Introduction

From Peter preaching a sermon that saw the salvation of 3,000 souls in chapter 2 to the apostle Paul landing ashore on the island of Malta after miraculously surviving a deadly shipwreck in chapter 28, the book of Acts is full of powerful supernatural incidents. Tonight I want us to look at one such incident and that is St. Paul raising Eutychus from the dead. The key verse and the keyword of this paragraph which is also the basis for my message tonight are found in the twelfth verse. The NLT renders it as:

Meanwhile, the young man was taken home alive and well, and everyone was greatly relieved.

New Living Translation

Speaking of physical relief I want to use Paracetamol as an illustration. It’s common practice to use Paracetamol in case of a headache because it brings instant relief. How cum these tiny pills capable of bringing relief to such a complicated unit like the human body? What you see is only a tiny single pill. Yet each pill is the combination of three powerful ingredients capable of relieving pain, put together using a scientific formula.

However, scientific formulas cannot always help us with our physical and emotional calamities. This is why in Acts 20:7-12, God has given us a spiritual formula of three biblical ingredients that were in the life of Eutychus. They are having a hunger for God’s Word, seek fellowship with God’s people, and remain in God’s presence. They brought relief to Troans at a moment of a great disaster. Tonight, let’s consider these ingredients in detail.

1. Eutychus had a hunger for God’s Word

A. Eutychus had probably come for the meeting after a long day at work. Still, he spent the whole night listening to Paul.

B. The fellow troans were the same. They had gathered on the first day of the week. They had reserved it for corporate worship and fellowship.

C. Eutychis wasn’t being lazy. The fashion in which the verse is rendered in Greek suggests Eutychus struggled to stay awake.

2. Eutychus had Fellowship with People

A. Eutychus knew fellowship is as important as teaching and learning the word of God.

B. Fellowship doesn’t mean eating a common meal or making a feast. Food is only a part of the fellowship.

C. True fellowship means breaking Eucharist and coming together with God’s people as a family to share each other’s burdens.

3. Eutychus was in the Presence of God

A. Experiencing God’s presence should be the core purpose of every Christian gathering.

B. It is the ultimate outcome of celebrating the word of God and enjoying fellowship with His people.

C. Eutychus chose to remain in the presence of God and had the most powerful encounter a man could ever have with God.

Application

I want to conclude my message with three applications I was able to draw from the miracle of bringing Eutychus back to life. These applications from God’s Word will bring you relief in your times of calamity.

A. Thirst and hunger after the Word

I. Let God’s Word be the top priority in your life. Even the apostles demonstrated the importance of God’s Word by their priorities, (Acts 6:2).

II. Not out of obligation but out of a passion and a desire to be lead by the holy spirit of God, (Psalm 119:105)

III. Don’t limit exposure to God’s Word at public gatherings alone. Crave after his word every day, (1 Peter 2:2).

B. Find fellowship with God’s People

I. Anyone can worship at home but no one can have fellowship with self, (Hebrews 10:25). Try hugging the TV after watching the televangelist.

II. There’s unity in diversity. Leave your differences behind when coming together, (1 Corinthians 11:17-22).

III. Fellowship with one another is one of the ways we put God’s word into action. Therefore don’t avoid fellowship, (Acts 2:44-47)

C. Remain in the Presence of God

I. There’s power in the presence of God and we become stronger the more time we spend basking in his presence, (1 Kings 19:10-18).

II. Don’t limit God’s presence in your life to the Sunday service. Seize every other opportunity to enjoy his presence, (Psalm 122:1)

III. Remember that you cannot have the presence of God in your life unless he has you in his presence, (John 15:4).

Conclusion

A Pastor known to me became terribly sick. Unable to preach and attend to other pastoral works people thought the growth of his church will decline. Instead, the church has grown three times bigger and keeps growing. The secret, while he was still in good health he took time to train his congregation in the word, fellowship, and remaining in God’s presence.

Let’s return to the illustration of Paracetamol. Imagine you took one of the ingredients out. What would happen? The pill loses its effect over pain and you will not feel relieved even after using it.

Likewise, Eutychus shows, that the word, fellowship, and the presence of God must walk together if you want to find relief in times of calamity. Take one of these out and your Christian walk will suffer. Remember, it doesn’t mean problems will be absent once you start to follow this spiritual formula. You will have problems. The difference is you will enjoy peace of mind no matter how big your problem is. Meanwhile, God will release his power into the problem and you will walk away deeply relieved, just like Eutychus and his fellow Troans.

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