He Spread the Message (Acts 26:23)
He Spread the Message (Acts 26:23)
He had seen the light and from now on would “bring the message of light” to both Jews and Gentiles. Paul saw himself as an ambassador of Jesus Christ, commissioned by the Lord and motivated by His love (2 Cor. 5:14, 20). Ambassadors must deliver faithfully only the messages their superiors deliver to them, and the message Jesus gave to Paul was the gospel. “I am compelled to preach,” he said. “Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” (1 Cor. 9:16).
Every Christian minister, teacher, and musician must carefully examine each sermon, lesson, and song and ask, “Where is Jesus? Where is the gospel?” We are not ministering to display our talents or exalt ourselves but to glorify Jesus Christ. “May I never boast,” Paul wrote, “except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Gal. 6:14). Paul’s goal was “that in everything he [Jesus] might have the supremacy” (Col. 1:18). The purpose of ministry is not to impress people but to express the truth of Jesus and the gospel.
We are servants, not celebrities, and when the church assembles in the name of Christ, it is for worship that honors God and not for entertainment that makes people feel good. As my wife and I walked into a church one Sunday, the greeter said, “Welcome! Come in and have fun!” I almost turned around and walked out. Did the prophet Isaiah “have fun” when he worshipped the Lord (Isa. 6) or the apostle John when he saw his glorified Savior (Rev. 1:9–18)? Both of them saw Jesus, and this gave them new spiritual vision and vitality to serve Him effectively.
He says to us today, “I am Jesus!”
“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ‘God is a consuming fire’” (Heb. 12:28–29; see also Deut. 4:24).