Good Monday May eleventh as we grow in faith by unveiling God’s truths in His word.
What are you accused of-
The apostle Paul has been taken into custody the by Claudius Lysias who has taken Paul from being killed by the mob and has brought him to the Roman fortress where he ordered that Paul be tied then flogged, being whipped in his back areas having his skin torn open. Paul was in his mid thirties when he began his Christian ministry and Paul has been beaten several times stoned and left for dead once and shipwrecked several times. His life has not been an easy life as an apostle to Jesus Christ. 2Corinthians 11:23b-25 “in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep.” This apostle has truly taken his cross, now this is not always understood in our protected umbrella lives. Many are taught when we say yes to Jesus that we then will live in this bubble where this world will have no effect on our lives and why, because we are Christians, let’s break this egg open. Jesus said this, Luke 9:23 “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me”. What did Jesus mean? The cross yes represented the pain and suffering our Lord Jesus went through for our freedom from the enemy Satan who was given authority to rule this earth when Adam listened and obeyed him, not his God. But the cross represents death, as believers when we say take up our cross we are to put to death all things that do not represent God, things as selfish desires plans to do things against God’s word. The Bible says we need to repent, that is to place on the cross all past sins, all present sins and by faith all future sins on the cross which Jesus died and rose to give us a new life and become new in the Lord. 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” This is the gift from our Father His Son for our sins. Now the cross has even more meanings, yes repenting, yes death for sins but sometimes physical death for ones faith. Paul on that walk with the Lord alone, before heading to Jerusalem, understood that he would suffer, even unto death, for the truth of God’s word. Paul now bleeding form open wounds given to him by the Roman commander says, Acts 22:25 “And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who stood by, “Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and uncondemned?” The commander the soldiers all understood what Paul had just declared against them. Let’s read together from Act 22:30 “The next day, because he wanted to know for certain why he was accused by the Jews, he released him from his bonds, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down and set him before them.” Flogging was the way to examine prisoners to get to the truth. This was their interrogation method, but Lysias has the Jewish leaders, Sanhedrin, brought before Paul to hear their charges. Don’t forget this is the same Jewish court that had Jesus killed. Got your cross? Remnant
