In the Book of Acts, Dr Luke does a wonderful job of sharing how the early believers used their time. Sometimes it seems everything was happening at once. Take the day of Pentecost, for example. I have wondered just how the disciples and their friends handled the “follow-up” of the 3,000 people who accepted Jesus that day. What a task! Later in Acts, we read of how the Apostles dealt with the logistical task of caring for the local church groups. Some people were poor; others may have lost their jobs or been thrown out of their homes because they had become followers of Jesus. So, men were appointed to handle the practical care, freeing the Apostles to continue their preaching and teaching.
Then Paul is introduced to the story. And what a worker he was. Clearly a hard-working scholar, politician and leader, Paul lost nothing of his enthusiasm after he met Jesus. In fact, it was this enthusiasm for life and his service for God that sweeps us up in the excitement of the early missionary trips. All the while, the size of the Church continued to grow. So, how were the leaders able to cope with the business (and busyness) of this church growth across the Mediterranean?
We see the answer in Paul’s use of time. While it appears he was always “on the go”, in fact, we see he took many occasions to simply stop, remaining with the groups of people sometimes for a year or two, discipling, training, and modelling what it means to follow Jesus. While there was a sense of urgency in his eagerness to spread the good news, Paul ensured he made good use of his time, regularly stepping aside from the business to spend time with God (Acts 20:13). It is never healthy to be too busy to spend quality time with our Heavenly Father.
Bob
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