Monthly Archives: October 2024

GLIMPSES OF PAUL – 10

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PAUL – JOINED AT THE HIP

If I were to choose the lesson that had the profoundest influence on Paul’s life, what would it be?

We have Paul’s answer dotted throughout his letters, but summed up in one short sentence.

2 Corinthians 5:14-15 NIV
[14] “FOR CHRIST’S LOVE COMPELS US, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. [15] And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.”

The context suggests that Paul, speaking of himself, was using the royal “we”, referring to himself and his ministry as “we”.

Paul was not motivated by theology or religion. His only passion was Jesus. The change in his life from hater and persecutor of God’s people to the inner peace he enjoyed, the love and fellowship he shared with people of many colours and cultures all over the known world, had no other explanation apart from Jesus.

Who Jesus was and what He had done had such a profound influence on Paul’s life that Jesus was everything his heart had ever craved. Paul, at heart, loved God, even when his love was misguided and misdirected in his youth. He was passionate enough, then, to protect what he believed in, even if his passion led to murder.

It took one face-to-face encounter with Jesus to redirect his passion forever.

Was it Paul’s love for Jesus that compelled him to face rejection, hatred, persecution, and dangers of every kind? No! It was, Jesus’ love for him, and for all mankind, that compelled him to persevere in his mission to the end of his days.

Paul had drunk so deeply of the love of Jesus that he was compelled to share it with all, whether they heard him or not. He discharged his duty with such joyful passion that, rejected by some, he simply went on to others.

He gave away the love of Jesus with every word he spoke, with every stroke of his pen, and with every prayer he prayed. The gospel he proclaimed had a pulsating heartbeat that gave it life… God’s love expressed through Jesus.

Romans 5:8 NIV
[8] “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

God’s love, revealed to us through Jesus Christ, goes back in time to time’s beginning in the mind of God.

Ephesians 1:4-6 NIV
[4] “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love [5] he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— [6] to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.”

God’s love came to earth in the person of His Son to embrace us in our miserable state and to transform us into holy and beloved children of God.

Ephesians 2:4-7 NIV
[4]”But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, [5] made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. [6] And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, [7] in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.”

This love took all our debt upon Himself to free us to love Him, and to receive from Him all the blessings and benefits of divine love.

Romans 8:32 NIV
[32]” He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”

If this love that has gone so far for us, is challenged, will it fail when the crunch comes?

Romans 8:35, 37-39 NIV
[35] “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
[37] No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. [38] For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, [39] neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Speaking of his experience of human love, imperfect as it is, Solomon wrote…

Song of Songs 8:6-7 NIV
[6]”Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame. [7] Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot sweep it away. If one were to give all the wealth of one’s house for love, it would be utterly scorned.”

What then of perfect love, God’s love, revealed to us through Jesus?

Paul assures us that we and God’s love are inseparable. No matter what happens or how bad things get, God will not let go of us. He’s working…in all things…for our good…even if our circumstances, and the devil, deny the truth.

So, Paul’s passion, so exquisitely expressed in prayer, is the sum of his heart’s desire for all God’s people. Every other desire expressed in prayer, throughout his letters, must bow before this passionate plea to the Father.

Ephesians 3:14-19 NIV

[14] For this reason I kneel before the Father, [15] from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. [16] I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, [17] so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, [18] may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, [19] and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

How can we ever know this Iove in our hearts that surpasses knowledge in our minds?

The Holy Spirit! He is the one in us who brings life to the Word. When we dwell in the Word, the Holy Spirit writes it on our hearts.

Romans 5:5 NIV
[5]”And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

Hope is the promise of God’s love made real, and the Holy Spirit in us does just that. He makes God’s love real…in every situation. Come what may, GOD’S LOVE overrides every other consideration.

Live loved! That’s the key.

GLIMPSES OF PAUL – 9

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PAUL – ALONE BUT NEVER ALONE

Another one of Paul’s great certainties was the presence of Christ in him. He knew that it was the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ representative on earth, who lived in him. He also knew that the Holy Spirit was Jesus’s “alter ego”, not in any schizophrenic kind of way but as His gift to the church, His own self in them.

Jesus promised, on the eve of His death, that He would send the Holy Spirit, after He had returned to the Father, who would be in them to teach and guide them through life. So close was He to Jesus, that Jesus called Him “another just like me” who would be in them forever.

The Holy Spirit’s presence him meant that he, Paul, was never alone. Even in the loneliness of imprisonment…long journeys in foot accompanied by loyal companions…difficult and dangerous situations he had to contend with…issues in the churches needing divine wisdom… he was essentially alone because his earthly friends were as weak vulnerable as he was.

Through all his tough times, including uncertainties, important decisions, even communication with the beloved churches he had established, he had a “paracletos”, a Helper so close and reliable that he was constantly comforted and assisted.

Paul was also aware of his dependence on the Spirit for every detail of his life as a Jesus-follower. Without the Holy Spirit, he had no power to overcome the pull of his flesh, or to obey the very Word of God he was writing in his letters. It was “Christ in him” that energised his spirit to persevere despite every obstacle. It was he, Paul, in Christ, that was the hope of his own victory over sin and death.

Paul knew the theory… Jesus died for him. He also knew the practice…he died with Jesus. The old Paul ceased to exist the moment he believed in Him. There was a powerful exchange in the spirit realm. He had taken on a new identity, a son of God, in a new realm, the kingdom of God, and his entire life was transformed. He had been delivered from the power and influence of the dominion of darkness and Spirit-empowered to live in the kingdom of light.

So, he wrote…

2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT
[17] “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”

And so he experienced this new life…

Galatians 2:20 NLT
[20] “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

He urged believers, then, who still lived in a twilight zone of believing one thing and living another, to take on, in faith and action, this very real transformation.

Romans 6:3-4, 6-8, 10-11 NLT
[3]”… Have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? [4] For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives….
[6] We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. [7] For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. [8] And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him…
[10] When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. [11] So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.”

Just as Paul had learned, so we must learn to make the choices, based on the truth we believe, to put this faith into action.

Romans 6:11-13 NLT
[11]”So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus. [12] Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. [13] Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.”

Paul could be who he was, and write what he wrote because the Holy Spirit was as real in him as Jesus was to His disciples on earth.

As with Paul, so with us and all who believe in Jesus for salvation. However, the initiative lies with us. We are the ones who develop the awareness of “Christ in us, the hope of glory,” and cultivate the closeness to the Spirit by acknowledging His presence in us and listening for His voice as we “walk” in this world.

Never alone…yes, but only as we choose to live in His presence and under His authority in every detail of life.

GLIMPSES OF PAUL – 8

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PAUL THE PRAY-ER

Paul was not only a supurb preacher but a persistent pray-er. His letters are dotted with the prayers he prayed for his fellow believers everywhere who came to faith in Christ through his preaching and teaching.

It was Paul praying that first convinced Ananias that he was no longer a persecutor of believers.

Acts of the Apostles 9:11 NLT
[11] “The Lord said, “Go over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas. When you get there, ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying to me right now.”

No vicious persecutor, bent on destroying the church, would be praying to the Lord!

Paul’s prayers were focused mainly on the church. He prayed for the believers in the churches he established. Many of his letters have samples of his prayers for specific groups of believers, thanksgiving for their strengths and intercession for their weaknesses.

Paul believed in prayer. His council to the Thessalonian church was…

1 Thessalonians 5:17 NLT
[17] “Never stop praying.”

Paul learned to bathe everything he did and everywhere he went in prayer. His mission and ministry was a partnership with the Holy Spirit. He didn’t dare move or speak without clear instructions from heaven.

Acts of the Apostles 16:6-10 NLT
[6] “Next Paul and Silas traveled through the area of Phrygia and Galatia, because the Holy Spirit had prevented them from preaching the word in the province of Asia at that time. [7] Then coming to the borders of Mysia, they headed north for the province of Bithynia, but again the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them to go there. [8] So instead, they went on through Mysia to the seaport of Troas. [9] That night Paul had a vision: A man from Macedonia in northern Greece was standing there, pleading with him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” [10] So we decided to leave for Macedonia at once, having concluded that God was calling us to preach the Good News there.”

Time and again, the Holy Spirit spoke to Paul, reassuring him in times of distress and constantly moving him in the right direction. During the violent storm at sea on his way to Rome, it was God’s intervention that reassured Paul that all on board would be saved,  and kept the crew from acting foolishly.

Acts of the Apostles 27:21-26 NLT
[21] “No one had eaten for a long time. Finally, Paul called the crew together and said, “Men, you should have listened to me in the first place and not left Crete. You would have avoided all this damage and loss. [22] But take courage! None of you will lose your lives, even though the ship will go down. [23] For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me, [24] and he said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What’s more, God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you.’ [25] So take courage! For I believe God. It will be just as he said. [26] But we will be shipwrecked on an island.”

Paul believed in the importance of staying in touch with heavenly headquarters in all his decisions, actions, and interactions with people. So, he passed on instruction about prayer to others. He also craved the prayer support of others for the success of his mission.

Ephesians 6:18-20 NLT
[18] “Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
[19] And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike. [20] I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God’s ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should.”

Fellow believers and Paul were in this together. He depended on their prayer support for strength and wisdom to fulfil his ministry. How important then, that we follow  Paul’s instructions, partnering faithfully with those who minister to us in the work of the kingdom.

Paul’s prayers always had a “so that” in his requests for fellow believers. He had a goal for them,  spiritual progress that would move them towards God’s purpose for His people. God wanted sons and daughters in His forever family who would be replicas of His Son.

Paul wasn’t interested in people having cushy, comfortable earthly lives. He wanted his converts to become persevering believers, who would weather life’s storms, strong in faith, faithful to Jesus, with their eyes set on the glorious future towards which they were moving.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NLT
[16] “That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. [17] For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! [18] So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”

Hiw beautifully and succinctly the writer to the Hebrews explains the spiritual mechanism of prayer!

Hebrews 10:19-22 NLT
[19]”And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. [20] By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. [21] And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, [22] let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.”

This old hymn sums up for us  God’s precious gift of prayer…

1. Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire,
uttered or unexpressed;
the motion of a hidden fire
that trembles in the breast.

2. Prayer is the simplest form of speech
that infant lips can try,
prayer the sublimest strains that reach
the Majesty on high.

3. Prayer is the Christian’s vital breath,
the Christian’s native air,
his watchword at the gates of death:
he enters heaven with prayer.

4. Prayer is the contrite sinner’s voice,
returning from his ways;
while angels in their songs rejoice,
and cry, ‘Behold, he prays!

5. The saints in prayer appear as one,
in word and deed and mind;
while with the Father and the Son
sweet fellowship they find.

6. Nor prayer is made on earth alone:
the Holy Spirit pleads,
and Jesus on the eternal throne
for sinners intercedes.

7. O Thou by whom we come to God,
the Life, the Truth, the Way,
the path of prayer thyself hast trod:
Lord, teach us how to pray!

James Montgomery 1771-1854
(https://hymnary.org)

GLIMPSES OF PAUL – 7

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PAUL THE THEOLOGIAN

Romans 1:16 NLT
[16] “For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.”

Hiw did Paul get to know the power of the gospel?

There are practices in some streams in the modern church that deny the power of the gospel. How do I know this? Look at the beliefs and actions that have been added to what the Bible clearly teaches.

These  groups use forms of so-called “spiritual warfare” that circumvent the preaching of the gospel by introducing man-made activities such as “prayer-walking”, taking authority over, praying against, “pleading the blood over”, etc., all time-wasting, futile exercises that achieve nothing.

How did Paul get to know the power of the gospel? He learned it in Arabia from the Holy Spirit Himself…and he preached the cross of Jesus wherever he went.

Galatians 1:11-12 NLT
[11] “Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to understand that the gospel message I preach is not based on mere human reasoning. [12] I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ.”

He preached the gospel from one end of Asia Minor and Europe to the other. Today, we still live in the glow of his ministry.

From Jerusalem to Rome…

Romans 1:14-15 NLT
[14]” For I have a great sense of obligation to people in both the civilized world and the rest of the world, to the educated and uneducated alike. [15] So I am eager to come to you in Rome, too, to preach the Good News.”

Romans 15:24 NLT
[24] “I am planning to go to Spain, and when I do, I will stop off in Rome. And after I have enjoyed your fellowship for a little while, you can provide for my journey.”

“According to the New Testament, Paul the apostle established Christian communities throughout the Mediterranean world.[36] He is known to have also spent some time in Arabia. After preaching in Syria, he turned his attention to the cities of Asia Minor. By the early 50s, he had moved on to Europe where he stopped in Philippi and then traveled to Thessalonica in Roman Macedonia. He then moved into mainland Greece, spending time in Athens and Corinth. While in Corinth, Paul wrote his Epistle to the Romans, indicating that there were already Christian groups in Rome. Some of these groups had been started by Paul’s missionary associates Priscilla and Aquila and Epainetus.[40]”
(https://en.wikipaedia.com)

Paul also wrote the gospel message in all its detail, and today, we still rely on what he wrote to guide us in our understanding of and faith in the Scriptures.

This is what happened in Ephesus through the preaching of the gospel.

Acts of the Apostles 19:8-11, 17-18, 20 NLT
[8] “Then Paul went to the synagogue (in Ephesus) and preached boldly for the next three months, arguing persuasively about the Kingdom of God. [9] But some became stubborn, rejecting his message and publicly speaking against the Way. So Paul left the synagogue and took the believers with him. Then he held daily discussions at the lecture hall of Tyrannus. [10] This went on for the next two years, so that people throughout the province of Asia—both Jews and Greeks—heard the word of the Lord. [11] God gave Paul the power to perform unusual miracles….
[17] The story of what happened spread quickly all through Ephesus, to Jews and Greeks alike. A solemn fear descended on the city, and the name of the Lord Jesus was greatly honored. [18] Many who became believers confessed their sinful practices….
[20] So the message about the Lord spread widely and had a powerful effect.”

So, Paul could testify with great confidence…

Romans 1:16 NLT
[16]” For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.”

1 Corinthians 1:18 NLT
[18]”The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.”

It is this message, preached and lived, that has power to change lives, from the inside out.

Galatians 2:20 NLT
[20]” My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

GLIMPSES OF PAUL – 6

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The next profound lesson for Paul, learned first from experience, and then taught to us, is also fundamental to life. Let him tell us what it is.

Philippians 4:11-13 NLT
[11]”Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. [12] I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. [13] For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”

How unfortunate that we so often quote verse 13 out of context! Paul is specific about this lesson…contentment. What is contentment?

“Contentment is the state of being happy and satisfied….Contentment isn’t an excited kind of happy, it’s more like a peaceful ease of mind.”
(https://www.vocabulary.com)

Contentment is the antidote to discontent, a state of mind that drives people into all kinds of bad behaviour, even to criminal activities.

With what are we to be content… with adverse circumstances? No, with the one who controls, monitors, and directs our circumstances. You see, once again, contentment is the fruit of implicit confidence in the one who works in all things for our good.

Discontent is a pernicious attitude of distrust in God. When we are discontented with what is happening in our lives, we are saying to God, “You are being unfair; you are shortchanging me;  you don’t know what you are doing; you are not to be trusted!”

Wasn’t that Adam’s attitude in the Garden of Eden? Wasn’t it discontent that Satan sowed in his mind that led to his rebellion? Uncertainty about God’s love and intentions for him? Adam didn’t trust God enough to allow Him to set the rules that protected him, without explanation.

Can you see, then, how important  it is that we settle the issue of who orchestrates our circumstances?

Proverbs 19:21-23 NIV
[21] “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. [22] What a person desires is unfailing love; better to be poor than a liar. [23] The fear of the Lord leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble.”

When we are convinced that God is in charge, we will be satisfied with whatever He does and provides because He is always working for our good IN ALL THINGS.

Once again, discontent is an assault on our trust in God…and again, the solution is simple.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 NLT
[18] “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”

A grateful heart puts our lives into perspective. We cannot be thankful and discontented at the same time since thanksgiving is the language of faith.

Contentment also takes care of our submission to the Lord and our obedience to His will. It will not be difficult to bow to His sovereignty if we are convinced of His goodness and His good intentions for us. So, if adversity is our lot for a while, we know that good will always be the end result.

Paul insists that this lesson, like all others tests of our faith, can only be learned successfully through the power of the Holy Spirit, Christ in us. We will struggle and lose if we try to be contented without Him. Contentment is the fruit of a heart set on God and…a part of our character that can only grow through testing.

Philippians 2:14-16 NLT
[14] “Do everything without complaining and arguing, [15] so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. [16] Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless.”