There is no substitute for the preaching and teaching of God's Word.

Each weekday on enjoying the journey, Scott Pauli leads us in a brief study of Scripture.

Today, on the weekend pulpit, we are happy to share a full-length Bible message given through Scott's pulpit ministry.

These messages were recorded live in a local church or gospel event in recent days.

It is our prayer that the message will be a help to you today.

Open the Word of God with me, would you please, to the Book of Acts. Maybe you've heard of the Book of Acts before. We've been in it already today, this great book of action, the book of the continuing Christ. Aren't you glad there's no end of the work of the Holy Spirit through His people? We're part of the greatest story. It's the story of redemption and God's redemptive purposes in the world, and we just find our place and do our part.

And I bring you to Acts chapter number 16 to show you what I think is one of the great

patterns of Scripture. And it is something we've got to go back to again and again and again.

It's, you know, you have meetings like this to push the reset button on things you already know.

You're probably not going to hear anything this week you haven't heard before.

But you're going back to center.

You're going back to what it is God wants done and how he wants it done.

When you come to Acts chapter number 16, you come to the story of Paul on his missionary journeys,

verse number one, then came he to Derby and Listra.

And behold, a certain disciple was there named Tomothius. I've got to tell you, full disclosure, I think

for years I had the idea that Timothy, you know, had been really led to Christ by the Apostle Paul,

and it was Paul who made Timothy what he was. The more I stood in the Bible, the more I realized, Paul

was instrumental in his life, but Timothy was not a Paul made man. Timothy was a God-made man.

In fact, I would point out to you that he was a disciple before the Apostle Paul ever showed up

there. And by the way, you asked Paul, well, who said all that in motion? He'd tell you, Lois and

Eunice did. Thank God for godly grandmalls and holy mothers who pray their children to God and put

great truth in their hearts. And then somebody like Paul comes along and waters the seed that's been

...