Category: Saturday Study

Bible Study Part 1   1.4.25

In this first Going Deeper Bible study of our new year we will be digging into the spiritual discipline of Bible study. 

This one is so important that we will also study this discipline next week as well. Each week, we will read about a spiritual discipline or a chapter of Proverbs and then I will send out a Bible study on each Saturday called “Saturday Study”. I pray that this 52-week journey through the holy Scriptures is a helpful way for you to grow in the spiritual disciplines God has ordained for His people to practice and to grow in the wisdom He has given us in the Proverbs. I am praying for you as you prioritize the study of God’s holy word. 

Intro to the Spiritual Disciplines:

Before we dig into the discipline of Bible study, here are a few quick comments on all of the spiritual disciplines in general. 

The first reality you must come to grip with is: The practice of the spiritual disciplines is a time issue. They are something you do! That means they take time. 

One of the biggest errors modern-day Christians make is to think that they will deepen their affections for God and grow in spiritual maturity without spending time practicing the spiritual disciplines. 

Think about your normal day. Think about the disciplines you have in a regular day. What are they? You make time to clean yourself—showering, washing your face, brushing your teeth. You make time to equip yourself—clothes, makeup, phone, wallet, lunch, car keys, etc. You make time to feed yourself—coffee, lunch, snack, dinner.

These are all disciplines. They are things you do every day. They are things that take time. They are things you are disciplined to remember to do. Why do you do them? Because you have decided that they are valuable enough to take time to do them, and because you have discovered that when you practice them your life is healthier. 

Do you have to brush your teeth? No. Do you have to eat lunch? No. Do you have to put on clothes? Technically, no, but you will be issued an orange jumpsuit if you decide not to practice this daily discipline.

Do you have to practice spiritual disciplines if you are going to deepen your affections for God, have a fruitful life and bright testimony? Yes! The problem is, far too many Christians decide most days not to practice them and they choose to practice something else. To be very clear: do you and I have to work or practice or perfect anything to be saved from God’s wrath and made a new creation in Christ? No!

We have to want to make time to practice the spiritual disciplines of the Christian faith. Did you hear me there? You have to make time! I have found that most who struggle making spiritual disciplines a reality in their daily life really do want to do them. Just like when you want to lose 20 pounds, finish your car restoration project, walk two miles every day, or reach out to your distant friends more often. 

My point is the spiritual disciplines will always remain a good idea, just out of reach unless you are willing to make time for them. What does that mean? It means you, most likely, will have to give up something else you love. 

I pray that you not only learn to know the spiritual disciplines we will cover this year but that you will truly make time to practice them regularly and thereby grow and mature in Christ. 

The first discipline we are going to cover today is the discipline of Bible study. Again, this one is so big we will take two weeks to cover it. 

Life Doesn’t Happen Without the Word of God

1. Physical life begins by the word of God.

… by his Word we were created (Psalm 33:4, Hebrews 11:3)

“He upholds the universe by the Word of his power” (Hebrews 1:3) 

2. Our spiritual life begins by the word of God.

“By his own will he brought us forth by the Word of truth” (James 1:18) 

“You have been born anew . . . through the living and abiding Word of God” (1 Peter 1 :23)

You are born again in Christ. This is not your doing but God’s. He does this by giving you ears to hear the living word of God. 

We cannot have faith; we do not have faith without hearing and receiving the Word of God. 

Romans 10:17 Sofaith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ 

John 8:31-32 …Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Not only do we begin to live spiritually by God’s word, but …

3. We go on living by God’s word.

“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4 and Deut. 8: 3)

Jesus models here that the only way we navigate the lies of the devil is to use scripture!

Do not be fooled to think that you are a Christian who will grow in God if you are not feasting on God’s word! The Word of God is not a book you might do ok without … 

If you treat scripture as optional, you abandon the very foundation on which your spiritual life is built.

Turn with me to one of our passages this week in Psalm 1.

Psalms 1:1-3 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.

The mature man or woman of God longs to get their roots deep into His truth. 

Putting it deep into the soil of your heart so that your roots are deep, grounded, and secure in the truth of God so when the wind blows, and the storms rage, you remain! 

It is a destructive reality when, instead, we are influenced by the world. Look at Psalm 1 again with me.

Psalms 1:1-2 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. 

The problem for most of us is that we spend far too much time doing the exact opposite of this teaching. Instead of avoiding the counsel of the wicked, the way of sinners, the seat of scoffers, we spend more time with them than in God’s word, mainly, by the media we consume. Just think about the hours of TV, internet, social media, and music you sit with in comparison to God’s holy and living word. 

No wonder why so many Christians have been spiritually malnourished and are often distant from God. It’s because, too often we close the door to Him and the word He has for us and we walk, stand, and sit with the voice of the world instead!

I say this not to say that there is no room for TV, social media, games, or music but we need a diet of less of these things and far more of God’s word if we are ever going to truly grow. God did not save us to sit around and wait for Him. He saved us to grow in Him and go out, prepared to fight sin and hell with the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Philippians 2:12-18

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.

“Holding fast” translated is a word that means to hold your position or to hold your gaze. In 1 Timothy 4:16, it’s translated, “Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching.” In Acts 3:5, it’s translated, “He fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them.” 

So, the idea is holding fast with your attention or with your person, holding your position with the word of life, not leaving the word of life, staying fixed on the word of life, giving yourself to the word of life.

Hold fast to it for the sake of faith. “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17)

Hold fast to it for the sake of your joy. “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:11)

Hold fast to it for the sake of your freedom. “If you abide in my word . . . and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31–32)

Hold fast to it for the sake of your holiness. “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” (John 17:17)

Hold fast to it for the sake of the Holy Spirit. “Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith?” (Galatians 3:5)

Hold fast to it for the sake of life. “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4)

Hold fast to it for the sake of strength and stability and fruitfulness. Your delight will be “… in the law of the Lord, and on his law you will meditate day and night. You will be like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that you do you will prosper.” (Psalms 1:2–3)

 How Do We Hold Fast to God’s Word?

You have to get time in it!

Holding fast is regular time eating at the table of God, listening to Him speak life into you. We make prioritized time to eat food, dress, and prepare ourselves for our day.

The reality is that you will struggle with getting time in God’s word when you don’t find pleasure in it. Our hearts often incline to other things and do not incline to the word, and so it is not a delight. Again, I point you to Psalm 1:1 Blessed is the man … [who’s] delight is in the law of the Lord …

One of the testimonies I read in a book years ago that still resonates with me today:

“The testimony is of a man in Kansas City who was severely injured in an explosion. His face was badly disfigured, and he lost his eyesight as well as both hands. He had just become a Christian when the accident happened, and one of his greatest disappointments was that he could no longer read the Bible. Then he heard about a lady in England who read Braille with her lips. Hoping to do the same, he sent for some books of the Bible in Braille. But he discovered that the nerve endings in his lips had been too badly damaged to distinguish the characters. One day, as he brought one of the Braille pages to his lips, his tongue happened to touch a few of the raised characters and he could feel them. Like a flash he thought, ‘I can read the Bible using my tongue.’ At the time Robert Sumner wrote his book, the man had read through the entire Bible four times. If he can do that, can you discipline yourself to read the Bible?” Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald Whitney, page 35

I needed this testimony when I was younger as it helped inspire my taste buds for God’s word. I continue to need my brothers and sisters to reorient me to the delight that God’s word is by sharing with me what they are reading, learning, meditating on.

There is an opposite side to this coin. In the same way, it is so good to be reminded of the goodness and delight that God’s word is to us.

Why Is It Important That We Hold Fast to God’s Word?

1. God’s word revives the soul.

The reality is that every day with Jesus is not sweeter than the day before. David says in Psalm 19:7, “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.” We just studied in Psalm 23:2-3 where David says, “He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.”

Our joy is only consistent when the truth of the life-changing, satisfied gospel is fresh in our minds and heart. Without the word reminding us and reorienting us, we wander from the life of the vine and pursue the lies of the temporary, fallen world, the deception of the great deceiver, and the peril of self-vanity. 

God’s word is the kindling to keep the fire of our affections for Christ burning white hot. Even on days when every cinder in our heart feels cold, if we crawl to the word of God and cry out for ears to hear, the cold ashes will be lifted, and the tiny spark of life will be fanned. 

When our spiritual fire of life in Christ seems cold, and the cinders are cooling to ash in our heart, the kindling of the word of God revives us, deepens the temperature of the coals, and it preserves the joy found in Christ from being extinguished.

If the word of God is that central to our “soul fire” burning bright, practically, we must hold fast to the word of life!

2. God’s word is the source of our sanctification.

So that you can, “Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world” (Philippians 2)

God’s word is the source of our sanctification. “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” (John 17:17)

3. God’s word is the light for our path.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105

So, when the word of God is in my life, it is now a “living word” that brings me into the bigger story of God. It illuminates my understanding of who God is, and therefore who I am in relationship to Him.

God’s word helps illuminate the depth of my depravity, my wickedness, and my rebellion from God; at the same time it raises within me a deep appreciation for, and great fullness for, His grace, love, and new life that Jesus brings through His life, death, and resurrection. 

Here is the key: when this deeper understanding and relationship happens, now I can make a deeper connection by faith and worship into Jesus who is the vine, who is life, and by whom the power for change comes!

Do you see it? When I hold fast to the scriptures, it pulls me into Him. He is now at work in and through me. He is my power; He is my authority; He is my hope; He is my life! I worship Him; I trust in Him; I lean on Him. I enjoy Him!

4. God’s word is the authority of our lives.

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness

John 14:23-24 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.

Our full and right submission to the authority of God’s word is so serious that the scriptures give warning for those who don’t submit themselves to it. 

Proverbs 13:13 Whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself, but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded.

It is essential that we study, believe in, abide in, teach accurately, and hold to every word of God. 

The problem is that in the flesh our tendency is to submit to the rationale of our human mind instead of the authority of the almighty, eternal God’s holy word. As a result, we form views of who God is and how He acts or doesn’t act based more on our personal feelings or logic instead of the divine and perfectly written words He gave us in scripture. This is so dangerous and detrimental. 

Instead, we need to take very seriously the words of God, submit to God’s authority and conform to His image, and not try to make Him conform to our ideas or will. 

Do you want God’s word to change you, to conform you into His likeness? I am asking you to take this verse seriously: 

2 Timothy 4:3-4 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

There is a way to look to the Bible just to itch your ears in order to make you feel good about yourself and what you know and where you want to go, or you can submit yourself to it!

We are at war with our sin, selfishness, and self-reign. We must realize that we are desperate for the authority of God’s word to correct our futile view of God, self, this world, and everything in it. We are desperate for His word to lead us with authority. 

The question is: Do you submit yourself to it fully or with reservation?

Next week we will continue to look at Bible study and get even more practical about how to do it. But, this week, consider your practices and disciplines. What will it look like to change your priorities and make holding fast to God’s word something you cannot do without?
By His grace and for His glory, 

Joshua Kirstine
Pastor | Disciples Church

Bakersfield CA
DisciplesChurch.com

Titus12.28.24

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

I pray that your time in the word this year and this week has been great fuel for life and ministry. I am looking forward to starting our new reading plan with you on Monday. I will speak more to that at the end of today’s devotional.  Let’s look deeper at the life and ministry of Titus.

During Paul’s first missionary journey, the Lord ordained for him to come to know a young man named Titus. Titus was Greek, which means he had not grown up worshiping the God of the Bible. As he heard Paul preach, God gave Titus a heart to see the gospel and respond with saving faith in Jesus. Paul then brought Titus to Jerusalem (Galatians 2:1-4) to show the apostles and other Jewish believers how a Greek could love God just as much as the Jews did. Titus represented all the other non-Jewish people who became Christians and were completely accepted by God through their faith in Jesus Christ. This is like us today. 

Titus continued to travel with Paul on missionary journeys, helping in the work of sharing the gospel. Titus was with Paul during the three years Paul was in Ephesus, teaching them about the awesome power of God and the life-changing gospel. After this, Paul sent Titus to Corinth to help relieve tension there (2 Corinthians 7:6; 13-14) and to collect money for the poor (2 Corinthians 8:6, 16, 23). Paul not only thought of Titus as a very faithful friend but also as his spiritual son. 

After Paul was released from the Roman prison where he had been for two years, he and Titus traveled to the island of Crete. Paul and Titus taught the people there about their need for God and the good news about Jesus (Titus 1:4-5). Soon there were enough believers to start churches in several towns. Paul wanted to go visit the church in Corinth, so he left Titus to continue teaching the new Christians and to appoint church leaders for each new church. Titus was a busy man, as he cared for all the new Cretan believers, especially because the people just didn’t know how to do what is good in God’s eyes. 

Paul knew Titus needed some encouragement and reminders of what was important to teach the people. So, Paul wrote to Titus soon after writing 1 Timothy, probably while Paul was in Macedonia on his way to Nicopolis (Titus 3:12). In his letter, Paul advised Titus regarding what qualifications to look for in leaders for the church. He also warned Titus of the reputations of those living on the island of Crete (Titus 1:12).

In Titus 3:3-6, Paul reminds Titus, “At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior.”

How awesome it must have been when Titus received a letter from his mentor, the apostle Paul. Paul was a much-honored man, and rightly so, after establishing several churches throughout the eastern world. His instruction and gospel re-orientation must have proven to be essential for Titus’s maturing in the Lord. We must never forget to use the word and gospel truth regularly when speaking to each other, that we too might lift each other up in Christ and encourage each other to press on in all that we face for our King.

To help Titus continue in his faith in Christ, Paul asked Titus to come to Nicopolis and bring with him two other members of the church (Titus 3:12-13). It is these kinds of Christ-centered discipleship relationships we are to be in today: life on life, training, encouraging, sending, and multiplying. May all of our study through these 52 figures of the Holy Scriptures be an inspiration to us to obey God, serve Him sacrificially, to not walk alone but in accountability, and to make the most of the days God has entrusted to us for His glory and others’ good. 

I look forward to this next year’s reading plan, as we will be focusing on spiritual disciplines that will help us to mature in our faith and grow in our dependence on and worship of the Lord. We will also we reading through the book of Proverbs throughout the year as a break from the disciplines and to give us a great source of biblical wisdom. Please don’t hesitate to share our reading plan with anyone you are walking with or ministering to. It is a great way to be in the word of God together. I am praying for you as you study God’s holy word and commit your life to obeying His revealed will. 

By His grace and for His glory,

Pastor Joshua Kirstine

Disciples Church

Timothy 12.21.24

Let’s look at the preparation and ministry of Timothy.

Timothy is one of our great examples of a faithful, fruitful disciple. Timothy is most known for his being discipled and sent out by Paul. He was just a teenager, or young adult, when he met Paul. Timothy’s mother and grandmother were faithful Jewish women who raised Timothy in the teachings of the Old Testament scriptures. On his second journey, Paul invited Timothy to travel with him. One of Timothy’s primary roles was to help Paul establish churches at Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea. When Paul left Berea to go to Athens, he left Timothy and Silas behind, but later sent word for them to join him. Timothy was also sent to Thessalonica to strengthen the faith of the believers there.

During the three years Paul was in Ephesus teaching them about the amazing power of God, Timothy was there, too. When Paul was imprisoned in Rome for two years, Timothy was right alongside him much of the time unselfishly taking care of Paul’s needs. For over a decade, he watched Paul minister, teach the gospel, and lead the early church. This observational learning was critical for Timothy.

Paul recognized that some men in the church were teaching error about Jesus by saying that Jesus could not have been a man and God at the same time. Paul wanted to go on to visit his friends in Macedonia, but he didn’t want to leave the Ephesian church in turmoil. So, he left Timothy to teach truth to the church there while Paul went on to Macedonia. As Paul’s representative, Timothy was given the authority to order worship and to appoint elders and deacons. Paul thought he’d get back to Ephesus soon, but that didn’t happen. He was concerned about what was going on in Ephesus, so he wrote Timothy the letter called 1 Timothy around AD 64.

In 1 Timothy, we read that Paul was teaching Timothy how to contend with the false teachers, what the qualifications for a pastor/elder were, that many would prove to not endure in the faith, how the church should be organized, and that false teachers were active. This meant Timothy had to fight for the true testimony of Christ, to remember his spiritual heritage that he had learned from his mother and grandmother, to study hard, to know how to teach and rightly discern biblical teachings, to know that in the last days the sinful tendencies of man would increase, to keep preaching the word, and that the word corrects, rebukes and exhorts all believers. 

Consider with me the relationship that Paul and Timothy shared. Six of Paul’s epistles include Timothy in the salutations. The most tender and moving of Paul’s letters is his last one to Timothy. He was a prisoner in a Roman dungeon when he wrote 2 Timothy in approximately AD 67. He knew he had a short time to live, so that letter is his spiritual last will and testament—his “dying wish”—to encourage Timothy and to request that Timothy join him during his final days of imprisonment.

Paul says Timothy has a “genuine faith,” the same as that which lived in his mother and grandmother. This means, Timothy didn’t preach one thing and then live another. He is faithful and a good example of one who was prepared to go make disciples. Are you being prepared? Who is discipling you? Who are you discipling? If you are a parent, then you must realize that your influence and opportunity to have a shaping impact on your kids is a tremendous call of God on your life. Just like Timothy’s mother and grandmother, we must be diligent in raising our children in the word of the Lord. The truths Timothy was taught from infancy were able to make him “wise for salvation” and they helped prepare him for the ministry God had for him. 

Paul’s investment into, and discipleship of, Timothy proved to have an enormous impact on the early church. Thankfully, Paul took the time to invest in Timothy; and thankfully, Timothy was hungry to listen and learn. Are you hungry to grow in your faith and maturity? Who do you need to get together with and start pouring into? Which mature brother in Christ at your church or chapter can you ask to invest in you so that you can be fully prepared to be the disciple maker God has called us all to be in the great commission?

I leave you today with Paul’s words to Timothy in the opening of his second letter. 

2 Timothy 1:13-14 Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.

By His grace and for His glory,

Pastor Joshua Kirstine

Disciples Church

Stephen 12.14.24

In Acts 6:1-15, we read about the elders’ selection of the seven deacons. Stephen was highlighted above the rest as a man “full of faith and of the Holy Spirit.” While we don’t know about Stephen’s family or past, we know he worked hard to make converts among other Jews. While many Jews were converted, opposition arose from members of the Freedmen’s Synagogue. They tried to debate Stephen but were always defeated. Thus, they decided to bring false charges against him, and Stephen was arrested and put on trial before the Sanhedrin. It was here that he was falsely accused of speaking against the law of Moses and against the temple.

Acts 7 is the record of Stephen’s telling what could be the most detailed and concise history of Israel and their relationship to God of any others in Scripture. God inspired him to speak without fear while rightly accusing Israel of their failure to recognize Jesus as the one true Messiah by rejecting and murdering Him, as they had murdered Zechariah and other prophets and faithful men throughout the generations. Stephen’s speech was a direct indictment against Israel and their failures as the chosen people of God who had been given the law, the holy things of God, and the Messiah, and they messed it up. 

As you can imagine, this was not well-received by the Jews. Throughout his speech, he continually reminded them of their ongoing rebellion and idolatry, in spite of the mighty works of God to which they were eyewitnesses. He was thereby accusing them with their own history, which only irritated them until they did not want to hear any more. They set up to stone him for what they considered was blasphemous talk according to the law of Moses, which states the sin of blasphemy deserves death—usually by stoning (Numbers 15:30-36). Stephen was also charged with speaking against the temple. He pointed out that the tabernacle and temple of the Old Covenant were only types and symbols of God’s heavenly temple and that, in the New Covenant, the types have been replaced with the reality (vv. 44–50).

In Acts 7:54-60 we read, “Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. ⁵⁵ But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ⁵⁶ And he said, ‘Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.’ ⁵⁷ But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. ⁵⁸ Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. ⁵⁹ And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ ⁶⁰ And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”

Stephen is about to be executed for his faith, and he raises his eyes to heaven, and verse 55 says he was filled with the Holy Spirit, and what does he see? “But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, ‘Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.’ But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him.” (Acts 7:55-57) 

While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” 

-Stephen is praying here! And by the power of the Holy Spirit what Stephen knew with his mind became real in his heart. He saw Jesus standing at God’s right hand. 

– At the very moment while an earthly court was condemning him, he realized that the heavenly court was commending him. In other words, he was experiencing the covering of the gospel in a crazy moment of pain. 

At that moment, he got an extremely vivid, powerful sight of what he already knew intellectually, which was that in Christ we are beautiful in God’s sight and free from condemnation (Col. 1:22). The Spirit took that intellectual concept and electrified Stephen’s entire soul, mind, heart, and imagination with it. 

In his yielding to God by the power of the Holy Spirit, Stephen was able to exhibit the new humanity that God was creating. 

-He had courage.

-He forgave his oppressors.

-He faced his accusers not just with boldness, but with calmness and joy! 

-He was living spiritual renewal. 

May we follow Stephen’s example to preach truth boldly despite the consequences. May we trust in God to the very end, as each of us, His adopted ones, will be taken up into glory with our risen King. Lord, our lives are yours. Do with them what is best for your eternal plan and glory. 

By His grace and for His glory,

Pastor Joshua Kirstine

Disciples Church

Paul 12.7.24

1. Saul before Paul

Before Paul was renamed Paul, he was born as Saul. Saul was born in Tarsus in Cilicia (modern day Turkey). He was of Hebrew ancestry and Benjamite lineage. His parents were Pharisees (whom we studied about last week), who adhered strictly to the Law of Moses. In his young teens, Saul was sent to Palestine to learn from a rabbi named Gamaliel, under whom Saul mastered Jewish history, the Psalms, and the works of the prophets. Saul became zealous for his faith, and this faith did not allow for compromise. It is this zeal that led Saul down the path of religious extremism. Saul eventually turned his focus to a ruthless pursuit of Christians, as he believed he was eradicating them in the name of God. Arguably, there is no one more frightening or more vicious than a religious terrorist, especially when he believes that he is doing the will of the Lord by killing innocent people. This is exactly what Saul of Tarsus was: a religious terrorist. Acts 8:3 states, “He began ravaging the church, entering house after house, and dragging off men and women to put them in prison.”

Saul was like many whom we might look at today and say, “They are just too far out there. There is no hope for them.” As Christians, we can even become jaded and give up hope in praying for these kinds of people or even develop feelings of hatred towards them. The good news is our God will have whom He wants. God saves both the prodigals, who are irreligious and consumed with the secular world’s ways, and the zealots, who are super religious and consumed with self-righteous methods and self-salvation. It is good for us to remember that our gospel testimony needs to be to those who are lost on both ends of the spectrum. The parable of the prodigal son is a good example of this. Both the younger brother (irreligious) and the elder brother (religious) were lost in their own way and needed to see the gospel of the Father’s grace for salvation. Both of these extremes exist in our culture today, and both need the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

2. Paul’s Conversion

God had great redemption for Saul. In Acts 9:1-22, we see that Paul met the “resurrected Jesus” on the road to Damascus. He hears the words, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” He says, “Who are you Lord?” Jesus answers directly and clearly: “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting” (vv. 4-5). Wow. What a moment. God saved Saul and gave him faith in and submission to Jesus Christ. From this moment on, Saul’s life was turned upside down. As a result of this miraculous transformation, Saul became known as Paul (Acts 13:9).

As a result, Paul devoted his life to Jesus’ glory and becomes one of, if not the most, influential pastors of the early church! He planted churches and wrote most of the New Testament. Most theologians are in agreement that he wrote Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, Philemon, Ephesians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Timothy, and Titus. These 13 “letters” (books) make up what are known today as the “Pauline Epistles.” 

3. Where is Paul’s Authority From?

In Galatians 1, Paul introduces himself this way: “Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— and all the brothers who are with me.”

Paul is sent (the word apostle means “one who is sent”) by Jesus Christ Himself, who converted Paul’s life on the road to Damascus. Not only is his authority given by God Himself, but it is confirmed by the body of believers (his brothers) who are with him. So, we see here, Paul’s authority is by God and confirmed in godly people. Trust me, if Paul was not sent of God, there is no way the early Christian Church would have backed a guy who devoted his life until that point to having Christians arrested or killed. 

In his opening words of the book of Romans, Paul says this of himself: 

Romans 1:1-6 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

First, Paul refers to himself as a “slave of Jesus Christ.” The Greek word for servant here is actually slave. Paul counted it his greatest joy to be a slave for Jesus. Why? Because he understood the slavery from which he was freed and for whom he now serves.

All of us are formerly slaves to sin. We were spiritually dead and in bondage to nothing but sin and deserving of nothing but eternal damnation apart from the glory of God. To be saved is to be set free from the bondage of sin, but we are never free in the sense that our flesh longs for total control. In Christ, we become slaves to righteousness (Romans 6:16-18). We are slaves to Jesus. He is our Lord; He is our Master. 

We are free from the eternal bondage of our former slavery to sin and our sentence of death. But we are never free, meaning apart from rule. God created man to be under rule. It is the sin of man to ever think that we are free from any kind of rule or authority. We are ruled by sin or we are ruled by God. The difference is it is life to be a servant of God. It is joy to be a slave of God. There is no higher or greater role we could ever play. Like Paul, do you value the fact that in Christ you are a slave to Christ? Is your life His? Is your purpose to do His will for His glory?

The other thing we see here in Romans 1 is the scope of Paul’s ministry. He says he is doing all this “for the sake of his name among all the nations” (Romans 1:5). The great commission of Jesus commands His people to go make disciples of all nations. Paul saw that the nations were his scope of ministry. How could one man get the gospel to all nations? He couldn’t, but he could train up disciples who then went and made disciples who could. 

This is a picture of the glorious birth and work of the early church. Paul was a critical leader and teacher used by God to spread the gospel and to plant churches. Do we see and value our mission the same way as Paul, or are our daily focus and priorities all too set on our little lives and self-made kingdoms? May we repent of making this life about ourselves and give far more of our time and energy to being discipled so that we can truly go and make disciples unto the nations!

4. Paul’s Suffering

One of the biggest highlights of Paul’s ministry and focuses of his teachings was the reality that as Christians in this time and place, we will suffer for the name of our Lord. Paul didn’t run from this; instead, he embraced it as the reality of the eternally important call on our lives that God has given us. 

Take a moment and read the following passages again and be reminded of what Paul went through in his life and ministry for our Lord: 2 Corinthians 1:8-9; 4:8-12; 6:4-10; 11:23-29; 12:7-10.

Wow. We thought we had a hard time. It is so important that we learn from Paul in this area. He went through so much and yet remained joyful and on mission, despite his struggles and sufferings. He knew who his God was. He understood his mission and purpose for this life. He let his theology shape his thinking and attitude in all that he went through. Here is just a taste:

• I rejoice in my sufferings (Col. 1:24)
• Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (1 Thess. 5:18)
• Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Eph. 5:20)
• Rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor (Acts 5:41)
• But we rejoice in our sufferings (Romans 5:3)

Sometimes it is easy for this to be agreed with in the good times and forgotten in the bad. So how do we keep the joy of the Lord despite our sufferings like Paul did? 

Let’s look at Romans 8:31-39. 

In this passage Paul says, “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” 

This is saying since God paid the infinite price of His Son by sending Jesus through the ultimate suffering on your behalf—if He did that, will He not then surely follow through in providing everything you need?Then it goes on to say this in verse 35: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?” These are gnarly forms of suffering, right? But he goes on to say in verse 37, “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” So you’ve got persecution and murder of Christians. And then he says in all these sufferings we are more than conquerors through Christ who loved us!

This is how we are able to find joy in our suffering.

A conqueror has his enemies lying subdued at his feet, right? So, your sufferings are conquered; they are defeated—distress, famine, nakedness, peril, sword, persecution—there they are, conquered at your feet.

Now “more than conquerors” means these things are not just in chains at my feet; they are serving me. My tribulation, my distress, my persecution, my famine, my nakedness, my danger, the swords against me—as painful and tearful as they are—they are serving me in Christ. God is working them all together for my good. The good is the key. The good is the foundation of our joy. 

The good that God works in and through our suffering is the foundation of my joy. I trust in God who is over all things. I trust Him completely. This is how we walk in joy even when we can’t see through the fog or the pain, or when we’re barely staying afloat. The joy is not the circumstance. Hear me: The circumstances of our suffering are full of tears. In Christ, we can have joy in our suffering. This doesn’t mean that when we are in the thick of it that there are not tears! There are plenty of tears. The Bible tells us in Isaiah 53:3 that Jesus was “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” Paul says in 2 Corinthians 6:10 that he was “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.”

God wants us to be joyful. But He doesn’t do it with circumstance; He does it with Himself. He does it with the gospel. And we must trust that He does it in and through the circumstances. This is what Paul understood, and I pray you do, too. 

Oh, I could go on for days with all we can take way from Paul. Like how to live the sacrificial life in the here and now. How to be satisfied in plenty or little. But for the sake of time, I will just leave you with one of my favorite Paul quotes from Galatians and pray you see what I do in the power of these words and what they mean for those of us walking in Christ: 

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

By His grace and for His glory,

Pastor Joshua Kirstine

Disciples Church