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Welcome the Suffering
As they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air, the commander ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks. He directed that he be flogged and interrogated in order to find out why the people were shouting at him like this. Acts 22: 23-24, NIV This part of the scripture marked the start of Paul’s ministry while in chains. After this moment, he will defend himself to different authorities and will spend the rest of his time as a prisoner. This must’ve been the reason why the other disciples tried to stop him from going to Jerusalem. They were weeping for him. But then…
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Focus On The Mission That God Planted In Your Heart
As the soldiers were about to take Paul into the barracks, he asked the commander, “May I say something to you?” “Do you speak Greek?” he replied. “Aren’t you the Egyptian who started a revolt and led four thousand terrorists out into the wilderness some time ago?” Paul answered, “I am a Jew from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city. Please let me speak to the people.” Acts 21: 37-39, NIV Paul went through persecution, and a commander of the Roman troops tried to stop the crowd from hurting him. At that time, people wanted to kill him because they believed that he was teaching something that…
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When Things Aren’t Easy
The whole city was aroused, and the people came running from all directions. Seizing Paul, they dragged him from the temple, and immediately the gates were shut. While they were trying to kill him, news reached the commander of the Roman troops that the whole city of Jerusalem was in an uproar. Acts 21: 30-31, NIV Paul went to Jerusalem, and people wanted to kill him. But before he arrived there, the Holy Spirit already warned him about the suffering that he would experience. He knew what was waiting for him. But despite all these threats, Paul accepted the truth that things won’t be easy. He embraced his situation and…
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Serving God Won’t Always Lead Us To A Happy And Exciting Life
When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship. Acts 20: 36-38, NIV Paul experienced many painful things while doing God’s ministry. When he met with the Ephesian leaders, he expressed his heart as their shepherd and then prayed for them. After that, they all wept for him because it grieved them to know that they would never see his face again. These moments were heartbreaking. We somehow thought that when we follow…
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Aim To Finish The Race
I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace. Acts 20:23-24, NIV This is what Paul said when he was talking to the Ephesian elders. He shared to them how the Holy Spirit opened his eyes to the possible hardships that he will face. In short, the Spirit taught him how to accept and deal with it. God prepared his heart and Paul…
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Serve The Lord Despite All The Pain And Challenges
I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents. Acts 20: 19, NIV Paul went through so many trials while serving God. It was not a comfortable and easy life for Him. He cried and experienced moments of pain. But despite all these, he stayed faithful to God. With great humility, he continued to serve Him with everything that he had. Sometimes, we have this mindset that whenever we serve the Lord, He will keep us from hardships and challenges. We tend to have this perspective that when a person follows God, he will then…
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Trust God’s Perfect Timing
They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. Acts 18: 19, NIV Ephesus is a Greek city in Ionian Asia Minor. Paul once attempted to visit this place, but the Holy Spirit forbade him to. This is stated in Acts 16:6: “Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia.” During that time, God’s answer to Paul’s request was to wait. He asked him to patiently trust in His timing. And true enough, after more or less two years, God permitted…
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We Are Allowed To Express What We Truly Feel, But That Doesn’t Mean We Will Stop Trying
But when they opposed him and blasphemed, he shook his garments and said to them, “Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” And he departed from there and entered the house of a certain man named Justus, one who worshiped God, whose house was next door to the synagogue. Then Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his household. And many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized. Acts 18:6-8, NKJV Paul went to Corinth and preached about Jesus Christ to the Jews. Sadly, they opposed Paul and chose not to receive…
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Serving God Together
There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. Acts 18:2-3, NIV Have you seen the movie “Paul, Apostle of Christ?” There, you will have a glimpse of Aquila and Priscilla’s role in the early Christian community. This couple may not be that famous, but they are a good role model for every married couple out there. They were tentmakers, and Paul used to work and travel with them.…
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Privileged To Serve Jesus
I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. 1 Timothy 1:12-13 Paul considered himself a recipient of God’s mercy. He believed that it was an honor to serve God. He recalled the mistakes that he had made before and realized that it was all by God’s grace that he was appointed to preach the gospel outside Jerusalem. And this task wasn’t easy. Paul needed to go through suffering and many persecutions just…
