19:8 And he went into
the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading
concerning the things of the kingdom of God. 9 But when some were hardened and
did not believe, but spoke evil of the Way before the multitude, he departed
from them and withdrew the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of
Tyrannus. 10 And this continued for two years, so that all who dwelt in Asia
heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.
So after all this talk about the baptism of the Holy Spirit
what does a Spirit filled life look like practically speaking?
To answer that question all we have to do is examine the
lives of those we know were Spirit filled and Spirit lead. Let's begin with
Paul since he's the main character of today's passage. Here are a few general
points to note:
1, His life is not his own. He is not living for
self-advancement or even self-interest. His life centers around bringing the
knowledge of Jesus to the world.
2, He is bold. The main barriers to boldness are concerns about
what others may think of you and a basic desire for self-preservation. In other
words, when a man's desire to exalt Christ supercedes any desire to consider
himself boldness follows.
3, He is considerate. When resistance built up against the
truth in the synagogue he left. Just like Jesus, Paul never forced himself on
the unwilling. Love is never forceful.
4, He is wise. Rather than waste energy trying to convince
those who already had their minds made up against the truth, Paul took a new
approach. He opened a school. He filled it with those in Ephesus who did
believe. He trained them to use their God given gifts to expand the kingdom of
Christ. The Bible tells us that school was the base for taking the gospel to
all of Asia.
5, He is empowering. Self-centered people don't train, equip,
and empower others. Some leaders seek to build empires but Spirit filled men
and women build people.
6, He is all in. Filled is filled. Paul's life may involve
building tents but everything is geared toward the one goal of building God's
kingdom.
7, He has one clear simple message: Christ alone. Religion is
filled with all kinds of mixed messages and competing priorities and theories
but a man filled with God's Spirit has one clear purpose. To know Christ and to
make Him known.
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