A BOATLOAD OF SOULS!

A BOATLOAD OF SOULS!

(A classic from two years ago)

Acts 27:22-25

22 And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship.

23 For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,

24 Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.

25 Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.

          We seem to be living in a time of gleaning instead of harvesting. We see one or two come to the Lord but the great crowds of converts seem to belong to a black and white time. We long to see a rich harvest of converts but we no longer seem willing to pay the price to win them. However, in this portion of Scripture we might see a formula for winning a boatload of souls.

          First, be so consecrated to God that you are an irritant to others. Get yourself arrested for sharing your faith. None of us wants to be thought of as fanatical Christians today. We are more into being “cool” and fitting in with society but if we are to reach a society of round holes we must become square pegs.

          Become so important to the program of God that you receive messages from angels. Because Paul was such a social and political lightning rod, he became an important part of God’s program. If God has plans for you in the future then you have no need of worry about today. An angel came to talk with him in the midst of a storm. That just doesn’t happen every day.

          Be ready and willing to endure difficult circumstances because of your witness. The angel brought reassurance but did not calm the storm. The ship was broken upon the rocks and every man clung to a board and floated to shore. Later, Paul would be bitten by a poisonous snake as he gathered firewood. He shook the snake off into the fire and the locals sat down to watch him die but he had an appointment with Caesar. Now, I want you to know that Paul endured all the sufferings of these circumstances. The only difference was that he had the assurance of the angel’s message.

          Spread cheer in the midst of gloom! Shine the light in the midst of the darkness. Paul was cold and wind tossed but he was able to cheerfully say to the frightened sailors: “be of good cheer: for I believe God.”

Dear Lord, draw me so close to you that I won’t be able to tell where I leave off and where you begin. Make me willing to be a square peg in the midst of a world of round holes. Let me be part of your program. Let me smile at the wind and rain because I have your assurance in my heart. Give to me a boat load of souls! AMEN