Good Morning All,
I trust everyone has had a safe and blessed weekend. Yesterday I finished my adult Sunday School class on the Life of Paul. 5 years, 2 months and 8 days after teaching lesson 1, we finally brought Paul’s life to a close. Believe it or not, I have diligent studied Paul’s life for most of my time as a Pastor. Doing so has changed my life, my walk with Christ, my willingness to serve and compassion toward others in ways I cannot explain. In reality, it was a sad day for me having been so involved in one person’s doings for so long and now we are through.
In the close of Paul’s life, he was chained to a Roman soldier; for the last years of his existence on earth, Paul would be fastened by a chain to a man of the military. There is no way to honestly describe that without words like affliction, burden and irritation. 13 times in his letters, Paul mentions his confinement, mostly referring to it as his ‘bonds’. Yet he never complains, whines, rebukes or offers any sign of regret in serving the Lord, which resulted in his latter day bondage. In Ephesians 4.1, Paul makes the statement that he is a ‘prisoner of the Lord…’ Notice, he did not say a prisoner of ‘Rome’ or ‘the world’ or ‘Nero’. It was for serving the Lord Jesus Christ that Paul was constrained to appeal to Caesar. Yet Paul does not consider himself a victim, but rather the victor! Paul looks at his confinement, this chain of affliction and bondage of irritation as from the Lord; knowing that if the Lord brought that into his life, it is for some reason to bring Christ glory. In AD58 Paul wrote the letter to the Roman Christians, in that letter we find Romans 8.28 that reads: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” If read correctly you will notice that it does not say that “all things are good to them that love God”, but “all things work together for good”. Friend, that good that works together through the bonds in your life may be for others; someone in your family or at your work place, it does not necessarily mean that everything that happens to you us will be ‘good’ in the sense of application and occurrence in your life. But it will work for good in bring glory to Christ and helping others when they have problems in their life. We can look at Paul in the midst of chains as he rejoices and celebrates the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord and gain confidence through his bonds (Philippians 1.14).
Notice how Paul looked upon that affliction chained to his arm, the soldier sent to watch Paul on 12 hour shifts more than likely. He received a new solider every 12 hours, but for Paul he has a constant chain that that was a perpetual source of pain and irritation. Yet, instead of complaining, Paul studied that affliction…He studied that soldier, from his shoes to his helmet and from his shield to his sword. Paul studied the moves, methods and manpower of the soldier. From his confinement, we now have Ephesians 6, where Paul speaks about putting on the ‘whole armor of the God’ (us preachers are always looking for a good illustration). Paul studied the soldier’s armor that each piece performed a particular task… Paul studied the soldier’s ability that he would ‘stand fast’ with his loins girt… Paul studied the soldier’s allegiance, that he obeyed his master to the fullest in every order given. From that studying he writes to Timothy in II Timothy 2:3-4 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.
We have gained so much from the suffering of Apostle Paul and I for one am so grateful to the Lord for enabling this man to endure such contradiction that we today may live a life glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus was the life of Paul, born in AD 1 a Jew with Roman citizenship…died a Christian and child of the living God in AD68 at the hands of the Roman empire. We have learned so much from his life, to say the least, we have learned that even in suffering and situations of stress and anguish; there is a reason that will help others in their time of need.
I pray this is a blessing to all of you today. Lord bless.
Today in History:
1787 – Congress adopts the Northwest Ordinance, providing for the government of the region north of the Ohio River and west of Pennsylvania.
1863 – Rioting against a Civil War military draft erupts in New York City, leaving more than 100 people dead.
1865 – In a New York Tribune editorial, Horace Greely advises, “Go west, young man, and grow up with the country.”
1923 – The famous Hollywood sign (originally reading “Hollywoodland” to advertise a real estate development) is dedicated on the hills above Hollywood.
Til the Shout,
Dr. B.J. Stagner Jr.
Pastor
New Testament Baptist Church
No comments:
Post a Comment