2026년 6월 28일 “오직 하나님의 영광을 위하여” (사도행전 21장 15-26절) 우영화 담임목사

Devotional

Day 1: When Your Living Room Becomes a Gospel Outpost

Nachshon’s home was more than a resting place—it became a hub for prayer, strategy, and kingdom work. Like Lydia opening her doors in Philippi or modern volunteers hosting missionaries, ordinary spaces transform when surrendered to God’s mission. These unnamed saints didn’t seek recognition but leveraged their resources so others could advance the gospel. Their generosity created ripple effects, turning homes into launchpads for revival. True service requires no spotlight, only a heart willing to say, “Here, use this.” [01:10]

“And when she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, ‘If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.’ And she prevailed upon us.”
(Acts 16:15, ESV)

Reflection: What ordinary space or resource in your life—a kitchen table, a spare room, your skills—could become a “base camp” for God’s work? How might surrendering it shift your perspective from ownership to stewardship?

Day 2: Reporting Miracles, Not Résumés

Paul recounted God’s works, not his own achievements. His mission reports highlighted divine openings: jailers saved, churches planted, the dead raised. Like a composer scribbling “SDG” on a score, Paul redirected every accolade to heaven. Testimonies lose power when they center human effort but ignite worship when they trace God’s fingerprints. Our stories aren’t about our endurance but His faithfulness in the storm. [09:39]

“When they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.”
(Acts 14:27, ESV)

Reflection: When you share about your life’s challenges or victories, do you emphasize your resilience or God’s intervention? What one story from your journey needs retelling with Him as the hero?

Day 3: The Costly Yes That Unites

Paul paid for purification rites not out of fear but love for the church’s unity. He absorbed financial and cultural burdens to bridge divides between Jewish and Gentile believers. Sacrifice for unity isn’t about compromising truth but laying down preferences so the gospel isn’t hindered. Like parking lines quietly repainted by a member, unseen acts of service often heal fractures we never notice. [20:52]

“To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law… that I might win those under the law.”
(1 Corinthians 9:20, ESV)

Reflection: Is there a relational tension or cultural divide in your life where God is asking you to absorb a cost—pride, time, comfort—for the sake of unity? What step would mirror Paul’s surrender?

Day 4: Grace Is the Only Footnote

Bach’s “SDG” and Paul’s “God gave the growth” reject self-congratulation. Every sermon, song, or act of mercy flourishes not by human genius but divine breath. Even our faithfulness is a gift. Like missionaries refreshed by anonymous cooks or pastors humbled by members’ quiet labor, we’re all beggars pointing others to the Bread. Glory clings to God alone. [15:34]

“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.”
(1 Corinthians 3:6–7, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you subtly crave credit for your service? How might confessing “This was God, not me” free you from the exhaustion of performance?

Day 5: Joy in the Unseen Sacrifice

The saint who repainted parking lines found happiness not in applause but obedience. Paul faced prison yet called suffering a privilege. Kingdom joy blooms when we stop measuring impact and start treasuring proximity to Christ. Like late-night mission teams praying or members donating anonymously, fulfillment comes not from visible fruit but whispered faithfulness. [27:51]

“Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
(Nehemiah 8:10, ESV)

Reflection: What unseen act of service or private obedience have you undervalued? How might embracing it as worship—not a task—renew your joy today?

Sermon Summary

Luke records Paul’s final road toward Jerusalem under one clear confession: for the glory of God alone. Paul does not travel as a lonely hero. Timothy, Luke, representatives from Macedonia, and several disciples gather around him, and an old disciple named Nachshon opens his living space so that Paul and his companions may rest, pray, and prepare for ministry. The house of one believer becomes a base for the gospel.

Paul’s fellow workers show that the work of the kingdom is never carried by one person alone. Timothy strengthens believers. Luke gives up a stable life and stays near Paul in danger, prison, and weakness. Lydia opens her house in Philippi, and the Philippi church begins there. Priscilla and Aquila build tents with Paul and open their home for workers of the word. Their reason is not benefit, recognition, or human attraction. Their reason is only the kingdom and glory of God.

Paul then gives his report in Jerusalem, and Luke carefully says that Paul told in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. Paul does not boast in his labor, his gifts, or his achievement. Paul testifies that God opened doors, God saved Lydia, God saved the Philippian jailer, God formed churches in hostile places, God raised Eutychus, and God made the gospel grow. First Corinthians gives the same confession: Paul planted, Apollos watered, but God made it grow. The final applause belongs only to God.

The Jerusalem believers hear Paul’s testimony and give glory to God. Their response shows the right ending of every testimony. Human labor may be thanked, and dedication may be encouraged, but the last glory must go to God alone. Like Bach writing SDG, Soli Deo Gloria, at the end of his score, every chapter of life must carry the confession, “God did it. God alone must receive the glory.”

Paul also accepts James’s difficult proposal to enter the temple with men under a vow and pay their expenses. Paul does not do this out of fear. Paul has already come to Jerusalem ready to suffer. Paul lays down freedom, time, cost, and pride for the sake of the Jews, for the unity of the church, and for the progress of the gospel. God-centered life may bring loss, tears, loneliness, and hidden service, yet God does not leave such a life alone. The joy of the Lord becomes strength, and heavenly peace flows like a river into the life that seeks God’s kingdom and glory first.

##

Key Takeaways

1. Hidden homes become gospel bases Nachshon’s house shows that the kingdom of God often advances through ordinary rooms, meals, beds, and welcome. Hospitality is not small when it strengthens weary servants and gives space for prayer and preparation. The old disciple may not receive much background in the text, but his open home becomes part of the mission of God. [01:32]
2. God alone makes ministry grow Paul planted, Apollos watered, and many hands labored, but the growth belonged to God. This confession does not despise human devotion, but it refuses to let devotion steal the throne. The mature servant can work hard and still say, without false humility, that the final glory is not human glory. [13:03]
3. Testimony must return glory upward Paul’s report in Jerusalem is not a record of personal achievement but a detailed testimony of what God had done. The Jerusalem believers respond rightly by giving glory to God rather than making Paul the center. A holy testimony remembers the worker, but it worships the Lord who worked through the worker. [14:05]
4. Freedom may bow for mission Paul accepts James’s proposal not because fear controls him, but because the gospel controls him. His liberty is real, yet he willingly limits that liberty so Jewish believers may understand the gospel more clearly and the church may remain united. Kingdom love knows when to lay down rights without surrendering truth. [21:39]
5. God’s glory brings deep joy A life for God’s kingdom is not always easy, recognized, or comfortable. It may involve heat, hidden work, swallowed pride, and lonely obedience. Yet the joy that comes from serving the Lord is not decoration on the outside, but strength poured into the soul from heaven.

## [27:51]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:12] - Paul’s Final Journey Toward Jerusalem
[01:10] - Nachshon Opens His Home
[02:11] - Fellow Workers Beside Paul
[03:34] - Serving For God’s Glory Alone
[04:20] - Restoring Weary Missionaries
[06:23] - Mission Teams Praying And Preparing
[07:59] - Paul Reports What God Has Done
[10:09] - God Opens The Door Of Faith
[13:03] - Planting, Watering, And God’s Growth
[14:05] - Jerusalem Gives Glory To God
[15:34] - Bach And Soli Deo Gloria
[18:41] - Misunderstanding Paul And The Law
[20:52] - Paul Lays Down His Freedom
[24:23] - The Joy Of Seeking God’s Glory

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Acts 21:17-20
“When we had come to Jerusalem, the brothers received us gladly. On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. After greeting them, he related one by one the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. And when they heard it, they glorified God. And they said to him, ‘You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed. They are all zealous for the law,’” [08:11]

1 Corinthians 3:6-7
“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.” [13:03]

Acts 14:27
“And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.” [10:25]

Nehemiah 8:10
“Then he said to them, ‘Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’” [24:41]

Observation questions

In Acts 21:19-20, what two things happen in order after Paul arrives in Jerusalem: what does Paul report, and how do the believers respond? [14:05]
What are some examples of fellow workers and hosts whose homes, service, or support became part of gospel ministry? [01:32]
According to 1 Corinthians 3:6-7, what different roles do Paul, Apollos, and God each have in the growth of ministry? [13:03]
What costs does Paul accept in Jerusalem when he agrees to James’s proposal, and what misunderstanding is that action meant to address? [20:52]

Interpretation questions

Acts 21 says Paul reported “the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.” What does that wording teach about how a believer should talk about fruitful ministry, answered prayer, or visible results? [09:45]
The Jerusalem believers hear Paul’s testimony and glorify God. Why is that such an important response, especially when someone has clearly labored hard and suffered much? [14:29]
Paul accepts a costly and difficult step in Jerusalem, not because truth changed, but because the gospel and the unity of the church mattered deeply. How can a person tell the difference between wisely laying down a right and wrongly compromising the truth? [21:39]
“The joy of the Lord is your strength” is connected to a life centered on God’s kingdom and glory. Why might deep joy appear most clearly not in comfort, but in costly, hidden, or humble service? [24:30]

Application questions

Hidden homes can become gospel bases. What would it look like in this season for a home, table, car, schedule, or spare room to become a place of welcome and strengthening for others? [01:43]
Many people serve for recognition, but a God-centered life asks for another motive. In what area is there a temptation to be noticed, thanked, or admired? What would it look like to quietly offer that area to God alone? [16:51]
Paul reported in detail what God had done, not what he had achieved. When talking about work, family, ministry, or personal growth, how can there be more intentional language that gives glory to God instead of subtly taking credit? [12:27]
Freedom may need to bow for mission. Is there a right, preference, habit, or comfort that may need to be laid down for the good of another person, the peace of the church, or the progress of the gospel? [23:08]
A life for God’s glory may include swallowed pride, tears, expense, and unseen obedience. Where does following Christ currently feel costly, and what would it mean to keep walking in that place without becoming bitter? [25:04]
The joy of the Lord becomes strength in those who seek his kingdom first. Can there be a time when joy came through serving, giving, helping, or obeying in a hard place? What did that reveal about God’s heart? [27:51]
Every chapter of life should carry the confession, “God did it.” If “Soli Deo Gloria” were written over one specific part of life this week, where is that most needed right now: work, family, money, church, suffering, or future plans? [29:16]

Sermon Clips

44s

“``Everyone, Paul sowed the seed of the gospel, and Apollos fulfilled the devotion of watering that seed. Now look, everyone. Paul did not deny the devotion and labor of himself and Apollos. Yes. That is correct. Our labor and devotion are indeed worthy of priests. However, look at Paul's final confession. What does he say? So neither the one who plants nor the nor the one who waters is anything but God alone who makes it grow. It means that although we sowed the seed and watered it, the one who makes it grow is only God. We are nothing, and he alone should receive the glory.”

56s

“The saints of the Jerusalem church having heard Paul's testimony and report, glorify only God. Everyone, can give thanks for people's labor and dedication and applaud them with encouragement. Yes. We should do so as much as we want. However, the final applause of glory must be received only by God. Only God must be glorified. Now look, everyone. Paul testified about the work of God that took place in the mission field and the work of God that he performed through them. James, the elders of the Jerusalem church, and the saints who heard that testimony offered glory only to God. They are confessing that everything from beginning to end was by God's grace, and therefore, God alone deserves the glory.”

43s

“You are right, everyone. Running toward God's kingdom and glory is by no means an easy task. Sometimes we must suffer loss. There are times when we must swallow our pride. There are times when we must shed tears. There are times when we must walk that path alone and lonely, silently in a place where no one recognizes us. However, there is a clear fact. If you seek God, them, and glory first, God will absolutely not leave that life alone. It means that god pours out the glory and joy of heaven, which the world cannot give into that life, just like a drum.”

69s

“Now, everyone, I would like us to review today's message from beginning to end. Isn't everything focused on God? Paul and his fellow believers dedicated their lives to the kingdom of God, to the kingdom of God. They testify only to God who works through them. And at that final moment, they give up everything for the glory of God. For the kingdom and glory of God, they limit and give up their own freedom and step down to a low place. They are proclaiming that everything is God's grace, everything is God's power, and therefore, only God deserves the glory. Everyone, is God at the center of our lives, or is it me? Are you confessing that everything is God's grace, or do you believe it is due to your own efforts and zeal? Everyone, we must glorify only God. You must be able to hold fast to God alone.”

Ask a question about this sermon

동부사랑의교회 : East Sarang Community Church This sermon · AI assistant

Why should God alone receive all glory?

What is the role of sacrificial hospitality?

Why did Paul submit to Jewish purification rites?

2026년 6월 28일 “오직 하나님의 영광을 위하여” (사도행전 21장 15-26절) 우영화 담임목사 | 주일예배