What to Do?
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Stand
Stand
Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.
Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.
For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.
In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.
Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike.
I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God’s ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should.
As we watch events unfolding in the region, what are we to do?
The Apostle Paul gives us some very good instruction for the time of waiting!
We see that he is in a very difficult situation
Verse 20 - I am in chains now
The Apostle Paul was imprisoned in four cities recorded in Acts: Philippi, Jerusalem, Caesarea Maritima, and Rome (in chronological order). Four of his thirteen epistles in the New Testament mention his imprisonment. Due to some verbal and thematic similarities, they are called the Prison Epistles (Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon), and the traditional and most likely location from which Paul wrote them was while he was in house arrest in Rome for two years (ca. AD 61–63), recorded in Acts 28:30–31
For the next two years, Paul lived in Rome at his own expense. He welcomed all who visited him,
boldly proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. And no one tried to stop him.
We are looking at the near end of his ministry around 60-62 AD
Rearrested 65 AD then his death
So the first thing we see is that he Stayed the course
#1 Obey the last thing God told you to do!
When the day is foggy and the night is dark, keep on keeping on!
Faith is not action motivated by what we see, it is action motivated by what we cannot see!
And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.
Faith is trust and trust is built on previous experience!
Trust is also patience
But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
#2 Don’t make an Ishmael out of an Issac experience
Abraham thought that God was not able to remedy the situation of his wife’s age! By taking things into his own hands we have the current situation!
Paul stayed “stedfast” in trusting God from day one of his ministry
Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.
Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.
We need to stay within the boundaries of God’s promise and not take matters into our own hands!
#3 Don’t go outside of your assignment
Paul didn’t change a thing no matter where or in what circumstance he found himself
Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.
I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.
For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
Here we find that contentment brings hope and strength to carry on!
#4 Be patient in hope!
For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
If we have a hope and a future we can focus on our relationship with God and not be distracted by the times!
#5 Grow and become stronger!
You already know these things, dear friends. So be on guard; then you will not be carried away by the errors of these wicked people and lose your own secure footing.
Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen.
The Holy Spirt led the first church of three thousand to grow in grace
All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.
The believers devoted themselves to these spiritually edifying and transformative practices. In the Greek text, the strong word translated devoted (proskartereo) means “hold fast to something, continue or persevere in something. In other words, they persevered in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, the breaking of bread and the prayers—not just one or two of these activities, as we might today, but all four of them.
When the times are difficult…hold fast
I used to wander off until you disciplined me; but now I closely follow your word.
I have refined you, but not as silver is refined. Rather, I have refined you in the furnace of suffering.
Our lives events God uses to bring the dross to the surface. They are not intended to harm but to purify!
If we are growing in the grace and knowledge of Him, we are at peace and can rest!
#6 Be at rest!
Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
The book of Psalms tells us
My soul, wait only upon God and silently submit to Him; for my hope and expectation are from Him.
He only is my Rock and my Salvation; He is my Defense and my Fortress, I shall not be moved.
With God rests my salvation and my glory; He is my Rock of unyielding strength and impenetrable hardness, and my refuge is in God!
Trust in, lean on, rely on, and have confidence in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is a refuge for us (a fortress and a high tower). Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!
“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.
If we are at rest because of His peace, we can then focus on building our relationship through prayer
#7 Pray!
It is through pray that we can leave our burdens at the foot of the cross
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
The great Hymn What a Friend We hHave in Jesus reminds us that
what peace we often forfeit, what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.
This is so true! We bear needless cares that we ought to cast on Him, the peace we should derive from trusting after we have prayed, we trade for worrying.
Prayer is the anchor that hold us through the storm!
I want to encourage you today to not “waste you waiting time!”
We can take a lesson from the waiters at restaurants. They are not sitting around worrying about the cook, cleaner, greeter, bus boy, or even the manager, they serve!