The following blog post contains notes and application questions from our April 15, 2018 message, From Acts 28 to Ad 2018: This Is No Fable. Watch the full message. This message is part of our Acts series. See other messages in this series.
Summary
As Todd walks us through the beginning of Acts 28, there are multiple lessons about kindness and leadership that we can learn from Paul by how he handled being shipwrecked on the island of Malta. It’s been said that kindness is the language the deaf can hear and the blind can see. Have you ever responded to the extraordinary kindness of Christ?
Key Takeaways
Kindness is the language the deaf can hear and the blind can see.
- Love without truth is not loving and truth without love will not be heard.
Great leaders are great servants (it’s only the little man who refuses to do the little task).
- Earn trust through competence and character. The fastest way to build trust is competence; the fastest way to lose trust is character.
- Here’s what to do with your life: serve people!
Great leaders who do great things are not immune from great trouble.
Don’t respond to the world’s idea of you, but instead, be God’s ideal in the world you reside in.
- “If you live for the praise of others you will die from their rejection.” –Lecrae
The key to peace is trusting the character of God more than the circumstances of the moment.
- Don’t let the circumstances around you dictate your character.
- “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” –Corrie Ten Boom
We can do more after we have prayed, but we can do nothing until we have prayed.
Questions for Reflection and Discussion
- Will others be glad if they get “washed up” on your shore? Would they say that you are an extraordinarily kind person? Identify one way you can grow in practicing the fruit of the Spirit—kindness—this week.
- When was the last time you served someone? What about someone who doesn’t speak your language or has a different skin color than you do?
- What circumstance in life are you most prone to allow to dictate how your day is going? Find a Scripture about the kindness and goodness of God, memorize it, and meditate on it the next time you are faced with that circumstance.
Mentioned or Recommended Resources
- Scripture study: Acts 28:1-10, 1 Peter 3:15-16, Proverbs 3:3-4, Romans 2:1-5, Luke 6:26, Isaiah 26:3
- Message: Kindness: Never Random and Far Too Rare
- Message: Saved People Serve People
- Message: Sailing in the Storm