Acts 26:30-32
What seemed to others as one big mistake may be the hand of
God arranging circumstances? After Paul’s
defense before King Agrippa, we have the King asking Paul this question: “In such a short
time would you persuade me to be a Christian?”
Then we have Paul’s exchange; “Whether short or long, I would to God that
not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am –
except for the chains.”
“Then the king rose, and the governor and Bernice and those
who were sitting with them. And when they had withdrawn, they said to one
another, “This man is doing nothing to deserve death or imprisonment.” And
Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been set free if he had not
appealed to Caesar.” (Acts
26:30-32 ESV)
Did Paul make a bad call, or was he about the Father’s
business? If you’re familiar with the
Scripture it’s a no brainer, or is it, for I have no doubt Paul was a man who
put on his pants one leg at a time or robe if you prefer, and he had channel
One (The Enemies’ Channel) feeding him lies about what the Romans would do to
him. Yes, Paul had thoughts, emotions,
and the will to choose just like you and I but he also had learned to listen to
channel Two and hear the voice of the Spirit of Truth and to believe that God
was able to not only use him to share the gospel with both Jews and Gentiles,
but to share the gospel with you and me.
Look at what happens to a man who is willing to surrender to
the supremacy of the Lord Jesus; Paul broke his dependence on what he could do
for God, and placed his hope on what Christ would do in Him. He makes this clear in Galatians 2:20, “I have been
crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.
And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved
me and gave himself for me.”
Paul, being lead by the Spirit of Truth, gives us a road map
on how to navigate the highway of this life.
He calls it a “Shield of Faith” in Ephesians 6:16, and he tell us that
in all circumstances to take it up, and that it has the power to extinguish all
the flaming darts of the evil one. And
we have been warned by Jesus in John 10:10, that the enemy of our soul has come
to steal and kill and destroy. Most of
the writings of Paul were written in a prison cell in Rome; it was probably in
Rome that Paul wrote this letter to the Ephesians, and this verse could be
titled: “I am who God says I am! “In him you also are being built together into a dwelling
place for God by the Spirit.” (Ephesians
2:22 ESV) He also addresses this in Philippians 3:20-21, “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it
we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to
be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all
things to himself.”
(Philippians 3:20-21 ESV)
He also gave us this insight while in a Roman prison, “I can do all things through Christ” The
Scripture that acknowledges this is in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through him who
strengthens me.” He also shares this truth in his letter to the
Ephesians in 3:16.
So the next time your actions seem like you made an
unbelievable mistake, take a deep breath and let God show you how He is simply
making a new opportunity to expand the kingdom of God.
From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice
No comments:
Post a Comment