Pastor's Pen

​Beloved, there's a reason why the Spirit of God gives us these simple narrative passages.  And one of the primary reasons is to illustrate the great doctrinal concepts.  We need the epistles, because we need to understand the flow of logic.  We need to understand the clear articulation of great theological truth.  But we need the book of Acts, because we need to see it fleshed out.  We need to see it lived.  It isn't enough for us to have information.  We need models, don't we?  It's isn't enough for us to know something.  We have to see it in action.  And so in the book of Acts, we see a man by the name of the Apostle Paul, who's in the process of writing his epistles.  And while he's writing them, he's living them.
What he taught, he lived. What he called for, he demonstrated. And in this chapter, I see Paul's great love for the church and that's really what's on my heart to speak to you today. To remind myself of my own commitment to demonstrate love to the saints, to remind you, since you have newly affirmed your commitment to this church, to remind you of what it means to love the church.
Jesus loved the church enough to offer redemptive sacrifice for the church.  Paul loves the church enough to offer sacrificial service to the church.