Introduction:
A This week many of us will be sending kids back to school, or going back to work as teachers.
1 ILL.- The teacher said, "Why don’t you brush your teeth? I can see what you had for breakfast this morning."
Boy, "What did I have?" Teacher, "Eggs." Boy, "You’re wrong! THAT WAS YESTERDAY!"
ILL.- A girl student to a boy student, "Too bad you flunked the test. How far were you from the right answers?" Boy, "TWO SEATS."
2 Back to school, Acts 9.19-31.
a This is a passage about Saul going back to school.
b Just like many of us or our kids, grandkids, people we love.
B Saul was saved instantly, but his journey to becoming the Apostle Paul took some time.
1 Saul was highly educated.
a Growing up in Tarsis (Roman Providence) he learned about Greek philosophy, pagan religions.
b When he was old enough, he studied at the feet of Rabbi Gamaliel.
c Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin and card carrying member of the Pharisee Party.
d He was a member of the Sandhedrin in Jerusalem.
aa Comprised of high priests, former HP.
bb members of prestigious families which H.P. came from.
cc Elders of groups.
dd Scribes (Lawyers)
2 God sent him back to school (3 actually) and taught him some things.
C I want us to go back to school today and see what & how God wants to teach us.
I God will school you at the school of solitude.
A Many God has used in incredible ways in/for the Kingdom spent enormous amounts of time alone with Him.
1 Saul had been converted and then (Gal. 1.18) went to Arabia for 3 years!
a In Arabia he practiced personal evangelism and had a tremendous season of personal spiritual growth.
aa Gal. 1.16, "I did not immediately consult with flesh & blood."
bb For 3 years Paul had an opportunity to be taught of the Lord.
b He spent it in prayer, study, meditation and met w/ the Lord alone.
c He went into the desert old school Saul (bitterness, hatred, scared); Came out tender hearted Apostle Paul.
aa Went in w/ the law of the O.T.; Came out with the book of Romans in his heart.
bb God used the University of Solitude to form Saul to Paul.
2 Moses is another alumnus from the U. of Solitude.
a You can divide Moses life into 3, 40 year segments.
aa 1st 40: Pharoh’s house
bb 2nd 40: Arabian Desert (Same desert, 3,000 before Paul)
cc 3rd 40: Leading the children of Israel to the promised land.
b What was the most important part of his life? The desert! (The 3rd wouldn’t have appeared w/o solitude of Arabia)
aa Remember the last thing he did before he left Pharoh’s house? Murder (took things into his own hands.)
b God took him to the desert & sandblasted the pride out of him.
3 We know little about Jesus years between12-30, we know they were years of obsecurity, solitude (Prayer, study, mediation)
a He didn’t just show up, "He world, I’m here! I’m availble for revival meetings, healing crusades, etc.!"
aa The first thing He did in his ministry was go to the desert for 40 days (praying/fasting), whipped the devil personaly before going out & telling others how to do the same.
bb Mark. 1.35 (Everyday!)
b The Messiah got alone, solitude, with the Father . . . every day.
B I thank God for my formal education but the things that really matter I have learned directly from God, when all alone, that have made the biggest diff. in my life.
1 Through Solitude God brought the Apostle Paul out of the bitter Saul.
a The lawgiver Moses out the of the murder Moses.
b Let God do a radical spiritual surgery/deeper work in your soul in your places of solitude.
aa Have daily prayer, study, meditation in solitude.
bb Solitude is not loneliness.
cc (Loneliness is the word we use to describe the pain of being alone, solitude is the word we use describe the glory of being alone.)
2 When you get to the point where you find that all you have is God you’ll discover that He is all you needed, need, will ever need.
C In one region of Africa, the first converts to Christianity were very diligent about praying.
1 In fact, the believers each had their own special place outside the village where they went to pray in solitude.
a The villagers reached these "prayer rooms" by using their own private footpaths through the brush.
aa When grass began to grow over one of these trails, it was evident that the person to whom it belonged was not praying very much.
bb Because these new Christians were concerned for each other’s spiritual welfare, a unique custom sprang up.
b When ever anyone noticed an overgrown "Prayer path," he or she would go to the person and lovingly warn, "Friend, there’s grass on your path!"
c Friend, today is there grass on your path? (Solitude)
2 They say the longer you put off going to school, the harder it is and the less likely you’ll go.
T.S.: After Paul graduated from the u. of Solitude, he then took an advanced course at the U. of Suffering.
II God will school you @ the school of suffering. (Acts 9.22-25)
A When Paul returned to Damascus from Arabia he was a marked/wanted man.
1 He was lowered over/down the wall (embarrassing, humiliating.)
a This incident was only a foreshadowing of the suffering that was to come (Acts 9.15-16.)
b 2 Cor.11.23-28, tells us of the 195 strips, beaten, left for dead, shipwrecked, thrown in prison, cold, hungry, thristy, etc.
c They say the measure of Character is what it takes for you to quit . . . Paul must’ve had a lot.
aa I’ve heard people quit church for all kinds of reason . . .
bb money, didn’t shake my hand, not friendly, too friendly, give me the ministry I wanted, didn’t like the preacher . . . Paul would’ve stuck it out!
2 What God had to teach him was taught (& only learned) by suffering.
a Not pleasant, not nice . . . necessary.
b Suffering is never pleasant, nice . . . necessary.
B Christian, God looked down from heaven and saw you as a diamond in the rough.
1 Right now He’s knocking off our rough edges.
a hammer & chisel don’t feel good, pleasant . . . necessary!
b He puts us through the trails of suffering to burn out impurities to makes us a better product.
2 Sculpture took a block of marble and chiseled a horse. How? I saw the horse in the marble and I took everything away from it that didn’t look like the horse.
3 It is in this school we’ve learned our best lessons . . God’s chipping away @ some of us today.
1 Suffering isn’t fun, necissary to take off our rough edges.
2 Pray: Lord, help me learn what I’m supposed to learn thru this suffering so I don’t have to repeat it.
III God will school you @ the school of seasoning (Acts 9.26; Gal. 1.18)
A God sent Paul (after solitude/suffering) to Jerusalem.
1 Acquainted (see) is used over 1,400 in Scripture, but here and only here is it used it this way (Gk. Historeo) which is were we get our word "history."
a Paul went to Jerusalem to do a "history" on Peter.
aa Peter, tell me everything that happened.
bb Paul wasn’t there when Jesus had an earthly ministry, raised the dead, feed 5k, arose.
b For 15 solid days he sat w/ Peter & got the whole story.
aa Paul became Peter’s protege’.
c We all need someone who has more exp. than us, who has been @ it a while, been there, done that all will give the t-shirt they got.
2 Peter pulled Paul up a level, shared with him the ropes, HE SEASONED Paul.
B Christian, you need a discipler, a ministry partner to be accountable to . . . someone more seasoned.
1 Another thing . . . be here every time the doors are open.
a God has great things to pour into you three times a week right here!
b You cheat yourself if you chose to forego the seasoning process.
2 I’ve been blessed with several mentors who have allowed me to stand on their shoulders (several decades of experience.)
a To have someone season you . . . you must admit you don’t have all the answers, room for improvement.
b Allow others to pour themselves into you.
c You seek out a mentor . . . they don’t seek you.
C Unfortunately, the epitaph of many a man is well expressed in the words "Died, age 26; buried, age 64." If you stop learning and growing today, you stop ministering tomorrow.
Conclusion:
A We’ve looked at three places God takes us back to school.
1 U. of Solitude
2 U. of Suffering
3 U. of Seasoning
B What school do you need to study more in today?
C a young Colombian Girl who received a new testament in her school. She read the new testament until one day her father caught her reading it…and told her not to read it any more because it was full of lies and fantasy.. But the girl kept on reading until one day her father came home unexpectedly found her with the NT grabbed it from her hands and put it in his pocket. The father went off to work where he was a mining engineer. Several hours later sirens went off in the community there had been a cave in at the mine. The father was trapped in the mine. The rescue workers took 5 days to finally reach the men, but it was too late. All 31 men died including the father of this little girl Curiously, workers found the man clutching the NT between his praying hands. When they opened the front cover they read a note "To my daughter" Keep reading this NT, it is true and right, and I will see you one day in heaven. Then they turned to the back page where the father had signed the commitment card after having said the sinner’s prayer. But that was not the end of the story, Turning the page there were signed the names of the other 30 workers. (This illustration came from the Gideons International)
1 An eternity was changed because of what a young girl got when she went back to school.
2 Are you ready to go back to school today?
