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Hello, and welcome to Lechem Panim. It’s good to have you with us today as we continue our study of the book of Acts together. But before we get into our passage today I’d like to first ask you if maybe at some time in your life you have fallen asleep at time or in a place you shouldn’t have; and then maybe things got a little awkward?
Nudged to Pray-- At the Christian college I attended, in chapel on time, one of the students fell asleep during the preacher’s message. And his buddy, noting that he was fast asleep, nudged him and said, “Hey, wake up. The preacher just called on you to pray.” And, startled awake and not yet coming to his full senses, the young man quickly stood up and began praying right there in front of several hundred other college students. Now imagine his embarrassment when he realized what had happened; and what his friend had done to him. I’m not sure they were friends after that. Now something very similar happens in our story today; only this time there are deadly consequences. And yet it gives God an extraordinary means of showing His power through the apostle Paul. Go ahead and look with me at chapter 20 of the book of Acts. You may remember from our episode last week how Paul and a group of pastors from various churches that he had helped plant are making their way towards Jerusalem with an offering for the church there. And they stop at the city of Troas, of which Luke writes in verse 6: and there we stayed seven days. And on Sunday they gather for a local evening worship service in a house likely belonging to one of the believers. They eat, have communion together, and then Paul begins teaching them. It says in… Acts 20:7 (LSB)-- 7 And on the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began speaking to them, intending to leave the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight. A Final Message-- Now Paul knew that this would likely be his last meeting with these Christians here in Troas. And so, understandably, he preaches a longer sermon because he wants to make sure that he leaves them with as much as possible that can help them in the days ahead when they will no longer have him. And it is in the context of that prolonged message that something very unexpected happens. It says… Acts 20:8-9a (LSB)-- 8 Now there were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered together. 9 And there was a young man named Eutychus sitting on the windowsill, sinking into a deep sleep. Young Man-- Now the word used to describe Eutychus’ age here in verse 9 (manias) [means a man from twenty-four to forty years of age.] However, the word in verse 12 (pais) means [a young child or youth. Dr. Howard Marshall, an eminent Greek scholar, says he was a “young lad of eight to fourteen years.] My son falls within that age range, and so this could have been him! Now [Since the word pais can mean “a servant,” Eutychus may have been a young man who was also a servant.] So he might very well have been weary from working hard that day. That coupled with the fact that it was late in the evening (and the possible stuffiness of the room) caused him to be very tired. Plus all those oil lamps (which is what they were) combined with a lot of people served to make the room nice and warm. It was most likely not because Paul’s sermon was boring, as everyone else (including those who probably should have been watching Eutychus) seemed to be so engrossed, they don’t even notice Eutychus falling asleep next to a window he could potentially fall out of. And poor Eutychus; he’s trying his best to stay awake. [The tense of the Greek verb indicates that he was gradually overcome, not suddenly.] But he just can’t stay awake. Now his name adds to the humor of the story because his name actually means [“lucky, fortunate.” {And so} The "many lamps" (v. 8) and long sermon likely led "Lucky" to seek air in the window {(where there was better ventilation and the cool air might help to keep him awake)}, but he fell asleep anyway]. It says in… Acts 20:9b (LSB)-- And as Paul kept on talking, he sunk into that sleep and fell down from the third floor Falling Out-- And so, no doubt leaning and then tipping out the window, Eutychus fell three stories to the ground below. Now I don’t know if you’ve ever had a dream before where you are falling and you suddenly wake up. But it’s terrifying!!! Well here Eutychus is, awakened by that sensation, and (to his horror) it’s not a dream. He hits the ground and is killed. It says of him that he… Acts 20:9c (LSB)-- fell down from the third floor and was picked up dead. All Dead, Or Just Mostly Dead— Now some of your translations may say “as dead”. And so the question obviously arises, was he completely dead or just mostly dead? Just recently I watched one of my favorite scenes in one of my family’s favorite movies The Princess Bride. This scene came to my mind when I was reading this passage because in this scene a man who has died recently is being carried by his friends to somebody who they think might be able to restore him to life; a miracle-worker by the name of Miracle Max. And when Miracle Max looks at him he says, “The good news is that he’s not all-dead, just mostly dead. There’s a big difference between mostly dead and all-dead.” What’s the difference, one of the friends asks. “Well, if mostly dead, he’s slightly alive. But with all-dead, there’s really only one thing you can do.” What’s that, asks the friend. “Go through his pockets and start looking for loose change.” All Dead-- So was he “mostly dead” or “all dead”? Well, there is actually less room for misinterpretation in the Greek; as the Greek word is νεκρός, which in its adjectival form here means “dead/lifeless”. As a noun it would mean “a dead body/corpse”. And so he is picked up νεκρός/dead (not "as dead”). He has actually died. His life is in him— Now this story has a touch of humor because of the circumstances involved (and plus we know how it ends). But keep in mind what a horror this must have been to the boys mother and father, who were no doubt there; and even to Paul. I mean we don’t know if it was the scream of somebody who say Eutychus fall or if it was the scream of Eutychus himself that alerted everyone. But when Paul realizes what has happened (maybe even seen it himself) he obviously stops teaching and (in horror) quickly runs down the stairs, which keep in mind ran outside the house. And it says… Acts 20:10 (LSB)-- 10 But Paul went down and fell upon him, and after embracing him, he said, “Do not be troubled, for his life is in him.” Fell Upon-- Now as I was reading Paul’s response here “Do not be troubled, for his life is in him.”, I was really hearing him say, “Don’t worry, he’s not all-dead; he’s only MOSTLY dead.” And so which is it? Is Paul lying or bending the truth a little? No, because before he says that, it says first that he went down and fell upon him. And that phraseology is key because remember God had also performed resurrections through Elijah and Elisha after they had fallen upon and embraced two young boys who had died. So Paul’s falling upon Eutychus was the means through which God brought him back to life, after which Paul (seeing the boy alive) then cries out “Do not be troubled, for his life is in him.” Acts 20:11-12 (LSB)-- 11 And when he had gone back up and had broken the bread and eaten, he talked with them a long while until daybreak, and then left. 12 And they took away the boy alive, and were not a little comforted. He kept preaching!— By the way, I love how Paul went right back to preaching. And I guarantee you Eutychus was now awake the whole time; partially because of what had happened, but also because when God brings you back to life, you come back refreshed, walking and leaping and praising Him. He had a lot to be thankful for. Sacred Spots— You know, sometimes you don’t know what you are thankful for until you don’t have it. Now this story has a happy ending because Eutychus lived to die another day (perhaps as an aged man after having live a rich and full life). We don’t know. But can you imagine being his mom or his dad that day? You know, I often worry about my kids. I’m not a put-your-kid-in-a-bubble parent, but I am very protective of my kids. And almost every day I worry about them having a Eutychus moment; losing attention for that split second; that little blip of time that can end or forever change the course of their lives. And that’s compounded by the fact that I know there’s no Apostle Paul to bring them back if anything like that happens to them. Our kids and I were in a car accident now about two years ago, right near their school. Another car (not watching) veered into us and hit us very hard; every airbag in the car deployed. Airbags came out of places I didn’t even know airbags could be. The one that deployed just left of my head knocked my hearing out for a little while. And after impact I (ears ringing) turned to see my kids; and I saw the fear written all over their faces. And for months afterwards, often when I would drive through that spot (now extra-cautiously), I had this kind of gut-clenching, physical reaction. Now I know we are not to live in fear; and on the other side of that I have seen so many times how God has protected them, as He did then. But I am also aware of how quickly life can change. And whenever I go through that spot I feel this overwhelming gratitude for my kids’ lives; and for my life too. There is another spot that holds similar significance to me; and I know it does to you as well. It is the site of the cross. What a horrible place to be; at the foot of a cross. And yet was there that Jesus (in such a brief window of time) gave us back everything we might have lost; eternal life in fellowship with God. I don’t know what your plans are this week, but I would like to encourage you to make time to give thanks to God for saving you in that sacred place. Like these early Christians did, orient yourself around a remembrance of what God has done for you in and through Jesus. Let’s do so. Amen.
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Hello, and welcome to Lechem Panim. If you have your Bible, go ahead and turn with me to Acts chapter 20. As you may remember, Paul is traveling with a group of men who each represented churches that Paul had started in Asia. And each of them is [carrying an offering from his home church to be given to the believers in Jerusalem], which remember had a tremendous amount of need. [Having each man deliver the gift {really offered} a personal touch and strengthened the unity of the believers.] The Church was being the Church for one another. You know, this coming Sunday at our Church (Renton Park Church) I am preaching on the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus; and what is remarkable to me about that prayer is how often Jesus prays for the unity of all believers; that they may be one even as He and the Father are one. Now I can’t even begin to unpack that today. But Jesus says in that prayer…
John 17:21 (ESV)-- 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. John 17:23 (ESV)— 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. Testimony to the world-- The fundamental purpose of our unity is to bear testimony to the world of the fact that the Father did indeed send His beloved Son Jesus (and that He is their salvation) and that God loves them just as He loves Jesus. That is what our unity points the world to. Jesus had said in… John 13:35 (ESV)-- 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” No Excuse-- Now if there is disunity; if there is a lack of love and care for one another; this gives the world an excuse not to take us seriously. But when we are unified and loving and caring for one another, we pave the way for the Holy Spirit to bring conviction to them and often a longing to be a part of that same kind of unified body of believers. And that is part of what this love offering helped to demonstrate. It was a very personal and tender-hearted gesture. A New Goal-- Paul had wanted to arrive in Jerusalem by Passover; but they had been delayed, so that didn’t happen. So now he is trying to get there at least by Pentecost (Acts 20:16). And here we see that they have come to the city of Troas, of which Luke writes in verse 6: and there we stayed seven days. “We” to “Us”-- Now note how in verse 5 and here in verse 6 there is a [pronoun change {from “he”} to “us” and “we,” for Dr. Luke has now joined the party (see Acts 16:17). He had probably been ministering at Philippi where he joined Paul for the last leg of the journey. {And} Paul must have rejoiced to have Luke, Titus, and Timothy at his side again. {But} The men remained at Troas a week so that they might fellowship with the believers there. Perhaps they were also waiting for the departure of the next ship. {But they are waiting there; and as they are waiting there,} Luke gives us a brief report of a local church service in Troas, and from it we learn something of how these early Christians met and worshipped the Lord.] It says in… Acts 20:7 (LSB)-- 7 And on the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began speaking to them, intending to leave the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight. “On the first day of the week”-- Now note the very first phrase: on the first day of the week,. This is actually the first reference in the book of Acts to Christian worship taking place on Sunday rather than on the seventh day (the Sabbath). And this day of course came to be known as “the Lord’s Day” because it was the day on which the Lord Jesus had risen from the dead (Rev. 1:10). So that alone gave the first day of the week an amazing significance. But keep in mind that it was also on the first day of the week that the Holy Spirit had come at Pentecost and birthed the Christian Church. And so the first day of the week became (for multiple reasons) the primary day of worship. Now as the Church was just starting off, they would (during those early years) still [maintain some of the Jewish traditions, such as the hours of prayer (Acts 3:1). But as time went on, they moved away from the Mosaic calendar and developed their own pattern of worship as the Spirit taught them.] In The Evening— Now the second thing that we see from this verse is that the church met in the evening. And the reason [the church met in the evening {was} because {keep in mind that} Sunday was not a holiday during which people were free from daily employments.] Some of you may remember the days when that was the case here in the states. But sadly, that is not the case now and certainly wasn’t during these times.} And keep in mind that some of these believers were slaves; and so they couldn’t come to church until they had finished their duties. Now these early believers didn’t have any church building in which they could meet, and so they would meet in the private homes of believers. And this room was likely in the private home (or was the home) of one of the believers. And these believers would have been of all different nationalities and social statuses. But none of that mattered anymore. As far as they were concerned, they were “all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28). to break bread— Now the fellowship of these early believers was a beautiful thing. They would fellowship around a “potluck” meal that they called a “love feast” (agape). And after they would finish eating, they would observe the Lord’s Supper together (Acts 2:42; 1 Cor. 11:17–34). And that is what we see here in their breaking bread together. Here in Acts 20:7 we have reference to Lord’s Supper and then Acts 20:11 describes the regular meal that would have preceded it. And remember how we talked before about how (in that culture; particularly Jewish culture) to eat with someone was to show commonality with them. That is why if two parties were at enmity with one another and sought restoration, that restoration would never be considered complete until they had shared a meal together. That is part of what made the story of Zacchaeus so powerful. Jesus shared a meal with him that showed they had commonality and peace between each other; and more so, that there was peace between Zacchaeus and God. And of course we also need to understand the Marriage Supper of the Lamb in light of that custom because in that meal is the consummation of our restoration to God. And these “love feasts” were beautiful pictures of the healing that had taken place across social and racial lines in those communities, as men and women of different races and social statuses (think about it, even slaves and their masters) were eating, sharing, and enjoying fellowship with one another as equals under Jesus Christ. That was something never heard of before; and that alone bore such an incredible witness to those communities (and to the world). And I love how that fellowship and unity was built around Thanksgiving; the remembrance of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for us. Now you and I sometimes worry that taking communion too often will cause it to become simply routine and we will miss (or grow cold to) the blessings involved. And that may be true. But the early Christians had it at least once a week as a group and many of them likely, even when they were by themselves during their regular meals at home, would conclude their own personal meals by taking the bread and wine. Now Scripture doesn’t give us any specific command to do this (“as often”, 1 Cor. 11:26); but what it shows is that they wanted to keep before them always that reminder of what Jesus had done for them. For them, Thanksgiving (Eucharist, which comes from the Greek word for Thanksgiving) wasn’t once a year, it was all the time. And that is a beautiful thing. And it challenges us also to live every day in that spirit of Thanksgiving. The Lord’s Message-- Now another thing we see in this passage is the centrality of the Word of God, which was always preached in these Christian churches. And this involved [the public reading of the Old Testament Scriptures (1 Tim. 4:13) as well as whatever apostolic letters had been received (Col. 4:16).] Now sadly, in many churches nowadays, we find the Word of God being neglected. Many (even Christians) know very little of what the Word of God actually says and therefore are unequipped to defend themselves against those who (by twisting the original meaning of the Word of God) might lead them astray. That is why any strong Church will be a Biblically literate one. Paul himself writes in… 2 Timothy 4:2 (ESV)-- 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. The Decadent Periods-- And as Dr. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones once said “the decadent periods and eras in the history of the church have always been those periods when preaching has declined”] The Power of The Book-- An unknown writer said, "This Book is the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding; its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveler's map, the pilgrim's staff, the pilot's compass, the soldier's sword, and the Christian's character. Here paradise is restored, heaven opened, and the gates of hell disclosed. Christ is its grand subject, our good its design, and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently, prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure. Follow its precepts and it will lead you to Calvary, to the empty tomb, to a resurrected life in Christ; yes, to glory itself, for eternity." Bearing Testimony— And so today, let us commit to know and walk in keeping with the Word of God; and in doing so we will (through our unity and holy love for one another) bear testimony to the world of the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Amen. Hello, and welcome to Lechem Panim. If you have your Bible, go ahead and turn with me to Acts chapter 20. We will look at verses 1-6 today. And as you are turning there, let me remind you that Paul is preparing at this point to leave the city of Ephesus due to a riot that has taken place, caused by Demetrius (a silversmith who made silver shrines of Artemis/Diana). He saw how Paul’s message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ was pulling people away from worship of Artemis and therefore hurting his business; and so he riles up all the other craftsmen in similar trades and instigates a riot. Now the riot is quelled, but apparently Paul took this riot as a sign that it was time for him to put his plan to go to Jerusalem (and eventually to Rome) into motion. And so it says…
Acts 20:1 (LSB)— 1 Now after the uproar had ceased, Paul having summoned and exhorted the disciples, said farewell and left to go to Macedonia. Visiting His Church-- Now the reason the Paul wanted to visit Macedonia first was because he wanted to collect an offering for the much poorer church in Jerusalem; but also he wanted to pay at least one more visit to these various churches that he had helped to found in that region. And that was because he deeply cared for every single one of those churches. We see in 2 Corinthians 11:23–28 that the "The care of all the churches" was his greatest joy and (at the same time) his heaviest burden. He wasn’t just a preacher; he was a pastor; he was a shepherd, one who truly loved each and every person he ministered to. He was the kind of pastor who worried constantly about his spiritual children and would do anything he could to minister to their physical and spiritual needs. Departing for Macedonia-- And so he leaves Ephesus and begins heading towards Macedonia and Achaia (Acts 19:21). He probably went first to Philippi. Now we know that sometime during his final days in Ephesus, after writing 1 Corinthians, Paul had had a considerable amount of conflict with the Corinthian church. He visited them (likely by sea); and what he saw grieved his heart. And upon returning to Ephesus he wrote to them a “tearful” letter, which we see in 2 Corinthians 7:8-9 that he at first regretted having sent. He had sender’s remorse. I don’t know if that has ever happened to you. The Angry Letter-- I remember a number of years ago, when I was just starting off in ministry, I made some typical mistakes that many new pastors make. And one was that I was too willing to absorb elements of ministry I had no business absorbing. I was preaching three times a week, visiting many people in their homes and in the hospitals (most of which were far away) leading prayer meetings, sometimes leading Sunday school, leading a monthly men’s breakfast, leading a monthly Veteran’s home ministry, and then being the chief organizer of most of our church events. Anywhere where there was slack, I thought it was my duty to be a nice pastor and pick it up. And I remember one day in particular when the lady doing the bulletin at that time said that it had become too much for her and she would have to give it up. Well, who do you think volunteered to do it? I did. And while I was at it, I also absorbed all the secretarial duties (us not having a secretary at the time). And all the while I felt I was being a good pastor. It was only later I realized how much this absorbing way of doing ministry can actually damage a church and cripple its ministries (because nothing is getting done as well when one person is doing most of it); and so I learned to take a more biblical approach and started delegating. And I also learned the freeing power of “no”; politely refusing those things that are not part of what God wanted me to do; and which are also opportunities for somebody else to step up and find their place within the body of Christ. But it was in that time and context of absorbing that I had a member of my congregation criticize me in a very harsh and unfair way, implying I wasn’t doing enough. And I went home very angry. And I sat down and wrote an angry letter, which basically laid out everything I was doing and was lashing back at this person. But (thank the Lord) I showed it to my mentor first, a wonderful man of God that I owe so much to, especially in those early years of ministry. He listened as I read aloud my angry letter and said “Cameron, everything you said was true. But you can’t deliver it.” And I was bummed about that. But I listened and instead allowed myself to cool down and addressed the issue in a much calmer and wiser fashion. And you know what, looking back I realize now that virtually no one in my church had any idea how much I had absorbed. Not even my board knew. Stuff was getting done but I never was communicating what it was I was doing. It was a complete failure of communication on my part. And so this person’s criticism (although not based on fact) was actually my fault, not theirs. And if I had delivered my angry letter, I would have wounded that person (and maybe my church) irreparably. Burning the First Letter— You know it’s interesting, [When Abraham Lincoln had to write a letter to someone who had irritated him, he would often write two letters. The first letter was deliberately insulting. Then, having gotten those feelings out of his system, he would tear it up and write a second letter, this one tactful and discreet.] And that is a very good practice. Testing The Waters-- Now here in this passage, Paul wasn’t worried about the truth of what he wrote as much as whether or not he was too severe. And we will never know exactly what he wrote because that epistle has been lost; and maybe that was a God-thing. But whatever the case, he had sent it. And now that he’s getting ready to leave Ephesus, he wants to visit Corinth again. However, in light of this harsh letter that he sent, he is afraid of how he might be received by the church there. And so what does he do? He sends Titus ahead of him to “test the waters” at Corinth. And in the meantime (after leaving Ephesus (Acts 20:1), he doesn’t head directly to Corinth by sea. Instead he goes north, [visiting the Christian communities along the way and hoping to meet up with Titus returning from Corinth.] And so he goes [to Troas, and then possibly on to other churches in Macedonia (2 Cor. 2:12-13).] And it is in the region of [Macedonia (perhaps at Philippi, Thessalonica, or Berea) {that} Titus finally joined him and brought the good news that the church {in Corinth} had repented of its opposition to Paul's leadership and had become reconciled to him (2 Cor. 7:5-16). {And so no doubt with huge joy and relief} Paul then wrote 2 Corinthians.] So he’s in Macedonia. And it says in… Acts 20:2-3 (LSB)-- 2 And when he had gone through those districts and had given them much exhortation, he came to Greece {(the greek word is [“Hellas”, which is simply another name for the province of Achaia, where Corinth was located.])}. 3 And there he spent three months, and when a plot was formed against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia. Paul’s Stay in Corinth-- And so we see that Paul stays in Corinth for three months. He [had originally planned to make two visits to Corinth (2 Cor. 1:15-16), but instead he made one visit that lasted three months (Acts 20:3; 1 Cor. 16:5-6).] These were [likely the winter months (see 1 Cor. 16:6), when sea travel was more dangerous.] And it is during this final trip to Corinth that Paul writes his letter to the Romans (c. A.D. 57). And in that letter he explains why he wants to go to Jerusalem, and that was {not just to encourage and strengthen the Christians in those churches, but also} for the purpose of taking an offering [from his Gentile churches to the needy Christians in Jerusalem]. The Church there was very poor and needed a lot of support. And Paul sought to provide that by any means possible. And that was one of his main reasons for revisiting the churches of Macedonia and Achaia this final time, which took Paul [to the churches of Berea, Thessalonica, and Philippi.] He wanted to collect money for that offering. And verses 4-5 tell us… Acts 20:4 (LSB)-- 4 And he was accompanied by Sopater of Berea, the son of Pyrrhus, and by Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians, and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia. Church Representation-- Now these [men who accompanied him (Acts 20:4) were {official} representatives of the churches, appointed to travel with Paul and help handle the funds (2 Cor. 8:18-24).] [Their presence would give safety from robbery and also would provide a public guarantee of Paul's integrity in handling the funds. The men listed here (Acts 20:4) as accompanying Paul represent all the areas of his missionary work. And it says… Acts 20:5 (LSB)-- 5 But these had gone on ahead and were waiting for us at Troas. A Jewish Plot-- Now although Paul would have sailed from Corinth, we see that there is a plot by the unbelieving Jews to kill him at sea. And sadly (as was almost always the case) that plot came from Paul’s own fellow countrymen (cf. 2 Cor. 11:26). And remember that [The Jewish community of Corinth {in particular} hated Paul because of its humiliating debacle before Gallio (18:12-17), and the stunning conversions of two of its most prominent leaders, Crispus (18:8) and Sosthenes (18:17; 1 Cor. 1:1).] And so some of that Jewish group there in Corinth are plotting to kill Paul. Now [Luke does not record the details of the Jews’ plot, but it undoubtedly involved murdering Paul during the voyage to Syria. The apostle would have been an easy target on a small ship packed with Jewish pilgrims.] They could very easily have pushed him overboard and made Paul (as a Cicilian might say) “sleep with the fishes.” And so (because of this plot) he has to instead travel north [overland through Achaia and Macedonia, {then cross the Aegean Sea to Asia Minor,} sailing from Philippi to Troas, where his “team” agreed to rendezvous.] And so it says… Acts 20:6 (LSB)-- 6 And we sailed from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread, and came to them at Troas within five days; {(it was no doubt due to unfavorable winds that this crossing took 5 days, because when Paul had crossed earlier from Troas to Neapolis (Philippi’s port) it had only taken two days (16:11). But nevertheless, they arrive there at Troas and Luke writes:)} and there we stayed seven days. And next week we will see what happens to Paul during those seven days. But as we close out time together today, I want to encourage you to be courageous enough to speak the truth in love (as Paul learned to do). Learn to burn the first letter. Secondly, we (like Paul) need to always be seeking to meet the needs of other people. There is always at least one person who needs our compassion and love. And we need to be faithful to help them (as Paul was). And thirdly, let us (as we follow Christ) expect opposition and neither be surprised nor afraid when it surfaces. God will be our shield during those times and (even in persecution) will work out His plans and purposes in an amazing way. And so let us trust in Him. Amen. |
Rev. Cameron Ury graduated from Asbury University in 2007 with a B.A. in Bible and Theology. From there he continued his studies at Wesley Biblical Seminary in Jackson, MS. It was there that he met his wife Tanya, who graduated from WBS with her M.A. and M.Div. degrees. Cameron and Tanya got married in 2009. Cameron then graduated with his M.Div. degree with a pastoral concentration in 2011.
After shepherding churches in both Mississippi and Ohio, they joined the ministry team at Renton Park Chapel in January of 2018, where Cameron serves as Senior Pastor and Teacher. Cameron is also the founder and host of Lechem Panim, a weekly radio show that airs on KGNW 820AM "The Word Seattle". The ministry of Lechem Panim is centered around leading people into the life-giving presence of God in and through Bible study, prayer, and active discipleship with the aim of ministering to a world that is in desperate need of the healing touch of Jesus Christ. Archives
August 2022
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