I want to look at an example from the Book of Acts of a believer who knew what it means to make Christ our first love and His kingdom our first priority. If we were to pick an individual in the first century who would make a significant contribution to the expansion of Christ’s church, the individual we will look at more than likely would not have been one of them. At least, not before he came to Christ.
This man was born in Tarsus, the capital city of the Roman province of Cilicia, in southeast Asia Minor. He was a strict Pharisee who was educated at the feet of the Gamaliel, an influential Pharisee, and an expert in the law. We first find this man in Jerusalem, where he was present and consented to the death of the Christian martyr Stephen. He then began a vicious campaign of persecution against Christians.
This man was on a mission to capture Christians in Damascus when he suddenly saw a blinding light and fell to the ground. He heard Jesus speak to him. He was then led by the hand to Damascus, where a Christian named Ananias met him. This man was cured of his blindness, believed in Jesus for salvation, and was baptized.
Upon becoming a believer, other believers were skeptical due to the whole persecuting Christians part of his life. But then, a man named Barnabas took Him under his wings. Later in Syrian Antioch, the church identified the clear calling of the Lord on this man’s life and sent him and Barnabas as missionary-church planters.
Of course, I am talking about Paul. He wrote 28 percent of the New Testament. He wrote 13 books of the New Testament, nearly half. Also, he planted at least 14 churches. Yet, he wrote of himself, “For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am” (1 Cor 15:9-10a). Paul is not speaking negatively or poorly of himself. He knew what he had done, who he was while realizing who he had become in Christ.
The verse we are going to explore together is found in Acts 20. Paul has called the Ephesian Elders to meet with him. Paul had stayed in Ephesus 2 ½ years – longer than he had stayed anywhere else on his missionary journeys. He tells them that he is heading to Jerusalem, where he has been warned prison and persecution awaits him.
What’s at the core of Paul’s obedience? What’s at the heart of Paul’s decision to put Christ first? We discover the answer in verse 24: “But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24). Paul expressly counts the cost and does it in terms of his life. Paul states the choice and his decision in the form of relative worth. In the face of impending prison and persecution, Paul makes his life of no value in the sense that he does not choose to preserve it at all cost. Rather, he chooses to pursue the Lord Jesus’s purpose for him: “to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” Paul calls this pursuit “finishing the course” or “finishing the race” and “the ministry.”
Here’s the point: No matter the outward circumstances, even if they include impending threats, our conduct should consistently fulfill our one calling as disciples making disciples, as those who love Christ above all else and make His kingdom first priority; this is first living. The Lord’s will for each of us is to become all He intends us to be. His grace is for our growth. We have been programmed for greatness. Sanctification means growing more and more into the likeness of Christ (His love, character, purpose, and priorities). For me, I understand that I am a work in progress. I’m not what I used to be; I’m not what I ought to be; but praise the Lord, I am on my way to becoming all that God intends me to be.
Imagine the urgency Paul felt as he looked into the faces of the Ephesian Elders, whom many he had personally been involved in their coming to Christ and growing in the Lord. Among them surely was a converted silversmith, who prior to hearing the gospel had made a living making images of false gods as part of Ephesus’ tourist industry that in part included one of the wonders of the ancient world, the temple of Artemis. There would have been converted Jews. Perhaps, leaders of the city who had received Christ. There were people who had been given peace in exchange for the broken pieces of their lives. There could have been transformed criminals, liberated leaders of the cults, and Roman officials who had made Christ king of their lives. We can picture all these people, new in Christ, being entrusted with the church’s leadership. Paul knew that as God had done in him, He would do in them. This is true for us as well.
I have been asked what my life verse is on several occasions. To be honest, I am not entirely sure, but a verse I aspire to is Acts 20:24: “But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” I do not have to survive; I have to know Christ and make Him known! I just want to thrive in Christ as one engaged in “First Living.” What about you? Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone)!