“Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done.” -1 Chronicles 16:8

“‘And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.'” -Acts 20:22-24

Transformed by Grace

Let your heart soar in worship as you watch that clip from Branon Lake. There’s no limitation to the goodness of God—just our faith to receive it!

Paul knew the truth of the powerful love of Jesus after his encounter with Him on the road to Damascus. He was never the same. Everything changed from that moment of encounter. All of the religion and tradition became dust under his feet as he ran for the rest of his days after the One his heart loved and the grace that transformed him forever. The closer Paul got to Jesus, the more Paul looked like Him. In turn, he loved the world Christ died for more and was willing to have his life be poured out for the sake of the gospel.

Living for God’s Purpose

I am convinced that there are two options on the table—we live for the purposes of God, or we sell ourselves short for the love of the world. We store up treasures on Earth or in people for eternity. We can chase our tails trying to busy ourselves with purpose, or we live letting God determine His purposes and plans. All the religious busyness of the American church, if it is not leading to the salvation of lost souls, is just chaff in the wind.

Paul had something worth dying for. He lived for Someone worth dying for.

“Yet there used to be a gospel in the world which consisted of facts which Christians never questioned. There was once in the church a gospel which believers hugged to their hearts as if it were their soul’s life. There used to be a gospel in the world, which provoked enthusiasm and commanded sacrifice. Tens of thousands have met together to hear this gospel at peril of their lives. Men, to the teeth of tyrants, have proclaimed it, and have suffered the loss of all things, and gone to prison and to death for it, singing psalms all the while. Is there not such a gospel remaining?” -Charles Spurgeon

Is there such a gospel remaining that we would dare be willing to die for it?

Is self-preservation more of a calling than living all in for Jesus?

Is He even worth the sacrifice of my entire life laid down before Him?

These questions beg us to wrestle deeply, even if we walk away with a limp.

Paul was compelled by the Spirit. Other translations use the phrase “bound in the Spirit.” Covenant relationship with the Lord binds us to Him. Circumstances and uncertainty didn’t move, shift, or compel Paul one way or another. Only the Spirit of God did that. Everything grew dim in the light of God’s grace, calling, and anointing on Paul’s life. It mattered more that he completed what God had called him to do than to try to avoid hardship and persecution. That’s the way of the cross. Jesus walked it. It is no less our journey.

Living for Christ Alone

How was it that Paul considered his life nothing or of no value? In the original text, “nothing” means “a single word.” He did not consider his life worth a single word or worthy of mention. That was Paul, the image bearer, glory carrier, decreasing so that the life of Christ would increase. Christ in Paul was worthy of great mention. Paul for the sake of Paul was not worthy of even a single word. Interesting thought in our world of branding, making a name for ourselves, stacking up followers and celebrity status even in Christendom.

Paul’s singular focus was to finish his race—the calling on his life—to testify to the grace of God. You and I have the exact same calling! Let’s break down what the gospel of God’s grace means from the Greek. These are taken from the Key Word Study Bible.

Gospel: good news, bringing good news, to proclaim, to tell. In the New Testament, this refers to the glad tidings of Christ and His salvation. Paul’s writings specifically refer to the gospel plan of salvation, its doctrines, declarations, precepts, and promises.

God’s grace: charis; divine influence upon the heart and its reflection in the life; grace, particularly that which causes joy, pleasure, gratification; favor and goodwill of God and Christ as exercised toward men.

This good news of salvation and favor of God on mankind was so good that Paul was willing to die for it. What are you willing to give your life for to the point of death?

The Only Gospel Worth Everything

There are a lot of gospels being preached in the church and in culture, but are any worth dying for other than the gospel of Jesus?

• “The gospel of moral reform? Not worth dying for.
• The gospel of save yourself through good works? Not worth dying for.
• The gospel of social action and improvement? Not worth dying for.
• The gospel of religious traditions? Not worth dying for.
• The gospel of merely having spiritual conversations? Not worth dying for.
• The gospel of mystical mumbo-jumbo? Not worth dying for.
• The gospel seeking the church of true hipness? Not worth dying for.
• The gospel of self-esteem? Not worth dying for.
• The gospel of ecological salvation? Not worth dying for.
• The gospel of political correctness? Not worth dying for.
• The gospel of emergent church feel-goodism? Not worth dying for.” -David Guzik, Acts 20 commentary

I need to share how this gospel of grace is transforming nations so your faith can soar! On an old, crowded, dirty, and dark street in South Asia, 1,200 people came to hear the three Americans speak. One came crippled, one came blind, and many came curious. Jesus also came that night. The gospel was preached, and hundreds gave their lives to Him. That blind girl received sight, and the crippled lady walked for the first time in 20 years. But hundreds and hundreds now have an eternity secure forever! We were backed into the end of the street, and it was dangerous. (I am still not sure why we are not sitting in a prison in that country!) But we had a gospel worth living for and dying for and an hour of urgency that compels us. We left at 11:30 p.m., and they stayed till 2 a.m. dancing and praising God. I just don’t think they wanted to leave His presence. Now those 730 who received Christ have multiplied to more than 1,500 in just a matter of weeks.

Our Present Call

I want to urge you, with my whole life, to finish your race well! There is a calling on your life for the gospel of grace. Proclaim it courageously and boldly! God gave you a great and glorious commission, a mouth, two feet, and the Holy Spirit. You have everything you need! And you have thousands of women who are ready to lock arms with you to cheer you on. That’s the whole point of this Arise movement as we join one another on the front lines of this global revival we are standing in! We don’t go alone; we run together.

A Few Key Notes

• This week is your last chance to register for the Arise Christmas Luncheon at The Hope Center in Plano! Join us on December 12 as we hear from Safeeya Schnaufer, who will share stories of women who risk it all. Reserve your tickets and table sponsorships by this Thursday, November 30, to guarantee your seat!
• Christmas has come early thanks to a generous business partner. Burnett’s Christmas Lights has promised to donate half of the cost of light installation to Arise if a Dallas-Fort Worth area customer mentions “Arise” or “East-West.” Go to burnettschristmaslights.com to learn more or call Tim Burnett at 214.791.3777 for a free estimate!
• We have a $40,000 match in place from now until December 31 to expand the impact of Arise in our nation and the nations. Please consider making a year-end contribution to Arise by giving online.
• Love your neighbor and join us in sharing about Jesus during Dallas Harvest Day! We will teach you how to share the gospel and then go and evangelize together. Join us on the first Saturday of each month. Meet at La Victoria, 1605 N. Haskell Ave., Dallas, TX 75204, at 9 a.m. for the next Harvest Day on December 2. Tell us you’re coming by emailing [email protected].