Paul ready to be bound in spirit for Jerusalem not knowing what will befall him, again takes time to encourage the Ephesian elders, saying “You know, from the first day that I came to Asia, in what manner I always lived among you, 19 serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears and trials which happened to me by the plotting of the Jews.” (Acts 20:18-19) Doing God’s work is full of the greatest joys one will ever experience. Leading one soul to the Lord and seeing the seemingly strong arguments melt and turn to faith (2Cor. 10:4-5), seeing the proud become humbled to the point of giving themselves completely over to the word of truth (2Chron. 34:27), submitting themselves in Baptism for the washing away of their sins (Acts 22:16).
But though there is great joy in Christ there are also many sorrows bringing many tears.
For me it is Three-Fold:
- When people listen to every man on earth but will not listen to the word of the Lord
- Jesus said, “For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.” (Matt. 13:15)
- Paul speaks to this referring to men who teach faith only lies, “whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.” (2Cor. 4:4)
- To these liars Jesus said, “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” (John 8:44)
- When those who have accepted the word of truth, for one reason or another turn and fall away into sin. Without the Lord, I would not be able to bear this sorrow.
- “4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.” (Heb. 6:4-6)
- “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins.” (Heb. 10:26)
- “For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning.” (2Pet. 2:20)
- Third is when people who claim to love the Lord Jesus curse, and condemn you for quoting God’s words and who do not walk according to the pattern of the word.
- Like the Jew at Cyprus: ““O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord?” (Acts 13:10) Do not be fooled, the straight ways of the Lord are His words.
- “But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me.” (John 15:21) But knowing this only make it bearable, it still hurts.
- Speaking in the name of Jesus means quoting His Words.
- When Peter and John quoted Jesus the Sanhedrin said, “But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name.” (Acts 4:17)
- This is exactly what the evangelical faith only proponents say when I quote Jesus who said, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:16)
Paul wrote of his tears that were the result of his work for the Lord and more than once.
- “For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:” (Phil. 3:18)
- “serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears and trials which happened to me by the plotting of the Jews” (Acts 20:19)
- “Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.” (Acts 20:31)
- “For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you, with many tears, not that you should be grieved, but that you might know the love which I have so abundantly for you.” (2Cor. 2:4)
In all this I would like to be as Paul who said “…I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house, 21 testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Acts 20:20-21) because the greatest joy I have every experienced is sharing the truth of the gospel of Christ through His words, and living in Christ. But perhaps the greatest tears ever shed where those of the Lord when He cried saying, “…not My will, but Yours…” (Luke 22:42)
“Who is wise? Let him understand these things. Who is prudent? Let him know them. For the ways of the Lord are right; the righteous walk in them, But transgressors stumble in them.” (Hosea 14:9)
His word says this is what we MUST do to be saved.
Hear the gospel words (Rom. 10:17, Acts 11:14). Believe the gospel words (John 3:16, Heb. 11:6). Repent (Luke 13:5, Acts 3:19). Confess Christ (Matt 16:16, Rom. 10:9&10) Be baptized (Mark 16:16, Acts 22:16, Acts 2:38). Remain faithful as in the gospel words (Rev 2:10).
In Love
David Scarpino