“One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: ‘Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent.”
~ Acts 18:9
Hi James and Ellen,
Have you met a famous guy or gal? Is there a guy or gal who you would really like to meet someday? Would you like to meet someday a well-known baseball or football player? Would you like to meet someday a well-known singer or actor? Would you like to meet someday a well-known politician or speaker? When your grandmaa was a young kid, your grandmaa shook hands with Richard Nixon. Your grandpaa is quite sure that you have never heard of Richard Nixon. At the time when your grandmaa shook Richard Nixon’s hand, Richard Nixon had been asked by General Dwight Eisenhower to be his Vice President. Richard Nixon would later become a United States President. Richard Nixon became a very famous guy. Some guys, gals and kids like to get autographs from well-known guys and gals when they meet well-known guys and gals. An autograph is the signature of a well-known guy or gal. No guy, gal or kid has ever asked your grandpaa for your grandpaa’s autograph. Your grandpaa did ask one day for an autograph from a well-known former basketball player. Horace Grant played basketball for a time for the Bulls. The Bulls are Chicago’s professional basketball team. When Horace Grant played basketball for the Chicago Bulls, the Bulls were a really good team. The Bulls won a couple of NBA (National Basketball Association) championships when Horace Grant was playing for them. Horace Grant was public about having become a Christ-follower after he made a decision of faith to believe in Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. Horace Grant one day had a basketball clinic in the big, new gym that Moody Bible Institute now has on its campus. The clinic was for any boy who was living in any of the rundown, dangerous projects or in homes that are located near Moody Bible Institute’s campus. Your grandpaa was staying in a dorm on the Moody Bible Institute campus – where he was taking a weeklong class for his Masters degree, when your grandpaa found out that Horace Grant was giving a basketball clinic in the new gym that is on the Moody Bible Institute campus. Your grandpaa went to the gym where your grandpaa was able to get Horace Grant’s autograph. Your grandpaa gave Horace Grant’s autograph to your Aunt Lynn. Maybe someday a guy, gal or kid will ask you for your autograph. Do you think that will ever happen? Are you hoping that you will become famous one day like Richard Nixon is after having been a United States President or to be well-known like Horace Grant is as a former NBA basketball player who is a Christ-follower?
Your grandpaa has gotten to know some well-known guys who are involved in missions. One of the guys who your grandpaa has gotten to know is Dr. Emilio Nunez. Dr. Nunez lives in Guatemala City. Guatemala City is where your grandpaa is now living as a missionary. Dr. Nunez has written books. Dr. Nunez has been a special speaker in different Latin American cities. Dr. Nunez was on OC International’s Board of Directors for a time. Your grandmaa and grandpaa are OC International missionaries. Dr. Nunez knows your grandpaa by your grandpaa’s first name. Your grandpaa knows the President of IFMA (Interdenominational Fellowship of Mission Agencies). The President of IFMA is John Orme. John Orme was your grandpaa’s second reader for the thesis that your grandpaa had to write for his Masters. Your grandpaa will possibly tell you someday about the time twenty years ago when your grandpaa was asked to give a twenty minute presentation at the annual EFMA (Evangelical Fellowship of Mission Agencies) conference that was held in the Glen Eyrie Castle that is on Navigator’s grounds in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Your grandpaa one day met the guy – Paul McKaughn, who would become the President of EFMA. Paul McKaughn is Don McKaughn’s son. Your grandpaa met Don McKaughn over twenty-seven years ago when Don McKaughn was invited by the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church in Aberdeen, South Dakota – where your grandmaa and grandpaa became members, to be their deeper life speaker. Don McKaughn was the guy who God really used to wake up your grandpaa to become more of the Christ-follower who your grandpaa had been saying that he was.
Paul became a very famous guy during and from his time on planet Earth. Paul first felt that his life vocation was to kill Christ-followers. God sent a flash of light from heaven to blind and wake up Paul to become for Him a servant and messenger to Gentile guys, gals and kids. Acts 18 has Luke writing about Paul the missionary. Paul should be the example of what a missionary should do today. A missionary should be willing and ready to travel here and there, he or she should be willing to get to know different guys, gals and kids, he or she should be willing to stay in a place for only a year or two and he or she should always be ready to speak about what God did through His Son Jesus Christ on a cross. Paul was first sent out as a missionary by the Antioch Church Christ-followers. Paul periodically returned to Antioch where he probably reported on where he went and what he did during a mission trip. Paul on his second missionary trip went from Athens to Corinth. Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half. While Paul was in Corinth, Paul met Aquila. Aquila was married to Priscilla. Priscilla and Aquila became leaders in the early Christ-follower church. Timothy and Silas stopped to see Paul during the time that Paul was in Corinth. Timothy and Silas became early Christian-follower church leaders. A network of Christ-follower leaders grew as the number of early Christ-follower communities grew. These Christ-followers leaders did as God instructed Paul in verse 9 “One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: ‘Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent.” Your grandmaa and grandpaa are today a part of a network of missionaries and church leaders who are speaking for God.
Acts 18 (168)