In this Bible study, we’ll see the aftermath of Paul and Silas’ run-in with the city magistrates in Philippi, how they handled brutal persecution, and how the Philippian church grew in grace and sanctification by supporting Paul’s ministry.
Transcription (automatically-generated):
Well, Charlene is actually heading out right after the service with Sydney, my oldest, and they're going to Montreal for the week just on vacation, which is going to be really, really fun. And so, I will have the other five with me. And Maureen asked me, she said, So are your children going to starve? And I told her I was offended because I'm not incompetent and I know many pizza places in the Tri-Cities, so you don't need to worry about my kids. Although if you see a request in the prayer group on Signal for a meal ministry due to a family emergency, you'll know what's going on.
Okay, well, we're going to be in Acts chapter 16 today, if you want to begin turning there. The Book of Acts is the historical account of the early church. And as we pick up the narrative, we find ourselves in the city of Philippi, which today is a small town near the coast of the Aegean Sea in the country of Greece. In that city, Paul cast out a demon from a girl who was telling fortunes, sooth saying, under the influence of that demon and living in a perpetual state of spiritual torment. Her newfound freedom outraged her handlers, who were concerned only with their loss of money.
Caring nothing for the wellbeing of this young girl, they dragged Paul and Silas before the chief magistrates of the city and accused them of promoting anti-Roman customs and practices. The spineless magistrates ordered Paul and Silas brutally beaten with rods and thrown in prison where their feet were locked in stalks. The quickest way to recap what happened next is to just read through verses 25 to 34 again. About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the jail were shaken.
And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's chains came loose. When the jailer woke up and saw the doors of the prison standing open, he drew his sword and was going to kill himself since he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul called out in a loud voice, don't harm yourself because we're all here. The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. He escorted them out and said, sirs, what must I do to be saved?
They said, Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be loved, you and your household. And they spoke the word of the Lord to him, along with everyone in his house. He took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds right away. He and all his family were baptized. He brought them into his house, set a meal before them and rejoiced because he had come to believe in God with his entire household.
After that eventful night, the jailer returned them to their cell before sunrise and we pick things up in verse 35, when daylight came, the chief magistrates sent the police to say, Release those men. The chief magistrates would have felt the earthquake and possibly heard the news of the incredible events that had transpired at the prison during the night. They likely associated all of those things with Paul and Silas and had a thought along the lines of, let's not further anger whatever gods are on the side of these men. Verse 36, the jailer reported these words to Paul the magistrates have sent orders for you to be released, so come out now and go in peace. But Paul said to them, they beat us in public without a trial, although we are Roman citizens, and threw us in jail.
And now they're going to send us away secretly? Certainly not. On the contrary, let them come themselves and escort us out. You see, it was illegal for a Roman citizen to be punished without a fair trial. They were entitled under Roman law to due process.
Remember, Philippi was a Romans colony. It was a mini-Rome where the law functioned as it did in Rome. If the city's leaders were found guilty of flagrantly violating such a cornerstone of Roman law, they may have been stripped of their positions of power, beaten or possibly worse. Suffice it to say, this news would have terrified the magistrates. As we read in the next verse, the police reported these words to the magistrates.
They were afraid when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, so they came to appease them and escorting them from prison, they urged them to leave town. The magistrates came groveling to Paul and Silas, apologizing profusely and begging them to leave town. They likely offered them money and said, I hear Cabo is great this time of year. Why don't you head there? And these events raise a logical question in my mind every time I read this story.
Why did Paul and Silas wait until after they had been beaten and imprisoned to mention the fact that they were Roman citizens? Why did they choose to go through that when all they had to do at any moment was shout, We're Roman citizens? The text doesn't tell us so we're speculating, but I think we can observe a few things. Paul and Silas may have made a conscious decision to not invoke their Roman citizenship earlier, or the Holy Spirit may have instructed them to endure this punishment and they obeyed. But I find it extremely unlikely that their Roman citizenship simply slipped their minds.
Their suffering provided several benefits. Firstly, they acquired leverage over the city's officials. As a result, the magistrates would likely ensure that other Christian in the city were not harassed and would certainly be much more diligent in how they handled any future accusations leveled against the followers of Jesus'. Another benefit could be that Paul and Silas set an example of perseverance and endurance for the believers in Philippi who were not Roman citizens and would not have the option of claiming that protection should they ever find themselves in a similar situation. Paul and Silas identified with those brothers and sisters by allowing themselves to be treated as non-Romans.
As we shall see in the next verse. Their example encouraged the brothers and sisters by demonstrating for them what courage, boldness, faith and joy and suffering looks like. It was a sermon illustration none of them would ever forget. When Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians about a decade later, he mentions these events, writing just one thing as citizens of heaven, live your life worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then whether I come and see you or am absent, I will hear about you that you are standing firm in one spirit, in one accord and contending together for the faith of the gospel, not being frightened in any way by your opponents.
This is a sign of destruction for them, but of your salvation. And this is from God for it has been granted to you on Christ's behalf not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him since you are engaged in the same struggle that you saw I had. Paul's attitude towards his Roman citizenship was the same as his attitude toward his Jewish ethnicity. In this sense, it was a card he would play when it would help further the cause of the gospel and the cause of Christ. And that is an example for us in how we handle things like our citizenship and our rights under things like the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
We're not concerned about ourselves personally. We're concerned about the cause of Christ. So, when we need to invoke it, we should. When we need to stand up against the abuse of rights that are guaranteed us under the laws of the land, we should. When we need to go to court to stand up for our rights, we should.
As long as the reason is to further the cause of Christ and the gospel. That was Paul's perspective on his rights as a Roman citizen. These Philippians magistrates were in. They were in a pickle. Paul and Silas could report them to Rome for violating their rights.
That would be really bad. But if Paul and Silas stuck around the city, they might have incited another mob and created further uproar. And there were two things that every Roman ruler or magistrate had to do in their territory. If they wanted to keep their job and their head, they had to keep the peace and they had to collect the taxes. As long as you did those two things, rose didn't really care what else you did.
But they couldn't expel Paul and Silas forcefully because they hadn't done anything wrong. They weren't guilty of a crime. So, all they can do is beg them to leave. And Paul and Silas do leave, but on their terms, as we shall see in verse 40, it says, after leaving the jail, they, Paul and Silas came to Lydia's House, where they saw and encouraged, underline that word encouraged the brothers and sisters and departed. The character of these men so impresses me.
They were beaten less than 24 hours ago. Their wounds were still fresh. Their clothing was likely excruciating to wear as it rubbed against their backs. They couldn't sleep on their backs or lean back against a chair or a wall. And yet, what do we see them doing when they're released?
They head straight to the church that gathers at Lydia's House so they can sea and encourage the brothers and sisters. The ones who were just beaten went to go encourage the ones who had not been beaten. You see, their hearts were just so full of love for their brothers and sisters. They wanted to make sure they saw them ASAP and told them, we're okay. God was with us.
Do not be afraid. He will be with you as well.
Now, tune in, church. Tune in. I want to ask you, not someone you know, you personally, a question. When you've just gone through a beating, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, physically, what sort of state are you in? Where's your mind at?
Where's your heart at? When we cling to Christ in our trials, we find his strength. And his strength enables us to do incredible things, like encourage others even while we're still recovering from our own trials or while we're still in the middle of them. When we don't cling to Christ in our trials, let me tell you what happens. We become self-centered.
You see, we have this illogical idea of what it means to be self-centered. We think that if we feel like trash about ourselves, then we can't be self-centered. But the reality is, the more self-centered you are, the more like trash you will feel, because you and I are not glorious and amazing. Far from it. And so, the more I focus on myself, the more all I think about is myself, the more all I meditate on is myself, the more depressed and downcast I will become.
I guarantee it. I guarantee it. But when I focus on Jesus', the one who is glorious and amazing and beautiful and good, I find my spirit lifted and I find myself filled with his strength.
Paul and Barnabas had been brutally beaten less than 24 hours earlier. Do you know what I noticed they didn't do? They didn't skip church and see if anyone would notice.
They didn't go home and wait to see if anyone cared enough to call or text. Guess nobody loves me. They didn't check out of life, start eating ice cream right out of the tub, binge Netflix in the dark, and then tell people, I'm just going through a lot right now.
They didn't run back to their favorite sins.
What did they do? They sought fellowship with their brothers and sisters they shared what they had gone through with them. They prayed together, they worshipped together, and they testified to the Lord's goodness, faithfulness and power. I'm going to speak plainly. I know this can happen to men and women, but women do this way more than men.
This is a pastor of 20 years speaking. I see it far too often, people going through a hard time. I'll just withdraw, sit back, wait and see if anyone calls. Let's see if anyone loves me. Guess nobody cares.
Because I love you. I have to tell you, grow up. Grow up. Mature in the Lord. Seek out fellowship.
Stop waiting for someone to read your mind. Stop acting, whether you realize it or not, like the entire universe revolves around you and someone should have sensed a disturbance in the force and come to check on you. The cosmos is out of whack. I wonder if something's going on in their life. The world does not revolve around any of us.
It just doesn't. If you are hurting, seek out fellowship. Do it. Do not sit back and blame other people. You take the initiative.
If you're involved in a church. If you're a member of a church, you have people who love you. We tell all our members part of the expectation of being a member. Any other member in this church can call you guys, guys, girls, girls, and say, I'm going through a lot right now. Can we just meet?
Can you just pray with me? You have to say yes. Whoever you are, if you're involved in church, you're a member of church. There's multiple people waiting to pray with you, to encourage you, but do not go to the party, stand in the corner, and wait for somebody to ask you to join the fun.
Take the initiative. Be mature in the Lord. You will find there are amazing people who love you and are waiting to invest in you and carry your burdens with you. When we tell someone else about the goodness of God, we're not only preaching to them, we're preaching to ourselves. Do you know that this is the power of singing worship songs?
This is why it matters that you actually sing out loud. You're preaching to other people through song, and you're preaching to yourself through song. Some of us desperately need to grow in this area and learn how to preach to ourselves by testifying out loud to the goodness of God. In difficult times. If you allow yourself to become self-centered in your trials, you'll only become more miserable.
But if you will cling to Christ, if you will seek out fellowship, you'll find his strength flowing through you. And you'll find that you not only have the strength to endure the trial, but to encourage others even as you're going through it. How do you encourage others in a trial? A man. Looks like you're going through a lot right now.
I am. But the Lord is with me. He hasn't left me. He's sustaining me. Preach to others.
Preach to yourself. That's what Paul and Silas did and what a sweet example they set for us. Would you write this down? While Paul and Silas were still suffering, they sought fellowship and encouraged their brethren. While Paul and Silas were still suffering, they sought fellowship and encouraged their brethren.
Dr. Luke, who is narrating the book of Acts, will not continue with Paul for now. We know this because the narrative is going to shift back to the third person, but he'll rejoin the team in Acts chapter 20, when Paul revisits Philippians, apparently without incident, there's no indication Luke had a problem with Paul or anybody else. He may have had to return home to tend to some personal affairs. Or, as I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, it had been a temporary assignment to attend to Paul's ailing health, and his health had improved to where Luke was no longer needed.
Or he may have stayed to minister to the new believers in Philippi because he was a Gentile and therefore not in danger the way Paul and Silas were. Step back for a second and just think about the people in Philippi that Luke's highlights for us, the people who made up the first church of that city. We have a wealthy, single businesswoman and her household, a jailer and his family, and let's start a youth ministry with a formerly demonically possessed and fortune telling slave girl. Could they have been more different sociologically or psychologically? And yet, through the gospel of Jesus, they become part of the same church family.
There is power in the blood of Jesus to save and give life to anybody. And if you do not belong to Jesus yet, I want you to know you are not the one exception to that rule. The love of Jesus' is for you. His grace and his peace are for you. His hope and his mercy are for you.
His forgiveness and his kindness are for you. And, yes, his church is for you.
Paul and Silas endured great persecution in Philippi, but they also saw God glorified and people come into the kingdom. And for those who love Jesus, that's a trade we'll take all day. God does not promise that we will escape persecution, but he does promise to do good through any persecution that comes our way. And the good may take the form of someone being saved, a believer being encouraged, or simply God being glorified. But praise God.
All who love Jesus have the assurance that any persecution we endure will never be for nothing. It will have eternal significance.
We read in verse one of chapter 17 after they passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. Let's put our map up on the screen and check on the progress of Paul's second missionary journey. You'll recall that they left Troas on the western coast of present-day Turkey, stopped overnight on the island of Samothrace, then landed the next day at Nepapolis, the port that served the nearby city of Philippians. From Philippi, Paul and his team journeyed west on the Via Ignatia, which is the main road that connected the region to Rome, passing through Amphipolis and Apollonia, likely stopping for a night in each town before reaching their destination, Thessalonica, which was about 100 miles from Philippi. They were likely traveling on horseback or in a horse drawn cart, as apart from a miracle, they would not have been able to walk nearly 100 miles over three days, just a day after being beaten with rods.
Paul doesn't stop and do ministry in Amphipolis or Apollonia, apparently because he wanted to reach the next major city that had a synagogue, and the text implies that neither of those towns did. When Paul wrote his second letter to the church that would be established in Thessalonica, he told them about how God's spirit had filled them with boldness instead of fear when they arrived in the city. All these verses are on your outlines, Paul says, after we had previously suffered and were treated outrageously in Philippi, as you know, we were emboldened by our God to speak the gospel of God to you in spite of great opposition. How does a man or woman become emboldened by our God? Where does the Christian's courage find its source?
It comes from faith, believing that God is who he says he is and will do what he has promised he will do. Courage comes from believing that God keeps his word and is faithful. Courage comes from trusting God. The power and the strength we need will be given to us by the spirit of God that dwells in us. But courage comes from faith.
It is a decision we must make, a direction toward which we must set our faces. I'm reminded of a scene from a classic movie, meaning you probably haven't seen it if you're under the age of 30. Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade, the second Indiana Jones movie, because Temple of Doom doesn't count, where Indy must take a leap of faith across a chasm. He's following the special guide, and it says he has to take a leap of faith, and he gets to this giant chasm, and there's just this giant gap he can't cross, and he realizes that the secret to solving the riddle is he has to actually step out and commit. And then when he does, this bridge suddenly appears as soon as his foot hits it.
And courage is like that. We must exercise faith, and when we do, we find that God has provided the strength and the power that we need. But if you're waiting for the strength and the power to show up first, you'll never take the leap of faith. You'll never actually trust God, because if you felt the strength and power before you needed it, faith wouldn't be required. The Bible puts it like this faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.
I can't always control my thoughts or my emotions, but I can always choose to control my actions and my words. And so, even when I don't feel courageous, I don't feel full of faith, I can still act in courage and faith. I can still speak with courage and faith. I've shared it before. Even if what you have to do is say, okay, what would a person do?
What would a person say who was full of faith in this situation and then do that? Even if you don't feel like that person, you can always control your words. And you can always control your actions. Those steps that you take might be taken with some very wobbly legs. Those words might be spoken with a quivering and shaking and very unconvincing voice.
But when you take that step of faith, you will find the Lord guiding your step. When you speak those words of faith, you will find the Lord filling you with faith. When you put up that sail of faith, you will find the Lord sending His Spirit like wind to fill it. But you have to raise it. You have to do it in faith.
We trust in the power, care, and faithfulness of God, and we depend on his strength. As Paul would tell the Ephesians, be strengthened by the Lord and by his vast strength. A lack of courage stems from a lack of understanding of who God is. How I long to see Christians who question the faithfulness of God get tired of putting their foot in their mouths, tired of saying, looks like God's not going to be faithful this time, only to be proven wrong every single time I'll let the prophet Isaiah preach. Why do you assert, oh, my way is hidden from the Lord.
My claim is ignored by my God. Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the whole earth. He never becomes faint or weary.
There's no limit to his understanding. He gives strength to the faint and strengthens the powerless. Youths may become faint and weary, and young men stumble and fall. But those who trust in the loved will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles.
They will run and not become weary. They will walk and not faint. Trust in the Lord. Be courageous. Believe God and know that he is faithful.
Make a note of this. Courage comes from trusting God and believing his promises. Courage comes from trusting God and believing his promises. That is why in Scripture, over and over and over again, we are commanded. Not encouraged, commanded.
Do not fear. Do not be afraid. Why does God command that? Because that fear and that anxiety stems from a lack of belief that God is who he says he is and that he will do what he said he will do. Courage comes from trusting God and believing his promises.
Fear comes from a lack of trust and a lack of belief. If you want to bring the history of the early church to life in an even greater way in your knowledge and understanding and perspective on Scripture, read the Epistles. Read the letters that Paul wrote to the churches that he established on his missionary journey journeys, plural. For example, we now see him leaving Philippi after an eventful time there. So go and read this week Paul's Epistle to the Philippians.
Knowing what happened to Paul while he was in Philippi will bring it to life in a whole new way, and you will find and you will see themes in that letter related to specific events that took place while Paul was in their city. One thing we learn from that letter is that the Philippians were a generous church that was faithful in their financial giving to Paul and their own church. In the letter's greetings, Paul writes, I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you, always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer because of your partnership in the Gospel from the first day until now. From the first day they turned to the Lord. They joyfully took on providing for Paul's financial needs.
And they were still doing it a decade later when Paul wrote this letter to them. That's the level of gratitude and love they felt toward the man who had brought the gospel to them, planted their church and watched over it through the years. Peter, in the letter, Paul writes, and you, Philippians, know that in the early days of the Gospel, during this missionary trip when I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving except you alone. For even in Thessalonica, you sent gifts for my need several times. So, none of the other places Paul had been up to this point or during his first missionary journey were supporting him, even in the places in Turkey that he had already visited multiple times, places like Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, Derbe.
When Paul left, they all apparently just said, man, all this traveling must be expensive. You got to pay for boat fares, places to stay, food to eat, and all kinds of stuff. Anyway. See you later, Paul. But the Philippian believers from day one made sure that Paul's needs were taken care of.
And we learned that after he arrived in Thessalonica, where he's just arrived in our study through the Book of Acts, they're going to send financial gifts to him several times. Now, it's obviously a blessing to have your practical needs met, but Paul tells the Philippians what the greatest blessing is that he receives through their faithful giving. He says, not that I seek the gift, but I seek the profit. The fruit that is increasing to your account. The thing about biblical generous and faithful giving that blesses any sincere pastor the most is not the dollars and cents.
It's the hard evidence that someone's faith and trust in Jesus' is growing. It's tangible, observable, spiritual fruit that testifies to a changed life and a person's belief that God owns every part of them. Any genuine pastor who cares about his congregation gets excited. When a person gives in a biblical manner that means joyfully, sacrificially, and generously. How that translates into dollars is not important.
People make different amounts of money. I've been thrilled by someone giving $5,000, and I've been excited by someone giving $5. Do you know why? Because both were giving joyfully, both were giving sacrificially in their contexts, and both were giving generously in their context. They were just in different contexts.
That's why Paul says unapologetically, what I'm seeking, what I want to see, what gets me excited is seeing fruit of your salvation. But notice what else Paul says. He says the fruit they produce is like profit that is increasing in their account, like an investment or a savings account. Paul says that as they support the ministry of the Gospel, their account in Heaven in Eternity is growing. I could feel the tension in the room.
Some of you are like, Whoa, whoa, Jeff. Sounds a little bit like the prosperity gospel. You're sounding like a televangelist. Is it getting hot in here? Listen, Paul is only repeating what Jesus taught his disciples.
When Jesus' said, do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. What did Jesus say? He said, but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves don't break in and steal. Paul says it blesses me. It excites me when I see the fruit of your salvation through your giving, because it shows me you are actually living to store up treasures in heaven, just as Jesus commanded us to.
Paul continues, but I have received everything in full, and I have an abundance I'm fully supplied. Having received from Epaphroditus what you promised, a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to the Lord. Paul knows they've given sacrificially, and so he shares this encouragement with them. He says, and my God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. And again, Paul is just repeating what Jesus taught his disciples.
In Matthew six, Jesus said, so don't worry, saying, what will we eat or what will we drink? Our what will we wear for the Gentiles, the non-believers? Seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But instead seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. My God will supply all your needs according to his riches and glory in Christ Jesus.
Jeff, I want to give in a Biblical. Way, but I just don't see how all my needs will be met. I don't have an offer for you better than the one Jesus gave his disciples or the one that Paul gave the Philippians. You must choose to believe Jesus' and exercise faith. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be provided for you.
My God will supply all your needs according to his riches and glory in Christ Jesus. Make a note of this. Biblical stewardship of our finances is a fruit of sanctification and causes us to store up treasures in heaven. Biblical stewardship of our finances is a fruit of sanctification and causes us to store up treasures in heaven. If you're not familiar with the term sanctification, it's the word used to describe the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives to make us more like Jesus.
If you're a Christian, I can tell you what the Holy Spirit is trying to do in your life. He's trying to make you horse like Jesus every day of your life. You make it way more difficult on some days than others, but he's doing it every day of our lives. And that work includes bringing every single area of our lives under the lordship, under the rule and reign of Jesus. That's how the Holy Spirit is making us more like Jesus.
He's bringing every area of our lives, our emotions, our relationships, our money, everything under the lordship, the rule and reign of Jesus'. And so, when the work of the Holy Spirit leads someone to make Jesus Lord over their finances, it naturally produces biblical giving, joyful, generous and sacrificial giving. That's why pastors get excited, because often there's an old joke that a person's wallet is the last part of them to get saved. And it's just the truth a lot of the time, man, I want Jesus to be lord over every area of my life as long as there's not a literal price tag involved. And when there's actual dollars and actual cents, people are like, wow, we're all in progress.
These things take time. Doesn't happen overnight, but it could happen overnight. Because the reality is there are areas of our lives that are way, way harder to obey Jesus in getting your thoughts in line with Christ, that's a work of a lifetime money, that's just a choice I'm going to give it. And you do it. It's actually doable, but it's often the last thing people get to.
And so that's why pastors get excited when people give in a biblical way because it's like, oh, there's actual real fruit. They're obeying Jesus when it costs something that gets us excited. I'm going to ask the worship team to come up. I'm just going to conclude with a few thoughts here. If you are going through a trial, know that the Lord loves you, know that he's with you.
Know that your church loves you too. And cling to Jesus. Seek our fellowship with brothers and sisters. Seek it out. Don't isolate yourself.
Don't stay at home and deceive yourself into thinking that if nobody chases you, then nobody loves you. It's not true. Do not allow yourself to become self-centered. Cling to Jesus. Seek out fellowship and share with your brothers and sisters.
Pray with them and then speak faith. Testify to the goodness of God even in your trial. You'll encourage them. You'll encourage yourself too. Preach to them.
Preach to yourself. Live courageously by trusting in the Lord and believing His promises. He will provide what you need. His grace is sufficient for you. But you must exercise faith.
You must choose to speak faith. You must choose to act in faith, even with a shaky voice and wobbly legs. Do it. You'll find the Lord will meet you there. And listen, if you're a believer, then the Holy Spirit is sanctifying you, whether you like it or not, he is.
And I'm so grateful that he is. He's working to make you more like Jesus. He's working to bring every area of your life under the lordship of Jesus. So, submit to him. Submit to the Holy Spirit.
Don't fight him. Don't resist him. Everything he's doing in you is for your good. Everything. Jesus was the most at, peace, emotionally mature person who has ever loved because his whole life was submitted to His Father.
And you will find that the more of your life you submit to the lordship of Jesus, the more you will experience his peace, the more you'll experience his provision, the more you'll experience his joy. He's a good master. And if your finances are not under the lordship of Christ, they need to be. They need to be. And you need to figure out what sacrificial generous and joyful giving looks like in your context.
If any error of your life is not under the lordship of Jesus, it needs to be. And if you're a believer, then here's what the believer wants. I want my whole life to be under the lordship of Jesus. I do. And you go from fighting Him to the place where you say, lord, just thank you that you don't give up on me.
Please don't. I know you never will. Please keep working on me, because all You've ever done in me has been good. And everything good that is in my life is because of the Lord.
We're going to do a new song after we pray called Jesus' Have It All. And that's what the song is about. It's the cry of a heart saying, I want Jesus to be Lord over every single area of my life. And even if I don't know how in some areas, that's what I want. That's what the believer wants.
And it starts with that desire. And I'm loving to back up one more place from that. If the Lord has been calling you to put an air of your life under its lordship. And you've just ignored that call for so long that you've managed to tune out his voice, then your prayer needs to be, lord, I don't want to if I'm honest right now, but I want to want to. So, Lord, change my heart.
Make it sensitive to you and your spirit again. And if you have that conviction, you have that desire, do what the loved is calling you to do. You can do it through Him. He will give you His strength. So, let's pray for that together.
Would you bow your head and close your eyes? Lord Jesus, we love you so much, and we just confess that you are a good master. You are a good God. You love us like no one else. That there's nothing we can compare your love to.
It is completely selfless. It is completely pure. It provides for all of our needs, emotionally, spiritually, psychologically, financially, practically, materially, all of them. There's nothing like you, and there's nothing like your love and how good it is to belong to you. And, Jesus, we just want to tell you we are so thankful to belong to you.
Jesus, please forgive us for how much we resist so often the good that you are trying to do in us. Thank you that you don't give up. Thank you that You never get frustrated with us. Thank you that You knew everything about every day of our lives before we were even born. You're never disappointed.
And every single promise in your word was given with full knowledge of who we would be and what we would do when we were at our worst. And knowing that you came to lay your life down for us, knowing that the worst of us, you invited us to come and be part of your family.
There's nothing we can compare your love to. There's simply nothing else like You, and we love you because you loved us first. And everything in our lives that we do or desire to do for you is just a response to what you've done for us. So, thank you for loving us first, Jesus. And I pray for any of my brothers and sisters, myself included, if there's an area of our life where we've just tuned out the conviction of your Holy Spirit, Lord Jesus, please make our hearts sensitive again.
Soften our hearts so that we can say yes and so that we can obey. And Jesus, for any among us who are being convicted of an area that they need to bring under your lordship, Lord, overwhelm them with that call. I pray, make it impossible to say no. Let it be a burning in their soul to get right with you in that area of their life. And Lord, we pray that because we know that you will be faithful to bring freedom and wholeness to that area.
So, Jesus, we pray, set us free in any area where we are prisoners of our own making. Move by the power of your spirit in us and among us. Jesus, we are your people. Make us more like your people, God. Do your work and have your way.
Jesus, we pray in your name. Amen.