They all come for violence; Their faces are set like the east wind. God often reveals himself in most unexpected ways. These folks all hung on every word Philip spoke. But I am most reluctant to conclude that the Bible does not mean what it rather clearly states. Jesus changes Paul from a persecutor of Christ to a preacher of Christ. But Jesus changes the life of Tychicus, and uses Christians to bring the good news about Jesus Christ to him and Tychichus trusts in Jesus. RT063 - God uses unlikely tools to accomplish His will! Ezra 1:2. They are not only useful but they are preserved, they are permanent, we want to keep them. Thus, one can marvel at the ways that God uses very unlikely, seemingly unqualified people to bring about extraordinary things—like the birth of the Savior. Now he will mean much more to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord. " He sent His son to pay a most costly price for the sin of His people, for those who trust in Him.
God has given every Christian at least one spiritual gift so that we may edify (or build up) the body of Christ (Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12; Ephesians 4:11-13; 1 Peter 4:10-11). It was the tech team, the web master, the secretary, or whoever posted my sermon on line. I met with others who had been rapists, murderers and child abusers, men whose lives were changed, who were now listening to, and rejoicing in, the Scriptures. The Lord even tells Moses to do it, "divide it! " Aristarchus has such a sympathetic heart to the sufferings of others that he voluntarily cares for Paul while in prison. You have to claim them; you have to go after them. How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? God uses unbelievers to accomplish his will and will. 33 In humiliation justice was taken from him. Assyria had fallen when Nineveh, its capitol, was destroyed in 612 BC. Were they to voluntarily all drown? In fact, in the ninth chapter of Romans, the 21st through the 23rd verses, the apostle uses this very same figure about vessels of mercy contrasted with vessels of wrath. 22 You were taught with reference to your former way of life to lay aside the old man who is being corrupted in accordance with deceitful desires, 23 to be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and to put on the new man who has been created in God's image – in righteousness and holiness that comes from truth (Ephesians 4:17-24).
We know we live in a day like Timothy did, a day of tremendous pressure, a day of great possibility. Eventually, Pharaoh decided to use the Jews for slave labor. Look at verse 12: "Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God.
It does include that. I am sure God has many reasons for doing the things He does in the way and timing of His choosing, but let's consider some likely reasons He used Moses, a sinner, to be the instrument of His sovereign, miraculous work of dividing the Red Sea. This is a desert road. ) Finally, he is "ready for any good work. "
16 "(For you know how we lived in the land of Egypt and how we crossed through the nations as we traveled. You have to assert yourself along these lines. God could have had the earth swallow up the Amalekites. Our prayers aline us with God's eternal decree. The Jews coming out of the exile were in exactly the same position. It can happen anywhere, anytime.
At times, the logs will "jam, " forming a kind of dam, thus preventing the logs from moving downstream. 8 In Acts 21:8, he is called "Philip the evangelist. However, he had Aaron and Hur hold up Moses' arms and had Joshua lead the armies of Israel. Demas: The one who would quit (4:14b). "The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent. " He could not figure out whether Isaiah was speaking of himself, or of someone else. This is the attitude of the evil heart in all ages. Jesus uses Aristarchus to be a sympathetic companion. "I appeal to you to show kindness to my child, Onesimus. God also used Moses to deliver the Ten Commandments, which many Jews and Christians still follow to this day. God uses unbelievers to accomplish his will not work correctly. And in the gospel of Luke, which Luke wrote…Luke mentions his careful study and investigation into the truth about Jesus Christ. He does this for obvious reasons.
God used those who obeyed Him, those who sought Him, and those who opposed Him to accomplish salvation, and thus to glorify Himself. Saul is perhaps the most strategic person of all. Look, the Lord is ready to pass by. " That is a word that has a permanence about it: One is permanently set aside in God's mind for useful purposes, for thrilling, exciting, adventurous discoveries of being used by God. Furthermore, Peter told Simon that he had "no share or part in this matter" (Acts 8:21). 10 Unlikely People God Used to Accomplish His Will. He asked him, "Do you understand what you're reading? " Colossians shows Jesus is like no other in power and wisdom. You have to say "No" to those assertive, dogmatic, prideful, conceited positions that are exploited all around us today -- and which are often applauded by Christian groups -- if you want God to use you. I grant you we are not dealing with the whole question of the sovereignty of God here. His birth as a baby who would grow up, suffer and die was most unexpected. Moses had great faith! In those days, tax collectors were essentially considered the scum of the earth, because it was rumored that they often cheated other people out of money by overcharging on taxes and pocketing some of that money for themselves.
From this point on, there was great hostility between the Jews and the Samaritans. God uses unbelievers to accomplish his will and testament. Jesus uses those with education and special skills. In this period of Judah's last kings, the Prophets warned of the fulfillment of this covenant promise. Third, by viewing the gift of the Spirit as a commodity to be bought and sold, he implied that this was a matter of works, not of grace. For years, Simon had been amazing the folks of this Samaritan city – and the rest of Samaria – with his magic.
A number of believers were scattered throughout Samaria (Acts 1:2). In fact, the Messiah is referred to as the Son of David quite often through Scripture, and God made David a promise that no one would ever fail to sit on his throne. God used Judas, placing him in the apostolic band. Does God work His plan through non-believers as well. I never have been, and I'm not now, even though you have spoken to me. 8 So there was great joy in that city (Acts 8:4-8). 26 Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Get up and go south on the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. They heap judgment on themselves. Simon made no attempt to correct the popular misconception. I think the answer is: the Word of God, the Spirit of God, and the testimony of this man of God.
It may be that we misappropriate the grace of God for the praise of men and ego satisfaction. He must have paid a high price for his copy of Scripture. There he met an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasury. There is no thrill like the thrill of being used of God. Aristarchus: The one with a sympathetic heart (4:10a). Then, once you have done that, the positive is possible. He was seeking to upgrade his previous performance. We find it in Matthew 5:2, where Jesus began to teach the Sermon on the Mount.
But all things will always work together for His glory in the we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. At best, this reveals an inadequate grasp of doctrine.