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Showing posts from March, 2015

Jesus: The Believer’s Inheritance

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  It is fascinating to observe when people talk about inheritance, ones mind would immediately cater properties, wills, houses, jewelries, and other material things. All of which are centered on material temporal things.   In 1 Peter 1:4 , although The Apostle Peter used the term “inheritance” once in his letter, Apostle Paul on the other hand, mentioned this term in his letters several times. ( Eph_1:14 , Eph_1:18 , Eph_5:5 , Col_3:24 ,) But what is so significant about this particular emphasis of Peter? After all, he made a brief description of the inheritance (verse 4-5) a believer will obtain now that he is part of God’s family.   The term “inheritance” is not something new among Jewish ears. Going back to the OT, when God divided the promised land among the 12 tribes of Israel, every tribe received a portion of the land as their inheritance, except for the tribe of Levi…”the priestly tribe”. They were the only tribe that didn’t get one. God’s reason for doing so is interesting. Th
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Listening to Godly Counsel

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“Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul stood up among them and said, ‘Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and incurred this injury and loss. Yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. But we must run aground on some island” (Acts 27:21-26). Acts 27 and 28 records Paul’s journey to Rome. Paul, together with other prisoners, were escorted by a Centurion named Julius. It was almost winter time and taking the trip by ship would mean facing the possibility of storms on the sea. Paul found favor with Julius who gave him liberty to be with his friends so that his needs might
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Godly living in a godless society

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“After spending eight or ten days with them, Festus went down to Caesarea. The next day he convened the court and ordered that Paul be brought before him. When Paul came in, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him. They brought many serious charges against him, but they could not prove them” (Acts 25:6-7) Paul had a ton of enemies. These enemies came from all walks of life—from the elite group of the Sanhedrin down to the ordinary Jew on the streets. It is amazing how deep their hatred ran towards him because of his faithful witness to the gospel of Christ (Acts 26:19-23). They were not contented to have him simply locked up in prison; they wanted him dead (Acts 25:1-5). Acts 25 and 26 records Paul’s appearances before Festus and Herod Agrippa II. As Paul appeared before Festus, his enemies stood around him, throwing arrows of accusations they themselves could not prove (Acts 25:6-7). Even Festus and Agrippa could not attribute to Paul any wrongdoing worthy of death
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Finding Comfort in the Lord's Presence

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“But on the night immediately following, the Lord stood at his side and said, “Take courage; for as you have solemnly witnessed to My cause at Jerusalem, so you must witness at Rome also” (Acts 23:11). In Acts 22, Paul experienced physical beatings and was taken into custody by the Roman soldiers, thanks to the Jews from Asia who started the riot. Before the Council, he was hit in the mouth and was taken by force by the Roman soldiers because they were afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces because of the commotion (Acts 23:1-10). During that night at the barracks, Paul must have recalled what took place during the day. Suddenly, Christ appeared and stood at his side, giving him words of comfort. The Lord said, “Take courage; for as you have solemnly witnessed to My cause at Jerusalem, so you must witness at Rome also” (Acts 23:11). Notice how the Lord did not guarantee deliverance from the troubles he was facing. Instead, the Lord encouraged him to continue to be strong as His witne
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Determination

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“Then Paul answered, ‘What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.’ And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, ‘Let the will of the Lord be done'” (Acts 21:13-14, ESV). In Acts 21, after Agabu’s prophecy, Paul’s companions begged that he not proceed to Jerusalem, for pain and suffering awaited him there. Paul, however, already knew that from the moment the Lord called him to ministry, he will suffer for His name’s sake (Acts 9:15-16; Philippians 3:8). Therefore, Paul was unwavering in his determination to go. As followers of Christ, how we respond to suffering is influenced by how we cling to God’s promises and warnings in His word. Peter explained plainly, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also
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