Make Use of Your Failure
Acts 9:19b-31

"A different world cannot be built by indifferent people." (Peter Marshall).
Aspects of Christian Development:

• "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me" (Matt. 11:28-29).
• First, there is coming to Jesus.
• Second, there is learning from Jesus.

 

God wants spiritual fruit not religious nuts! Saul had responded to Jesus' invitation to "come," was filled with the Holy Spirit and baptized. Unfortunately, he rushed the "learning from Jesus" process. Saul was fired up but needed time for maturity.

I. Zeal Needs to be Tempered by Wisdom (v. 20-21).

A. Zeal without knowledge is like haste to a man in the dark!
B. New Christians need guidance in the disciplines of learning about Jesus.
C. God has to build the man before the man can build the sermon.
D. Speed isn't everything; direction counts, too.

II. Attempting to do God's Work in Our Own Strength and Knowledge will Lead to Failure.

A. Too often persons have tried to open the deep things of God before they themselves have experienced it.
B. By failing to prepare, one may be preparing to fail.
C. The reward for human effort is applause. The reward for spiritual effort is changed lives.
D. We are headed for failure attempting to do God's work when we are out of the stream of His Spirit.

III. Failure Need Not be Final.

A. God had a different idea about Saul's ministry: He spent three years of Seminary work in Arabia learning from the Lord.

1. "I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to Damascus" (Gal. 1:17).

B. The Lord will not use us until He has made us ready.
C. If at first one does not succeed, s/he should look into God's Handbook for instructions.