I Have Many In This City S5e114 Acts18:10

Apparently, the good Lord looks upon our cities with a different set of EYES and TIMING. He says to Paul, "I have many in this city who are my people." When Paul looks around he sees a different picture. He sees something more like, "I don't see, yet, what you see, Lord".

The Lord wants a people for His name, for His possession.  He wants to BE WITH people.  This would be a good name for a podcast.  Here, the Lord is blowing our minds with His foresighted sovereignty.  The AND part here is quite humbling.  He tells Paul to keep preaching and teaching and disciplining.  This is to mature the already-believers and to bring in the not-yet-believers-that-God-already-sees-as-His-own.

Lord, do you have many in my city that are Your people that I see as not Your people?  Give me those who are not your people that you have called and you'd like a bit of cooperative sovereignty going on. Help me to not be afraid. Let me value your "Be With Me" in my life and in the lives of others.  Amen and Amen and Amen.  write bewithme.us@gmail.com and I'll send you the podcast each morning early early early.  

Transcript

Michael Smith: 0:00

Good morning, my brothers and sisters, welcome to episode 114 of be with me in the book of Acts. I'm going to title this. I have many in this city. Now here's the crazy thing about that title. I have many in this city who are my people says God. The problem is we see it a different way we would title this I have many in the city who aren't yet your people. So here's the story. Paul is in Corinth, he's occupied with the word what does that mean? That means the Old Testament and writing First and Second Thessalonians and whatever else it means to get the word as an apostle on a daily basis. And he preaches in the synagogue there and gets opposition both to his message, and reviling which is an opposition to his personhood. So he says, I will from now on I will go to the Gentiles, he doesn't actually go anywhere different. He just changes houses to a Gentiles house and continues to minister to the Jews because then a synagogue guy Christmas becomes a believer. And many of the Corinthians were hearing Paul and Bill were believed and were baptized. And then he gets a vision. So listen into this. This is from Acts chapter 18. And I'm going to start with the verse eight, where Crispus the synagogue ruler gets to believe Christmas, the ruler of the synagogue believed in the Lord together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized, Okay, listen to this, this is verse nine. And the Lord said to Paul, one night in a vision, do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent for I am with you, wow. And no one will attack you or harm you. And this is the real wow, for I have many in this city, who are my people. And he stayed a year and six months teaching the Word of God among them. So we have here yet another vision of Paul. Fantastic. The last one was the Macedonian man begging him to come over to Macedonia, which is where he is in the Macedonian province. Down south now, you've just been to Macedonia has been to Athens. Now he's over in the farthest reach of the second missionary journey, which is in Corinth, he's getting this opposition and the Lord says to him, number one, don't be afraid. Okay, Paul is still human, he's afraid, or intermittently afraid. Then he says, go on speaking, don't stop speaking. Third thing he tells him is for I am with you. And kind of the idea here is with my presence, you can do anything and it puts into perspective, the opposition you get is getting to the message as well as to as per person that puts into perspective, his earthly fear the bodily harm. And I will be with you one of the most precious promises and realities of, of the Bible, which is all throughout the Bible. By the way, this is that the only place in the Bible that the Lord promises His presence. It's, it's it's not maybe not on every page. But the fact that there is a Bible with lots of pages tell you that tells you that it sort of is on every page. It's the name of this podcast. And this idea that God wants to reveal Himself and be with his people is the way that be with me podcast got the name be with me, it is this concept concept. So the flesh is dwelling among us the Holy Spirit, remember, he says is to to our advantage of Jesus goes away and he sends this the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ. If anyone This is John 1423, If anyone loves Me, he will keep my word. And the Father will love him and we will come to him and make Our home with him. So we have here, Jesus promising Paul who wasn't at the Last Supper, by the way, so maybe he needs to hear this, that I'm going to be a precious presence with you. Alright, number four, he tells him in this vision that no one will attack you. But number five is the big one I think for I have many in this city who are my people? Now this is looking with God's eyes. God is saying like, I already possess these people. They're already part of my kingdom. And help. Paul might be saying hey, help me to see this. We're like saying, Hey, we we don't see this yet. We don't see these people yet into your kingdom. So the Lord says to Paul, keep speaking. So that it appears that there is a difference between my eyes because I don't see these people in the kingdom yet. And his eyes, the Lord's eyes, who sees these people, like almost like in past tense? I have many already who are in my, in my kingdom who are already my people, but but we look at them and say, Nope, they're they're pagans, they're worshipping the wrong gods. They're doing the wrong things. They have the wrong behaviors. And the Lord says, I have many in the city who are me, people, that's the people he's referring to. So there's a difference with timing, we don't see the Lord's timing. We see the now and he's appears, appears to see then. And then I'm curious about well, what about other cities? He says, I have many in this cities. Well, what about my city? Or what about my country? Or what about my current continent? Or what about my century? is this applicable? Is this call and promise applicable? I have many who are mine. And we see here, this balance between the sovereignty of God and the cooperation of Paul. So after the Lord says, I have many who are mine, Paul stays 18 months. And, you know, this cooperative sovereignty, teaches them and disciples them and builds them and evangelizes them. My commentary said that these people in Corinth were some people in Corinth were predestined, elected to successful evangelism. So there's evangelism and discipleship that has to go on for this 18 months. So here's my prayer. I have many Lord, really? Do you have some in my city of many in my city? Do you have some in my city? Do you have one in my city? Give me your eyes, and give me your care. Give me your presence and give me your protection. Give me your words. And give me your discernment to find that person to listen for that person. Give me those who are not your people who you would like to be your people or that you have chosen to be your people, and may use your people to build your people to build your kingdom, this invisible kingdom that you seem to see. You seem to see these people already in fellowship with your kingdom. Give me the eyes. Give me the mouth. Give me the hands. Give me the brothers and sisters to do this successfully. So brothers and sisters, I have many in the city. Maybe the Lord has some in your city who are His people? Go find them. Thanks for listening.