Continue in the Grace of God

Hold Fast

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After Paul’s sermon, many people wanted more. “Many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God” (Acts 13:43).

Grace. Grace is God’s kindness that we do not deserve and cannot earn. It is God giving us forgiveness and new life through Jesus.

Followed. These people had just heard about Jesus. They did not want to walk away and forget it, so they followed Paul and Barnabas to hear more.

Persuaded. Paul and Barnabas talked with them and urged them on. They wanted these new believers to keep going.

Not alone. These new believers were not left to figure things out alone. Paul and Barnabas spent time with them, and God’s people still help each other keep going today.

Continue. To continue means to keep on and not stop. The Christian life is not one moment that ends. It is staying close to Jesus every day.

In the grace. They were not told to continue in trying harder or in earning God’s love. They were told to continue in grace. We start with grace, and we keep going with grace.

Barnabas again. Years before in Antioch, Barnabas had urged believers “that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord” (Acts 11:23).

Hold fast. Paul later wrote about “the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you” (1 Corinthians 15:1-2).

Where we stand. The gospel is like solid ground under our feet. We received it, we stand on it, and we keep holding on to it.

Holding on. Holding fast does not mean we keep ourselves saved by our own strength. Jesus holds on to us too. We hold on by trusting Him, reading His Word and staying with His people.

The heart of it. The gospel we hold is this: “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). We have all sinned, and Jesus died on the cross for us.

What we learn. Trusting Jesus is not only how we begin with God. It is how we keep going every day.

What to do. This week, read a little of God’s Word each day, pray, and spend time with other believers. These are ways to keep on in God’s grace.

Paul’s sermon at Antioch in Pisidia brought followers right away. “Many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God” (Acts 13:43).

Proselytes. Devout proselytes were Gentiles who had joined the Jewish faith. Jews and Gentiles alike were urged toward the same thing.

Persuaded. Paul and Barnabas did not announce the gospel and hurry away. They spoke with the new believers and persuaded them. Caring for new believers is part of the mission.

Continue. To continue is to remain, to stay on. Barnabas had urged the believers in Antioch in the same way, “that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord” (Acts 11:23).

Grace, not law. Paul had just said that the law of Moses could not justify (13:39). The next step was not to go back to law-keeping for standing with God, but to remain in the grace that had justified them.

1 Corinthians 15:1-2. Paul wrote of “the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.”

Katecho. Hold fast translates katecho (say: kat-EKH-oh), to hold firmly, to keep a tight grip. Faith that saves keeps holding the message it first received.

Received, stand, saved. Paul speaks of the gospel in three ways: received in the past, stood in now and saving them still. Grace is not only the door in; it is the ground we stand on.

Unless in vain. Paul warns against a belief that lets go of the gospel. Real faith shows itself by continuing. Yet God, who began the work, keeps His people, so our grip rests on His.

What we hold. “For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

Application. Do not slowly move away from grace into carelessness or into rule-keeping to earn God’s favor. Keep coming back to the gospel: Christ died on the cross for your sins and rose again. Stay in the Word, in prayer and with God’s people.

The Word of His Grace

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Years after his first journey, Paul said goodbye to the leaders of the church in Ephesus. He told them they would see his face no more (Acts 20:25). His last words to them were about God’s grace.

Commended to God. Paul said, “So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up” (Acts 20:32). To commend means to hand someone over into someone else’s care.

To God. Paul could not stay with them. But he knew God would stay with them.

The word of His grace. Paul called the Bible’s message “the word of His grace.” It tells us about God’s kindness to sinners through Jesus.

Able to build you up. God’s Word is able to make believers strong, like a builder adding bricks to a house, one row at a time.

An inheritance. The word of His grace is able to “give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified” (20:32). An inheritance is a gift a father gives his children. God has a forever gift for His children.

Paul’s work. Paul said his life’s work was “to testify to the gospel of the grace of God” (20:24). He had done that ever since he met Jesus.

Back in Antioch. On the first journey, “the word of the Lord was being spread throughout all the region” (13:49). The same word kept building up believers wherever it went.

When teachers leave. The new believers in Antioch of Pisidia saw their teachers driven out (13:50). But they still had the Lord and His word.

Grace for sinners. The word of grace tells us that we have all sinned, that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, and that God raised Him from the dead. Everyone who believes is forgiven.

Paul prayed. “And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all” (20:36). Paul trusted God with his friends, so he prayed with them.

Built on Jesus. A house needs a strong foundation. Jesus is that foundation, and God’s Word keeps building our lives on Him.

Every day. Reading the Bible is not only for pastors. God’s Word builds up every believer, even kids.

What we learn. When people we love cannot be with us, God and His Word still can.

What to do. Pick a time each day this week to read a few verses. Ask God to build you up through His Word.

On his third journey Paul met the elders of Ephesus and told them they would see his face no more (Acts 20:17, 25). His farewell ended with a sentence of trust.

Acts 20:32. “So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.”

Commend. To commend is to entrust someone to another’s care, like leaving something precious in safekeeping. Paul handed the church over to God and His word, not to his own memory or to one strong leader.

Oikodomeo. Build up translates oikodomeo (say: oy-koh-doh-MEH-oh), which literally means to build a house. God’s Word builds believers the way a builder raises a house, stone on stone.

An inheritance. The same word that builds believers now gives them “an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” Sanctified means set apart for God. Grace begins the Christian life, keeps it growing and ends in a forever home with God.

Acts 20:24. Paul said, “But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”

From the first journey. At Antioch in Pisidia, the people heard “the word of God” (13:44, 46), and soon “the word of the Lord was being spread throughout all the region” (13:49). When Paul and Barnabas were expelled (13:50), the word stayed.

Prayer at parting (20:36). “And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all.” Paul commended the elders to God on his knees.

Grace and growth. The word that first announced forgiveness is the same word that grows believers up. There is no second message for mature Christians, only a deeper hold on the first one.

Grace in the word. The message is called the word of His grace because it announces what God gives, not what we achieve: forgiveness for sinners through the death of Jesus on the cross and His resurrection.

Application. Leaders, parents and teachers will not always be beside you. God and His Word will. Read the Scriptures daily, not as a chore, but as the way God builds your faith, and let them point you to Jesus.

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Complete all sections to finish!

Read each section and answer the questions correctly.