God is a Trinity![1] How are we able to live the Christian life? Through the Trinity! The truth is that the doctrine of the trinity is the foundation for Christian faith. Jehovah’s Witnesses can believe in the sacrificial death of Christ. Mormons believe in Jesus’ resurrection. One of the Buddhist sects believes in salvation by grace. So what makes the Christian gospel Christian? The answer is our triune God. I am aware that today we celebrate Trinity Sunday and Family Worship. That means all our Sunday School children, including Lydia and Abe, are all here with us. I will use pictures and stories to explain our triune God and explore why it is essential for our Christian faith.

 The Father

The Father. God has many names. But among those names, God loves to be called the Father. A father is a person who gives life, who begets children. But for some of us, the word “father” is a bad thing. Some of us have negative experiences of overbearing, indifferent, or abusive fathers. But those dark images cannot cloud our heavenly Father’s loving, forgiving character. All human fathers are supposed to reflect him, not vice versa! I think the Father God is best described as a loving and forgiving father in the parable of the prodigal son. In this story the father shows his prodigal grace and love toward both the first son (the moralistic) and the second son (the irreligious). While the second prodigal son was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him (Luke 15:20). When the first prodigal son heard that his father had a feast for his brother, he became very angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him, saying, “My son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours” (31). The father loves both of them and gives a second chance to both of them. Our God is a prodigal Father.

The Son

But this is not the whole picture of the Father God. The best way to know God is to start with Jesus the Son, because the Bible says the Son is “the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature” (Heb 1:3a, ESV). Jesus is the only way to know God truly and wholly (John 14:6). Pastor Josh McDowell’s father was a well known alcoholic and abusive father in his small town. Josh hated his father. He hated God the Father. He was an atheist and very skeptical about Christianity. When he was in college, he met a small group of people. He felt these people had something he didn’t have. So one day he asked one of them, “Why are you so different? What changed your life?” She said, “Jesus Christ.” Josh snapped, “Jesus Christ? I’m fed up with religion. I’m fed up with church. I’m fed up with the Bible.” She said, “I didn’t say religion. I said Jesus Christ.” Then he realized Christianity is not a religion. Religion is humans trying to work their way to God through good works. Christianity is God coming to men and women through Jesus Christ. Jesus is not just waiting for his prodigal children. He goes after them until he finds them. Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd… and I lay down my life for the sheep” (John 10:15). Without exception – whether we admit it or not, we were lost. The people who were lost and found by Christ and now are following Him are called “Christians.”  When we experience this love personally, significant change happens in our lives. For me, since I encountered Jesus Christ, my restlessness was gone. My bad temper began to change. Christ’s love compels us. It transforms us. We experience God’s love the most through Jesus Christ the Son.

The Holy Spirit

But there is more! The Holy Spirit. Jesus accepts all of us just as we are, but then he makes us grow and be more like him! How? By sending us the Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit is not just a good spirit, but he is the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Jesus. He always glorifies Jesus (John 16:14). He is not a divine force, but a real person. The Bible says, the Holy Spirit speaks (Acts 13:2); he teaches (John 14:26). He can be resisted (Acts 7:51), grieved (Is 63:10; Eph 4:30) and blasphemed (Mt 12:31). In every way he is presented alongside the Father and the Son as a real person. He is our Counselor, Advocate, Helper, Encourager, and Companion (John 14:16). That’s why I chose this picture. John Wesley teaches that every believer should not only receive the Holy Spirit but also be filled with Him. He calls this second distinct experience as a “second blessing.” Pastor Martyn Lloyd-Jones shares this story to illustrate what this second encounter with the Spirit is like: “A man and his little child [are] walking down the road and they are walking hand in hand, and the child knows that he is a child of his father, and he knows that his father loves him, and he rejoices in that, and he is happy in it. There is no uncertainty about it at all, but suddenly the father, moved by some impulse, takes hold of the child and picks him up, fondles him in his arms, kisses him, embraces him, showers his love upon him, and then he puts him down again and they go on walking together.”[2] My prayer is all of us in this room may experience the showers of God’s love through intimate communion with the Holy Spirit.

 The Trinity: So What?

As I close, I would like to show you this last picture, “the Smiling Christ.” On the cross Jesus was stripped, head crowned with thorns, and nailed to the wood. But he endured all his temporary suffering because he loved his Father who would give him eternal glory, and because he did trust the Spirit who would draw all his children to himself. The more we know our triune God, the more we are drawn into fellowship with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. As a natural outcome of this fellowship, we begin to love our God and our neighbor more and more. This sculpture is found in the chapel of St. Francis Xavier. I would like to read one of his poems, “My God, I Love Thee”:

My God, I love thee;

not because I hope for heaven thereby,
nor yet because who love thee not are lost eternally.

Thou, O my Jesus, thou didst me upon the cross embrace;
for me didst bear the nails and spear, and manifold disgrace;

And griefs and torments numberless,
and sweat of agony;
yea, death itself — and all for me who was thine enemy.

Then why, O blessèd Jesus Christ,
should I not love thee well?
Not for the sake of winning heaven,
nor of escaping hell;

So would I love thee, dearest Lord,
and in thy praise will sing;
solely because thou art my God,
and my most loving King.

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[1] Michael Reeves, Delighting in the Trinity: An Introduction to the Christian Faith (InterVarsity Press: Downers Grove, 2012), Kindle Location 47.

[2] Douglas Banister, The Word and Power Church: What Happens When a Church Seeks All God Has to Offer?(Zondervan: Grand Rapids, 1999), 49.

“Filled with the Spirit… Then What?” (Acts 2:1-13)

At Babel

I would like to start today’s message with reading one of my favorite books, “The Jesus Storybook Bible.” It’s from Genesis 11, titled, “A giant staircase to heaven.” It goes like this: “Now back then, everyone spoke exactly the same language… One day, everyone was talking and came up with an idea: “Let’s build ourselves a beautiful city to live in! It can be our home. And we’ll be safe forever and ever.” Then they had another idea: “And let’s build a really tall tower to reach up to heaven.” So they got to work. Brick by brick, the tower grew, higher and higher, until it soared above the city, toughing the sky… It was like a giant staircase to heaven. They were quite pleased with themselves. But God wasn’t pleased with them. God could see what they were doing. They were trying to live without him, but God knew that wouldn’t make them happy or safe or anything. And God loved them too much to let that happen. So he stopped their plans. God confused the people with different languages, so that they would not understand each other. After that, people scattered all over the world. People didn’t need a staircase to get back to heaven; they needed a Rescuer. Because the way back to heaven wasn’t staircase; it was a Person. People could never reach up to Heaven, so Heaven would have to come down to them. And, one day, it would.”[1]

In Jerusalem
When the time had fully come, God sent his Son Jesus to save his people. According to the Scriptures, Christ died for our sins. According to the Scriptures, he was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day (1 Cor 15:3-4). This is the gospel of Christ. And the people who accept this truth are called “Christians.” We Christians try to enter the kingdom of heaven through believing the gospel and live according to the Bible. But this is not a complete picture of God’s salvation. Today’s passage, “Pentecost” tells us that there is “something more.” It tells us that by this gospel God wants us to be filled with his Spirit, so that we may enjoy intimate loving fellowship with the risen Christ through the Holy Spirit here and now. A Spirit-filled life now is God’s plan for all his children. In today’s passage, verse 9 to 11, Luke includes in his list descendants of Shem, Ham, and Japheth. In other words, on the Day of Pentecost all nations of the world, not literally, but representatively, were there. When the Spirit came, the disciples began to speak in other languages. The people from all over the world were able to hear the gospel of Christ in their own languages. They repented and were baptized. And they received the gift of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost is the exact reversal of the curse of Babel. At Babel human languages were confused and the nations were scattered. In Jerusalem all the barriers – language, race, and culture – were overcome, and all nations were gathered together in Christ. At Babel earth proudly tried to reach up to heaven by themselves, but in Jerusalem heaven humbly descended to earth.[2]

When the Spirit Comes
Now I would like to explore further what exactly happened when the Spirit came on the day of Pentecost. Particularly, I want to draw your attention to Acts 2:4: “(When the Spirit came) all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” Basically, the first sure sign of being filled with the Spirit is to speak in tongues. Here we should beware of two extremes: that all Christians should practice this gift, or that no members of their group or church should practice it. There is a much more important meaning of speaking in tongues under the surface. Speaking in tongues is a “crucified” prayer.

In the Bible a tongue symbolizes our (corrupted) whole body. James 3:5-8 says, “Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person… no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” But when the Spirit came, the tongue was tamed. The tongue was crucified. The disciples did speak in tongues as the Spirit enabled them. They didn’t speak what they wanted any longer. They did speak what the Spirit wanted them to speak. When we are filled with the Spirit, we are not lord of our life any more. We have new Lord and Master of our life. When we are filled with the Spirit, our old self – self-love, self-confidence, self-righteousness, and self-pity – is all crucified with Christ. And Christ begins to live in us through the Holy Spirit. When we speak in crucified languages; when our old self is crucified; when we obey Christ, amazing things happen. We are able to be communicated with each other. And unity comes! Let us ask ourselves, am I filled with the Spirit? Is my tongue crucified? Is my old self crucified? Is Christ glorified in me? Are people listening to the wonders of God and coming to Christ because of my crucified life?

The second sign of being filled with the Spirit is to have a new “power” for ministry, a new power for witness, most importantly, a new power and strength to love. In Acts 1:8 Jesus said to his disciples, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you: and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” What kinds of power was Jesus talking about? It was strength to love, strength to suffer, strength to endure, and strength to sacrifice. Of course, the disciples performed many miraculous signs. But in the book of Acts the gospel of Christ was mainly preached through their suffering, death, and their self-sacrificial love to the ends of the earth. In our passage when the disciples spoke in other tongues. Some were amazed. But some made fun of them. When we proclaim the gospel and determine to live accordingly, on the one hand we see God’s amazing wonders, but on the other hand we should expect rejection and persecution.

In his sermon, “Our God Is Able,” Dr. King shares his personal experience with us. He said that the first 24 years of his life were years packed with fulfillment – no basic problems or burdens. He sailed through high school, college, theological school, and graduate school without interruption. But when he became a part of the leadership of the Montgomery bus protest, he was then actually confronted with the trials of life. He began to receive threatening telephone calls and letter in his home. They were sporadic at first, but they increased day after day. At first he thought that they were the work of just a few hotheads. But later he realized that many of the threats were in earnest. He felt himself faltering and growing in fear. One evening he got a phone call. An angry voice said, “Listen, nigger, we’ve taken all we want from you. Before next week you’ll be sorry you ever came to Montgomery.” He confessed that he was so afraid and reached the saturation point. He was ready to give up. But then, he determined to take his fear and problem to God. He prayed aloud, “I am here taking a stand for what I believe is right. But now I am afraid. The people are looking to me for leadership, and if I stand before them without strength and courage, they too will falter. I am at the end of my powers. I have noting left. I’ve come to the point where I can’t face it alone.” At that moment he experienced the strong presence of God. And he heard an inner voice, saying, “Stand up for righteousness, stand up for truth. God will be at your side forever.” At once his fears were all gone. His uncertainty disappeared. He was ready to face anything. The outer situation remained the same, but the Spirit of God had given him inner calm and strength. Three nights later, his home was bombed. But strangely enough, he was calm.[3] He was able to stay the course to the end. When we are filled with the Spirit, we have strength to love and endure. When trials come, there are times we feel like we have nothing left. Then, let us remember the promise of our Lord Jesus Christ, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.” When the Spirit comes, we are ready to face anything.

In Houlton/ Hodgdon 
Acts 2:3 says, “They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.” In the Old Testament God’s Spirit rested on Israel as a corporate entity. And God’s Spirit also rested on special leaders for special purposes. But in the New Testament the Spirit now rests on each believer individually. In other words, a Spirit-filled life is available for each of us here in Houlton/Hodgdon now. Today we still live between two worlds: Babel and Jerusalem, self-centered life and Christ-centered life, and self-powered life and God-powered life. What kind of life are you living? What kind of life do you want to live?

One day A. J. Gordon, one of the founders of Gordon Conwell Divinity School, was taking a walk and looking across a field at a house. From a distance he saw a man pumping furiously. He seemed absolutely tireless, pumping on and on, up and down, without slowing down at all. But, as Gordon got closer, he could see it was not a man at the pump, but a wooden figure painted to look like a man. The arm that was pumping so rapidly was hinged at the elbow and the hand was wired to the pump handle. The water was pouring forth, but not because the figure was pumping it. You see, it was an artesian well, and the water was pumping the man! A Spirit-filled life is like this. It is the Holy Spirit who is working through us, not our efforts that are producing results. All we have to do is keep our hand on the handle. On this special day let us welcome the Holy Spirit. Let us invite him, honor him, love him, and obey him. And we will see God’s promise is fully fulfilled in our life and the life of our church: “I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams” (Joel 2:28). Amen.

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[1] Sally Lloyd-Jones, The Jesus Storybook Bible (Zondervankidz: Grand Rapides, MI, 2007), 48-54.

[2] John Stott, The Message of Acts (Inter-Varsity Press: Downers Grove, IL, 1990), 68.

[3] Martin Luther King Jr., Strength to Love (Fortress Press: Minneapolis, 2010), 116-117.

“Love and Obedience” (Acts 16:9-15) - Living the Resurrection IV –

Who Does God Use?

In his book Why God Used D.L. Moody, R.A. Torrey, a close friend of Moody, tells us seven qualities in the life of Moody. The first reason why God used Moody was because he was a fully surrendered man. One day Torrey and Moody had different opinions. Moody defended his own position and said, “Torrey, if I believed that God wanted me to jump out of that window, I would jump.” If he thought God wanted him to do anything, he would do it. Evangelist Henry Varley once said to people, “It remains to be seen what God will do with a man who gives himself up wholly to Him.” Moody was there and said to himself, “Well, I will be that man!”[1] He belonged wholly, entirely, unreservedly, to God. Moody was a wholly surrendered man, and God was able to do his surprising work through him.

In our passage we meet another man whom God was able to use in a mighty way. His name was Paul. He was a visionary who planned ahead and developed strategies for preaching the gospel to the end of the earth. But much more importantly, Paul was a fully surrendered man. He had a good plan. After ministering in Phrygia and Galatia, he wanted to go southwest to the province of Asia, probably Ephesus, the important capital of Asia, but the Holy Spirit said, “No” (16:6). Then he tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus said, “No” (v. 7). And Paul obeyed. He was not just a visionary, but he was a submissive visionary. Normally, we think that a good plan is God’s plan. But we need to remember that God’s ways are far beyond anything we could imagine (cf. Isa 55:8 NLT). God always has a better plan. Though Paul had a good plan, his spirit was always teachable, submissive, receptive to God’s voice, his better plan. So God was able to use Paul without hindrance.  

How Do We Know God’s Will?

When we talk about “obedience,” the following question always comes up, “How do we know whether God is telling us?” About 2,000 years ago the Jews asked Jesus the same question, “How do we know God’s will?” Jesus’ answer to the question is this: “If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own” (John 7:17). How do we distinguish God’s will from our own desires? The answer is if we choose to obey God’s will whatever it is, we will know whether it’s from God or not. Obedient heart and submissive spirit is the key to discern God’s will. Discerning God’s will is a matter of the heart, not a matter of knowledge. Biblical knowledge is important. We need it. I am not saying it is useless. But, much more important quality is our undivided, unreserved, obedient heart. Once I read a book, titled These Are the Generations. It is a story about three generations of the Bae family who have faithfully kept their faith in North Korea, in the midst of brutal oppression and persecution. The first generation, grandparents, did have profound knowledge about the Bible. But, for the second and third generations, everything that they heard and knew was the Ten Commandments because of severe persecution. They were under constant surveillance. All the Bibles were burnt down. But, they have kept their faith. They have kept choosing God’s will. They are like people who have just one piece of the puzzle. All they know is the Ten Commandments. But that was enough for them to choose God’s will. Compared to them, we have all the pieces of the puzzle, and we know the whole picture on the puzzle-box lid. But, that doesn’t necessarily mean that we are more likely to choose God’s will than the Bae family. Sometimes we say “I don’t know what God’s will is in this situation.” But actually, in most cases, I would say more than 90%, already God’s will has been made known to us, through his revealed written word. The important thing is whether we are willing to choose and obey his will. For those who say, “God, please let me know your will first, and I will decide what to do,” it’s hard to know God’s will. For those who already have their plans and try to carry through it, it’s very hard to know God’s will. But for those who choose to do God’s will whatever it is, it’s rather easy to discern God’s will.

In many cases discerning God’s will is a process and combination of factors. God speaks through the Bible. God speaks through prayer. God speaks through circumstances. God speaks through the church. God speaks through many different ways. In our passage Paul was hindered by the Spirit two times. He was not allowed to go either left or right. So he obeyed and kept moving forward – Mysia and Troas. Then during the night he had a vision that a man of Macedonia was begging, “Come and help us!” With an obedient heart Paul interpreted this “help” as preaching the gospel there. As soon as he discerned God’s will, immediately he obeyed and went over to Macedonia to preach the gospel. In verse 10 Luke uses the verb symbibazo, translated “concluding” (NIV) and “convinced” (NRSV). This word literally means to “bring together” or “put together in one’s mind.”[2] From this, we learn important principles how to discern God’s will and be led by divine guidance. With an obedient heart we need to put together all the factors – the Bible, prayer, circumstances, preaching, conversation, inner voice, and so on. When we sense that God has spoken, we must respond immediately just as Paul did (v. 10).

Love and Obedience

In John 14:15 Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” Our obedience to God demonstrates our love for him. This morning I want to share a story of Rees Howells, a man of radical obedience. He was an intercessor and missionary in Africa. One time his wife, Elizabeth, and Mr. Howells were planning to go to mission trip to Africa. They thought money would be sure to come the day before they were to leave for London; but the last post came and no money, and their train was leaving before the post next morning. They had to walk to the station without the money! At the station the Spirit spoke to Howells and said, “If you had money, what would you do?” Howells answered, “Take my place in the queue at the booking office.” The Spirit said, “Well, are you not preaching that my promises are equal to current coin? You had better take your place in the queue.” So he obeyed. There were about a dozen people before him. There they were passing by the booking office one by one. The devil kept telling him, “Now you have only a few people in front of you, and when your turn comes, you will have to walk through. You have preached much about Moses with the Red Sea in front and the Egyptians behind, but now you are the one who is shut in.” “Yes, shut in,” Howells answered, “but like Moses, I’ll be gloriously led out!” When there were only two before him, suddenly a man stepped out of the crowd and said, “I’m sorry, Mr. Howells. I can’t wait any longer, but I must open my shop.” He said goodbye and put thirty shillings in his hand! It was most glorious, and only a foretaste of what the Lord would do in Africa. After Howells had the tickets, the people who came with him to the train began to give gifts to Howells, but the Lord had held them back until he had been tested. When Mr. and Mrs. Howells arrived in London, one of his mission supporters, Mr. Head, asked them to breakfast the next morning. He then told them that he had £50 for them, but he didn’t post it. Mr. Howells said, “Thank God, you didn’t. I wouldn’t have been without the test in the queue for anything.”[3] Howells always listened to his Shepherd. Through his obedience he spread God’s love to everyone wherever he went.

Obedience Begets Obedience

Historian Arnold Toynbee said that the ship that took the Apostle Paul changed the civilization of Europe. One person, Paul, obeyed. He went over to Macedonia. In Philippi, he met one person, Lydia. Through her God opened the door of salvation to everyone in Europe. Have you heard name, Edward Kimball? He was a Sunday school teacher. One Saturday he went to the shoe store to visit one of his students. In the stock room that student received Christ. That young man was D.L. Moody. Under Moody, another man’s heart was touched for God, Wilbur Chapman. Chapman became the evangelist who preached to thousands. One of Chapman’s meetings, Billy Sunday was converted. Through Billy Sunday another young man came to Christ. His name was Mordecai Ham. One day when he led a worship service in a rural area, a shy, lanky young man listened to the word and gave his heart to Jesus. That young man was Billy Graham. Life begets life. Obedience begets obedience. God’s kingdom is constantly expanded through those who obey the voice of God. Our God is the God who speaks. God speaks today. There is no question about that. The question is: are we ready to listen? Are we willing to choose God’s will? May the Lord give us humble, teachable, obedient hearts, that we may be used for his kingdom without hindrance. Amen.

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[1] R.A. Torrey, Why God Used D.L. Moody, (Moody Press, 1973), 13-15.

[2] John Stott, The Message of Acts, (InterVarsity Press: Downers Grove, IL, 1990), 261.

[3] Norman Grubb, Rees Howells Intercessor (Lutterworth Press: Fort Washington, PA, 1952), Kindle 2309-2313.