Edification Company (Part of Edification Ministries)
Religion & Spirituality:Christianity
Date 08.10.2023
People of God GREETINGS!
It is another week and we thank and rejoice in the Living God, our Heavenly Father, through the Lord Jesus Christ, for His provision, love, care, and his indwelling peace in us by the Divine Person of the Holy Spirit.
Main Bible Scripture:
Acts 23 v 11
Other Associated Scriptures: Acts 23 v 12-13, Acts 24, Acts 25, Acts 26, Acts 27, Acts 28, 1 Peter 5 v 7 so on.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we thank you for another week of divine health, divine peace, divine provision and divine wisdom and revelation of God, the Father of spirits. We come today, this very hour, in our own accord, to feed our born-again spirit-beings with the rich nutrient of God’s Holy Word. We agree that your Word is the truth. We trust the Holy Spirit to bring the light of God’s Word into our minds and the direction of that Word into our spirits. We trust you, the Lord Jesus Christ, that we will be doers of your Word and not hearers, readers or speakers only. In Jesus Name. Amen
Theme/Subject: Rome
Our theme or subject is Rome
In Acts chapter 23 v 11, the Lord Jesus Christ said to our dear brother and apostle and it reads 11“Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.”
Brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, there is very important lesson from the above Holy Written Word of God that if we know it and put what we into practice will greatly help our journey of faith with the Lord Jesus Christ in this natural world.
In this Holy text, the Lord Jesus Christ first said to Paul, who at this time had come under the accusation of the leadership of the Jewish society at the time. They not only accused Paul but they wanted to kill him. Paul, certainly needed to hear those words of life – “Be of good cheer” from the Lord Jesus Christ. It shows that our dear brother and apostle was not cheerful in that situation surrendered him at the time. It is true that when you and I are facing the brunt of trials, tests and challenges in this natural world; we do not always remain cheerful. But, today, the Lord Jesus Christ is saying to you in whatever challenges that you are undergoing that you should “Be of good cheer” How? Only believe His Word. Why? Because He taught you the other day to cast all your trials, tests and challenges on Him because He cares about with deepest affection and watches over you carefully (see 1 Peter 5 v 7). If you have put into practice what the Lord Jesus taught you through His Word then you do not have those trials, tests, challenges but He has them and trust Him that He is more than able to handle them. You do this through faith and the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ believes God’s Word in your spirit and the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ speaks what it believes. Please pause and reflect!
After the Lord Jesus Christ has reassured our dear brother and apostle, Paul, He confirmed to Paul to continue to do the very thing that Paul was doing (testifying about Jesus) which brought sharp accusation from the then Jewish leaders to the point they decided to kill Paul. Jesus said to Paul ““Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.” Notice that Jesus did not ask Paul to stop testifying about Him because the Jewish leaders at the time increased their accusation and attacks. No far from it. He said to Paul “For as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.” In other words, Jesus said to Paul and He is saying the same thing to you and I today that because you are doing the right thing which is testifying about Jesus in this perverse and wicked world, where Satan rules, the world will increase their accusations and attacks on you but remember to be of good cheer always live by faith. Remember to give thanks to the Living God always in everything. This is because Jesus has overcome the world and its ruler, Satan (see Colossians 2 v 15, John 16 v 33, 1 John 4 v 4). And because you are in Christ Jesus and Christ is in you; you also have overcome the world – through FAITH (see 1 John 5 v 4).
The Lord Jesus Christ confirmed to Paul that as long as he continued to testify about Him and put into practice what he testifies; he should give no regard to the challenges but to remain faithful to the task ahead and the journey to Rome.
I like you to note that Jesus never mentioned shipwrecks, the storms and the venomous snake bite that Paul would undergo whilst journeyed to Rome to testify about the Lord Jesus. Why? This is because if the Lord Jesus Christ had provided every details of that journey to Paul, he would not have walked in faith and continued to be of good cheer but he would have walked in what he knew. As born-again children of God we are taught from the Holy Written Word of God to walk in faith and to fight the good fight of faith (see 2Corinthians 5 v7, 1 Timothy 6 v 12). We are not taught to walk and confess our natural situation but we are to walk in faith and confess always who the Father of spirits has made us in Christ Jesus.
In my personal walk with the Lord Jesus Christ, I noticed that when the Lord Jesus is moving me to a deeper assignment to witness Him; the shipwrecks, the storms and the venomous snake bites balloons or increases but glory to the Living God I have learnt through His Word under the guidance of the Holy Spirit to be of good cheer always in my testimony of Him. This echoes the experience of our dear brother and apostle, Paul, in Acts 20 v 23 and it reads “Except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me.” Jesus being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from Jordan and He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness being tempted for forty days by the devil.
Saints, we ought to know that deeper assignment from the Lord Jesus for us in this world irritates the ruler of this world, Satan, to increase his accusation and attacks but keep your eyes on the Lord Jesus and focus on the deeper assignment rather than the accusation and the attacks to remain cheerful always in Christ. For the enemy increases his accusations and attacks on us when we are doing the Lord’s greater assignment which is to maintain our testimony of Him and Him alone amid the shipwrecks, amid the storms, amid venomous snake bites, amid the desertion of family and friends and so on.
I like to remind you that Jesus said to Paul; Be of good cheer, for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.” Although, enroute to Rome, Paul encountered shipwrecks, he encountered fiercest waves (storms), he encountered stressed and depressed prisoners and he encountered venomous snake bite yet he reached Rome just as Jesus had said he would.
For he, apostle Paul, believed in He who said to him “you must also bear witness at Rome.” Regardless of what happened in between that journey to Rome; Paul was fully convinced that he would get to Rome to testify about the Lord Jesus and he did (see Acts 28 v 16). Why? This is because the Lord Jesus said it and Paul believed the Word and he practised what Jesus spoke to Him in Acts 23 v 11.
Today, where do you need to get to? To testify about the Lord Jesus Christ. For apostle Paul, it was Rome.
For you, it may a journey to take concerning your health, a journey to take concerning your marriage, a journey to take concerning the sudden departure from the body of a loved one, a journey to take in raising the children up in the Lord Jesus, a journey to take concerning your calling in Christ Jesus. Then may I submit to you and to edify you to find out what Jesus has said concerning the journey and once you know it from the Holy Written Word; walk and talk the Word in the Name of Jesus.
Like apostle Paul, you will get to Rome in Jesus Name regardless of the shipwrecks, the storms and the venomous snake bite should you continue to maintain your good cheer on the journey focussing solely on Christ and His Word.
Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father in Christ Jesus we thank you for your incorruptible living Word, that Word has come to us, help us to be doers thereof. In Jesus Name. Amen.
To God be the glory forever and ever in Jesus Name by the power of the Holy Spirit. I know that you are blessed by these teachings, why don’t you share them with others to be a blessing also? It is also important to get your feedback and how together, through these teachings we are growing in faith in God’s Holy Written Word.
By: Bro Thomas Boakye
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