Acts 18:1-11 and I Cor. 2:3
We are living in what we might call, “Why I remember back when…” times.
You may say to your children or your children may say to your grandchildren something like…
Why I remember when the unemployment rate hit 9% and people were excited about how good things were. Actually, lots of people have just given up—they’re no longer looking for work so they don’t appear in the statistics.
Why I remember when recent college graduates with brand new degrees couldn’t find work.
Why I remember neighborhoods where houses were never on the market for more than two weeks, suddenly saw For Sale signs up for months.
Why I remember when people watched their pensions dwindle after years of looking forward to a comfortable retirement.
An old story tells of how the devil once began to examine his long career and decided that the time had come, at last, for his retirement. Like many about to retire he decided to clear out some things, so he had a yard sale featuring the tools he had used in his work of attempting to thwart God's plan.
A customer was looking over Satan's collection of tools and saw one that was exceptionally worn and exceptionally high-priced. The customer asked, "Why is this old tool so expensive?"
"That," Satan replied, "has always been one of my most effective tools. I hate to part with it."
"What's it called?," the customer asked.
"That," Satan said, "is discouragement. I've found it to be especially useful against Christians."
Satan held the tool for awhile, then he smiled wickedly.
"This tool has a lot of work left in it and so do I," he said as he took down the "For Sale" sign.
That fanciful story reveals one of the solemn truths of the Christian life. Discouragement is one of the perils we all have to face.
The story of Paul's first visit to Corinth is unique because we have his own commentary on his emotional and spiritual state when he came to the city. Listen to what he says,
“I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling.”
Another translation renders the verse this way: “...when I came to you I was weak and trembled all over with fear.” And, still another says, “I came before you weak, nervous, and shaking with fear.”
In short, Paul was discouraged; he had been robbed of the courage he needed to keep going. Yet, when we look back with hindsight we realize he had a long and effective ministry in Corinth. Somehow he must have overcome his discouragement. How he got into such a discouraged condition and how God helped him get overcome is a remarkable study.
It reminds us that, with God's help, we can find the resources to keep going when we feel like quitting.
I
THE REASONS FOR DISCOURAGEMENT
How did Paul come to be in this situation? Several factors combined to generate this state of discouragement in Paul.
1. He was experiencing continuing assault upon his spiritual sensibilities.
1:1: Athens had shocked his religious sensibilities.
1:11 One writer had said it was easier to find a god there than to find a man.
1:12 Acts 17:16 describes his response. He was agitated to the very core of his being. Every idol was a reminder of the spiritual blindness of a world without Christ.
1:2. Corinth shocked his moral sensibilities.
1:21 The phrase "to live like a Corinthian" meant to live without moral restraint. The seaport town was "sin city" of the Mediterranean world. The temple of Aphrodite had more than 1000 temple prostitutes who made nightly forays into the city in the name of the goddess of love.
1:22 Imagine how the man who would write to the Corinthian Christians, "Don't you know the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit" felt has he witnessed this unbridled sensuality.
1:3 Our culture sometimes assaults our sensibilities.
1:31 Most of us aren't so callous that we are indifferent to the stories of violence against children and the elderly, of sexual immorality, of murder in our homes and on our streets. We are shocked by crimes of children against children, students against teachers and parents. We are dismayed that young people turn from the truth of Christianity and embrace the lies of the cults. We are distressed that our children are so filled with despair that they turn to drugs, suicide, or simply make no effort to learn in school.
1:32 Do you ever feel weary when you hear the statistics I quoted or think about the conditions in our cities and our suburbs? Then you can understand how what Paul saw in Athens and Corinth contributed to his discouragement.
2. He was experiencing physical fatigue.
2:1 Paul had been on the road almost constantly, preaching and establishing churches. In Philippi he had been beaten and imprisoned. In Thessalonica he had been nearly stoned to death. When Paul told the Corinthians he was weak, he may have simply meant he was physically exhausted.
2:2 You and I live in an exhausting age. "The Hurry Sickness" has impacted all of us. We were promised the advent of the computer would mean fewer hours on the job—it was a lie. Have you ever noticed if your bouts of discouragement seem to correspond with your periods of intense physical and mental labor? Chances are they do.
3. He was experiencing spiritual fatigue.
3:1 Paul had been constantly giving out, with very little opportunity to take in. There were no books on ministerial burnout in those days but Paul may have been suffering from it.
3:2 He experienced what must have seemed like failure. His recent visit to Athens ended with less than spectacular results. Luke summarizes the response to Paul’s preaching: “When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, "We want to hear you again on this subject." At that, Paul left the Council. A few men became followers of Paul and believed.” (Acts 17:32) Note the ever-honest Luke’s word “few.”
3:3 It can be tough to keep giving out, to serve with little or no recognition. Some of you know that experience. Do you ever feel that fatigue?
4. He was experiencing fear for his safety.
4:1 The enemies of the Gospel were in hot pursuit, Paul may have believe they were close behind.
4:2 We don't face physical danger, but we are increasingly aware of the pressure placed on us to be silent about our faith.
5. He was experiencing loneliness.
5:1 Luke, his friend and physician, had remained behind in Philippi. Timothy, the young protégé, and Silas, the man who sang a duet with him in prison, were in Berea.
5:2 He was experiencing some of the greatest stress in his life and there was no one to talk to, no one to pray with, no one to speak a word of encouragement.
5:3 Loneliness seems to be a plague of our time. Busyness and distances conspire to keep us isolated. We can come to believe that we must face whatever the world throws our way without any human support.
II
THE REMEDY FOR DISCOURAGEMENT
In the seemingly disconnected events of Acts 18 God dealt with Paul's problem of discouragement.
1. God provided a change. (3)
1:1 We often think of Paul's "tentmaking" as a means of supporting himself, as a interruption in his important work of preaching.
I think his tent making was probably more therapeutic than economic or detrimental to his work.
1:2 Sometimes it helps to refocus our minds for a while, to take a break from the intensity of our work, whether that is work for the church or at the office.
(ILL) Several years ago, in another place of service, I needed a diversion, something to bring some relief from the pressures of the pastorate. Out of the blue came an opportunity to teach a basic math course for a junior college. Although a few of my high school math teachers would have needed CPR had they known I was teaching such a course, it came at a time when I desperately needed a break.
Have you made a place for something completely different in your life? It may be a hobby, a sport, a class, or anything else which lets you stretch new muscles, use the other side of your brain. Ask God to show you a diversion which will be both therapeutic and enjoyable.
2. God provided companions.
2:1 God led Paul to some new friends who were filled with enthusiasm for the Gospel. (v2)
I believe Aquila and Priscilla were already Christians when Paul found them. They shared something in common. They were different enough to make their friendship interesting. (Was Paul, who had lived so long on the road, now able to enjoy the comforts of a home, including good home-cooked meals?)
2:2 God gave him back some old friends. (5)
2:3 When you feel discouraged, that's the time to start looking for a friend. If you don't have one, make one. When your energy and enthusiasm is low, look for someone energetic and enthusiastic. God still helps us find the friends who can help us.
(ILL) Jon and I were unlikely friends. He was southern-born son of an art professor at a small town college and I the Yankee son of a pipefitter in a big-city steel mill. We had diverse interests and temperaments. The only thing we had in common was the fact we were non-Texans serving small churches in the heart of Texas cattle country. Yet, I believe we helped each other through tough times in our lives and ministries.
3. God provided a challenge. (9)
3:1 Discouragement brings with it the temptation to stop. Perhaps even Paul felt it. So God said, "Don't stop." This was not Paul's call to preach it was a call to keep preaching. Maybe this is why Paul would write to the Corinthians one of the finest defenses of preaching.
3: 2 When you get discouraged one of the first things you will feel is the temptation to stop. Most preachers I know need an occasional call to keep preaching. We don't talk about it much because so many non-preachers seem to think that one call is all you ever need.
You might ask, "Shouldn't I stop and leave it to God to call me again?" It takes a lot of energy to stop and even more energy to get going again. What was Paul doing when the challenge to keep preaching came? He was preaching.
Does this mean you should never take a break from the choir or Sunday school teaching? No. The danger is not in changing the form of your ministry, the danger is in dropping out altogether. And that is Satan's goal when he wields his tool of discouragement.
So when you are discouraged and thinking of quitting, keep your heart attuned to what God may say. He may say, "Change." He may say, "Keep going." He probably won't say, "Stop and do nothing."
4. God provided courage. (9)
4:1 In the midst of the activity of ministry, God spoke to Paul. This seems to have been the final treatment for his discouragement.
In a vision God called Paul to courage and then gave several reasons why he should not be afraid.
> He was assured of God's presence. The God who had provided friends would be by his side too.
> He was assured of his safety. Paul would face danger again but right now he needed a break, God gave it to him. Although Paul was eventually beheaded in Rome, for a while, at least, there were no more beatings, stonings, or other physical assaults. Sometimes God says "enough is enough;” sometimes he calls us to endure. While Paul would face assaults again, this respite was enough to remind him that “every man is immortal until his work is done.” Whatever comes our way, he gives the grace to face what comes.
> He was promised success. Despite incredible odds, including a scandalous moral climate and opposition from the religious establishment, Paul's preaching would touch people and they would be changed. Even in Corinth the Gospel would make an impact.
It is difficult to look at a tough, pleasure-loving city and realize that God has people ready to respond to the gospel; sometimes it is equally difficult to look at the sophisticated, complacent, affluent suburb and realize that God has people ready to respond to the gospel.
But he does. Take courage. Don't give up. Keep sharing the good news.
It might not come to us as it came to Paul, but the message is the same. Throughout the ages God says to the weary laborer in his Kingdom, “Don’t be discouraged, we’re in this thing together.”
Bu what if we’re not talking the work of the Kingdom? What if we’re talking about some other challenge, some other elusive goal? Pursuing it without success can be draining and frustrating—discouraging. You may feel ready do give up. Don’t God wants us to take care of our families, to overcome the persistent habit that controls us, to be better than we ever thought we could be. When we face discouragement in pursuing these good goals, God will be there for us.
CONCLUSION
There are times when God's most effective servants are gripped by discouragement. If you think back to the illustration I used at the beginning, that experience of discouragement may mean that you're so effective in serving God that you demand Satan's efforts to try to stop you.
I know what it means to be discouraged so I don't want to treat it lightly. I know it is discouraging to prepare a sermon and only a handful come to hear it, so I understand if you are discouraged when you prepare a lesson or a special program and only a few show up.
In light of Paul's experience and the fact that every one of us faces discouragement from time to time, let me recommend the following steps in dealing with discouragement. I think the principles apply whether we’re talking about doing the work of the church or building your life, family, career.
1. With God's help find and do something which will exercise some physical, mental, or spiritual muscles that haven't been exercised for a while.
2. Turn to your friends for encouragement and strength. Always be ready to let God introduce you to new friends.
3. Ask God to renew your challenge in an unmistakable way; ask him to help you be clear about how you can best pursue your goal.
4. Boldly seek a new vision, not of what you may do for God, but of what God is doing and will keep doing for you. Knowing that God is at work in your life, perhaps behind scenes, is a powerful antidote to discouragement.
5. Remember that your bout of discouragement may only be the prelude to success and a period of effective service.
*******
Jesus, Lord of the church,
you who appeared to Paul to encourage him when he was discouraged,
speak to those struggling today,
to those who have already drafted their spiritual letters of resignation.
Help them to keep on—
give them new energy for the ongoing challenges,
companions who will cheer them on,
a vision of what you are doing despite outward appearances,
and a sense of your pleasure and presence.
We pray for this in your holy Name.
Amen.
[Some of the sermons which appear on these pages are in a simple manuscript format. This sermon uses a different form. Like all outlines, it is designed to show the flow of thought and the subordination of thoughts in the text.]
