How To Measure A Man

How To Measure A Man

Dr. James O. Davis

Acts 20

What is the measure of a real man? Let this message grip your heart forever. The apostle Paul is revisiting a strategic mission field. And he comes to Miletus and there he gathers with him the Ephesian elders. And he has a time walking with them down memory lane. They talk about the good times that they had together. How God had blessed and poured out his blessing. Paul rehearsed it all. And then here's what happened in Acts 20:36, "And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down and prayed with them all. And they all wept sore and fell on Paul's neck and kissed him, sorrowing most of all for the words that he spoke that they should see his face no more. And they accompanied him to the ship."

Now use your imagination. They were one in the bonds of love. They had been through so many prayer meetings and evangelistic crusades together. They had so many victories in Jesus. Their hearts were melted together and now they are having a prayer meeting. They are all on their knees. And God moves into that prayer meeting. And there is such a sweet spirit.

And then as they are praying they realize this is the last prayer meeting on earth they will ever have with Paul the Apostle. And they begin to weep. There are not just a few tears. They are convulsing. The Bible says, "They wept sore." And then they begin to hug Paul's neck. The Bible says they just fell on his neck. And they are weeping and squeezing him, and just hugging him because they know never again on this earth will they see Paul. And then they walk down to the wharf, where the ship is there. And Paul gets on that ship. And as it begins to sail they are just standing there, just weeping because Paul is leaving, never to return.

When you are gone are you going to be missed? I mean other than by your family. Are you going to be missed? Will it make any difference? We are going. I mean, you may move out of your city but you are going either by rapture, or you are going by death, but we're all going. And the question is when you go, what difference will it make? Is your life going to have any kind of an impact?

I heard of a man who had surgery and he woke up in the recovery room and all of the windows were covered with curtains. The

blinds were drawn. He called the nurse. He said, "Nurse, open the windows, I want to see outside. Who closed the blinds anyway?" She said, "Just calm down." She said, "I closed them." She said, "There's a big fire across the street and I didn't want you to wake up and think the operation was not a success."

Some of us are going to wake up and find out that our entire life was not a success. We wasted our life. And we're going to go out into eternity with a wasted life. And by the way, when you go, you're going to leave behind you all that you have and you're going to take with you all that you are.

When the world measures a man, the world measures a man by brains, or by brawn, or by bucks. How do you measure a man? In the Guinness Book of World Records, is Michael Letito. Do you know what his claim to fame is? Eating glass and eating metal. He grinds it up and eats it. Mixes it in with his Wheaties, or whatever he eats. And that's what he eats. And since 1966, he's eaten 10 bicycles. That's true. He ate a supermarket cart in four and a half days. He ate six chandeliers. He ate a Cessna Light Aircraft. Now can you imagine this fellow reporting into Jesus? "My son, what did you do when you were down there on earth?" "Lord, I ate an airplane." What a claim to fame. I mean what really counts? What really matters? How do you measure a life?

In this 20th chapter of the book of Acts you're going to find three characteristics that measure a man. How do you measure a man?

THE MANNER Of MAN’S LIFE

We measure a man by the manner of his life. "And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church. And when they were come to him he said unto them, You know from the first day that I came into Asia after what manner I have been with you in all seasons, serving the Lord with all humility of mind and with many tears and temptations, which befell me by the lying of wait of the Jews (v.19)."