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my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

It’s important to be sure we clearly and effectively share the gospel with people, but we don’t have to make the message “catchy.” It is easy to think that the receptiveness of someone to the good news depends on the quality of our presentation. Though, I do believe a poor and disorganized communication of the gospel doesn’t help the cause, it is by the Spirit the truth of Jesus Christ is truly imparted. We don’t have to be cute or overly creative, it is not up to us to make God’s Word more compelling… we just need to do our best to be clear and to present Him well. God is the one who does it.

I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.

One of Paul’s major encouragements, even pleadings, for the church was that they remain unified. What brings unity is having a common purpose, a goal you all agree on. For the church, it is the mission of the gospel. We need to agree on what is important and let everything else go. We have all seen so many people divide, debate, and deteriorate over issues that really don’t matter all that much in the grand scheme of things. Jesus is what matters, the message of His death for our sins, His resurrection for our hope, that’s the main thing. How can we work together to get that word out… everything else is peanuts.

And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.” And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

“Do I need to be ‘baptized’ again?” a common question Pastors are familiar with. My answer… “it depends.” I’d say that you really only need to be baptized one time. If it’s genuine, once is enough. However, if you didn’t understand it the first time, just like those believers in Ephesus didn’t, then the first time it wasn’t a genuine “baptism” you just got wet. Perhaps you were an infant or a young child and didn’t truly understand the gospel, if that’s the case, it may have been a very meaningful ritual for your family, but baptism is something believers do. If you came to faith in Jesus AFTER you were ‘baptized’ then you do need to (genuinely) be baptized as a Christian.

And they came to Ephesus, and he left them there, but he himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. When they asked him to stay for a longer period, he declined. But on taking leave of them he said, “I will return to you if God wills,” and he set sail from Ephesus.

Ministry is hard. Not only is it not a “9-to-5” type job, it also makes your office the same place you go to connect with your church, it makes the separation between “job” and “faith” hard to navigate. There is never enough time for a Pastor to do everything he wants to do. Paul went through Ephesus and the people responded so well to him… but he didn’t have time to devote all his time there. “Why won’t Paul stay… can you believe Paul, he just doesn’t care about us…” of course that’s not true. If you have a church of more than 50 people, unless a Pastor neglects other duties, he can’t spend all his time in every way he would want to, Just as Paul may have wanted to stay in Ephesus, he had a plan, and did as much as he could.

Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us.

“We’ve missed you… where’ve you been?” Being a Christian is meant to be an ACTIVE thing. You cannot passively become a member and then attend from time to time and also grow in your faith. The word “lazy” isn’t in the Christian dictionary. We should make hay why the sun is shining, and the sun is shining my friends. Who are you bringing to church? Who are you investing in to help them come to know Jesus? We don’t take breaks, we don’t slow down, there is a lost world who needs a Savior… we are the light… shine! Serve… do… be!