Who’s not here yet? // 7.12.26

Acts 20 puts Paul on the road back to Jerusalem with a strange mix of clarity and uncertainty. Paul does not know exactly what will happen there, but the Holy Spirit has already told him enough. Prison and hardship are waiting. Still, Paul says his life is worth nothing to him except finishing the race and completing the task Jesus gave him, the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.

Paul’s journey has taken him all over the Mediterranean, by land and by sea, into towns that needed different words, different stories, and different starting places. Paul never treated one method like the only faithful method. If a town understood fishing, Paul could talk fishing. If philosophers were gathered around questions of logos and meaning, Paul could speak their language and point them to Jesus as the true center of all things. Paul became “all things to all people” because the good news was too good, too real, and too world changing to hold back.

The fishing image carries the whole thing. The determination to launch bait into the ocean with potato guns, drones, and whatever else it takes becomes a picture of what followers of Jesus are called to do. Followers of Jesus go fishing by all means possible. The point is not cleverness for its own sake. The point is love. Too many people are walking around hopeless, distressed, frustrated, and lost, and too many of them are already known and loved by people in the church.

Jesus remains the only Savior, and that matters. The church cannot save the people it loves so desperately. No friend, parent, neighbor, or church member carries that burden. But the church can point people toward the God who has never left them, never forsaken them, and knows exactly what they need.

The call of Jesus is inconvenient. Paul’s obedience sent him into storms, hard conversations, uncomfortable places, and beautiful messes with names and stories. Yet that same call is also the greatest adventure, the only way to spend a life that leads to life that is truly life. The outward facing church keeps asking who is close but feels far from God, who is not around the table yet, and whose one name is being prayed for, invited, and loved. Making room, even through something as practical as adding a third service, becomes part of that same mission: by all means possible, make space for people to belong, be known, and hear that God loves them too.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Paul spent himself for Jesus Paul’s life was not organized around comfort, safety, or preserving options. Acts 20 shows a man who knew hardship was coming and still measured his life by whether he finished the task Jesus gave him. Faithfulness was not a side project for Paul; it was the race itself. [47:16]
• 2. Love asks who is missing Paul kept looking beyond the people already gathered and kept asking who was not there yet. That question keeps love from turning inward and keeps the church from confusing fullness with completion. A heart shaped by Jesus notices empty seats, unreached neighbors, and beloved people who feel far from God. [44:23]
• 3. No one can save anyone The burden to rescue a soul belongs to Jesus alone, and that truth should sober and free every desperate heart. Love does not become passive, but it stops pretending to be sovereign. The faithful work is to invite, point, pray, and bear witness to the Savior who already knows what each person needs. [47:35]
• 4. Following Jesus is inconvenient Paul learned that obedience does not usually ask where life feels easiest. The Spirit sent him into storms, trouble, and uncomfortable spaces because people were worth reaching. The call of Jesus still leads into beautiful messes, and those messes have names. [52:29]
• 5. The church makes room outward An outward facing church makes decisions for people who are not present yet. Extra services, more volunteers, and changed rhythms are not just logistics; they are acts of hospitality aimed at real people. Making space means helping someone belong before belief has become clear or easy. [59:50]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [26:39] - Paul’s Farewell in Acts 20
• [28:26] - Grief and Hope in Jesus
• [31:19] - Learning the World of Fishing
• [34:37] - Potato Guns, Drones, and Determination
• [36:29] - Paul Uses Every Possible Means
• [38:31] - Paul’s Third Journey Around the Empire
• [41:44] - All Things to All People
• [44:23] - Who Is Not Here Yet?
• [47:16] - Pointing to the Savior
• [52:29] - Following Jesus Is Inconvenient
• [54:39] - Following Jesus Is the Greatest Adventure
• [57:35] - Making Room With a Third Service
• [61:54] - Circles Are Better Than Rows
• [62:55] - Going Fishing By All Means

1. What specific task did Paul prioritize above everything else in his life, according to Acts 20:24?
2. How did Paul adapt his approach when sharing the Gospel in different cultural contexts, as mentioned in 1 Corinthians 9:22-23?
3. What creative examples from the sermon (like potato guns or drones) illustrated the idea of using “all means possible” to reach people? [34:37]

1. Why do you think Paul was willing to endure hardship and uncertainty in his mission, even when he knew suffering awaited him?
2. How does the balance between effort (using creative methods) and humility (recognizing only Jesus saves) shape the way we share the Gospel? [47:35]
3. What does it mean for a church to be “outward facing,” and why might prioritizing “empty seats” matter more than feeling “full”? [44:23]

1. Who is one person in your life who feels “close but far from God,” and what is one practical step you could take to intentionally love or pray for them this week?
2. Are there habits, preferences, or comforts you prioritize that might hinder you from embracing the “inconvenient” parts of following Jesus? How could you reorient your priorities? [52:29]
3. When have you felt the pressure to “save” someone spiritually, and how can you shift from carrying that burden to pointing them toward Jesus instead? [47:51]
4. What’s one way your small group or church could “make room” for people who don’t yet believe—practically, relationally, or spiritually? [59:50]
5. How can you creatively adapt your language or actions this week to connect with someone who has different interests, struggles, or beliefs than you?