The Word of His Grace Acts 14:3 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
What happens when you go to the mission field or when you enter the ministry is not about you, it is about the word of his grace [Acts 14:3].
Your helpers are for the word of his grace – Acts 14:1 – they went both together. The workers shouldn’t be there to impress you or to piggy back on your work. They are there for the word’s sake. The Lord set it up so that we would need help. He sent out his own disciples by two. If they are there because of who you are, they are there for the wrong reason.
The results are due to the word of his grace – Acts 14:1 – multitudes believed. Multitudes didn’t believe because Paul, the great, and Barnabas, the great, were there. Multitudes believed because of the word of God. Some people don’t report the great results that others do. But if you are putting out and preaching the word of God, faithfully and prolifically, then you are getting all the results that God intended [Is 55:10-11].
The opposition is over the word of his grace – Acts 14:2 – the Jews made their minds evil affected against the brethren. Your enemies may “take it out” on you but their problem isn’t with you; it’s with the word of God. So, don’t take the opposition personally and don’t make it personal.
The boldness is for the word of his grace – Acts 14:3 – they were speaking boldly. Their boldness wasn’t due to personality, though some men have bolder personalities than others. Their boldness was given to them by God [Eph 6:18-19] for the sake of his word. When you type something in “bold” it is for emphasis. And the emphasis is on God’s word!
The gifts are for the word of his grace – Acts 14:3 – the Lord granted signs and wonders. Paul’s “success” was not due to the gifts. He was ministering to Jews who require a sign [1 Cor 1:22]. Likewise, the Spirit has given each of us a gift [1 Cor 12] for the furtherance of the gospel. You have the gift you need. And the gift you have is not about the gift and it’s not about you. The gift is for the word of God.
The division is over the word of his grace – Acts 14:4 – the multitude was divided. The word of God is a divider [Heb 4:12]. The Lord sent a sword when he came [Matt 10:34] and that sword is the word of God [Eph 6:17]. And the result of that sword is division. You don’t ever want to make a nuisance of yourself so that you can make a name for yourself.
Their followers were the result of the word of his grace – Acts 14:4 – part held with the disciples. People who come to the Lord through your ministry are with you because of the word of God, not because of who you are. If you don’t believe that, quit preaching the word of God in truth and see how many you have left a couple of years from now.
Their move was for the word of his grace – Acts 14:5-6 – they fled to Lystra and Derbe. Paul and Barnabas moved because it was time for them to go [Matt 10:23]. They had stayed a long time [Acts 14:3] and now it was time to take the word of God elsewhere. You don’t move to run from a bad situation; you leave to further the work of the word of God in other areas.
The preaching is the word of his grace – Acts 14:7 – they preached the gospel. What we preach is not our opinion, our personal doctrine, our thought or our take on the word of God. We preach the gospel, plain and simple. Just preach the word [2 Tim 4:2].
Conclusion: this work is about the word of God. It’s not about us and it’s not about what we do or build. It’s about getting the word of God out and into the hearts and minds of people so that they can be saved and grow.