Halfway Boulevard
Acts 20:24
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"But none of these things move me, neither count I my life
dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the
ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the
gospel of the grace of God."--Acts 20:24
" . . .I have finished my course . . . ."--II Tim. 4:7.
Recently I saw the words, "HALFWAY BOULEVARD" written on a street sign.
"That’s the street most Christians live on." I thought to myself.
In our text, we find a man who was not satisfied to live
there. He was not happy on “nine-mile hill, “one-mile bridge” or even
“midway lane”. He had to be right in the heart of things for God.
Paul is saying to us, "I don’t care if they criticize me, beat me,
lock me up in jail, stone me or kill me: I want to be an
all-out, dedicated Christian. I want to finish my course."
Paul Wasn’t Ashamed of the Gospel. He was always glad to be
identified with Christ. He stated on one occasion, "For I am not
ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto
salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to
the Greek" (Rom. 1:16).
People seem to be willing to speak out for sin and all the rest that
the Devil stands for. Yet around the church they are quiet as
mice. [testimony time] Should I not assume that the children of God
are afraid to speak out for Jesus in the world all the more?
Paul Didn’t Argue With God. When the Spirit of the Lord
spoke to his heart, he began to pack his suitcase. On one occasion,
he was leaving for Bithynia, but the Spirit suffered him not and he
didn’t go. Then he saw the vision of the Macedonian man, and right
away he left for Macedonia. Obedience is the greatest attribute of
the child of God.
Paul Was Not Afraid of a Goal. He knew where he was going.
He pressed toward the mark of the prize of the high calling of God
in Christ Jesus (see Phil. 3:14). He also knew what it was going to
cost him to get there. yet he still refused to ease up. Thank God
for a man who would not be lukewarm, halfhearted or casual with
God’s business! Christians have no business living on "HALFWAY
BOULEVARD."
For those who agree and desire to move to a more active life of
service for God, I suggest you take along some new items to move into
a new location at the corner of “Busy Street” and “Active Avenue.”
Notice the seven things that ought to be a part of your life.
I. THE GO OF COMMISSION
God told Abraham to go, and he went. So did Moses, Joshua,
Elijah, Peter, Paul, the blind man, the adulterous woman, the maniac
of Gadara and many others. He gave us the Great Commission as a
last, dying request.
Isaiah got a glimpse of the Lord one day and became troubled
about his sinful condition. Just as soon as that was taken care of,
he wanted to go. He volunteered himself and cried out, "Here am I;
send me" (Isa. 6:8). It is normal for a person to want to go with
God’s message. There is something wrong when we do not want to go.
II. THE GLOW OF COMPASSION
Compassion will develop and grow as we are exposed to the
need. The psalmist explains this: "He that goeth forth and
weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with
rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him" (Ps. 126:6). Jesus had
compassion on the multitudes and wept over the city of Jerusalem.
Paul ceased not to warn the people with tears day and night.
I remember one night visiting in a home where I was trying to
win the husband to Christ. He was polite but hard. "No, thank you," he said several times. Then I noticed his little wife
began to weep silently. When he saw the tears running down her
cheeks, he broke and opened up, eventually getting saved. Compassion had brought results again!
III. THE GRIP OF CONVICTION
When a person makes a commitment to God, it ought to grip his
soul. His mind ought to be made up at that point that the Bible is
right and that settles it! There used to be a day when right was
right and wrong was wrong, but that day is gone. Gray has replaced
black and white, and we are in a mess. No wonder when people leave they end up in all kinds of other belief systems, blown about by every wind of doctrine!
In the Bible, men knew where they stood. Paul said, "For I
know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep
that which I have committed unto him against that day" (II Tim.
1:12). When specific convictions grip a man, they will give him
purpose and direction.
IV. THE GODLINESS OF CONSECRATION
People are moving farther and farther out of town in this
matter. David prophesied that "the godly man ceaseth…the faithful fail from among the children of men" (Ps. 12:1). Paul pleaded with men to "present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service" (Rom. 12:1). The Bible says of Caleb, "He hath wholly followed the Lord" (Deut. 1:36). O God, may his tribe
increase!
V. THE GRACE OF CONSISTENCY
Don’t you get tired of once-in-a-whilers, used-to-be’ers and
later-on’ers? The churches today are full of spasmodic, part-time
Christians who are an abomination to God. They have just enough
religion to make them miserable.
This crowd gets really stirred up during revival meetings, then
they are gone again. The Word of God declares, "Be ye stedfast,
unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as
ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord" (I Cor. 15:58).
Thank God for Moses who refused to be scared off by the
Pharaoh, Daniel who would not stop praying, the Hebrew children who
would not bow down, Joseph who would not have any part of Potiphar’s
wife, and for Jesus who told the Devil, "It is written . . ." (see
Matt. 4:4, 7, 10).
In season or out of season, God give us grace to stand.
VI. THE GUMPTION OF COMMUNICATION
This fifty-dollar word has a one-thousand-dollar meaning. It
simply means to have common sense in any situation. God works
through common sense. The Holy Spirit gives us spiritual
discernment. He gives us sense enough to say and to do the right
thing at the right time. [also means boldness, spunk]
Philip didn’t know exactly what he was going to say to the
eunuch. He joined himself to the chariot and started talking. It
wasn’t long before he led the eunuch to Christ and he baptized him.
Jesus talked to farmers about sowing and reaping, fishermen about
fishing, shepherds about sheep and carpenters about a building with
a good foundation. That is gumption!
VII. THE GRIT OF CONTINUANCE
People who are determined to please God must learn the lesson
of persistence. Moses endured, as seeing Him who is invisible.
James said, "Blessed is the man who endureth temptation: for when
he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life . . ." (James 1:12).
Jacob would not let go of the angel until he got the blessing.
Moses would not quit fasting and praying until God changed His mind
and spared the people. Elisha refused to let Elijah get out of his
sight until the mantle was his. The Gentile woman refused to get
offended until she got the crumbs from the table. Blind Bartimaeus
just hollered louder when they tried to keep him quiet, so serious
was he about getting his sight back. All of these accounts show us
the value of staying with it until the desired result comes.
Torrey Johnson tells how he was traveling once on a plane.
He was praying that the Lord would give him an opportunity to
witness to someone. The air became turbulent, and the stewardess
sat down next to him until it calmed. He engaged her in
conversation and won her to Christ. As he departed from the plane
in St. Louis, she said, "If I don’t see you again, I’ll see you in
Heaven."
A few minutes later a radio announcement told of the crash of
that very same plane. The girl was killed with the rest of the
passengers and crew. What a blessing that Mr. Johnson did not just
halfway do his job!
God help us to get into God’s business with our whole heart and
get off "HALFWAY BOULEVARD."
[outline courtesy Dr. Tom Wallace]
