Just Invest: Application from Acts
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“Paul knew godly affection could speak to the lost world.”
When walking from main service to C&YA, I can always expect Brandon to preach the word, usually cry a little, and for God to use him to pierce the strongholds I have built in my heart. The Lord has continued this work on me throughout his preaching in Acts recently. One of the sermons that hit harder for me was in Acts 20. Here we can see examples from the early church on how we are to properly love each other. At the beginning of the sermon, I could feel my confidence rising. I thought I had a good grasp on loving people. I have been going to Midtown for over six years now, so I know how to act like a “loving” Christian. I can give a nice hug, throw out a “Love you, brother,” or even graciously bestow you a “Yeah I’ll be praying for that, bro.” As the sermon continued, I grew more and more convicted with how shallow I had become compared to the qualities of the early Christians. What hit me even harder was that these qualities that I lacked were some of the very things God used to bring me to Midtown.
As I continue, I am going to speak about my dear friend Montana Rex. The Lord used his investment in me to teach me love and to grow me as a believer. I couldn’t help but think of his investment in my early walk as Brandon was preaching this sermon.
Our Embrace
Act 20:1 - And after the uproar was ceased, Paul called unto him the disciples, and embraced them, and departed for to go into Macedonia.
There was a lot to this verse, but in short, what we can see is that Paul was a hugger. He valued the display of affection physically. We can see in Romans 16:16, that at one point in time, he even encouraged the people to greet each other with a holy kiss. This was not just something he did passively but he was intentional in making it a priority. I had to ask myself, why was this so important to Paul? Well, because the world displays it so horribly. Its form of love is often opportunistic, and when not beneficial, it becomes cold and distant. Paul knew godly affection could speak to the lost world. Jesus Christ says in John 13:35, “By this shall all [men] know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
When reflecting on this, I know it reigned true because it was something I noticed when I first started coming around Midtown. I remember being so surprised by the number of hugs I would get when visiting. The people just loved hugging, and when I think about Midtown hugs, I think about Montana. The dude was not afraid to give you a giant hug when you walked through the door. And even though they felt like I was embracing a giant lumberjack or maybe a bear, Montana broke down a lot of barriers I might have been putting up. Now, obviously, I am not saying everyone needs to be hugged, but the way we greet and embrace people plays a huge part in how we show that we care.
The guys in my Bible study need to know that I love them and that I want to hear about their lives. How can they possibly feel comfortable speaking about the deep things of their heart to me when I can’t simply greet them with something like a hug or kind word?
“...giving in a way that hurts truly tests how much you actually care.”
Our Giving
Act 20:2-6 And when he had gone over those parts, and had given them much exhortation, he came into Greece, 3 And [there] abode three months. And when the Jews laid wait for him, as he was about to sail into Syria, he purposed to return through Macedonia. 4 And there accompanied him into Asia Sopater of Berea; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timotheus; and of Asia, Tychicus and Trophimus. 5 These going before tarried for us at Troas. 6 And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came unto them to Troas in five days; where we abode seven days.
Now, I encourage you to look more into verses 2-6 to have a better understanding of it, but this is something that stood out greatly to me. Once you look into Acts 11 and Romans 15, you’ll see that Paul was taking a love offering to the believers in Jerusalem who were currently going through a famine. The believers in the early church knew that their brethren in Jerusalem were suffering and in need, so they sacrificially gave. Brandon’s point was that our love will be displayed in the sacrifice of our possessions.
It is easy to say that you love someone, but giving in a way that hurts truly tests how much you actually care. This could look like giving to some missionary overseas, or it could look like paying for a visitor's lunch or maybe giving someone a ride to church. When meditating on Brandon’s point, I again couldn’t help but think of the investments Montana made in me.
When we first met, I was 17, a high schooler, and the definition of broke. I probably had 20 dollars to my name. The first Bible study I went to I remember he got me a coffee. I also lived far from Midtown at the time, so he drove me often. I also usually didn’t have money for lunch after church so he bought it for me. I am so grateful looking back at this because not having those things would have been plenty of reason in my heart to stop coming. God provided for me greatly through Montana and catered to me physically while I lacked spiritually. As I reflect on this, my heart breaks thinking about how reluctant I can be when it comes to giving someone a ride or buying them a meal. I can often view sacrificial giving as a burden and not an opportunity to show love. We have the awesome opportunity to show the love of Christ through sacrifice. A meal or a ride or even just a cup of coffee could mean the world to someone. And what is cool is that in those sacrifices, God can use it to open up someone's heart.
Our Time
Mark 20:7 And upon the first [day] of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.
It is amazing to see how much time the early believers gave to learning from Paul and investing in one another. Brandon spoke to the fact that they would often gather early every day before work to fellowship and hear from God's word. Time is something extremely important to me, yet I don’t know if I necessarily see it as precious. I am more selfish with it. If I truly viewed it as precious, I wouldn’t waste it away doing what I want.
One of the things I remember in my early days of coming to Midtown was my weekly Wednesday meet-ups with Montana. We would grab coffee before I went to school in the mornings, catch up, and dive into the word. I am sure half the time I was not engaged, or nothing productive got done, but I know the Lord used these times to grow my heart towards his word and my friendship with Montana. The point of mentioning all of that is I am sure that it was not always convenient for him to make the Bible study happen, yet he willingly provided a consistent meet-up with me. He saw it as a proper way to spend his time in the morning.
I am definitely guilty of selfishly withholding my time. I often struggle with giving it away to others, especially when it is something consistent, and especially in the morning. The key that Brandon gave to this verse is that our love is displayed by the time we spend with one another. Those consistent meet-ups before school showed Montana’s commitment to investing in me. I knew I could trust him and was willing to hear what he had to say. I knew that he valued investing in me. In my own life, I often expect I can change someone's life if I give up a couple of hours on a Sunday evening. But it requires more. The investment made in me in my early years took time and consistency. Real long-lasting relationships take time.
“Do I really love these people the way I should?”
At the end of the sermon, I was left evaluating the relationships I have in the church. I had to ask myself a lot of hard questions: Do I really love these people the way I should? When was the last time I gave up a Saturday to do a Bible study with someone? Remember that one time that person needed a ride and you gave them a lame excuse? It is honestly wicked how selfish we can become. I use Montana as an example of someone the Lord used in my life. I didn’t do this to say he’s perfect, he's a sinner just like you and me, and he’s definitely failed me before. I point him out because he is someone I can look back on and know that the Lord used to display his love for me. I’ll ask you the same question I have been asking myself for a while now: Who are you investing in? Would someone point out how the Lord used you in their life?
Joel Springer is a member at Midtown Baptist Temple and is a part of C&YA. He serves on the Hospitality Ministry, Design Ministry and is a part of one of the UMKC Men’s Bible studies.