Do You Have A Heart For Ministry?

But since we were torn away from you brothers for a short time, in person not in heart,

we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face.

Because we wanted to come to you, I Paul again and again, but Satan hindered us.

For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord at his coming? Is it not you?

You are our glory and joy.

Making disciples is just part and parcel of the Christian life, isn't it?

Not only did Jesus explicitly command us to do it, that's the heart of the Great Commission, right?

There's really only one imperative in the Great Commission in Matthew 28,

and it's to go and make disciples of all nations.

But Jesus didn't only command it.

And wanting to help other people know and follow Jesus is part of the transformation

that God does in us when he saves us.

Think about your conversion.

Everything in your life up to that point was for you, ultimately, foundationally.

You pursued your desires.

You pursued your affections.

You pursued your sin.

Everything that you wanted out of life, you pursued it.

And then you were introduced to Christ, and you realized that all the things you were pursuing,

whether it be sin or philosophies, whatever it was, all of those things were wrong.

That they were not leading you to satisfaction in life.

They were leading you to death and eternal separation from God.

That it was actually going to be unsatisfying in your life.

And then you found Christ to be the satisfaction, right?

You make a switch.

Everything changes at that point, doesn't it?

All of your goals change.

Your affections change.

That's not because you change them.

It's because God does this work in you.

He transforms you.

He transforms everything.

Now you think, behold, all things are become new, Paul says.

A part of that transformation is this progressive change whereby we are turning away from worldly pursuits,

maybe good pursuits that just are not the best pursuits, and we begin to pursue other things.

One of the things we begin to pursue is the discipling of other people.

We want other people to know Jesus.

We want to help other people faithfully follow him.

And if you're a Christian, you will happily engage in discipling others when given opportunities to do it.

In fact, a genuine believer who is an unwilling participant in gospel work is an anomaly, if not even an impossibility.

Still, being willing to participate in gospel work is not exactly the same as having a heart to do it.

We understand that, right?

We acknowledge everybody has passions, right?

We all have things that we love, things that we give ourselves to, and that's different for all of us.

I may be a willing participant if Shane ever invites me to his house to watch Lord of the Rings.

I may be happy to sit with my friend and endure 18 hours worth of little men, hairy men that are doing some weird thing with a ring.

I may be a willing participant in that.

I may even experience some kind of joy in the process of it.

I'm not going to feel that in the same way that Shane does because he loves it, doesn't he?

It's a passion for him in some sense.

He's going to pursue that in a different kind of way.

We understand the difference, right?

There's a difference between being happy to be involved with something, but then actually having a passion for it, having a heart to do it.

And it's a casual approach to discipleship that really is driven largely by convenience and ease that plagues many Christians in our context, isn't it?

Again, it's not that we're unwilling to engage in gospel work.

Most of us really, honestly, we would be thrilled if somebody we know came to us today and asked us about our faith.

We would be so overjoyed if somebody came and sought counsel from us.

If we could just take our Bible and help them know how to be a better Christian or a more faithful, we would be so happy to do that.

However, a heart that is driven to that, a heart that's driven by that experience, eludes many of us, maybe all of us to some extent.

So that rather than having gospel ministry as a priority of our lives, it becomes almost an optional matter.

We squeeze it in when we can, and we're happy when it works.

Unfortunately, it's easy to get so busy giving our hearts to other endeavors that we even eventually begin to miss those clear opportunities that the Lord gives us, isn't it?

We give our hearts to so many things.

We give our time to so many things.

How much time, how much affection, how much heart are we giving to the work of the Lord?

Christ calls us to something different than that, something actually greater than this.

The Christians we read about in the New Testament, they immerse themselves in the life of the church.

They focus tremendous effort on making disciples in their communities around the world.

But those efforts were born from a heart-level desire to participate with God in His saving work.

And Paul is one of the clearest examples of this that we find anywhere in the Scriptures.

And through his letter to the Thessalonian church, we discover what it looks like when someone has a heart for ministry.

Not that they're just happy to be involved when it works out.

But what does it look like when somebody really is giving themselves to gospel work and gospel ministry?

I think our text helps us get a glimpse of that.

And I pray that the Lord will use it to shape our own hearts this morning.

Just three things here to point out.

A heart for ministry has an unrelenting desire to minister to people.

As an unrelenting desire to minister to people.

Again, not mere willingness, but a serious desire and affection that drives intentional effort and action.

Okay?

Verse 17.

Paul says,

You see the two portions here, the two categories.

There is desire.

There's affection on one hand in this verse.

And that affection is driving effort, action in the second half of the verse.

Now it's Luke that records for us in Acts chapter 17 the explanation of how Paul's time ended so abruptly and dramatically in Thessalonica.

Acts 17 · chapter mention

He had enjoyed a relatively short season of fruitful ministry there.

The church is coming together.

A few people have been saved.

They're excited about serving the Lord.

And a group of jealous Jews were told incites a mob against Paul.

Violent mob.

And he and his team, which included Silas and Timothy, were forced to escape the city.

They had to leave quickly under cover of night.

And then what we find here in verse 17 is Paul is addressing them after that fact.

And what we find is that since their escape, Paul and Silas and Timothy worked relentlessly to do what?

To try to go back.

They've been forced out.

And now they're doing everything that they can to get back to Thessalonica.

But why?

Because their heart's desire was to be with them.

But Paul's heart's desire was not merely to be with them, but to be with them in a particular way.

His unrelenting desire was to continue ministering the gospel to them.

Discipling them in the faith.

These young believers who are being abused and persecuted by unbelievers.

He's concerned for them.

He's worried for them.

He wants to get to them so that he can serve the gospel.

So he can strengthen their faith.

So he can help establish and strengthen them.

As a fledgling congregation there in Thessalonica.

And this desire that he has in his heart, it's oozing out of the language that he uses here.

Let's look first at the affection with which he speaks.

He references his departure as being torn away.

Literally, orphaned is the word here.

Since we were orphaned from you, Paul says.

The extent to which we feel loss is directly linked to the measure of our affection for that thing or for that person.

If you lose a pen and it means nothing to you, you won't worry too much over it.

But when you have an heirloom handed down to you maybe from a family member or a loved one.

And it gets misplaced or it gets lost.

It matters, doesn't it?

It bothers us.

We feel loss for the thing because of our affection for the thing.

Paul's affection for the Thessalonians is so great that being forced to leave them felt like being, quote,

torn away from his own family, orphaned.

That's pretty tremendous love.

But their separation wasn't hopeless, was it?

He says that it was only for a short time.

Now at the time of this letter, we know Paul hasn't been back to Thessalonica.

He doesn't know if he's going to be back to Thessalonica.

He's at Corinth at the time.

Who knows if he'll actually be able to make it back.

So how can he actually say this?

How can he say that their separation is but for a short time?

Of course, maybe he's not talking about going back to Thessalonica at all.

Maybe, as is a common theme through the letter, he's got his eyes on the coming of Christ.

Acknowledging that even if he doesn't make it back now, he's confident that they would at least be reunited at Christ's return.

All we were torn away, but it's only for a short time.

Ultimately, we'll be brought back together when our Lord returns.

The gospel assures us of this, doesn't it?

Even in the letter, even in his moments of personal correspondence, he's ministering the gospel.

That's where his heart was.

Reminding them that any sense of separation that we feel now, whether in life or in death, we understand as believers, that's but temporary.

It's but for a short time.

The gospel gives us hope of a certain future.

We will be reunited together when he returns.

Paul may have been torn away in person, but his heart was still with them.

And it's this affection that helps convey this unrelenting desire to get back there and minister further.

It's an affection that we must cultivate if we're ever to have a heart for gospel ministry that looks anything like Paul's heart.

But it's not just affection here, is it?

That affection is doing something.

It's leading to something in the text.

It's leading to action.

Action.

Paul's affection for the people drove him to intentional effort.

He says, since being torn away from them, he, quote, endeavored more eagerly and with great desire to see them face to face, to get back.

Paul and his team, they didn't wait for opportunities to present themselves.

No, they labored.

Relentlessly, even it seems, to find ways to minister to the people.

That's what a heart for gospel ministry does.

It has an unrelenting desire to minister the gospel to people, to disciple people, to share the gospel with people.

And what we find here in Paul's example, this is why it's so convicting.

What we find here in Paul's example is it's a far cry from the convenience-based form of ministry that pervades our hearts.

When's the last time you could say that you endeavored more eagerly and with great desire to minister the gospel to someone else?

That your priority at that moment was to do whatever you could to remove any obstacle possible that you could

in order that you could go and serve the gospel to that person, to comfort them in Christ, to share the truth with them?

Why so different for Paul than for us?

It's not a difference in calling or gifting, though Paul had a unique call and was certainly a gifted apostle.

But that's not the key difference here.

It's the spiritual cultivation of a heart that prioritizes gospel work.

I think that's the difference.

It's not that Paul's example is unattainable.

It's just that he cultivated a heart to do this thing.

Now, there's one more thing that's worth our note here in this verse.

Paul's desire is further demonstrated in his effort to see them in a particular way.

Did you pick up on that in verse 17?

We endeavored more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face.

This is a portion of the text that is especially relevant today, isn't it?

I find it actually maybe the most convicting thing here.

Face to face, personal, embodied presence with these people

so that he might most effectively and fruitfully minister the gospel to you.

Communication technology can be wonderfully helpful to gospel ministry.

It really can.

It can also render it powerless and ineffective

when our use of it is really aimed at efficiency more than effective ministry.

Here's what I mean.

We're in an age where the prevailing thought,

and probably my prevailing thought is,

why schedule a meeting when an email will do?

Why go to coffee if we can just make a phone call?

Why make a phone call if a text message will suffice?

Why go through all the trouble to type out 10 words in a text message

when you can just give the thumbs up, right?

This is how we think, isn't it?

And it's not all bad.

Efficiency can be a good thing.

And I'm certainly not saying that use of communication technology

is something we should avoid in gospel ministry.

That's not at all what I'm saying.

Clearly, Paul is using communication technology in this letter.

He's writing a letter because at this time, he can't be with them.

And yet he uses what's available to him in the moment

to minister the gospel, to minister effectively as he can

to the people in Thessalonica.

But he understood the different implicit, explicitly here in the verse.

He understands that there is a power in the written word,

but it pales in comparison to the power of personal embodied presence

to effectively minister to someone.

When it comes to gospel ministry,

we might do well to kind of reverse the typical thought.

Why send a text message when I can call them

and I can hear their voice and they can hear mine?

Why call them when I can take the time

to sit down and show my heart and bear my heart in a letter?

Why sit down and bear my heart in a letter

when I could change my schedule to go to their home

or sit down at coffee or invite them into my home

in order that I might especially encourage them in the faith?

Do you see?

There's something here for us.

We'll miss it if we don't pay attention, but it's there.

Oh, I just wanted more than anything to see you face to face

because Paul knew the most effective ministry

happens when we are embodied in presence with someone else.

Now, can I just encourage you as a church to take this part seriously?

And let me just say, I understand my weakness here.

You know my weakness in this better than anyone.

What must we do?

What must we sacrifice intentionally

in order that we might effectively minister to one another face to face?

Is what we would have to give up worth it?

And I think we'd have to say, almost exclusively,

yes, yes.

What stands between you and embodied ministry to others?

Most often it's just busyness, isn't it?

We're busy.

We're too busy.

What can we do this year to be less busy

so that we can be more intentional in our efforts to one another?

Having that unrelenting desire to minister to one another

the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Secondly,

Heart for Gospel Ministry recognizes

recognizes and fights against Satan's hindrances.

It recognizes and fights against Satan's hindrances.

Look at verse 18.

Because we wanted to come to you.

And then Paul inserts this very personal note.

I, Paul,

again and again,

I wanted to come to you.

And the reason we haven't come to you is not because

we don't want to.

He says,

Satan has hindered us.

Satan's hindered us.

But implicit in his statement is,

though Satan has hindered us,

we keep trying

again and again.

We're trying to overcome the obstacles.

We're trying to get there.

We want to serve you.

We want to be with you.

There's always obstacles to gospel ministry,

isn't there?

And the reason there's always obstacles to gospel ministry

is because we have a real,

real spiritual enemy

fighting against us

every day.

Paul didn't explain exactly

how Satan continued to hinder him.

It's probably many different ways.

But that's not the point anyways.

The point in the statement

is that he recognized Satan's opposition

and he fought against it.

Again and again.

He didn't quit on it.

He wasn't unrelenting.

He was unrelenting.

He pursued it,

recognizing that the obstacles

that were in his way

were not God's obstacles.

They were Satan's obstacles.

And he had the discernment to see that.

Now, I think these traits

are essential marks of those

with a heart for ministry.

They don't easily give in.

But as Peter said,

they're vigilant,

watchful,

faithful to resist the devil in faith,

trusting that God's in control,

leaning on God's providence

in those moments.

Scriptures routinely call us

to be alert to Satan's devices

and fight against them

in the power of the Spirit.

But here's the rub.

How can we know

when a particular obstacle

or hindrance in our life,

a real thing,

a tangible thing,

a hindrance or an obstacle,

how can we know

when that is something

that has been brought to us

by God

because he doesn't want us

to pursue that any further

versus something

that is actually an obstacle

by the evil one

in order to fight against us?

How can we know?

After all,

in Acts 16,

Luke tells us

that there were multiple occasions

where Paul was trying

to go to certain places

to minister,

but it was the Holy Spirit

that hindered him.

And when the Holy Spirit

hindered him,

he submitted to that.

He didn't fight against it.

He submitted to it

and he went a different direction

under the leadership

of the Spirit.

But how can he know

the difference?

How can we?

At least part of the answer

has to come down

to our personal walk

with God,

doesn't it?

If you're a Christian,

God's Spirit dwells in you.

That's a promise

that we have from God

that when he saves us,

he indwells us.

It's a new covenant promise.

It was prophesied

in the Old Testament

that it would happen.

At the day of Pentecost,

it was demonstrated

that it had happened.

And now it's a promise

we cling to

that when God saves us,

he lives within us.

And what is it

that the Spirit

within us does?

Well, the Scriptures

tell us that he guides us

into all truth.

He teaches us his word.

He reminds us

of the things

that Christ taught.

He guides us.

He directs us.

He gives us

the discernment we need

to understand the day.

As we give ourselves

to meditating

on the Scripture,

to communing

with God in prayer,

to gathering

for corporate worship,

all of these things

are ways

that the Holy Spirit

directs and informs

our hearts

in godly wisdom.

There is just

some Christian discernment

that cannot be explained

by any other thing

than the indwelling presence

of the Spirit

at work

through his word

and through his people

in us.

therefore,

we walk

by the Spirit

in faith,

don't we?

We submit

to his direction

and then we persevere

when he exposes

the work

of the devil

in our lives.

You say,

that doesn't really

answer my question.

I don't know

what else to say.

We must lean

on the Lord

in this.

I think there's

something else

here for us

to wrestle with

for just a moment

as it relates

to Paul saying

that Satan

has hindered him.

Paul's doing

a good work,

isn't he?

We understand

why Satan

would want

to hinder him.

We also understand

that God's sovereignty

rules over

the power of Satan.

There is a sense

in which

the problem of evil

that so many people

wrestle with

is something

that we continue

to wrestle with

as believers,

isn't it?

We might come

to a passage

like this

and we see,

look at the effectiveness

of Paul's ministry

in Thessalonica.

Why would God

ever allow

this kind

of hindrance

to stand

in his way

from something

so good?

Maybe we can

wrestle with this

for just a moment.

God is sovereign

over all things.

We believe that.

Even what's possible

for Satan to do.

And I do believe

that we can trust

the Lord

even when the forces

of hell

are at war

against us.

Who else

will we trust?

Now evidence

of this truth

is found

all throughout

the scripture

that what Satan

means for evil

God often uses

for good.

We see that phrase

especially

in the story

of Joseph,

don't we?

We get to the end

of the account.

He's finally reunited

with his brothers.

They think

he's going to kill them

because he's

one of the most

powerful people

in the world now

and they keep

apologizing.

And do you remember

what he said?

He said,

listen,

you meant it

for evil.

God meant it

for good

to save

much people.

There's no way

that as he's

in the pit

in the wilderness

or as he's

in the prison

after being lied

about by Potiphar's

wife,

there's no way

that Joseph

can see

what God's doing.

but he trusts

that God's

doing something.

He knows

that evil

is present

and God

is allowing it

but he trusts

the Lord

in it.

Now is there

any better place

or more

clear place

for us

to see

this truth

so evident

than at the cross?

Jesus himself

on the night

of his arrest

at the last supper

he says

the son of man

goes as it

has been determined

for him to go.

In other words

all of this

is happening

according to

the will

of the father

that was

predetermined

before the world

began.

But then he

pronounces a judgment

on Judas

he says

but woe to him

who betrays

the son of man.

Now how could

it be both ways?

Judas

the Roman soldiers

the Jews

who turned him over

all the people

involved

it was their

real sin

out of their

desire of

indwelling sin

that carried out

those acts

and yet

God was sovereign

over every

evil act

that they

committed

and it was

for man's

ultimate

greatest good

because

God allowed

that evil

tragedy

to take place

to his only

son

we have

eternal salvation

we have

life

we have

forgiveness

and this is

something the

apostles picked up

on

if you read

through the sermons

in the book

of Acts

they mention it

over and over

Peter in particular

that God

determined this

God determined

this

but you

killed him

he said

as he preaches

to the Jews

what does he

mean?

yes there's evil

yes that's a

result of our

own sin

yes there's an

enemy that's

fighting against

us

yes God is

sovereign over

it

yes we can

trust that

he's working

the good for

his people

in all of

those things

and I think

it's with this

view in mind

that we come

to verse 18

when Paul

says Satan

keeps hindering

us

but we keep

fighting

he's fighting

because he's

fighting against

an enemy

he's not

fighting against

God in that

sense

and yet he

trusts the

Lord with it

doesn't he

he trusts the

Lord

so while trusting

God's sovereignty

he fights against

Satan's hindrances

and so should

we

so what does

a heart for

gospel ministry

do?

well it's

unrelenting in

its desire to

minister to

people

it works hard

at it

it's an

intentional

purpose of

life

and when

obstacles get

in the way

it cultivates

through its

own personal

worship

a discernment

to know

is this

something that

God is

telling me to

change course

in or is

this something

I need to

continue to

pursue because

the enemy

is at work

does that

fights against

it

thirdly

a heart for

gospel ministry

is motivated

by the joy

of presenting

others to

Jesus

at his

return

verse 19

Paul says

what is our

hope

or joy

or crown

of boasting

before our

Lord Jesus

at his

coming

is it

not you

he says

you are

our glory

and joy

this is the

purpose statement

for Paul's

longing

for his

desire

it's the

explanation

it reveals

the motivation

to return

to Thessalonica

his hope

to present

these Christians

and others

to Jesus

when he

comes

and returns

his joy

was for God

to use him

to make more

disciples for

Christ

his reward

to be a

witness

of those

to whom

he ministered

the gospel

to see them

escape God's

judgment

that's what's

motivating him

here

at least in the

text

right

he's got

this desire

he's fighting

hard against

the enemy

what's motivating

all of this

he just wants

to minister

to more

he wants to

present more

people to

Christ

and we need

to be careful

not to

misunderstand

what he

means here

how can

this be

true

and then

Paul also

say in

another place

that he

was determined

to boast

in nothing

but the

cross of

Christ

is there

contradiction

or do

those things

somehow

fit together

of course

they fit

together

this isn't

about

recognition

Paul knew

only God

can be

credited

and glorified

for anyone's

salvation

and anyone's

sanctification

his glorying

in the

Thessalonican

Christians

recognizes

the partnership

that God

affords us

in his

saving purposes

look just a

couple of

verses later

in chapter 3

we'll get there

next week

notice what he

calls Timothy

in chapter 3

in verse 2

we sent

Timothy our

brother

and God's

co-worker

in the gospel

not my

co-worker

God's

co-worker

Paul wasn't

looking to

revel in his

own achievement

he's looking to

revel in God's

achievement

through him

his ultimate

desire is not

his own glory

it's God's

glory

and he knows

that God is

glorified

by every soul

that turns from

sin

to Christ

and he

recognized

this wonderful

opportunity

afforded to

him

by God

to participate

in that

work

to be a

co-laborer

with God

in the salvation

of souls

and that

motivated him

it drove him

my joy

is to see

God glorified

by your

salvation

and he's

allowed me

to have a

part in that

so why do I

want to get

back to you

because you're

my glory

and joy

because my

glory and joy

is the glory

of God

and the joy

of God

his desire

to minister

again in

Thessalonica

it's motivated

by a zealousness

for God's glory

and a love

for those

whom he served

the one

with a true

heart for

ministry

their hope

and joy

and glory

is to see

others faithfully

follow Christ

and what

drives your

gospel ministry

to others

what motivates

it

we might

have to be

honest and

say well

to be honest

I'm motivated

by guilt

I know that

if I don't

engage

it would be

wrong

and it is

the avoidance

of guilt

that actually

drives me

to do the

thing

I think

that's reasonable

to some extent

but it can't

be all

of course

we want to

obey the

Lord

we don't

want to

live in

disobedience

we don't

want to

live under

his guilt

for sure

but that

can't be

our main

motivation

perhaps

sometimes

our gospel

work is

out of a

sense of

obligation

oh

pastor's

asking again

that we

do the

thing

I guess

I should

sign up

for the

group

or I'm

going to

be scowled

at

obligated

to do

stuff

I gotta

go do

the

evangelistic

thing

I gotta

I need

to say

this

we feel

an obligation

to it

maybe that's

related to

guilt

I think

the thing

that drives

those with

a really

a sincere

heart for

discipling

I think

it's driven

by joy

it's just

joy in

knowing that

you get to

be a part

of God's

work

there's

really nothing

quite like

seeing

someone

grow in

their faith

because God

uses you

to minister

to them

in a

particular

way

there's

joy

what motivates

the work

that you

do in

our church

through our

church

and to

our

church

what I've

tried to

do is

lay out

for you

from this

text

through Paul's

example

what it

looks like

to have

a heart

for ministry

it isn't

casual

it doesn't

work

it's an

unrelenting

desire to

build others

up in

Christ

it fights

against the

enemy

its efforts

are driven

by joy

we just

want to

see people

come to

Christ

and glorify

the Lord

it's as

passionate

for God's

work now

as it was

for sin

prior to

knowing

Christ

and it's

not a

reality

reserved

for those

who like

Paul

have unique

ministry

callings

I think

this is

something

God

delights

for all

of us

to possess

but the

fact is

that

many of

us

if not

all of

us

are going

to fall

short

of this

I think

we probably

all say

yeah

probably

all of

us

I don't

mean to

lay a

burden

on you

with that

I think

we understand

the progressive

sanctifying

work of

God

so let

me close

by giving

a few

suggestions

how might

we cultivate

this heart

for gospel

ministry

number one

pray

pray

I really

do believe

this is a

divine work

I think

that work

is initiated

at conversion

God

changes

our

affections

doesn't

he

but we

don't

go

from

being

lost

in

sin

to

being

an

immensely

mature

Christian

in a

moment

do we

there's

a progressive

work

of sanctifying

that God

does

in us

it's

initiated

at our

conversion

and it's

progressively

grown

as we

walk in

the spirit

and in

the word

it's a

work that

God does

in us

so I

think we

should

ask him

to do

it

ask him

to do

it

make it

a part

of your

prayer

Lord

my heart

is weak

give me

a heart

for ministry

give me

a heart

for worship

give me

a heart

for you

for Christ

I

think

that's

a

prayer

that

God

delights

to

answer

I

think

we

just

need

to

be

willing

to

pray

it

number

two

repent

repent

developing

a heart

for gospel

ministry

requires

at some

level

it's

going

to

require

sacrifice

isn't

it

it's

going

to

require

the

abandonment

of lesser

things

that stand

in its

way

so what

good is

it for

us to

do

the first

thing

to

pray

that

God

would

grant

us

this

heart

if

we

refuse

to

repent

of

the

idols

that

grip

us

instead

number

three

study

the

gospel

preach

the

gospel

to

yourself

every

day

the

most

effective

tool

that

God

uses

to

do

his

work

in

us

is

the

gospel

itself

the

gospel

is

not

just

for

our

conversion

it's

for

all

of

life

isn't

it

and

the

more

we

glory

in

the

good

news

of

Jesus

the

more

we

will

have

this

desire

to

share

it

with

others

again

that's

a work

of the

spirit

in

us

as we

stare

at the

cross

and we

begin

to

plumb

the

depths

of

God's

love

in

the

death

and

love

in

the

death

and

resurrection

of

Jesus

Christ

and

the

freeness

of

salvation

that

he

offers

to

us

to

anyone

who

will

come

to

him

how

will

it

not

motivate

us

to

want

to

engage

in

that

work

oh

stare

at

the

cross

four

think

about

eternity

one of

the

things

that

has

been

so

apparent

to

me

lately

!

is

how

often

the

apostles

in

particular

in

the

New

Testament

had

their

minds

fixed

on

the

future

they

were

active

in

the

present

they

weren't

living

in

a

dream

world

but

they

were

always

looking

ahead

they

had

heaven

on

their

minds

they

had

the

return

of

Christ

on

their

hearts

imagining

no

doubt

what

it

will

be

like

to

worship

with

myriads

and

myriads

of

people

who

have

been

saved

by

the

lamb

that's

what

revelation

tells

us

will

happen

a

myriad

of

myriads

uncalculable

numbers

of

people

what

will

it

be

like

to

worship

the

Lord

in

eternity

with

them

and

when

our

minds

are

set

on

heaven

and

the

glory

of

it

and

the

glory

of

the

gospel

will

that

not

then

cause

us

to

look

at

our

husband

and

our

wife

and

our

children

and

our

friends

and

our

neighbors

and

think

I

want

them

to

be

there

with

me

I

want

to

help

them

get

there

to

minister

this

wonderful

gospel

to

them

final

thing

fifth

how do

we

cultivate

this

heart

you

just

do

it

right

you

just

do

it

there

really

is

nothing

quite

like

leading

someone

to

Christ

I

don't

know

how

many

of

you

have

had

that

personal

experience

where

the

Lord

has

graciously

allowed

you

to

sit

down

with

someone

and

see

that

moment

of

rebirth

when

their

eyes

are

opened

and

their

heart

is

transformed

and

they

believe

the

gospel

and

they

trust

in

Christ

there

is

nothing

really

like

that

the

same

goes

for

when

you

are

!

sitting

down

with

!

Christian

and

you

know

they

have

things

going

on

in

their

life

or

maybe

there

is

sin

that

you

need

to

confront

and

whatever

it

may

be

you

are

sitting

down

with

them

and

the

Lord

is

using

you

to

transform

them

to

do

his

work

in

them

and

you

see

it

and

you

sense

it

and

they

sense

it

and

you

understand

it

there

is

nothing

quite

like

that

!

the

more

you

intentionally

engage

you'll

see

the

fruitfulness

of

God's

work

through

you

and

you'll

crave

it

more

and

more

to

pray

remove

the

distractions

the

busyness

whatever

whatever's

standing

in the

way

oh

stare

at

the

cross

think

about

heaven

and

then

just

do

it

make

the

call

schedule

the

appointment

send

the

text

if

that's

the

best

way

to

get

at

it

do

what

you

must

so

that

you

might

joy

in the

presentation

of other

people

before

Christ

when

he

comes