THE TOOL CALLED ‘DISCOURAGEMENT’
Once upon a time, the Devil decided to have a garage sale and sell all the tools of his trade. There were envy, jealousy, hatred, deceit, pride, idolatry and many others. Each of the tools was marked with its own price tag.
On the day of the big sale, all were arranged neatly and attractively displayed. Over in the corner, by itself, was a harmless looking wedge-shaped tool, very worn out, but it had a higher price tag than all the others.
Someone asked the Devil, “Why is this priced so high when it is worn more than the others?”
“Well,” said the Devil, “It is my favourite. I use it more than the others.”
“What is it?” the person asked. “It is discouragement.”
“It is well worn because I can use it practically on everyone.”
This tool was priced so high that no one bought it, and the Devil is using it still, to this day.
Everyone is touched from time to time by discouragement.
• No matter how ‘strong’ or spiritual you think you are, you have been, and you know you can be discouraged.
• The Bible tells us of many servants of God who were discouraged at some point in their life or ministry – like Moses, Joshua, Hezekiah, Elijah, Job, and Jeremiah.
• All Christians get discouraged. We want to look at such a time in Paul’s life – in Acts 18. [Read Acts 18:1-11]
If you have a bible that shows the words of the Lord in red, then you can see this very prominent portion in Acts 18.
• Luke recorded this down because it was significant. That night, the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision.
• God does not do that every other night, but only when truly necessary.
And this was what He said to Paul, “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” (18:9-10)
• It reveals the state of Paul’s mind or heart - He is afraid, and he wants to stop. He is tired of the Jews who are stubborn and refuse to listen.
• Verse 6 gave us a hint that he was angry and put off, because they not only opposed him but became abusive.
• He wants to give up on them. He is tired and depressed, and God steps in.
The Bible has its share of people who got discouraged.
• MOSES, when the people kept asking for meat to eat in the wilderness. Num 11:13-15 “13Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep wailing to me, `Give us meat to eat!’ 14 I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me. 15 If this is how you are going to treat me, put me to death right now - if I have found favour in your eyes - and do not let me face my own ruin."
• ELIJAH, after challenging 450 prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel, finds himself running for his life (from Queen Jezebel) into the wilderness. 1 Kings 19:4 “…he himself went a day’s journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, LORD," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors."
HALF THROUGH AND QUITTING
“A man was shovelling snow from his driveway when two boys carrying snow shovels approached him. “Can we shovel your snow mister?” one of them asked.
“Only two dollars!” Puzzled the man replied, “Can’t you see that I’m doing it myself.”
“Sure,” said one of the enterprising young men, “that’s why we asked. We get most of our business from people who are half through and feel like quitting.”
… Warren Wiersbe. Be Daring. (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1989) p. 56.
Discouragement sets in when you are working and things did not turn out the way you expected, you are tired and you feel lonely.
Paul was in a similar state. Apart from a handful of believers, he has been facing rejections and oppositions at every turn.
1. Previously he was at Berea with Silas and Timothy. [Read 17:14-15]
2. Paul went to Athens alone, waiting for them. [Read 17:16-17] Athens was an idolatrous place. Traditions tell us they have more idols in this city than people living in it.
3. He was challenging the philosophers in the public square. For some reasons, his colleagues did not managed to join him in Athens. Paul left for Corinth.
4. Corinth was another equally difficult place, known for its immorality. People says, “Go be a Corinthian” as a swear word.
5. Being a tentmaker, he works with a couple making tents, to support himself. Until Silas and Timothy finally meet up with him. Only then did he stopped working and “devoted himself exclusively to preaching.” (18:5)
6. And then he met with a group of Jews who opposed him and they were abusive.
Paul was tired. He has been facing constant oppositions and little success (although not without any). And the work was lonely for most part, just like Moses and Elijah were at their lowest point.
• So beware, when you are over-stretched, see little rewards in what you are doing, when you feel lonely or unappreciated, you have to get back to fellowship with the Lord and with brothers and sisters in Christ.
• When the devil is active in discouragement, God is at work in encouragement. You need to get to a place where you can hear Him. While the devil tries to pull us down, God will pull us up.
God saw Paul’s heart and He spoke personally to him in a vision, to encourage him.
• His words reveal 3 things:
(1) Ministry is hard work, but
(2) God is in it with you, and
(3) Your circumstances do not determine how you fare.
• This is a spiritual war. Expect to fight. If you are doing the Lord’s work, expect the devil to work against it.
But the Lord will say this to you - “Do not be afraid… for I am with you.”
• This is very typical of God. A search in the concordance shows God saying this to Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Mary and Peter.
• Why? I believe this is a Christian’s greatest need – the assurance that God is with him. And not just God is with us, but God is IN IT with us.
“I am preaching through you, Paul. Don’t stop. You are my mouthpiece. I am hurt when they reject me. I am sad they refuse to believe me. But I am not finished with them yet. Neither can you.”
• “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.” (2 Cor 5:20)
• God is in it with you. When you are in ministry, remember this. God is on your side. He is standing with you and for you.
The next time you feel alone and defeated, meditate on these verses:
• Moses telling young Joshua - Deut 31:6 “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”
• God speaking through Isaiah - Isa 41:10 “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
The Lord kept His Word.
• This is His parting promise in Matt 28:19-20 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations… 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
• The Gospel of Matthew has this beautiful picture. Chapter 1 introduces the arrival of Jesus – “Emmanuel, God with us.” And closes with the departure of Jesus (in chapter 28): “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
And then the Lord adds, “I have many people in this city.”
• It is not that God has many people already in Corinth. It is that He will eventually have many people (after Paul has done the preaching of the Gospel).
• It is prophetic. There will be many believers in this city. “This is just the beginning. Many will eventually repent and believe. My work in this city is not finished yet. Don’t stop, preach on.”
God gives Paul hope by showing him a glimpse of what He is doing.
• Ps 42:5-6 “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Saviour and 6my God.”
• Frankly, this is not Paul’s work. It is God’s work. He is His ambassador, His steward, His servant.
Look at what God did next. God opens the door further – [read Acts 18:12-17]
• They gained political freedom. Gallio’s decision set a precedent which protected Christianity for several decades.
• The Jews accused Paul of breaking Roman law, but Gallio declared that Christianity was a Jewish sect and therefore legal as Judaism.
• If Gallio had decided against Paul, Christianity would ultimately have been outlawed all over the Empire.
So (3) we learn: Your circumstances do not determine how you fare.
• It is the work of God, the work of the Holy Spirit. What God looks at is not your performance but your faithfulness, your commitment, your perseverance.
• How you response in difficult circumstances is the key. Can you hang in there even when the going is tough?
• Paul was able to say to the Corinthians - 1 Cor 15:58 “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.”
Conclusion:
• This incident tells us God is concerned with what is happening in Paul’s life, and He is on top of it.
• He is just as involved and concerned about your life and ministry today.
• That is, if we do not ignore Him. God is concerned with His work. He is IN IT WITH YOU today.
FRIENDSHIP WITH GOD
A pastor passing through the sanctuary of his church in the middle of the day, decided to take a look and see who is inside. Just then the back door opened and a man came down the aisle. The pastor frowned as he saw this man who has not shaven for awhile, his shirt kind of shabby and his coat worn and frayed. The man knelt; he bowed his head, and prayed for a minute or two. Then he rose and walked away.
In the days that followed, each noon time came this chap. Each time he knelt just for a moment, with a lunch pack on his lap. The minister’s suspicion grew, with robbery a main fear. He decided to stop the man and ask him some questions.
The old man worked down the road. Lunch was half an hour. Lunch time was his prayer time, for finding God’s grace and strength.
“I stay only moments, see, ‘cause the factory is far away. Im not schooled, so I don’t really know how. I kneel here to talk to Him, this is kinda’ what I say: ‘I just came again to tell you, Lord, how happy I have been, since we found each other’s friendship, and you took away my sin. Don’t know much of how to pray, but I think about You everyday. So, Jesus, this is Jim checking in. Amen.’”
The minister felt glad and told Jim that was fine. He told the man he is welcome to come and pray just anytime.
“Time to go,” Jim smiled, said “Thanks.” He hurried to the door.
Past noon one day, the minister noticed that old Jim hadn’t come. As more days passed without seeing Jim, he began to worry. He went to the factory and asked about him, and got to know that Jim was ill. He is in the hospital.
The hospital staff walked the pastor to the room, and said that since the day Jim admitted, he has brought changes in the ward – his smile, his words, and his joy, transformed the atmosphere in the ward. The head nurse couldn’t understand why Jim was so glad, when there was no flower, no card, and no call came, and not even a visitor.
The pastor greeted him and voiced the nurse’s concern – no friend came to show they cared. He had nowhere to turn.
Looking surprised, old Jim spoke up and with a winsome smile said, “The nurse is wrong, she couldn’t know that all the while everyday at noon, He’s here – the dear friend of mine. You see, He comes near and says to me (let me tell you what He says): ‘I just came again to tell you, Jim, how happy I have been, since we found this friendship, and I took away your sin. Always love to hear you pray. I think about you every day, and so Jim, this is Jesus checking in.”
He may be simple-minded but he knows the love and the presence of his good friend. How is your friendship with Him today?
