Scripture
I want to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings.
~Philippians 3:10, NASB
Quote
God had only One Son on this earth without sin but never one without suffering.
~Augustine
The grand children and I are reading through the NT this year. They will get an extra $100 bill this Christmas if they complete the task. Believe it or not, I think Chloe is in the lead, she and I {possibly Josie} are in the book of Acts. Yesterday I was reading chapter five where the Sadducee dominated high court {Sanhedrin} had Peter and John beaten for teaching in Jesus name. I want you to note their response: “After giving them a thorough whipping, they warned them not to speak in Jesus’ name and sent them off. The apostles went out of the High Council overjoyed because they had been given the honor of being dishonored on account of the Name.”
I’ve received a lot of whippings in my life time but I never left one OVERJOYED. So what makes this whipping different? First, we need to consider the conditioning. The disciples [all 11] played the coward when Jesus was arrested. They abandoned Him because they loved their own lives and were fearful of being treated the way He was being treated. They failed Jesus and failed Him miserably. After the resurrection, Jesus sent them a HELPER, the Holy Spirit and He gave them courage. Though threaten, Peter and John did not back down and they were beaten to a pulp for doing so. They are overjoyed because they have passed the test–one that they had failed previously. They were overjoyed because they had been obedient. They were overjoyed because they became partakers of Christ fellowship of suffering.
Reminds me of a story that took place during the late 90’s. At the time, we {DBC} were involved in FAITH which is a visitation program designed to share the gospel. Jerry Segars was the team leader and I don’t remember the third person on the team but I do remember Nancy. She was a tiny woman; about one foot wide and five feet tall. She might have weighed 90 pounds if you soaked her in the watering trough. It was her night to present the gospel and on Jerry’s team, you’d better be ready. They went into a mobile home and were greeted by the man of the house {so to speak}. He was very cordial and they sat down in the den and Nancy got to start her gospel presentation. All was going well until a mad heifer, better known as a wife, came out of the bed room and literally ran them out of the trailer. When I found out, I was afraid this would destroy Nancy’s courage but it did the opposite. It was the best report hour we had in FAITH for the six or so years that we did it. On the way home the LORD spoke to me: “Jack, the joy is in the obedience. You do as I command and you will have joy whether or not the person you are sharing with believes.” There is great joy in obedience.
We got us a little ‘stew’ weather. I came to a cold office this morning and I hadn’t gotten warm yet. They are giving rain for Sunday but you are not to worry. Jeremiah said, “I am aware LORD that no ones ways are his own choosing; nor is it within his power to determine his course in life.” {Jer.10:23} It is a sin to worry about things you cannot control. God is in charge. May His will be done.
The virus and some other things have caused problems for our M’s in China. Some are being forced to leave on a minutes notice. Pray for our M’s in China.
Panic and Hoarding: Grocery store clerks say that it is the same people coming in buying up certain items. What are they going to do with all the germ-x, toilet paper and meat after the restrictions are lifted? I heard a story this morning about the Y-2 scare that happened by at the turn of the century. One man spent $30,000 building and underground shelter and stocking it. His neighbor is someone we all know and love: everyone except Hannah. When the panicky neighbor ask our friend why he was not stock piling and hoarding; he also ask him what he was going to do when disaster hit? Our friend told him, “I’m coming over to your place with my gun. I’m going to shut you and take your stuff. So you keep stockpiling goods and I will stay stocked with ammo.”
Have a great day!