Acts 21:1-26
Paul is cautioned two times not to go to Jerusalem and even warned specifically that he would be bound and delivered into the hands of the Gentiles. But Paul is not deterred. In fact, his response is pretty incredible. "For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus." (verse 13).
It most likely won't be a death threat, but we need to recognize that following Jesus comes with a cost, and that's always tough. So how do we prepare for this? What will it take for us to confidently forge ahead for Christ regardless of the cost? Tami W.
P.S. Check out "Postcards from Paul" starting today on Back to the Bible.
I've been convicted that the cost I need to pay is my pride. For me it's my pride that keeps me from forging ahead. Sometimes it doesn't seem that way on the surface, but the deeper I dig into what is really preventing me from walking as closely to Christ as I know I should, is my pride.
Jesus told His followers "to count the cost" Luke 14:28. And, " Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me" Mat 16:24
It requires of us self denial, hungering & seeking only after the Lord's will and way for us to satisfy our hearts.
Take up our personal crosses and follow Jesus. In Paul's case, that meant many nasty things; but he persevered through beatings, scourgings, stonings, imprisonment, and even death, and when people thought of his comfort, he probably did, too, but he followed Christ because it would mean eternal rewards. How often do we put creature comforts and earthly security ahead of Christ, acting as if that is more crucial than the will of Christ? This is a question that I wrestle with many times a day.
Everyday we need to put on the full armor of God.
Ephesians 6:10-18
Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
Paul is a great example of what we need to do as Christians on the other side of the cross (after Jesus' crucifixtion and ascent to heaven)!
We have to understand, Paul BEFORE he was changed was a hot mess! He was persecuting anyone who was following THE WAY of Jesus. We all know that the way of Jesus seemed on the surface anyway, a direct contradiction of the Law of God. When in fact, it was the TRUTH of God's Law. So, I am not suprised that he would have to go through the turmoil he did. I believe it was Matthew who recorded the words from Jesus that said do not judge because you will be judged by the same judgment. So this is Paul being judged by the same judgment he inflicted on others.
Now that is the cost of discipleship! The stuff no one tells you! In our individual lives we have to go through the hell that we sowed in our missing the mark (sin).
Jesus, one who knew no sin came to be sin so that he can show us what we have to go through and that in and of itself is AWESOME! Paul was a sinner saved by grace (like us)who also had to go through his own crucifixtion in a sense. So we too, must go through as well.
NO, it is not easy but the sooner we realize this fact of life the better off we will be!
God Bless guys and gals on your journey to the Cross! It is not all roses at first but once we get back into that garden we were kicked out of it will be soooooo sweet!
Press On my brothers and sisters in Christ! I am pressing too! lol
So how do we prepare for this? What better way to prepare ourselves than to read God's Word which is written specifically to teach, guide and lead us! What will it take for us to confidently forge ahead for Christ regardless of the cost? If we are going to represent God then we have to draw near to Him and pray by giving Him thanks and praise. Ask Him for strength against all evil and all the temptations and no matter what adversities come our way we must always keep our eye on the Way, the Truth and the Light. He shed His blood and died and rose again so we can have salvation so He will never give up on us. So let us NOT give up on Him.
Can I ask you all to pray for the people of Jamaica at this time and ask God to do His work as He wills. Thank you.
The question you asked Tami, was what is the cost of the "Apopstle Paul"as well as the rest of us who follow God/Jesus?Pretty Expensive we might say!Remember Paul wrote most of his books in prison most probable wrongfully of course!1st of all we must crucify our flesh on Jesus' cross & follow his order of business for our life!If you happened to be a gambling person,you could probably bet on it that back in that day & age,people had it much harder following God than we do today.But in some countries,you can/could die for your faith in God!
This is a good question. How I think it's best to prepare is to a)love and b) know who I am in Christ. Paul spoke and walked with the authority of Jesus and as a result, he could face any opportunity or obstacle head on. I want to be that way- to show love to others and instead of watering down the message of Christ, allow the Holy Spirit to move in me and give me the words to say to show others the love of Christ.
This is in reference to Jimmy B's comment.
This is so absolutely true. We will all be fooled without the armor of God. It does miraculous things in our hearts and our lives as I can attest to that in reality. It is an amazing feeling especially when you see someone else do this and see the change in that person. You need to always be prepared because the devil is always looking for a way back. The armor of God will protect us from evil as long as we believe with our whole heart and soul.
We need to read daily te word of God to gain insight to the wisdom he has for us so we will be protected. It is hard but as long as we have God on our side He will always protect us like a parent protects their children
Rev 12:11 "And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.
That's the cost: Not loving your life, unto death! As this is truth written after the fact, at the end of the world, we learn how satan was overcome. But, we find our life, when we lose it, right?
I would say Paul's persecution came (not due to his past offenses on others), rather as scripture tells us: Jhn 15:18 "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.
Jhn 15:20 "Remember the word that I said to you, 'A slave is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.
Ultimately, God is allowing these sufferings, these tests on us...but because of his love for us, as He is seeing the need in us when we don't.
God used Paul, and everyone we read about, and you and me, when we are totally sold out to him, not to us, not to the world! Obedience. Faith. Self-denial. Those are the ways of the Kingdom, and surely not the world. Paul was a big sellout...and the world hated him because of that. Didn't he also say, I am crucified daily in Christ? Phl 1:21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Paul was sensitive to the time and place and to God's direction. God gave him the ability to read audiences, to give them what they needed to hear. That came from years of practice. We're told what Paul said and did and where he went; we're not told how much he asked questions and listened to people before giving them the Word of God.
It is said that the person who asks the questions is in control - think of Jay Leno, Letterman, Oprah, etc. They are in control; they ask the questions AND they listen.
But that isn't our nature. We want to solve problems we see and think we understand without hearing the next person out; and in so doing we turn them against God.
We need to listen more and say less, and we do that by asking leading questions; that way we can both hear what the people need and in so doing also hear what God tells us to say in response when we ask if we could offer a solution - again, asking which shows respect.
This is key.