Acts 20: 32-38

Abundant life. Something deep within us stirs with those words. Images readily fill our minds. The apostle, Paul, embraced abundant living and expended his life sharing the gospel message with everyone who would listen. In our Scripture this morning, we heard that Paul gathered together the leaders of the church of Ephesus, a church he personally started and faithfully taught and nurtured for three years. His was an itinerant ministry. As Methodists, we are all familiar with how the process of moving pastors works. But it was the Holy Spirit Himself moving Paul, compelling him to go to Jerusalem. We usually think of Paul as the apostle to the Gentiles, and he was that, but he was also a pastor, caring for the congregations he served. In the verse right before our reading today, we are told that originally Paul planned to “avoid spending time in the province of Asia, for he was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem.” But the pastor in him wanted one last opportunity to share fellowship and encouragement with this church. One last opportunity to prepare his successors for the task of continuing the mission of the church. He understood that the culture - those beliefs, practices, and values - of the first century world stood in stark contrast to Christian culture... those beliefs, practices, and values grounded in teachings of Jesus Christ. Paul, knowing he would never see these men again, held back nothing of God’swill for them. He realized his departure would leave the young church vulnerable to false teaching…to men who would distort the truth for their own gain, their own power, their own prestige. Paul pleaded with them to remember his example and the very words of Christ. Hear the urgency in these last recorded words of Paul to his beloved church. “In everything I did, I showed you by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

If you are like me, you are familiar with these words of Jesus. I have heard them since I was a child. My mother shared them with us frequently, as she tried to teach us about sharing. I dare say that most of us trust the truthfulness of Jesus words at some level. Yet almost simultaneously, our actions demonstrate that we also have doubt…our energies are spent more on getting than giving. There is our tension, our conflict.

Modern culture bombards us with worldly images of the abundant life. Daily, the television, movies, magazines, and the internet impress their images on our minds. Bookstores are filled with books that tell how to achieve the abundant life. Advertisers market products that are “proven” to make life more fulfilling. Politicians promise to make the abundant life available to all citizens. Clearly, our culture associates abundant living with accumulating things…wealth, possessions, power, and prestige. This world view connects abundance with affluence and power. But we are never told how much wealth, possessions, power, or prestige is enough. At what point can you and I stop striving and chasing and start enjoying? When can we begin to feel content? When is the stirring deep within us satisfied? For many, there is never enough. They are always seeking more and live their entire lives in bondage to greed. GREED always leads to the disease of self. In our Scripture this morning, Paul offers the remedy to this debilitating disease; a disease that leaves a person always seeking, always wanting, always hunger, always empty. But be forewarned: it is no “quick fix” remedy. It is radical and calls for a change in lifestyle. Just as after a heart attack, a physician demands a complete overhaul of attitudes and behavior concerning food and exercise, so Jesus, the Great Physician, in treating the disease of self, demands a complete overhaul of attitudes and behavior concerning giving.

To really wrap your minds around this teaching, you need to understand that Jesus’ desire for you and me is nothing less than abundant life. In John 10:10 Jesus says, “I am come that they might have life and that they may have it more abundantly.” The Greek word for abundantly means more remarkable, more excellent, more extraordinary. Who among us does not desire such a life?? The more remarkable, more excellent life Jesus offers far exceeds anything this world has to offer. The Message paraphrase of John 10:10 gives further insight into the life Jesus describes. Jesus says, “I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.

Here is the essence, the truth of our Scripture this morning. Abundant life is kingdom life! Its focus is kingdom living. Ecclesiastes 3:11 tells us God set eternity in our hearts…NOTHING short of eternal life will satisfy the deep stirrings within each of us. Jesus Christ Himself is the TRUE image of abundant life!!

Jesus came to earth for one reason: to GIVE HIS LIFE so that you and I might have ETERNAL LIFE. Jesus gave it all, so we can believe Him when He tells us, “It is more blessed to give than receive.” The Greek word for blessed is makarios (mak ar ee os) and it means fortunate, well-off, happy. Listen to how the Message interprets these words of Jesus: “You’re far happier GIVING than GETTING.” We are back to the tension both in our text and in our living. The world tells us happiness, contentment, abundant life involves GETTING and ACCUMULATING, yet Jesus tells us, that happiness, contentment, abundant life is about GIVING. The world tells us this life is all there is and we should grab all we can while we still can. Jesus tells us we are not of this world. The world promises satisfaction with each new possession or achievement. Jesus tells us that satisfaction is found in giving to help the weak. Hear that again…Jesus tells us that satisfaction is found in giving to help the weak. Not giving to receive something in return, but giving to those in need, to those who have nothing to give in return.

Jesus’ giving was grounded in obedience to the will of the Father. Jesus’ giving involved sacrifice. Right after Jesus tells us in John 10 that he came so we could have abundant life, He refers to Himself as the Good Shepherdwho puts the sheep before Himself, laying down His life, sacrificing Himself for the sheep. The abundant life requires nothing less of us. We are called to be imitators of Christ. Eph. 5:1 states: “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

From the moment the apostle Paul encountered Jesus on the Road to Damascus, Jesus’ voice became the ONLY voice Paul followed and Jesus example was the ONLY example Paul imitated. He was so overwhelmed by the extravagant generosity of God in giving Jesus as a sin offering for his sins, that Paul chose to live a life of extravagant generosity himself. His was a servant ministry, built on the principle that it is more blessed to give than receive. Paul single-mindedly poured out his life in obedience to His call. He gave himself away in ministry everywhere he went. He desired only one thing: to be found faithful to God’s call on his life, which was proclaiming the gospel of God’s grace. He petitioned the Ephesian elders to follow His example.

The author of the book of Acts is Luke, who also wrote the Gospel of Luke. Scholars consider Acts as the second volume of Luke. One of Luke’s major themes in both books is Jesus’ teaching on money. Wealth is viewed as morally neutral: neither good or bad. Yet Jesus warns that there is NOTHING that human beings have to deal with that has the POSSIBILITY TO ROB THEM OF LIFE more than wealth and possessions. Jesus constantly reminded His hearers that the kingdom of God is not ordered on the basis of wealth or any other human standard. Jesus leveled theplaying field. The kingdom of God is ordered on love - love of God and love of neighbor.

Paul understood this. He understood the real life that Jesus came to give each of us. He understood that we get this life only by giving ourselves away to those in need. He had found the true contentment, the true satisfaction that alludes those who try to find it by personal gain. Hear his words in Phil 4:11-12: “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Paul had learned to see life from God’s point of view, from the kingdom perspective, and so he could be content. He focused on what God CALLED HIM TO DO, and not ON WHAT HE HAD!!! Paul did not worry about NONESSENTIALS. Instead he concentrated on things that had eternal value, while trusting God to supply all his needs. Even imprisonment could not deter him from doing what God called him to do. While in jail, he shared the gospel with his jailors and wrote letters to encourage the churches he had planted. His was a lifestyle of service which wears one out!

Paul also knew that the future mission of the church depended on the way its members, especially its leaders, used their possessions, their time, and their talents and gifts. The world would not believe the genuineness of the gospel if the church preached one thing, but lived another. Church, our world will test the truth of God’s word by whether we are gracious or greedy in caring for others. We can not say we have the love of God in us, and neglect those who are in need. In saying goodbye to the church elders, Paul basically told them that he had done everything he could do, and now it was up to them. In the same way it is up to each of us. As Christians, we are called to live a counter-cultural lifestyle. A lifestyle whose beliefs and practices are set against the social norm. A lifestyle of satisfaction and contentment with what we have – a lifestyle of giving to those in need – a lifestyle that focuses on the call God has on each of our lives. In light of the Word we heard this morning, there is a question each one of us needs to answer honestly if we truly desire abundant life. The question?? Am I POURING OUT my life – my money, my time, my energy, my gifts – for anyone or anything BEYOND myself? The words pouring out imply sacrifice, a denying of self. Jesus explains it clearly in Luke 9:23-25. “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?” What a paradox! Jesus knows that it is in self-sacrifice that we find real happiness, real satisfaction, real life….abundant life! It is in self-sacrifice that we are cured of the disease of self. We are called to live a life where JESUS LEADS and we follow. We give up our selfish desires to use our time and our money our own way. We give up our selfish desire to choose our own direction in life. Instead, we daily choose to take up our cross, which is God’s purpose for our life, and follow where He leads. As Jesus’ disciples, our life here on earth is not about our own pleasure. The abundant life is all about serving God and people. There are many weak and needy people in our world – people who are hurting because of financial, spiritual, emotional, relational, educational, political needs that they are powerless to meet on their own. Often we are so caught up with our own agendas, that we do not even see them or hear them. I had an example of this in my own life about a month ago. Time is a precious commodity in my life, as it is for many of you. At times, I find it difficult to juggle all the responsibilities. Well, I have an elderly aunt who is widowed and lives in Pittsburgh. She is my father’s only sister. Her husband died about 5 years ago and there is no family left in PA. My father tried for years to get her to move south to be near family, but she has resisted. She has lived in Pittsburgh all her life. She will not even visit because she has a fear of flying. The only time she has visited in the 30 years since my family left Pittsburg, was right before my father passed away this summer after complications from a massive stroke. I have tried to call her about every week or 10 days since then. As we were saying goodbye recently, she got emotional. She thanked me for calling and said it had been the highlight of her entire day. She had been alone all day and appreciated a voice to break the deafening silence. It was very humbling to think that by giving just 20 min. of my time, I could do something that my aunt considered the highlight of her day. I heard her need and have resolved to call more frequently. But I found myself asking how many other needy people have I failed to see or hear, because I was too distracted with my own interests.

As kingdom people, we are called to give more than lip service. We are called to GIVE GRANDLY OF OURSELVES, even if it is costly to do so. We are called to live in way that is contrary to our human nature and contrary to the way of the world. This way of living is risky and requires firm trust in God’s faithfulness. Author and speaker, J. Ellsworth Kalas, states that the kingdom of God is risky business. He wrote, “We may be tempted to ask, “How dare anyone ask me to take such a risk? Who has the right to ask such a thing of me or anyone else? Only Someone who knows the ultimate about risks. Only someone who would say, “I have just one Son. I will send Him to a cross on the gamble that if I do, some of you will take your own risk in return. I’m going to risk my only Son on a world of self-centered, self-satisfied, self-seeking human beings, on the chance that some of them will bet their lives in return. Because I know that these humans have the potential to be eternity-centered, and to give grandly of all that they are. So I’ve taken a risk on them because I know they are worth it.”

We are called to eternity-centered living which stores up treasures in heaven. Jesus said where your treasure is, your heart will be. Church, God wants our hearts.

Where are you storing up treasures?