Day 312 or November the 8th. Long sermons can
be a killer. Our thoughts today are from Acts
chapter 20 verse 9. Seated in a window was a
young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into
a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he
was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from
the third story and was picked up dead. And now
the big picture surrounding this verse. Paul
completes his second missionary journey by spending
more time in Corinth, in the south of Greece,
before returning to Antioch via Ephesus in Turkey.
After spending some time in Antioch, which is
in Syria just north of present -day Israel, he
sets off on journey number three. This longest
of his travels so far sees Paul visiting his
hometown of Tarsus in modern -day Turkey, before
heading west across Turkey and then to Greece
before setting off to return to Jerusalem. And
now today's action step. I have always made it
a policy of mine, as I have taught in many different
churches, to ask when the service normally ends,
so I know how long I have. The usual response
is, feel free to say what you have to say, to
which I reply, please tell me when your service
normally ends, and I will stop then. Obviously
Paul didn't ask at Troas. If a service usually
ends at twelve noon, you may continue to ten
minutes past, but the congregation will have
stopped listening at noon anyway. Sometimes we
preachers lose sight of the fact that we want
people to hear what we sense God has said to
us, and then slip into trying to tell the congregation
all we know. Too often, we think the length of
a talk determines its quality. Actually, the
truth is often the exact opposite. Remember,
if they're not learning, then you are not teaching,
because both learning and teaching have to coexist.
Otherwise, what you think is teaching is actually
just talking. This goes for conversations, too.
Knowing when to stop makes you far more interesting
and effective. I think I've said enough now.