GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY AND MAN’S RESPONSIBILITY IN EVANGELISM
Park Jung Il
Our church is Reformed. What does Reformed mean? Calvin and Zwingli separated from the Lutherans because they were too passive in abandoning Roman Catholic traditions. Unlike Luther, Calvin and Zwingli wanted to reform immediately and completely. That is why they were called Reformists. Our church accepts the teachings of John Calvin.
One of the most important teachings of John Calvin is God’s sovereignty and human responsibility. God has been working in human history, taking 100% initiative. Man’s history is God’s history. It is God who reveals and works for man’s salvation. Then, is there no human responsibility under God’s sovereignty? Should man be just a bystander? No. it cannot be. Calvin teaches us affirmatively that there is a need for God’s sovereignty and human responsibility. God is working sovereignly in this world and man is responsible for his actions.
In Acts 19:8-10, we see a big crisis in Paul’s ministry in Ephesus. He lost a place to worship and teach God and His words. But God worked for Paul in a secret and powerful way. The Bible says that Paul also did his best as he possibly could. He gave 100% effort to God. When we preach and teach God’s words, it is important that we bear this fact in mind. Thus, the title of my message is divine sovereignty and human responsibility in spreading the gospel.
Crisis in Gospel Ministry
Let us look at Verse 8. Paul disputed with the Jews and persuaded them in the synagogue in Ephesus. Paul must have spoken to them about the Messiah as prophesied in the Old Testament. And he must have said that the Messiah was Jesus Christ Himself, who was crucified on the Cross. But some of the people did not accept Paul’s words because their hearts were hardened. They even spoke evil of the way leading to salvation through Jesus Christ. Because of this, Paul had no choice but to depart from them.
We do not know if Paul separated with his disciples voluntarily or could no longer use the synagogue because of the Jews. But the sure fact was that he lost a place to worship God and teach His words. This must have been a big crisis to Paul and his disciples. The fact that there was no place for them to worship the Lord and study His words must have been a big challenge to those who serve God.
Sovereignty of God
How did God help Paul? Paul could use the school of Tyrannus. Who was Tyrannus? Tyrannus is a Greek name and his name means sovereignty. He might have been a convert to Christianity or a person who favoured it. If he was hostile to Christianity, he would not have allowed Paul to use his school. We do not know if he was a teacher or the owner of the school because the Bible is silent over this. The sure fact is that he was a big help to Paul in his ministry in Ephesus.
This was God’s sovereignty in action. In what way? First, Paul was able to use the school seven days a week. At the synagogue, time was limited. Paul could use it only once a week. Second, Paul’s disciples could all take part in the classes. We know from Acts 20:34 that Paul supported himself as well as others who were with him. Some of his disciples might have worked as well. At siesta time, people enjoyed a short time of rest from work. So, Paul could use this time to teach. Third, both the Jews and Gentiles could attend the class at the same time. Only the Jews could enter the synagogue but the school was open to both Jews and Gentiles. This enabled Paul to save time and effort in his ministry. He did not have to teach the Jews and Gentiles separately. Last, Paul could rent cheaply. We do not know whether Paul rented the school or used it for free. If he rented it, it could not have been expensive because the school was not used for the whole day.
In the midst of crisis, Paul had a sovereign God to help him. God’s invisible hand was leading and helping Paul overcome his crisis. As a matter of fact, the crisis facilitated the spread of the gospel even more. Like the meaning of Tyrannus, God in His sovereignty led Paul to Tyrannus.
Human Responsibility
Where is the human responsibility in this case? It is in Paul’s hard work (Acts 20:34). Paul worked in the mornings, and in afternoons he taught his disciples. After 4 pm, he spoke in public or visited the houses for such activities were profitable to them (Acts 20:20). Paul said in Acts 20:31, “Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.” Paul did his best under God’s sovereignty. He put in 100% effort. This was Calvin’s teaching and we can confirm this fact in Paul’s ministry in Ephesus.
There is one thing we have to check. Verse 10 says Paul taught his disciples in the school for two years. But Acts 20:31 says he taught them for three years. Is this a contradiction? No, it cannot be. The Scriptures do not contradict. To understand this difference, we should understand the concept of time according to the Jews. Paul taught them in the synagogue for three months. So, Paul taught them for more than two years. For the Jews, the two years with the additional months were taken as three years like rounding off in mathematics. Paul taught his 12 disciples for two years in the school of Tyrannus but it was three years in Ephesus. The numbers three and 12 are significant. Jesus was with His 12 disciples for three years and the gospel was preached to all. Likewise, Paul taught his 12 disciples for three years and through his disciples, both Jews and Greek heard the gospel.
We may face many crises in our life and ministry, but God’s sovereign hand is the key to a blessed ministry. We can see that God’s plan of saving sinners cannot be hindered and stopped by any evil attack. Rather, God uses the crises we face in life and ministry as a source of blessing in our service for the Lord.
Personal Testimony
I praise God that God has strengthened the Far Eastern Bible College (FEBC) and blessed her ministry despite many difficulties and challenges. Through God’s sincere and faithful servants, the gospel has gone out to all the world, to Southeast Asia, and to countries such as Australia, Korea, and Africa. We can see that this has been possible by God’s sovereignty and human responsibility.
I also praise God for True Life Bible-Presbyterian Church. When True Life separated from Life Church, God led them to the best place for worship and service. Through this, God’s kingdom has been expanding increasingly and abundantly.
God led me to the school of Tyrannus. I graduated from FEBC on May 11, 2014. When I graduated, God gave me a strong calling to be a servant of God’s Word. FEBC was the perfect place for me to be trained and equipped for the preaching ministry. When I came back to Korea, there seemed to be no church to serve. Even my church’s pastor wanted me to study again for MDiv degree in Korea. Unless I had an MDiv, I would not be allowed to preach.
Eventually, God led me to a small church where only one family has been serving faithfully. The church welcomed me and it was like the school of Tyrannus for me. Thus far, I have preached two times on Wednesday worship service and Lord’s Day afternoon service. From next month onwards, I will preach three times including the Lord’s Day morning worship service. It is by God’s sovereignty and special grace. The opportunities granted by God enable me to grow up fast as a preacher.
The more I study, the more I come to realize that I do not know much of the Bible and my theological knowledge is very shallow. In the mornings, I read the Bible and prepare my sermons. In the afternoons, I study theology. In the evenings, I teach English to some students in order to support myself and the church. Currently, my church is too small to support me. Despite my secular job, I try to pray and evangelize. And three of my students attended the Gethsemane Youth Fellowship Camp in December 2014. Through the camp, my two sons learned much and have a desire to grow up spiritually. Three girl students never heard God and the gospel before. During the camp, the seniors who attended the camp helped me. They shared the gospel with them. Here are two testimonies by my first son and one of my students
Testimony of My First Son
My name is Ju Young Park. I am 15 years old. I was happy to join the Youth Camp and really enjoyed the camp. Now I want to share what I have felt and what I have learned during this camp.
Firstly, I will share my experience about this camp. I was very nervous because this is my first overseas trip. But participants were so kind. Even though my English was poor, they were always willing to listen to me. I am very thankful for that. Games are so interesting and fun because I haven’t played such games in Korea. All food was delicious.
Secondly, I want to share what I have learned from the messages. I could understand well the first four messages. As times went on, I felt tired. Because of that, it was difficult to concentrate on the messages. But I understood more than 70% of the messages. I realize that I am more interested in worldly things than spiritual growth. I hope I will be more interested in spiritual growth and pray that God will help me grow spiritually. Thank you very much and praise God.
Testimony of One of My Students
Hello, I’m Eunha from Korea. I am 16 years old and third grade of middle school. In 2015 this year, I will be a freshman in high school.
I feel lucky to have attended the Gethsemane Youth Camp. It seemed that time flew. I really enjoyed all the activities during the camp as well as the beautiful scenery. Above all, when I look back on the unforgettable memories, three are the most impressive in my heart.
The first, thanks for warm-hearted welcome. I think that all of you were very kind and generous in the youth camp. Although I was poor at speaking English, all participants tried to listen to me well. It was very impressive to me. I was happy to meet many good friends. I am looking forward to visiting Singapore again and I would like to keep in touch with you.
Second, the indoor and outdoor games were very interesting to me. Especially ping ball was the best.
Last of all, frankly speaking, I couldn’t understand all of the sermons but I enjoyed the melody of hymns. It was a good chance to think about the existence of God.
Ed: Park Jung Il graduated with his DipTh from FEBC last year. He came with a poor command of English, but worked very hard, persevered in his studies, and did well academically even completing three years of Greek. More importantly, he is spiritually minded and has a fervent heart for the Lord. It was plainly evident that the Spirit was working in him and preparing him for the pastoral ministry when he was in FEBC. We praise the Lord for blessing us with such students. JK
