Sermon Summary - 1 March 2026
​
Journey of Ministry: People, power, Place
Acts 20: 1 - 24
​​​God’s assignment for the Apostle Paul was to travel the ancient Middle-Eastern and European world to tell people that Jesus saves sinners. His journeys brought him to places, encounter people and saw God’s power. We will discover the ingredients of Paul’s effective ministry.
People – Strengthening Hearts Along the Way (Acts 20:1–6)
Church ministry is Relational. A key ingredient of ministry is intentional spiritual encouragement. Paul travels to churches to encourage the believers (20:1,2) in order to strengthen them in their faith. Hence, church ministry is not just programmes and events, but about people relating to one another with encouragement. The purpose is exhorting (means strongly encourage or urge someone to do something) people to strong faith and resilience. Encouragement helps people to gain confidence and motivation to grow, to apply God’s Word and to change.
​
Power – Depending on God in the Work (Acts 20:7-12)
We see a demonstration of God’s power in Paul’s ministry in the event in verses 7-12. A person was raised from the dead. Paul’s preaching of the Gospel was accompanied by God’s power (Acts 19:11 says God did extraordinary miracles through Paul).
We may not see dramatic miracles in our own experiences but God still manifests His power in our ministry in different ways. We should always depend on God’s power to carry out the tasks in our ministry.
In the ministry of encouragement and strengthening people, we are instruments and it is God’s power and divine work that will bring the desired outcome (1 Corinthians 3:6).
Place – Faithful Service Wherever God Sends (Acts 20:13 – 24)
Ministry happens in seasons and places. In his farewell words to the elders of Ephesus, Paul shares his heart about his journey of ministry. He served the Lord with (1) humility, (2) tears, and (3) in the midst of trials (v.19). (See 2 Corinthians 11: 23-28 for Paul’s trials in ministry). But he did not shrink back (in fear) in declaring and testifying the message of repentance toward God and faith in Jesus Christ. That was what people saw when they looked at Paul.
Then looking forward (vv. 22-23), Paul says chains and afflictions await him. But he will not quit. Verse 24 is his response: “I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.”
Wherever God calls us to, we want to give our faithful service and not quit when it gets tough. The essence of ‘Place’ in our Journey of Ministry is 'Faithful Service Wherever God Sends'.
One day, every one of us will leave our current “place” — be it our role, our ministry, our season of service. The question will not be: Were we comfortable? The question will be: Were we faithful? Did we finish the race Christ marked out for us?
​​
END
​​